Summer comes as competitive period for Hollywood blockbusters (2)

Fast heartbeats

Chinese-US co-production Man of Taichi directed by Keanu Reeves in his directorial debut is also already in cinemas. The film was a labor of love by Reeves who pushed the project forward as a way to thank his Matrix kung fu teacher Tiger Chen. Reeves co-stars as the villain.

Next up from Hollywood is After Earth, Will Smith's second collaboration with his real-life son, Jaden Smith. (Their first film together was The Pursuit of Happyness in 2006.) The younger Smith was meant to outshine his superstar father in this post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller, but most critics have not been dazzled.

Then there will be White House Down directed by Roland Emmerich and scheduled for a July 22 release. The White House has been destroyed in Emmerich's Independence Day and also damaged in his film 2012. It seems he really hates the building and plans to smash it down once more, even in the title.

Besides the usual terrorists, monsters are coming, too!

In Pacific Rim, directed by Guillermo del Toro, the danger comes from giant monsters that can travel between parallel universes: Earth and the "Anteverse." The battles between soldiers, robots, pilots and monsters will probably satisfy those craving science fiction with the destructive force of Transformers.

Fast & Furious is back on July 26. The franchise has brought many surprises in the past. After disappointing fans when expectations were high, it managed eventually to rev up its nitrous-fueled fanbase with Fast & Furious 6, which is said to be the last Fast & Furious film to be directed by Justin Lin.

On the same day, Hugh Jackman will return in The Wolverine directed by James Mangold. However, for this adventure, most of the settings are in Japan instead of in Canada. Mangold directed 3:10 to Yuma and Oscar-winning Walk the Line. He once expressed that during the filming process, he imagined scenes from several classics such as Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window and Vertigo as well as Clint Eastwood's The Outlaw Josey Wales, which helped Mangold to add more mystery to the tormented hero's story.

On the animated front, Despicable Me 2 and The Smurfs 2 will offer joy for the entire family. Super-villain Gru from Despicable Me, voiced by Steve Carell, becomes a caring dedicated father after adopting three daughters, but in his world there is no lasting peace. Another villain called El Macho, voiced by Al Pacino, must be defeated. In this sequel, Gru gets plenty of help from his little yellow goggle-wearing Minions.

The Smurfs 2, which brings back Neil Patrick Harris and Hank Azaria, is scheduled for general release on the last day of July.

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