The Best Summer Movies of 2011

The summer movie season is winding down. The last few flicks are being burped out without much fanfare. Is anyone really excited to see Conan the Barbarian, Final Destination 5, or Spy Kids: Stuff Happens? Still, summer isn’t about great movies. It’s about fun movies. Though it wasn’t possible to see all the summer movies, here are my picks for the best of the season, ranked in order of wonderfulness.

1. Kung Fu Panda 2
Shut up. It’s good. The artists and writers made sure this was more than just a boring sequel. Of the summer movies, this was the most fun and enjoyable.

2. Super 8
This was a good movie that was almost a great movie. The problem, (and stop reading if you haven’t seen it) is the monster. Everything else about the movie is amazing, but I was hoping the creature would be more than just a generic-looking beast that is as memorable as the fiftieth digit of Pi. Director J.J. Abrams should have called director/mad man Guillermo Del Toro. One quick sketch by Del Toro would have turned a ho-hum monster into a memorable cinematic ghoul, and made this movie a classic.

3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
It’s the second-best Potter movie (Prisoner of Azkaban is the best) but this didn’t get the top spot of the summer because it felt rushed. In terms of storytelling, it’s one giant third act. There is no setup or character growth here. It’s two hours of Harry fighting back against Voldemort, and after the first hour, all the razzle-dazzle becomes repetitive. It looks spectacular, but it never lives up to the book. Even Molly Weasley’s famous attack on Bellatrix seemed tacked on and hurried. But for a movie that was all spectacle, it was impressive.

4. Bridesmaids
It’s funny in every way possible, from gross-out gags to witty dialogue. The only problem is that now Hollywood will rush to make ten million copycat movies that will never be as good unless Kristen Wiig is involved.

5. Thor
Thor is a goofy character, but the movie still works. The scenes on Asgard are so much fun that they help balance out the boring and cheap-looking scenes on Earth. Too bad we couldn’t have a movie without Earth. Is it silly? Yes. But who would walk into a Thor movie expecting great art? (Grandma, put your hand down. You expect too much.)

6. The Hangover Part 2
Without Zach Galifianakis, this movie would be irritating. Here’s hoping that if they make a third film, the story will be considerably different than the first two.

7. Captain America
Eight minutes after leaving the theater, I couldn’t tell you what happened in the movie. There was a cube of power…and Captain America did stuff…and then he said things…and ran…and the other guy was bad and red…and war happened. Despite the lukewarm reaction, next summer’s Avengers movie is one I’m eagerly anticipating. (Though not as much as Batman 3.)

Movies I haven’t seen

Transformers: Money of Cash
After watching the second Transformers movie, I swore I would never give Michael Bay another penny until he writes me a personal apology and sends me a cookie bouquet.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Blah blah Water blah blah Darkness
The second and third Pirates movies made me angry with frustration. Even after the lovely Sparklers explained the plot of those films, I’m still left scratching my head and whispering, “But what about the…” And so, like Transformers, I won’t pay to see another Pirates movie.

Cars 2
The first Cars movie was nothing more than a pretty two-hour commercial for the toys. The sequel looked like an excuse to sell even more toys to the knee-high crowd. I still love Pixar. I just hope they don’t waste time on Cars 3: Now the Cars Transform…Into Pirates!

Green Lantern
The trailers looked like crappy video game footage and made me sleepy.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes
The first trailer grabbed my attention. They should have stuck with that one. The second trailer revealed everything about the plot, and so I was in no rush to see the trailer expanded into 120 minutes. I’ll rent it later this year, after I forget everything I saw in the trailer.

Cowboys and Aliens
I wanted to see it. Was it good? Should I rush out to the theaters to see it while I still can? Do the aliens win?

The Smurfs
You know how I feel about this. (Click here to read my suggestions for the sequel.)

The Help
I’m seeing it this weekend. If you want to come, meet me at the theater. (I’m sneaking in soda and gravy. You bring the ham.)

Speaking of great movies: Don’t miss the Facebook live-blog of Justin Bieber: Never Say Never happening tonight at 8 p.m. (EST) as part of the SparkNotes Movie Club. Click here for the details.

Did you see any amazing movies this summer?

Related post: The SparkNotes Movie Club Presents: Justin Bieber: Never Say Never