The summer movie season is once again upon us. Kids will be out of school, non-teacher adults will be wishing they could take the summer off, and there will be far too many movies to see. Thankfully, the marketplace is diversifying, so that there are worthwhile-looking movies coming to Netflix, there are indies that could make a splash, and then there’s the general assortment of blockbusters that will inspire 1,000 thinkpieces on their way to grossing hundreds of millions of dollars.
With so many choices, the season can get overwhelming, so we’re here to help narrow things down. We’ve selected the 25 movies that you need to put on your radar this summer. There’s a solid variety of blockbusters, indies, and Netflix releases, so this isn’t a matter of running down every wide-release that’s opening this summer (sorry, not sorryTransformers: The Last Knight). Although we always encourage you to see as many movies as possible, if you’re having trouble deciding, this guide is here for you.
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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (May 5th)
Director:James Gunn
Cast:Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, Kurt Russell
Marvel pretty much owns the first weekend of the summer movie season, and they’ll likely keep that streak going withGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. While early reviews have been mixed to positive, the movie still looks like a blast andJames Gunnhas a firm handle on the unique characters and worlds he contributes to the Marvel Cinematic Galaxy. It should be interesting to see how the original Guardians mesh with new additions Yondu, Nebula, and Mantis, plus you have Kurt Russell playing Ego, the Living Planet. But even if there was none of this, you’d still have Baby Groot, who is too adorable to miss. -Matt Goldberg
King Arthur (May 12th)
Director:Guy Ritchie
Cast:Charlie Hunnam, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Djimon Hounsou, Aidan Gillen, Jude Law, Eric Bana
While the constant delays and reshoots raised some question marks on this movie, early word is that the movie is surprisingly fun, and that directorGuy Ritchie’s abundance of style has given his King Arthur movie its own unique personality. While I’m still not sold onCharlie Hunnamas an action star, there’s still a strong supporting cast in place, and if Ritchie can bring the same verve and excitement to medieval times as he did to late 19th century with theSherlock Holmesmovies, thenKing Arthurshould be a good time. -Matt Goldberg
Snatched (May 12th)
Director:Jonathan Levine
Cast:Amy Schumer, Goldie Hawn, Joan Cusack, Ike Barinholtz, Wanda Sykes, Christopher Meloni
Amy Schumerdelivered a strong R-rated comedy a couple years ago withTrainwreck, and now she’s back, and teamed up with talented directorJonathan Levine(Warm Bodies) andGoldie Hawn, who has been absent from the big screen for far too long. Plus, an R-rated Mothers’ Day comedy seems like such an obvious idea, it’s surprising that no studio has tried to make it a tent pole yet. The trailers for the film are encouraging, and I’m definitely excited to see Schumer and Hawn as a bickering daughter and mother who must fight their way to freedom after being kidnapped while on vacation. -Matt Goldberg
Alien: Covenant (May 19th)
Director:Ridley Scott
Cast:Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir, Carmen Ejogo, Amy Seimetz, Jussie Smollett, Callie Hernandez, Nathaniel Dean, Alexander England, Benjamin Rigby
War Machine (May 26th)
Director:David Michod
Cast:Brad Pitt, Emory Cohen, Topher Grace, Anthony Michael Hall, John Magaro, Anthony Hayes
Netflix has been making original movies for two years, butWar Machinefeels like their biggest test of theater v streaming yet. WhileBeasts of No Nationhad a post-True DetectiveCary Joji Fukunagaat the helm of a serious drama and the respectedIdris Elbainvolved,War Machineis their first foray into debuting a full-fledged global movie star in theaters and online on the same day.Brad Pittstars as a U.S. General in command of NATO forces in Afghanistan, who’s taken down by a journalist’s savage profile.David Michod, makes this extra appealing, as the director ofThe RoverandAnimal Kingdomis said to alternate this military-industrial complex satire between stark reality and harsh parody.
