CinemaNerdz

The Preview Reel: Captain Underpants Takes on Wonder Woman

Scott Davis
The Preview Reel

Welcome to this week’s “Preview Reel” column, where we look at the week’s upcoming wide-release movies. After last weekend gave us the worst Memorial Day weekend results in almost twenty years, things look slightly brighter this weekend. One of the more anticipated movies of the summer debuts with DC’s Wonder Woman. Meanwhile, DreamWorks looks to garner another hit in Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie after their last offering, The Boss Baby, did so well.

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Wonder Woman

What we are excited about: Although her role was small, Gal Gadot was one of the best parts of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). In that film, the actress was able to show grace, power, and charm in her brief onscreen moments, which made us want a full-length feature about the character. Now that reason isn’t strong enough to be excited about the film, but the trailers have looked very promising, and possibly even more so since the film looks vastly different from anything in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) so far. There seems to be less dread and focus on the burden of being a hero, and instead the focus is on the importance of being a female hero. Add in an aesthetic that just looks beautiful and we are in.

What we are worried about: It is no secret that the DCEU has struggled up to this point. While there are fans of each of the films so far (Man of Steel [2013], Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Suicide Squad [2016]), none of those films were both critical and commercial successes, which Warner Bros. was no doubt hoping to achieve leading up to this November’s release of Justice League. All three of these films had great trailers, and the same goes for Wonder Woman. So far, the DCEU has shown that they can market their films well, but do they have good films or just brief glimpses of what could be? We are hoping that Wonder Woman doesn’t continue this trend and will be a good movie instead of merely a good trailer.

The Buzz: The buzz for this movie has always been strong given that Wonder Woman is a much beloved DC character that has taken far too long to make it to the big screen, but that excitement has grown since the initial screenings of the movie started a couple weeks ago. People are loving the film, which is very different than previous DCEU installments. It currently (as of 5/31/17) sits at a resounding 96% on RottenTomatoes and 76 on MetaCritic. With the positive reviews and promising trailers, look for an opening around $95 million, possibly even above $100 million.

Final Thoughts: This could be the female-led super hero movie we’ve been waiting for and the first movie that gets almost everyone excited for future DCEU installments.

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Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie

What we are excited about: We can all laugh at the title, but this is based on a popular children’s book series that is kind of clever. This could be a fun animated adventure in the vein of many superhero movies that is perfect for kids. If you are worried about your kids being too young for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 or Wonder Woman, this could prove to be a solid choice. Plus, Ed Helms and Kevin Hart always provide the laughs.

What we are worried about: This might be strictly for kids. As was the case for The Boss Baby, the latest DreamWorks animated offering looks to aiming squarely at the kiddos and leaving their parents rolling their eyes. Instead of going the Pixar (or more recently, Disney) route where both kids and parents can enjoy the film, DreamWorks looks produce products that is just funny and colorful enough to keep the kids entertained. It’s a business model that has worked for them, but one wonders that if they put a little more effort into their stories maybe they could close the gap between themselves and Pixar/Disney.

The Buzz: Most of the buzz this week belongs to Wonder Woman, but families with kids who might not be old enough to see that might opt to see this instead. The review embargo has not been lifted as of this writing, which is never a good sign, so look for an opening around $25 million.

Final Thoughts: We’re seeing Wonder Woman this weekend, but if you have a family to entertain this weekend, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie might be a better option.

Scott Davis

Scott Davis is a recent graduate of Oakland University where he earned a degree in journalism. He worked for the student newspaper on campus, The Oakland Post, where he became the paper's managing editor. He also earned a minor in Cinema Studies at OU. Scott enjoys all things film and TV related, especially the blockbuster kind. He might be the biggest Christopher Nolan fan you know.
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