The summer blockbuster is back, and this year, it’s plural.
“I’m more excited about this year’s movies than ever before,” said Camana Bay Cinema Manager Corey Randolph. “The line-up is very strong for the summer months, with a combination of films appealing to everybody – from Disney favourites to blockbusters to the return of scary franchised films – the clips all look phenomenal.”
Action
John Wick lives – at least in this spinoff starring Ana de Armas as Eve, a woman seeking revenge for the killing of her father. Keanu Reeves even makes an appearance in this action-packed addition to the popular revenge franchise. “From the World of John Wick: Ballerina” opens 6 June.
Not all action movies involve guns, and a good example is “F1,” which opens 27 June. An ageing race car driver (Brad Pitt) comes out of retirement to team up with a younger driver (Damson Idris) in this thriller.
The Jurassic universe also continues when an expedition travels to a remote island to extract DNA from three massive dinosaurs with the goal of finding a groundbreaking medical breakthrough. As can be expected, the dinosaurs have different ideas, and the expedition members must fight for their lives to complete their mission. Starring Scarlett Johansson, “Jurassic World Rebirth” opens on 2 July.
One of filmdom’s original superheroes – Superman – gets another reboot with David Corenswet in the title role. In this version, Superman finds Earth’s public viewing his embodiment of truth, justice and the human way as old-fashioned, forcing him to reconcile the world with his heritage as a Kryptonian. “Superman” opens on 11 July.
In a new superhero movie from Marvel Studios, the Fantastic Four must defend Earth from a ravenous space god. Starring Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby, “Fantastic Four: First Steps” opens on 25 July.
Horror
Fifty years ago, the original summer blockbuster was 1975’s “Jaws.”
One of this summer’s offerings literally involves an offering to sharks. In “Dangerous Animals,” opening on 6 June, a surfer (Hassie Harrison) is held captive on a boat by a serial killer (Jai Courtney) who is planning a ritualistic feeding to sharks.
On 20 June, survivors of an apocalyptic biological weapons incident set out from the safety of an island to the mainland, where they discover secrets, wonders and horrors. Directed by Danny Boyle, “28 Years Later” stars Jodie Comer and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
Family-friendly
In a live-action remake of the of the classic animated film of the same name, “How to Train Your Dragon,” which opens on 13 June, is just as charming as the original. Hiccup and Toothless are back with Mason Thames as the former and Gerard Butler as his Viking father.
Opening on 20 June, the animated science fiction adventure film “Elio” tells the tale of a misfit boy who is obsessed with space unexpectedly finding himself representing Earth to aliens.
A new addition to the classic franchise, “Smurfs” – opening 18 July – has Papa Smurf abducted by evil wizards, forcing Smurfette to lead the other Smurfs on a mission to the real world to save him.
A sequel to the 2022 animated film, “Bad Guys 2” is a heist comedy film loosely based on the children's book series, “The Bad Guys.” In this film, opening on 2 August, the Bad Guys are pulled out of retirement and forced to do a final job by an all-female squad of criminals.
Laughs
Liam Neeson plays Frank Drebin Jr., who brings his special skills forward to lead Police Squad and save the world in this reboot of the hysterical Leslie Nielsen franchise that began in 1988. “The Naked Gun” opens on 1 August.
This article was first published in the June/July 2025 issue of Camana Bay Times.
