Aubrey Negron
While movies like Sinners and A Minecraft Movie have been very successful and well-received among audiences, other movies in 2025 simply haven’t lived up to the expectations that people hoped they would. In fact, many movies this year such as Captain America: Brave New World, Death of a Unicorn, and Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy have just been very, very forgettable. However, this summer seems to be promising, and perhaps just the redemption arc 2025 needs to make it a memorable year in film. Here are 11 movies to keep in the forefront of your mind as summer approaches.
Movie #1: Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning (May 23)
Dir. Christopher McQuarrie
Starring Tom Cruise, Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning is the final installment of the franchise after its almost 30-year-long run. This movie centers around Ethan Hunt and the IMF team attempting to stop the assassin Gabriel from acquiring “The Entity,” which is a rogue AI that speaks of ending the world. With nail-biting action sequences and stunts completed by Cruise himself, it is definitely a movie worth checking off your summer bucket list.
Movie #2: Materialists (June 13)
Dir. Celine Song
Starring Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal, Materialists follows Johnson portraying a matchmaker named Lucy stuck in her own messy love life. Lucy meets the handsome Randy, a wealthy businessman who seems like the perfect man for her. However, her ex-boyfriend John reappears, who is still chasing his dream of becoming an actor despite his financial struggles. Torn between the two men, Materialists promises to bring back the old ‘90s classic rom-com feelings back to audiences.
Movie #3: 28 Years Later (June 20)
Dir. Danny Boyle
Starring Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes, 28 Years Later is the third movie in the 28 trilogy. This movie is also supposed to be the first in a trilogy of new movies, allegedly all starting with the name of this movie. The movie’s premise is that almost 30 years after a rogue virus escaped a laboratory, some people have found ways to live somewhat normal lives among the infected. One group of survivors have found home on an island that is connected to the mainland by a causeway that is heavily guarded. When one member decides to leave the island, he discovers a mutation has spread to both the infected and survivors. Despite many zombie TV shows and movies releasing lately, 28 Years Later promises to be a breath of fresh air for the genre while delivering the proper nostalgia from the original movie.
Movie #4: F1 (June 27)
Dir. Joseph Kosinski
Starring Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, and Javier Bardem, F1 tells the story of Sonny Hayes, an F1 driver who was once the best in the world. Decades later, he returns to the racetracks to help mentor a rookie driver Joshua Pearce. The movie brings the thrill of F1 to the big screen through exciting racing scenes and the feeling of a team becoming a family. F1 is not just a movie for Formula One fans, but for fans of redemption, love, and most importantly, Brad Pitt.
Movie #5: Jurassic World Rebirth (July 2)
Dir. Gareth Edwards
Starring Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey, Jurassic World Rebirth follows Zora Bennett and a group of researchers and doctors who are going on a mission to an island that hosts the research facility for where the original Jurassic Park once stood. They are going to the island to retrieve genetic material from dinosaurs whose DNA has the ability to bestow great benefits upon the human race. As the risks increase, the team makes a shocking discovery. Even though it may feel like many Jurassic World movies have come out in the past decade, this movie introduces new characters to become attached to and even more frightening dinosaurs to see.
Movie #6: Superman (July 11)
Dir. James Gunn
Starring David Corenswet, Rachel Broshanan, and Nicholas Hoult, Corenswet takes over as the 11th live-action Superman. Instead of being an origin story, viewers see Clark Kent as Superman already. In this movie, he longs to reconnect with his Kyrptonian heritage as he falls for the headstrong Lois Lane and begins to battle with his archnemesis Lex Luthor. Superman is my personal most anticipated film of not just the summer, but the entire year. With a comic book accurate cast and a devoted writer/director, I feel strongly that audiences will leave theaters knowing that Superman was placed in the right hands and the story of Clark Kent/Superman will be done righteous justice.
Movie #7: Eddington (July 18)
Dir. Ari Aster
Starring Pedro Pascal, Joaquin Phoenix, and Austin Butler, Ari Aster takes viewers back to the COVID pandemic where a sheriff and mayor’s conflict causes tensions to arise against citizens, with the possibility of creating a crisis and sparking violence among neighbors. Despite the vague plot description, Eddington reels audiences in through its trailer alone, making you want to not just walk, but run to the movie theater to figure out what is going on. And with a star studded cast, it should excite audiences to see how each character is portrayed and how the cast will fit together as one.
Movie #8: The Fantastic Four: First Steps (July 25)
Dir. Matt Shakman
Starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Marvel finally introduces its long awaited, beloved first family into the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and the Thing. In this film, they will be pre-established as the Fantastic Four and have to protect Earth from the daunting Galactus and the powerful ShallaBal/Silver Surfer. This movie seems to be just what Marvel needs: a new, but old, story. Since Endgame, it seems the superhero giant has struggled to find its place in the world, with movies like The Marvels and Captain America: Brave New World letting fans down and making them believe that Marvel’s prime has perhaps been gone for a long time. By introducing the Fantastic Four into the MCU, it gives comic book fans the opportunity to feel connected to Marvel again and casual fans the chance to love a new part of the franchise.
Movie #9: I Know What You Did Last Summer (July 18)
Dir. Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
Starring Sarah Pidegon, Jonah-Hauer King, and Madelyn Cline, the reboot of the iconic 1997 film follows the same plot of five friends accidentally causing a fatal car crash. Instead of telling someone about the crash, they decide to cover up their crime and make a pact to never tell another soul about what they did. A year later, they begin to be tormented by someone who knows their secret, killing each one of them and others close to them one by one. In order to survive the mysterious killer, the group of friends enlist the help of Julie James and Ray Bronson, the survivors of the Southport massacre of 1997, with Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. reprising their roles from the original movie. I Know What You Did Last Summer seems to have the possibility to bring back the slasher genre and perhaps be the chance for a few people to have this movie be their breakout roles in an ensemble cast.
Movie #10: Together (August 1)
Dir. Michael Shanks
Starring Alison Brie and Dave Franco, the real-life married couple tackles fictional marriage in this body horror film when their characters decide to move to the countryside. Instead of finding peaceful solace, they instead encounter a strange supernatural force that affects their lives as well as their bodies. With the trailer making viewers skin crawl, and a poster that just sends a shiver up your spine, Together might be the worst movie to watch with your significant other, but also perhaps, the perfect one, as it really encapsulates the meaning of “together forever.”
Movie #11: Caught Stealing (August 29)
Dir. Darren Aronofsky
Starring Austin Butler and Zoë Kravitz, Hank Thompson, a worn-out baseball player finds himself entangled in a life of crime in 1990s New York City, forced to adapt to the new life he has put himself in or die trying. Although Thompson may seem a little clueless at first, Butler is able to radiate his natural charm through the screen, making you root for his success, while Kravitz stands by his side through it all, becoming a small support system for Thomspon. It feels like it’s been a while since Hollywood has graced audiences with a movie about a normal, everyday guy getting stuck in a crime-filled life, and with the talents of both actors and the ability of a director like Aronofsky to create a visually gripping story, Caught Stealing is sure to well, steal viewers’ attention.