It’s the weekend again, and that means Film Focus. Here’s Mike Laidman with what’s new in local theaters.
While the weather may be hot, some of this summer’s tentpole movies are maybe...not.

Jump onboard as we take a look at Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, opening this week, and then the long, long-awaited sequel to a 1996 classic, opening next week.

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Mike Laidman

Welcome to another edition of Film Focus. I’m Mike Laidman.

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016, Dave Green)
The turtles confront the notorious Krang.

The sequel to the 2014 movie, turtles Michelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo, and Raphael are all back to battle bigger, badder villains, alongside April O'Neil, Vern Fenwick, and a newcomer: the hockey-masked vigilante Casey Jones.

After supervillain Shredder escapes custody, he joins forces with mad scientist Baxter Stockman and two dimwitted henchmen, Bebop and Rocksteady, to unleash a diabolical plan to take over the world. As the Turtles prepare to take on Shredder and his new crew, they find themselves facing an even greater evil with similar intentions: the notorious Krang.

There aren’t many who don’t know of the Turtles - their popularity a few decades ago was significant - but that doesn’t necessarily translate into success. In fact, while this second installment is a step above the original, it still lacks the wit and energy that made the original series so likeable.

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Independance Day: Resurgence (2016, Roland Emmerich)
20 years after the first invasion, Earth is threatened again.

It’s been 20 years, but it’s here, finally. Well, next week, really.
Also, they’re here, and they’re ready to take a second hit at Earth.

We always knew they were coming back. After Independance Day redefined the event movie genre way back in 1996, the next chapter delivers global catastrophe on an unimaginable scale. Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth have collaborated on an immense defense program to protect the planet. But nothing can prepare us for the aliens' advanced and unprecedented force. Only the ingenuity of a few brave men and women can bring our world back from the brink of extinction.

It’s too early to say how this one will go down, but with a few favourites returning from the original, there’s no reason to believe that this follow-up won’t be incredibly enjoyable. Mind you, the summer blockbuster has changed a lot in 20 years, so we’ll have to wait and see if Resurgence can offer audiences something worthwhile.