We have reached the midpoint of August, which pretty much gives the indication that summer is coming to a close! Sure, it’s still hot as balls outside and pools don’t close until around Labor Day weekend but the kids are going back to school, the parents are heading back to work without worrying about their children making a mess at home, and movies are about to become boring for the next few months. As summer movie season begins to simmer down with the very last of the big Hollywood blockbusters releasing, let’s look back at the very best that the summer of 2025 had to offer in movie form.
Even if this was a summer with plenty of notable box office office disappointments (Thunderbolts*, Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning, Ballerina, M3GAN 2.0, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps) and certain films doing better than anyone could expect (F1, Jurassic World Rebirth, and Weapons), there were at least ten gems that was able to satisfy me that came out between the start of May until now.
These were ten films that I felt was worth paying full price to see in the cinemas or giving a watch on streaming the weekend it arrived. If you happen to be one of the poor, unlucky souls that weren’t able to catch it when it was in theaters or jump aboard the social media bandwagon when it arrived on streaming, I would strongly recommend checking these out whenever you can!
Let’s not waste anymore time and jump straight into my ten films of the summer!
FYI, this is NOT a numbered list or ranking but is only listed in the release date which each film came out!
Thunderbolts*
Thunderbolts* pits the most unlikely scrappy anti-heroes of Marvel together, in a tale about the power of friendship and the dealings of mental health and depression. It’s easy to mistake this film as being a meta commentary of itself, where it’s about a team of unlikely super folks coming together in a time where superheroes have become a thing of the past and the world has moved on from them. However, what makes this stand out as well as it has is the chemistry and the development of the main cast that is front and center. Florence Pugh as Yelena remains one of the most engaging MCU leads post-Avengers: Endgame, Wyatt Russell still has the charm and charisma as dollar store Captain America, it’s always awesome to see Sebastian Stan as Bucky, and Lewis Pullman as Bob has one of the most compelling arcs in recent MCU history. It’s not quite an instant classic and some characters are giving rather harsh treatment (*cough* Ghost), but Thunderbolts* is a solid reminder as to what made the MCU work in the first place, putting the characters first and story, lore, and world building second.
Bring Her Back
Horror movie fans have been absolutely spoiled throughout the past several years and 2025 has been no exception! After Sinners became an instant vampire classic when it came out in April, Bring Her Back was able to follow suit with that once it came out around Memorial Day. After making a stellar first impression with Talk To Me, the Philippou brothers was able to follow suit by making a cautionary tale on dealing with loss and the eternal damnation of evil. This is a bold and sick horror flick, that will keep audiences on the edge of their seat and gross them up in the best of way (Please do NOT watch this film on an empty stomach!). There are some bold choices at the end that won’t work for anyone and I still believe Talk To Me is the best of the two films made by the Philippou brothers but Bring Her Back is still a must-watch for any fans of horror.
Predator: Killer of Killers
After successfully reviving the Predator IP with 2022’s Prey, director Dan Trachtenberg is able to make lighting strike twice in the form of animation with Predator: Killer of Killers! We see three different characters with new and unique stories of their own, forced to come together and take on the monstrous predator as swiftly as they can! Each of the three stories carries so hard on their own with much thematic weight to it, the animation is creative and stunning, the action is fast paced and fun, and who knew after so many installments, we are still able to find new and exciting ways to see human characters kill a bunch of predators! I do wish the resolution hadn’t been so rushed with an obvious sequel set up bait! Regardless, Killer of Killers proves that not only Predator still works in live-action but it can even work in animation too! Just like with Prey, my main regret is not being able to watch this film in the theaters! At least with we have Predator: Badlands coming out in November to scratch that itch!
F1
Coming off the highs of the box office juggernaut that was 2022’s Top Gun Maverick, director Joseph Kosinski follows that up with yet another incredibly well made and genuine crowd pleaser that was just made to be seen on the big screen! Brad Pitt is able to show off his star power as he enters his 60s and Damson Idris is a young movie star just waiting to burst out onto the scenes. The incredible racing sequences are worth the extra few dollars for IMAX, there’s a solid pace and momentum throughout despite the 150+ minute long runtime, the character drama works, the themes surrounding tough love, mentorship, teamwork, and redemption are all executed to near perfection, and even the standard cliches you would expect for these kind of racing movies have their special place here. If you can find an IMAX theater screening in your area that is playing this film, then go check this out as you will NOT want to miss the experience!
