Editor’s Note: This story includes mention of sexual assault. Resources are available here.
Summer 2025 movies did not come to play. Many of the most anticipated films of the year made their debut this summer including big name franchises, thrilling new horror, singing demon slayers and a lot of Pedro Pascal. There were surprises and there were disappointments, so here is my list of the worst and best movies released this summer.
The Worst:
The newest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe follows one of the first Marvel superhero groups as they try to save the world. While I didn’t think this movie was terrible, there was nothing special about it. I keep waiting for an MCU comeback, and yet their new releases continue to disappoint me. I thought the villain, characters and plot were all boring and the use of technology made absolutely no sense, making this a frustrating, rather than fun, watch.
This Netflix adaptation of the book of the same name follows Anna (Sofia Carson) as she spends a year studying at Oxford, only to fall in love with her student instructor (Corey Mylchreest). I don’t think I’ve ever watched a romance movie where I have felt as little as I did with this film. Overall, the story is slow and the characters have very little chemistry. The ending is probably the only part of this film that was well done; however, it holds so much less emotional weight than it could have since the supposed intense love between the main characters is non-existent.
Ari Aster’s newest film takes place in a small town in New Mexico during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and explores the political tensions of the time. This film does a great job of painting a portrait of what life was like in 2020, however, only five years since the initial pandemic shutdowns, this movie just gives you a headache. It feels like turning on the news for two hours which, in the current state of the world, doesn’t provide a pleasant viewing experience.
This film follows a middle-aged man (Tim Robinson) who grows an affection for his “cool” neighbor (Paul Rudd) and proceeds to monumentally mess up their friendship. This film has many good reviews, so my not liking it could be because I’m not the biggest fan of comedy films. However, I found this movie incredibly hard to watch. It is essentially a grown man with absolutely no social skills continuously making everyone’s lives miserable. You’re stuck between feeling bad for him and praying for his downfall because he is so insufferable.
This modern rom-com follows a formulaic matchmaker (Dakota Johnson) as she must choose between a rich man who seems to be her perfect match (Pedro Pascal) and her ex who’s nothing but imperfect (Chris Evans). I had high hopes for this film because the cast is amazing and I love Celine Song’s writing style, however, I was greatly disappointed. This film was advertised as unexpected and as a twist on classic rom-coms, and yet it was the most basic movie ever. The characters had no depth, the decisions they made were stupid and I didn’t think the message about modern dating was revolutionary. I wish they had taken more risks to flip the script on classic rom-com tropes.
The Best:
The third installment of this film series explores life 28 years after a virus that makes people blood thirsty, zombie-like creatures broke out. I heard mixed reviews about this film, but I really enjoyed it. I haven’t seen the other films in this series, so I can’t say how it lives up to its predecessors, but I loved the way it explored the complexities of death. It had the thrilling components of other zombie horror movies, but still had deep and emotional moments that gave this movie the profundity many films in this genre are missing.
“Weapons”
This film follows the aftermath in a small town after every child in a class but one run away from home at exactly the same time. This movie balances classic horror with a bit of comedy and real-life implications well. I love how the story is told in several parts, each focused on a different character, as it makes you rethink the things you thought you knew constantly. Going out of the film, I didn’t know what to take away from it; however, watching a video essay about a potential interpretation of it as a metaphor for school shootings made me rethink and better appreciate it.
Following Agnes (Eva Victor) at different stages of her life, this film weaves together a beautifully complex story of someone’s healing journey after being sexually assaulted. This film covers a heavier topic, but it does an amazing job of perfectly balancing the deep, emotional moments with comedic and lighthearted ones. I loved the film’s use of nonlinear storytelling to slowly reveal what happened to Agnes and the writing in the film is beautiful and very real. Plus, there is an adorable cat.
“Superman”
Introducing the new DC Universe, this film follows Superman (David Corenswet) as he must grapple with what is “right” while facing his nemesis, Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult). While I’m typically not the biggest DC fan, this movie blew me away. Everything from the characters, the story’s pacing, comedic moments to the film’s surprising social commentary were phenomenal. Many complained about this film being “woke,” but the original point of the superhero genre was for it to be a metaphor for different social injustices. Superman has always been a metaphor for immigrants and he has always stood up for people being oppressed. This film harnessed the core of who Superman is beautifully, making a stark and important statement about many injustices in the world today.
The world-wide phenomenon that recently became Netflix’s most watched movie of all time follows a K-pop group who secretly fight demons with their songs. This is without a doubt my favorite film of the summer. I think it’s a perfect example of why we still need original ideas in Hollywood because the impact this film has had has been unprecedented. The animation is lively, the songs are phenomenal and the plot is riveting and also has emotional depth. Whether you are a K-pop fan or not, I guarantee that you will find something you love about this film.
A list of resources is available here if you or someone you know has experienced sexual harassment or abuse.
