Summer Preview Part 2

19 March 2008

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In the second part of out summer preview FemaleFirst highlights some more alternative releases to the whole host of superhero movies that will grace our screen later this summer.

Kung Fu Panda

Kung Fu Panda features Jack Black as Po the Panda, a lowly waiter in a noodle restaurant, who is a kung fu fanatic but whose shape doesn't exactly lend itself to kung fu fighting. In fact, Po's defining characteristic appears to be that he is the laziest of all the animals in ancient China. That's a problem because powerful enemies are at the gates, and all hopes have been pinned on a prophesy naming Po as the "Chosen One" to save the day. A group of martial arts masters are going to need a black belt in patience if they are going to turn this slacker panda into a kung fu fighter before it's too late.Starring: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu

Check out our first look Kung Fu Panda pictures.

Kung Fu Panda is released 4th July.

Wall.E

What if mankind had to leave Earth, and somebody forgot to turn the last robot off?

Academy Award®-winning writer-director Andrew Stanton ("Finding Nemo") and the inventive storytellers and technical geniuses at Pixar Animation Studios ("The Incredibles," "Cars," "Ratatouille") transport moviegoers to a galaxy not so very far away for a new computer-animated cosmic comedy about a determined robot named Wall-E.

After hundreds of lonely years of doing what he was built for, Wall-E. (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) discovers a new purpose in life (besides collecting knick-knacks) when he meets a sleek search robot named Eve.

Eve comes to realize that Wall-E. has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet's future, and races back to space to report her findings to the humans (who have been eagerly awaiting word that it is safe to return home).

Meanwhile, Wall-E.. chases Eve across the galaxy and sets into motion one of the most exciting and imaginative comedy adventures ever brought to the big screen.

Starring: Fred Willard, Jeff Garlin, Ben Burtt

Wall.E is released 18th July

View the first look Wall-E images.

Hancock

There are heroes... there are superheroes... and then there’s Hancock (Will Smith).

With great power comes great responsibility, everyone knows that, everyone, that is, but Hancock.

Edgy, conflicted, sarcastic, and misunderstood, Hancock’s well-intentioned heroics might get the job done and save countless lives, but always seem to leave jaw-dropping damage in their wake.

The public has finally had enough as grateful as they are to have their local hero, the good citizens of Los Angeles are wondering what they ever did to deserve this guy.

Hancock isn’t the kind of man who cares what other people think until the day that he saves the life of PR executive Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), and the sardonic superhero begins to realize that he may have a vulnerable side after all.

Facing that will be Hancock’s greatest challenge yet and a task that may prove impossible as Ray’s wife, Mary (Charlize Theron), insists that he’s a lost cause.

Starring: Will Smith, Jason Bateman, Charlize Theron

Hancock is released 27th July

Get Smart

Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) is on a mission to thwart the latest plot for world domination by the evil crime syndicate known as KAOS.

When the headquarters of U.S. spy agency Control is attacked and the identities of its agents compromised, the Chief (Alan Arkin) has no choice but to promote his ever-eager analyst Maxwell Smart, who has always dreamt of working in the field alongside stalwart superstar Agent 23 (Dwayne Johnson).

Smart is partnered instead with the lovely-but-lethal veteran Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway). Given little field experience and even less time, Smart-armed with nothing but a few spy-tech gadgets and his unbridled enthusiasm-must thwart the doomsday plans of KAOS head Siegfried (Terance Stamp).

Starring: Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin, Terence Stamp

Get Smart is released 15th August

Pineapple Express

Lazy stoner Dale Denton (Seth Rogen) has only one reason to visit his equally lazy dealer Saul Silver (James Franco): to purchase weed, specifically, a rare new strain called Pineapple Express.

But when Dale becomes the only witness to a murder by a crooked cop (Rosie Perez) and the city's most dangerous drug lord (Gary Cole), he panics and dumps his roach of Pineapple Express at the scene.

Dale now has another reason to visit Saul: to find out if the weed is so rare that it can be traced back to him.

And it is. As Dale and Saul run for their lives, they quickly discover that they’re not suffering from weed-fueled paranoia; incredibly, the bad guys really are hot on their trail and trying to figure out the fastest way to kill them both.

Starring: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Amber Heard, Gary Cole, Rosie Perez

Pineapple Express is released 26th September.

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw