Summer 2023’s Movie Blockbuster Round-Up

VFX to keep you off the beaches

Possibly the most memorable summertime movie scene in living memory was Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill’s bro-walk in 22 Jump Street. No visual effects needed to beef up Tatum’s ‘sun’s out guns out’ physique, but the movie included about 600 VFX shots in other sequences. The Jump Streets are always worth a rewatch for great FX combined with razor blade sharp scripting, but it’s the time of year to keep an eye out for the next big thing… because it’s blockbuster season.

From around June onwards, studios release their biggest movies, so we’re all ready here at mustard fx to feast our eyes on the latest in groundbreaking VFX. Here’s the need-to-know round-up.

Top of our list is Disney’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. ILM worked their little socks off to dial back the years for Harrison Ford’s extended flashback sequence, successfully de-aging the now 80-year old Harrison to 35. And from the clips, this is 21st century witchcraft. If we think about how far we’ve come with the technology since those waxy younger versions of Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen in 2006’s X-Men: Last Stand, it’s clear we’re not far off from creating entire movies around de-aged stars.

Out of this world superhero movies crash-land this summer

Superhero-wise, the BIG release of the summer is The Flash. This movie guest stars not just one Batman, but two, bringing back Michael Keaton (returning to the role for the first time since 1992’s Batman Returns) and Ben Affeck. But that’s not all, folks, as there’s also an extra Flash running around. Ezra Miller’s doubling up as the Barry Allen we know from Justice League and Batman v Superman, as well as another alternate-universe version of the same character. It’s quite a feat for the FX bods to create the illusion of one actor playing two different people interacting in a realistic way, and from what we’ve seen from the trailer, they’ve absolutely pulled it off.

Amazingly, apart from the animated Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, The Flash is the only one of two superhero movies we’re getting this summer. After May’s Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 3, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is sitting the summer months out, returning in November with The Marvels. To fill the gap, DC is dropping a second superhero flick this August with Blue Beetle, interestingly, not a film based on one of their premier-league characters, but one that could well become a big screen favourite.

VFX Mission: Now Possible

Outside of superhero flicks, there’s a lot to look forward to, including the FX-heavy Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1, the mega-budget action-thriller Extraction 2 and, of course, the latest movie in the box-office-conquering Transformers series, Rise of the Beasts. Since debuting at the flicks in 2007 with the simply-titled Transformers, this series has given us some of the most visually impressive effects work to date in modern cinema – the newest instalment has not bucked the trend. The Moving Picture Company (Oscar winners for their work on 1917, The Jungle Book and Life Of Pi) and Weta are once again overseeing the VFX here, and if it’s anything like the other movies, it’ll mark the new gold standard for special effects from 2023 onwards.

Disney’s back and spookier than ever

Also, worthy of a big shout out is Disney’s upcoming Haunted Mansion, a big screen version of the famed theme park attraction. ILM and British VFX company DNEG are behind this effects-heavy spookfest starring Owen Wilson and Danny DeVito. Judging by the trailer, it looks like a riot. Expect it to hit British cinemas on 11 August.

Do you have what it takes to push VFX forwards by leaps and bounds?

Then our mustard fx crew needs to talk to you about the brilliant job opportunities we recruit for in the industry. Call us now, and we’ll get you fixed up with your dream job. The number is 0117 929 6060.