As for Pitt, who is more famous than he is famous for opening a film, it feels like people will be more willing to giveWar Machinea shot at home than in the theaters and his platinum blonde hero pose will likely garner first-tile placement on Netflix’s home page for weeks. Netflix does not release their streaming data numbers, but we can be sure they’ll be looking at this serious movie from a serious movie star approach to wager future endeavors.— Brian Formo
Directors:Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg
Cast:Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Brenton Thwaites, Kevin R. McNally, Kaya Scodelario, Golshifteh Farahani, Stephen Graham, David Wenham, Geoffrey Rush
It was looking easy to write this one off, especially after the numerous delays, but word on the movie coming out of CinemaCon this year was shockingly positive. Furthermore, it looks like the upcoming sequel understands where Jack Sparrow fits in terms of a Pirates movie—his character is important, but he can’t be the lead. You need normal characters to drive the plot forward and then Sparrow comes along to spice things up.On Stranger Tidesmisunderstood that formula, and was a slog because of it. I don’t know ifDead Men Tell No Taleswill be as good asGore Verbinski’s bonkersPiratestrilogy, but I’m willing to at least give it a shot. -Matt Goldberg
Wonder Woman (June 2nd)
Director:Patty Jenkins
Cast:Gal Godot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, David Thewlis, Danny Huston, Elena Anaya, Ewen Bremner, Saïd Taghmaoui
We’ve got no shortage of superhero movies in 2017 (although it’s a relatively lean year compared to others), but the one that has my interest the most isWonder Woman. As I’ve said before, I need this movie to succeed. That’s not to say I’m in the tank for it; but I’m also aware of the ramifications of this film’s success or failure. If it succeeds, it opens the door to other female-led superhero films. If it fails, shortsighted Hollywood will assume that female superheroes can only be supporting characters at best. That being said, I think the film has a solid shot at being a worthwhile origin story. And if it turns out to be good, it will show that not all hope is lost for the DCEU. -Matt Goldberg
The Mummy (June 9th)
Director:Alex Kurtzman
Cast:Tom Cruise, Russell Crowe, Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis, Jake Johnson
The Mummyhas gender-swapped the mummy swaddle forKingsman’s breakoutSofia Boutella(though it never seemed gendered before since a mummy is a dead body wrapped in cloth and I guess I assume that in death one loses their gender with their flesh)—but what’s most appealing aboutThe Mummyis that it kicks off Universal’s Monster Universe in a big way withTom Cruisedoing his Tom Cruise thing andRussell Croweappearing as Dr. Henry Jekyll. WithStar Trek’s producer-screenwriterAlex Kurtzmanstepping behind the camera for his second directed feature, this whole enterprise has the feeling of a blank slate and we’re hoping it’s adventurous and not rushing any shared universe agenda.— Brian Formo
It Comes at Night (June 9th)
Director:Trey Edward Shults
Cast:Joel Edgerton, Christopher Abbott, Riley Keough
A24 has achieved the enviable position of holding a reputation with such power that nearly any of their releases immediately become indie must-sees, but in the case ofIt Comes at Night, the pedigree is so strong it would land on this list regardless of the studio. The trailer itself is one of the strongest I’ve seen so far this year – with a nightmarish audio track and purposefully obfuscative visuals, it’s a brilliant experiment in building dread in under two minutes. Add to that the talents ofTrey Edward Shultswho burst onto the scene with his wildly impressiveKrishajust under two years ago and the film’s impressive cast, andIt Comes at Nightlooks to be a grotesque little palate cleanser in a blockbuster-packed summer. -Aubrey Page
Rough Night (June 16th)
Director:Lucia Aniello
Cast:Scarlett Johansson, Zoë Kravitz, Kate McKinnon, Demi Moore
Four friends, a bride, a groom… and one dead stripper. From the minds ofBroad Citywriters and co-creatorsLucia AnielloandPaul W. Downs, the script forRough Nightfound its way onto the Black List and shortly sparked a bidding war before the film found its way at Sony Pictures. And while the Black List is no guarantee of a quality film (cough cough,Passengers), the cast certainly promises a jet-fueled vegas romp, with comedy regulars likeJillian Bell, Ilana GlazerandKate McKinnonas well as A-listers likeScarlett Johansson, Zoe KravitzandDemi Moore. So what if it’s a female-driven retread ofPeter Berg’sVery Bad Things? Doesn’t that sounds kind of great? -Aubrey Page
