The Kick-Ass Summer of 2013

"Try to have fun," Colonel Stars and Stripes tells Kick-Ass towards the beginning of "Kick-Ass 2." "Otherwise, what's the point?" Words to live by indeed, Colonel. The movies I've seen this past summer are fueled by the desire to have fun. While many try to aim higher than mere entertainment, they mostly just end up as decent popcorn flicks. I guess in that aspect, this summer was disappointing for movies. And yet, I still had a hell of a time seeing all these different films this summer.

Some of them escaped my grasp, I admit. "Fast & Furious 6," "Despicable Me 2," "The Great Gatsby," "The Lone Ranger" and "World War Z" all eluded me. But I still found time to see ten very different, very entertaining films in theaters, the most recent of which was "Kick-Ass 2." With my return to college imminent, I've decided to review "Kick-Ass 2" in the context of the other films I've seen this summer, ranking them all from worst to best in accordance with how much I enjoyed them. This will not only allow me to review the films I didn't get a chance to blog about, but also look back at summer 2013 as a whole and return to the films I did review. So with that said, let us begin.

10. Now You See Me- Jesse Eisenberg. Woody Harrelson. Morgan Freeman. Mark Ruffalo. Michael Caine. All in a movie about magic. This film intrigued me when I first heard about it, and upon seeing it I delighted at the magic tricks displayed by the main cast, who use their shows to steel from the rich and give back to the audience.

The entire endeavor came across as something akin to a modern day "The Prestige" crossed with a heist flick, and was vastly entertaining from the first scene to the last reel.  It all looks great, but while the A list cast is a joy to watch, we have no time to really get to know them. Just as in the film itself, the best magic only serves to distract the audience from something else. In this case, it's all a marvelous distraction from the underdeveloped characters.

9. Elysium- I've already elaborated on how much of a disappointment this film was, so there's really no need to go into detail here. While Neil Blonkamp has created a fully realized sci-fi world, he never goes in depth about the politics or intricacies that define his characters. The potential themes about rich vs. poor are lost amid all the cool sci-fi action, hampering what could have been a heady science fiction flick that was just as much about themes as it was about action.

8. Kick-Ass 2- While being this low on the list seems demeaning, "Kick-Ass 2" was in fact a fun return to the world set up in the first film. Aaron Taylor Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz and Christopher Mintz- Plasse all return to play their respective characters. The film does a masterful job of setting up the parallels between Kick-Ass, Hit-Girl, and the newly christened Motherf*cker as they begin maturing and figuring out who they are and what they want to do with their lives. Hit-Girl's arc is especially emotional, giving her a "Mean Girls" style subplot as she learns to be a "normal girl" before embracing her destiny as a superhero.

Donald Faison and Jim Carrey give hilarious, if brief, turns as new heroes Doctor Gravity and Colonel Stars and Stripes, but the real breakout star was Olga Kurkulina as new villain Mother Russia. The action is great, the humor still works, and the characters are still as interesting as the last film. However, while this works as both a continuation of the first film and an adaptation of the comics (a controversial scene from the book is changed to great humorous effect here), the film never quite reaches the hilarious heights of the original. A worthy sequel, to be sure, but it fails to surpass the uniqueness of its predecessor.

7. This Is The End- I don't usually go see comedy films in theaters, but for this one I had to make an exception. The premise was just too good to pass up. A deliciously meta film about Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jay Baruchel, and other celebrities as they try to survive the Biblical Apocalypse, "This Is The End" was a treat to watch.

Not only did I get to see all these actors basically poke fun at themselves and their egos for an hour and a half, but I was treated to some hilarious jokes about celebrity culture mixed in with a decent plot about the world ending. One scene in particular, where James Franco and Danny McBride go at it, had me laughing so hard I couldn't breath. I wouldn't say this is the best comedy in recent years, but it gets props for its creativity and its showcase of both the arrogance and humility of some of today's top actors.

6. Star Trek Into Darkness- This movie should have been higher on this list. It was an absolute blast to watch in theaters, both as a continuation of the first "Star Trek" film and as a character study of the growing friendship between Kirk and Spock. Not to mention some great parallels to the way our government runs covert ops in a post 9/11 world. Abrams crafted a damn near perfect "Star Trek" film that serves as an action-packed, yet still heartfelt, science fiction film. What ruins it is an ending that, while still entertaining, is a complete do over of "Wrath of Khan."

