By Michael Castro
It has been a full three years since we went into lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. Finally, this summer movie season seems to be the first in a long while to be considered “normal,” whatever that means.
There are a lot of movies that were started and delayed during the Covid nightmare. This summer promises a wide range of superhero movies from DC and Marvel, as well as Disney and Pixar. Action movies and monsters fill out the allotment of summer entertainment. Here are the top picks for this summer, in order of release date.
Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3: It already came out on May 5, since the summer movie season seems to begin that early now. Directed by James Gunn, who did the first two installments of this franchise, this movie brings the entire gang of guardians back including Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Pom Klementieff, Karen Gillan, Sean Gunn, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Chukwudi Iwuji, Will Poulter, Elizabeth Debicki, and Daniela Melchior in their roles. Star-Lord and his companions return for the third, (and last?) chapter of Guardians of the Galaxy. It follows the gang as they embark on another adventure, this time tied to Rocket’s tragic past. No spoilers here, but bring a tissue, it is so sad.
Fast X: Again, a movie that came out already on May 19, directed by Louis Leterrier, with Vin Diesel and other members of the Fast and Furious franchise family including Jason Momoa, Charlize Theron, Brie Larson, and Rita Moreno. No summer would be complete without another addition to the Fast and Furious series. This is number 10 (hence X) and notably Dwayne Johnson is missing from this edition, though everyone else seems to be here. This installment seems to add more excitement as well as bring back all the crazy stunts that defy gravity. Bring lots of popcorn.
The Little Mermaid: Getting more recent still is an offering that is more in line for bringing your little sister to the movies. Released on May 26, and directed by Rob Marshall, The Little Mermaid remake stars Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, Daveed Diggs, Jacob Tremblay and Awkwafina. Though there was some controversy surrounding the decision to cast Ariel with a black actress, that does not seem to have hurt the ticket sales of this classic Disney story. This is the next addition to the recent practice of Disney to make live action movies of their classic animated films. In the same spirit as The Lion King and Mulan, The Little Mermaid attempts to bring that story to a new generation of kids.
Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse: The animated version of Spider-man is back. Miles Morales returns in the first chapter of what was originally billed as a two-part sequel to the Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. This time around, Miles reunites with Gwen, and the other multiverse characters to fight a new villain that will threaten all of them. Released on June 2, it was directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson. It features the voice talents of Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Oscar Isaac, Jake Johnson, Issa Rae.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts: It has been a while since we saw a Transformers movie, but this one promises to be one of the best. On June 9, Transformers goes back to the past in another throwback nostalgia work. It takes place in the 1990s and sees another human ally (played by In the Heights’ Anthony Ramos) teaming up with the Autobots known as Maximals in their war against the Predacons and Terrorcons, you know robot beasts. It was directed by Steven Caple Jr and stars the already mentioned, Anthony Ramos, along with Dominique Fishback, Ron Perlman, Michelle Yeoh, Pete Davidson, Peter Cullen, and Colman Domingo.
Elemental: Another animated flick is this entry from Pixar. It will be released on June 16 so that all the dads can take their kids to the movies. Directed by Peter Sohn, who directed The Good Dinosaur and takes place in a world where citizens who represent the four elements coexist. Here, a young woman made of fire forms an unlikely friendship with a man made of water, leading them to rethink the way they see the world. Let’s see if fire and water mix. This stars the voice talents of Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Mason Wertheimer, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and Catherine O’Hara.
The Flash: One of the most anticipated movies this summer is the DC production of The Flash. Also being released on June 16, so dads with older kids can bring them to the movies too, and directed by Andy Muschietti, this movie is FINALLY coming out after a number of delays The Flash, which follows Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen as he uses his powers to change the past, only to realize his actions have had disastrous effects in the future and he must figure out a way to save the world. Come on Batmans! It stars Ezra Miller, Michael Keaton, Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon, Ron Livingston, Maribel Verdú, and Kiersey Clemons.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: Speaking of blasts from the past, the first Indiana Jones movie came out in the mid-eighties, long before we were born. Harrison Ford returns to play Indy again, this time in the late 1960s and fighting (who else?) former Nazis from carrying out their plan related to the ongoing Space Race. It promises to be action nostalgia at its best, especially since director James Mangold is at the helm. He is known for his masterpiece works Logan and Ford v Ferrari. It stars Harrison Ford, of course, along with Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies, Toby Jones, and Boyd Holbrook. Even though I was not alive for the first Indiana Jones, I will be first in line for this installment.
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning – Part 1: Tom Cruise is another staple of summer blockbuster movies. Out on July 12, this is the first of a two-parter, and it is the latest installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise, which will almost certainly feature Tom Cruise riding a motorcycle off a cliff. The IMF team is led by Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and also stars Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Hayley Atwell, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, and Shea Whigham. It is directed by Christopher McQuarrie.
Meg 2: The Trench: The sole monster movie this summer, arriving on August 4, this is the sequel to the surprise 2018 hit creature feature The Meg. Ben Wheatley is director and once again pits action hero Jason Statham against an impossibly big shark. What would be better for a summer action movie than Jason Statham and a big, huge, monstrous shark? In addition to Jason Statham is Sienna Guillory and Cliff Curtis.
Blue Beetle: Another DC Universe origin story is this comic favorite, coming out on August 18. Directed by Angel Manuel Soto and starring Xolo Maridueña, Susan Sarandon, George Lopez, Harvey Guillen, Adriana Barraza, Damián Alcázar, and Raoul Max Trujillo. Straight off his success in Cobra Kai, Xolo Maridueña stars as the titular hero in this DC origin story about a recent college grad who comes into possession of an ancient alien relic that gives him powers beyond his wildest dreams. This is a whole new story and hopefully expands the great heroes from DC.
