Welcome to Boom, Bust, or Meh, ladies and gentlemen! This is where we focus on five films released during the month and have some fun predicting their success! As with every BBoM article, each film receives one of the following scores from each participating GUG film critic:
Boom: A film you’ll remember for the rest of the year.
Bust: A film you’ll regret watching.
Meh: A film that entertains during the moment, but has no lasting impact.
At the end of each month, each of the films will be arbitrarily judged and the critic’s ongoing tally will be updated (the score is written beside their name: correct predictions – incorrect predictions).
Let’s see what June has to offer after we look at last month’s results!
The Results
Before we get to our film predictions, let us take a look at the outcome of our May predictions!
1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – BOOM!
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 82%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 94%
IMDB Score: 8.2
Box Office
Production Budget: $250 million
Worldwide: $746 million
Rolling in some more emotionally heavy themes for once, this third instalment operated as a satisfying bookend to one of the MCU’s more beloved collection of characters.
2. The Mother – Meh
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 42%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 65%
IMDB Score: 5.6
Box Office
Production Budget: $43 million
Worldwide: N/A
Jennifer Lopez’s performance is the only thing saving this bland, generic action movie.
3. Fast X – Meh
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 54%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 85%
IMDB Score: 6.3
Box Office
Production Budget: $340 million
Worldwide: $522 million
Fast X was too silly for critics to treat seriously, though long-time fans knew what to expect from this franchise by now, and were satisfied by this latest offering.
4. The Little Mermaid – Meh
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 68%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 95%
IMDB Score: 7.0
Box Office
Production Budget: $250 million
Worldwide: $209 million
The online narrative that critics are falsely praising this film doesn’t seem to hold up when judging these figures. The film has its strengths, but ultimately it’s yet another shallow live action remake from Disney.
5. The Machine – Meh
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 22%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 88%
IMDB Score: 6.7
Box Office
Budget: $20 million
Worldwide: $6 million
The heart and soul of The Machine is Bert Kreischer, which is a problem as he’s also the film’s biggest drawback.
New Releases
Each “Boom, Bust, or Meh” article will include each writer’s current record next to their name. My record is (131-110).
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Rating: PG
Release Date: June 2, 2023
Synopsis: Miles Morales catapults across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. When the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles must redefine what it means to be a hero. (IMDB)
Directors: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
Starring: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Oscar Isaac
The Predictions
Juliana Purnell (131-110): BOOM! – I’m cheating as I’ve already seen this film. It’s fantastic. It’s a piece of art. It’s very rewarding for Spider-Man fans. There’s proper character development, they’ve focussed hard on nurturing rich and nuanced themes, and the story finally puts Marvel and its multiverse back on track. There’s not a lot to fault with this movie.
The Boogeyman
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: June 2, 2023
Synopsis: Adaptation of Stephen King’s ‘The Boogeyman’. (IMDB)
Director: Rob Savage
Starring: Sophie Thatcher, Chris Messina, Vivien Lyra Blair
The Predictions
Juliana Purnell (131-110): Meh – I’m still cheating as I’ve also seen this one. I loved this creature feature and the monster’s design. It’s also a horror film that attempts to have something of note to say and tries to marry its themes with an allegory. However the scares are fairly standard, and there are smarter narratives within the genre out there, making The Boogeyman above average but not particularly memorable.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: June 9, 2023
Synopsis: Plot unknown. Reportedly based on the ‘Transformers’ spinoff ‘Beast Wars’ which feature robots that transform into robotic animals. (IMDB)
Director: Steven Caple Jr.
Starring: Michelle Yeoh, Pete Davidson, Colman Domingo
The Predictions
Juliana Purnell (131-110): Meh – I spent a weekend working at the Transformers stall at a convention last year, and ended up hanging out with some of Australia’s most passionate collectors, who proceeded to teach me all things about the franchise. One of the pieces of history I gleaned was that Beast Wars saved the series at the time of its release. I think Rise of the Beasts will do the same here for the movies. After a steady decline in quality, Bumblebee offered a glimmer of success in amongst a field of bloated unwatchable cash grabs. It’s hopeful thinking, but Rise of the Beasts may offer another decent narrative combined with fond memories for long-time fans. It’s a franchise that has been absent from cinemas for a while, so audiences might be keen and forgiving. Critics will still think it’s dumb though.
The Flash
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: June 16, 2023
Synopsis: Barry Allen uses his super speed to change the past, but his attempt to save his family creates a world without super heroes, forcing him to race for his life in order to save the future. (IMDB)
Director: Andy Muschietti
Starring: Sasha Calle, Ben Affleck, Ezra Miller
The Predictions
Juliana Purnell (131-110): BOOM! – Dimension hopping and exploring alternate timelines is very popular amongst superhero films these days and those types of plots might be starting to wear out their welcome, but now it’s Batman’s turn. And everyone likes a Batman movie. Ezra Miller’s personal issues aside, the Flash hasn’t received a modern film adaptation lately, so there’s a fresh factor involved which is no longer present within the MCU. Provided the film isn’t too bloated with its storytelling, I think most fans will rate it highly purely just for Keaton’s return as the dark knight.
Elemental
Rating: PG
Release Date: June 16, 2023
Synopsis: Follows Ember and Wade, in a city where fire-, water-, land- and air-residents live together. (IMDB)
Director: Peter Sohn
Starring: Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Ronnie del Carmen
The Predictions
Juliana Purnell (131-110): Bust – I’m just not feeling this one, and I know I’m not the only person who feels this way either. Elemental feels like a bland, half-baked concept that’s too reminiscent of better films like Zootopia and Inside Out. If it ends up being an allegory for racism, then I feel even more audiences will tune out given the current over-exploration of those themes in cinema. A cute story about how opposites attract might be worth the look, but the trailers still lack an exciting angle that will appeal to the general public.
Thanks for reading this month’s edition! Let us know your predictions in the comment section. Join us next month for another edition of “Boom, Bust, or Meh!”