Summer Movie Season 2025

  It is now April, so it's time to look forward to one of my favorite seasons of the year: Summer movie season.

It used to be that Summer movie season would begin in June.  But then it became standard for the big movies to come out in May.  

I know as a cinephile I should be more interested in when the "important" movies come out just before the major awards.  But I think the movies of summer are pure cinema and tend to be the ones remembered long after people have forgotten the plot of whatever film won the Oscar for Best Picture.

Here is a list, with a few brief thoughts of my own, including on a scale of 1-5 stars my likelihood of seeing it in theaters (1 being “Not at all” 5 being “Cannot wait!”).


MAY 2

Thunderbolts

I know that Marvel has been a bit on the wane, but this movie looks more fun than the last few MCU outings.  I like the characters and how they are represented as the rejects and misfits of this world, but that they have to band together to save the day.  It is a simple trope, but one that works for me.(*****)

The Luckiest Man in America

I am a big fan of Paul Walter Hauser and I used to watch Press Your Luck all the time when I was a kid.  this could be an interesting viewing, but I may wait for streaming  (***)

MAY 9

Juliet and Romeo

Zero interest. (*)

MAY 16

Final Destination: Bloodlines

Ironically, this series won't die.  Since I'm not a fan of horror, I probably won't see it. (*)

Hurry Up Tomorrow

Everything about this screams pretentious dreck (*)


MAY 23
Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning

Everything has been pointing to this being Tom Cruise's final outing as Ethan Hunt, who in my opinion has become the American James Bond.  I am expecting a lot of catharsis to close out the series along with some death-defying stunts to have me on the edge of my seat. (*****)

Lilo & Stitch

I am not big fan of the original animated film, so I am not very excited about this one, though it does look like it has some cute moments.   (**)

MAY 30

Karate Kid: Legends

Watching Cobra Kai was a lot of fun, so I'm willing to take a chance on this movie.  The big plus is that the action looks very much inspired by star Jackie Chan's style.  (***)

JUNE 6

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina

This could be a soulless cash grab, but the trailers have me excited.  It looks to have the same level of action and Ana de Armas is a very good actress.  Plus I really want to see more of that flamethrower vs. firehose scene  (****)

The Phoenician Scheme

Maybe I'm the only one in the world who thinks Wes Anderson's movies are terrible.  But there you have it. (*)

The Life of Chuck

 

I like the cast, especially Mark Hamill in that grandfatherly role.  But I need to see more before I get interested. (**)

JUNE 13

How to Train Your Dragon

I shouldn't want to see this movie.  It looks like a simple live-action remake of an excellent animated film.  Maybe it's just nostalgia or that the score during the trailers has me emotional, but I think I might see this in the theaters. (***)


Materialists

This looks like it could be an interesting independent romantic drama, but I am going to wait for streaming. (**)

JUNE 20

28 Years Later

Even though I do not like horror, I may be tempted to see this one.  The concept looks good and the production design looks excellent.  (***)

Elio

I don't know exactly when the "can-do-no-wrong" PIXAR lost their way, but I have very little interest in seeing this. (**)

JUNE 27
F1

The director of Top Gun: Maverick is trying to make a visceral experience for his audience with this one.  With the ever-charismatic Brad Pitt, I think I will be seeing this in theaters.  (****)

M3GAN 2.0

I enjoyed the first one a lot more than I thought I would.  But the trailers for this looks awful.  It looks like what they did to Gremlins 2.  Stupid, stupid, stupid. (*)

JULY 2
Jurassic World Rebirth

Hope always springs eternal that this franchise will recapture the magic of the original.  With the cast and crew reset, I'm hoping this story will be more intelligent than the last.  I am happy that they are including scenes from the original book that were not included in any of the films.  (****)

JULY 11

Superman

I am trying very hard not to get my hopes up, but everything I am seeing is making me more and more excited for this film.  Even the things that people are lukewarm about, like the released Fortress of Solitude scene, have me very excited that James Gunn understands the character.  I am so hopeful that this will reset the entire cinematic DCU  (*****)



JULY 18

Smurfs


Nothing about this seems interesting or original.   (***)

JULY 25

Fantastic Four: First Steps

This is the opposite of Superman where the more I am seeing, the less I am interested.  While I like the retro look and the prospect of seeing a comic-accurate Galactus, something about this feels off.  I think its that this is the exact plot of the second Fantastic Four movie from 18 years ago (*****)




August 1
The Bad Guys 2

Didn't see the first one (*)

The Naked Gun

The short teaser I saw hit my funny bone in just the right way.  If they get this right, this could be the funniest movie of the year.  (*****)

AUGUST 8

Freakier Friday

Didn't see the first one (*)

AUGUST 15

Nobody 2

The first one is not the most moving or consequential film, but I was entertained for the entire time and I loved seeing Bob Odenkirk playing against type.  I'm excited to see this next one. (****)

AUGUST 29

The Roses

This looks terrible.  It made me want to do a wellness check on the screenwriter (*)

The Toxic Avenger

I know that the original is a cult classic, but it never held any interest for me. (*)

Thoughts?