In the conversation surrounding film releases and big predictions, one at the top of the docket is usually this: What release will be the movie of the summer? Usually, the biggest movie of the summer goes to something larger than life. Something with a lot of hype, maybe from a franchise. It will also usually have a lot of action, at least one big name attached in some way.
Film releases in 2021 may be different than in years before, but the question of what the movie of the summer will be is still valid. Looking at all the aforementioned criteria, the MCU's Black Widow is a big front runner. Like Black Widow, most of the films coming out this summer, were meant for release last year. Because of the global pandemic, everything got all messed up and it'll likely take a few years to get back to normal. One of the films that unfortunately suffered delays, but is finally coming out in June, is the movie adaptation of Broadway musical In The Heights.
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The story of the musical follows a group of people living in the majority Dominican neighborhood of Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City. It ran on Broadway from 2008-2011 and won Tonys for Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Choreography, and Best Orchestrations. It also won the Grammy for Best Musical Show Album. This movie adaptation has been long awaited by fans of the show, but it has real potential to spread to the mainstream audience because of who is involved and the tone of project.
Firstly, the people behind this film are really bringing some star power. The original musical was actually the production that earned Lin-Manuel Miranda, of Hamilton fame, his first real notoriety. Not only did he write the music and lyrics for the show, but he also starred in it as Usnavi in its original run. Though he's not playing the lead character again in the film, he is in it as another role, and in his place is Anthony Ramos.
Ramos has worked with Miranda in a few productions but would be most well known for playing two roles in the Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton. While these have been big names to musical theatre fans for a long time, they're now household names due to the pro-shot of Hamilton being released to Disney Plus last year to incredible success. The In The Heights film adaptation is also directed by John M. Chu, who had a huge hit with 2018's Crazy Rich Asians.
On top of the names involved, and the love for the original musical, the film just screams summer vibes. Not only does the story take place in the summer, on the hottest day of the year to be specific, but the whole tone makes it perfect for a big summer release. It's a big production, with a lot of songs and massive dance numbers. The color palette and visual aesthetic seen in the trailer looks so bright and colorful. It's also a very high-energy show, and just a lot of fun. While the story does touch on some heavy topics, the tone is kept fairly upbeat and feel-good. A good summer release should have a healthy dose of escapism, and In The Heights has that.
Of course, the biggest driving force of a good musical is the music. And the soundtrack of In The Heights is full of impeccable summer tunes. Like Hamilton, it's very hip hop and rap influenced. Because of the majority of its characters being of Dominican background, it's also heavily Latin influenced. Most of the songs are upbeat, good for dancing, and easy to sing along to. They're perfect songs for a summer dance party and will make audiences get up on their feet. While it's possible that some songs from the original soundtrack may be missing in the movie, they've already released recordings of some of the most famous ones. They maintain the tone from the original musical, and it shows a lot of promise for the new soundtrack as a whole.
Everything about In The Heights makes it perfect for a movie night on a hot summer's eve. It makes perfect sense as to why the release date was pushed back a whole year, as releasing this in another season wouldn't have even made sense. With everything happening in the world, and with things seemingly finally getting better, the public wants something fun to watch this summer. People want something that'll evoke feelings of celebration and hope, and it's just a bonus that the music will make people want to dance.
This film is releasing in theatres where they are open, but it's also going to be streaming on HBO Max simultaneously for those who can't get to the cinema. Hopefully, the release of In The Heights isn't hindered by this too much and it reaches as wide of an audience as it deserves. Yes, there are films like Black Widow being released this summer as well, but In The Heights has all the makings of a perfect summer blockbuster.
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