Superman (2025)
At long last, James Gunn has arrived to save the day with his own take on Superman while also aiming to give DC a second leash on live with a rebooted cinematic universe, formerly known as the DC Universe. The cast is all near perfect (the main trio of David Corneswet’s Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane & Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor could not have played off each other better), the tone feels right at home with classic Superman, the spectacle is cool, and it even has those traditional superhero elements from earlier superhero films such as Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man (Lighthearted feel, comic book-like features, colorful superheroes, and an engaging romance) that I have missed in these kinds of movies for so long. The plot itself does have many different elements in it, with many ideas and subject matter it wants to tackle all at once while incorporating social/political commentary of real world struggles that feels a bit ham-fisted. Even so, Superman (2025) still presents us a Superman we can get behind and absolutely root for, acting as the perfect counter-culture hero who values kindness in a world that no longer calls for that. And after over a decade of Superman portrayals that have ranged from him being moody and depressed to being flat out evil, it’s more than refreshing to see Superman here being someone that represents hope, optimism, and has absolutely NO agenda other than wanting to be a good person that saves people. If that’s not how Superman should be, then I don’t know what is.
K-Pop Demon Hunters
I never would’ve guessed that an animated film made by Sony would end up having the biggest impact among pop culture of all film releases this summer but nevertheless, the animated Netflix exclusive, K-Pop Demon Hunters is worth all the hype and then some! We follow a group of young female K-Pop superstars as they must juggle their work/personal life balance of being beloved rockstars while also during their part-time duty with slaying demons. Once they clash with a boy band, who happen to be rockstars but also demons at the same time, the girls are put to the test with trying to accomplish the best versions of themselves as singers and demon slayers. The animation is breathtaking, the characters are endearing, it moves at such a fast clip that it’s hard to not be entertained by anything happening, and the songs will be living rent free in your area for quite some time. If you have Netflix, there is no excuse for you to not give this one a watch!
The Fantastic Four- First Steps
It may have taken literally four tries (*in Emperor Palpatine’s voice* Ironic!) but Marvel Studios was FINALLY able to get their first family right on the big screen with their MCU debut in First Steps. What makes First Steps so unique is how it’s able to exist in it’s own little bubble outside of the main MCU, allowing for a visual style, cosmic-like feel, worldbuilding, and a refreshing sense of optimism we have had yet to see in the MCU for quite some time. All four members of the team get their own moments to shine (Even if I would’ve liked a bit more of The Thing) and even the humor gets toned down this time around, allowing for more dramatic and emotional beats to play out better than most recent MCU movies. It does feel a bit too fast paced at times, given the indication that an extra 10-15 minutes might’ve been trimmed down due to possible concerning test screenings, and there are certain characters I would’ve liked to see get more screen time but if your biggest complaint with a movie is that you want more, then that MUST mean it’s a good thing. Overall, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is quite simply (I promise no pun intended!) FANTASTIC and a promising new reset to a bright future for Marvel!
The Naked Gun
Comedy is sooooooooooo back! That’s all I gotta say! Just go watch this in theaters with a pack crowd and you will be saying the EXACT same thing! This will be the kind of movie that in 20 years, idiots/AI spam bots will be shouting, “THIS IS WHAT THEY TOOK FROM US!!!!!!!!!”
The Bad Guys 2
The Bad Guys 2 is able to continue the story of our beloved misfit animals, as they try to take their next step into society to be better people, even if society itself just won’t let them do that. When they see themselves getting into action when an all-female squad known as The Bad Girls, the crew comes out of retirement to doing what they are good at, just being plain bad. Everything you love about the original from an animated, comedic, and dramatic standpoint is still present throughout The Bad Guys 2, being able to capture the charm of the original while also able to blaze it’s own path from a narrative standpoint, setting the table for a very interesting Part Three. It may not feel as “fresh” as the original but The Bad Guys 2 is still able to deliver the Part Two goods that you expect from DreamWorks Animation. Please do support this one in theaters, I want The Bad Guys 3 in 2027/2028!
Weapons
Has if things couldn’t get any better than Sinners or Bring Her Back? Coming off of 2022’s Barbarian, Zach Cregger is able to deliver a horror follow-up in Weapons that is better in just about every way! This is like if you take Prisoners, Pulp Fiction, Insidious, Barbarian, and Evil Dead, put them all in a blender, and you get this absolute delightful treat as of result! It’s intense, perfectly paced, engaging as hell, will get under your skin in the best way possible, and will have you put together the pieces in very satisfying ways as soon as the credits roll. Plus, it might just have probably the most satisfying payoff of a climax that I have seen in a movie in 2025! Between this and Sinners, it’s nice to know that not only excellent original horror films are still getting made but they are able to be solid crowd pleasers that even the mainstream audience can get behind! I can only hope that this is a sign to come that Hollywood is willing to take more chances with not just horror but original films in general.
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