It's no secret that Benedict Cumberbatch's John Harrison is Khan Noonien Sign. While he easily gave the best performance, his character was somewhat wasted in a retread of the classic Khan stories. It did not lessen my enjoyment of the film, but I do wish Abrams and crew were a little more original with their story, as they were with the first film. This is a parallel universe, after all. At least the film promises that future endeavors will take the Enterprise crew to where no man has gone before. And hopefully, the franchise with it.

5. Iron Man 3- I've already discussed this at length, but it bears repeating: I liked the Mandarin twist. While I'm as diehard of a Marvel fan as it gets, I appreciate the risk the filmmakers took in taking Iron Man's outdated archenemy and putting a hilarious, but ingenious twist on him. The film largely works, both as a continuation of "The Avengers" and a capper to the solo "Iron Man" trilogy.

But its greatest strength is being a largely standalone feature, one that perfectly captures the essence of Tony Stark and how it's his genius, not his technology, that makes him special. While it beats "Iron Man 2" by a wide mile, its occasional over reliance on comedy puts it a step below the original, which had a better balance of comedy and seriousness. Still, RDJ is great as ever, and the film thrives as pure popcorn entertainment.

4. The Wolverine- This is, by a wide margin, the best film to feature Hugh Jackman as everyone's favorite feral mutant. Unlike "X-Men Origins" and "X3," "The Wolverine" is first and foremost a character study of Logan, and what it means to have purpose when he's essentially immortal. By losing his healing factor, and at the end fighting an enemy who can cut through his claws, Logan comes to understand what it means to be vulnerable, and through this finds his purpose again when he falls in love with the daughter of a Japanese warlord.

There's a jarring tonal shift towards the end when the Japanese noir/samurai epic suddenly becomes another superhero slugfest, but the action is still personal and the stakes still high for Logan. Plus, that end credits scene was fan service at its finest. All in all, "The Wolverine" makes up for some of the biggest mistakes of its predecessors and proves that even the X-Men franchise can heal.

3. Monsters University- For a film that had no right to exist, "Monsters University" was an impressive prequel that not only stands on its own but also adds more depth to the characters and world of the first film. The focus here is on Mike, and the film is all the better for it. As Mike makes rivals with Sully over who will become the top scarer in school, we are treated to some hilarious college-themed jokes that manage not to gross out the kiddies. This is basically a child oriented "Revenge of the Nerds," and not the Pixar Animal House some were expecting.

The college setting is really an ingenious set up for Mike and Sully to truly bond, all the while learning the importance of teamwork and the powerful lesson of how sometimes, childhood dreams don't come true. A bold take for Disney, to be sure, but then again Pixar has always been bolder than its parent company. While not as emotional as the first, or for that matter many of Pixar's finest of recent years, this still had more effort put into it than either "Cars 2" or "Brave," and signals the return to form for Pixar that I have been craving.

2. Man of Steel- For all the flak this film has gotten from fans and critics about how this isn't the Superman they grew up with, I give this movie props for making me truly care about the invincible man from Krypton. While the action and scale are undeniably impressive, what really sold me was Henry Cavill's performance, which truly sells the identity crisis of Clark Kent as he tries to resolve his human and alien halves.

Yes, there's a lot of destruction, some would say senseless. Yes, Superman does the big no no and kills Zod at the end. But by the time the credits roll, you see the potential that this new series has as Clark greets Lois and gives her that gigantic grin. For all the darkness, the filmmakers still understand that Superman, at his core, is a hopeful character. Dark this picture may be, but in time this new Superman will bask in the sun, and hopefully the fans will follow. Now bring on Batman and Lex Luthor, so we can truly see how optimistic Kal-El is meant to be.

1. Pacific Rim- The level on which this film works is beyond impressive. It's not only a homage to mecha anime and kaiju flicks, it's also a throwback to the feel good summer blockbusters of the '80s and '90s, when characters were underdog archetypes that actually had fun while saving the world. The robot-monster battles are worth the price of admission alone, but Guillermo Del Toro never forgets the beating human heart at the center of all the colossal set pieces. This film is pure, unadulterated, uncompromising, summer entertainment at its finest, and for that it deserves the top spot as my favorite film of summer 2013.

With summer gone and school beginning, I know not how much time I'll get to update this blog. But the geek world keeps spinning, and I'll always have an opinion on the goings on in this vast sphere of pop culture. School may take up most of my time, but the need to talk about nerdy news will never cease. Look out for my continuing rants, as there's no chance of me stopping anytime soon.