(This article first appeared in the July print edition of the Hendersonian.)
Even with a mixed bag of June hits (How to Train Your Dragon, F1: The Movie, 28 Years Later), misses (Elio, Ballerina, The Phoenician Scheme), and May holdovers (Lilo & Stitch and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning), all signs are pointing to a successful summer run for studios in 2025. With one more month to go, the lucrative 4th of July session just around the corner and an interesting mix of new releases and retro screening events including This Is Spinal Tap, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and My Neighbor Totoro, here are a few of the noteworthy titles that will get you into your favorite Showplace Cinemas or AMC Theaters location this month. As always, make sure you check your local listings before you brave the inferno that is your hot car to avoid disappointment.
Jurassic World: Rebirth (July 2) – Taking place five years after the events of Jurassic World: Dominion, a group of humans once again do not learn their lesson when it comes to interacting with dinosaurs and attempt to extract DNA for a potential medical breakthrough. The lucky/unlucky humans include Scarlett Johansson, Oscar winner Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey (Wicked), and veteran British actor Rupert Friend (The Phoenician Scheme, Pride and Prejudice). Gareth Edwards (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Godzilla) directs from a script by series veteran scribe David Koepp.
Superman (July 11) – Writer/producer/director James Gunn, DC Studios, and Warner Bros. Discovery are hoping that audiences will want to see the fourth reboot of this very valuable property since 1978’s classic debut. Donning the cape this time around is David Corenswet (Twisters, Pearl), as he encounters and reconciles a new world that perceives “Truth, Justice, and the American Way” as old-fashioned ideals. Rachel Brosnahan (The Amateur, Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Masiel) also stars as Lois Lane, with Nicholas Hoult (Nosferatu, Mad Max: Fury Road), Bradley Cooper, and Evansville local Michael Rosenbaum co-starring.
Eddington (July 18) – Writer/director Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar) tries his hand at a non-horror feature this time around (a dramatic western with edgy dark comedy), enlisting the screen talents of Pedro Pascal (who is having quite a moment), Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone and Austin Butler. The story revolves around the standoff between a sheriff and a mayor, which ends up pitting neighbor against neighbor in a small New Mexico town. Hopefully, it won’t be as anxiety-inducing as Aster’s last effort, 2023’s Beau is Afraid.
Smurfs (July 18) – In yet another reboot of late 70s/early 80s IP, the loveable little blue creatures are back in this animation/live-action hybrid. The voice cast is stacked, including John Goodman, Kurt Russell, Natasha Lyonne, Hannah Waddingham, Nick Offerman, Octavia Spencer, Nick Kroll, James Corden, Jimmy Kimmel and Rihanna as Smurfette. Chris Miller (Puss in Boots, Shrek the Third) directs.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (July 18) – Guess what? It’s another reboot! Yes, it’s a little crazy to think that the original was released 28 years ago, but the good news is (for all you Gen Xers) Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddy Prinze, Jr. return to help guide the next group of hot young actors away from The Fisherman. Ask your age-appropriate children who the new kids are, because there are a lot of them. Jennifer Kaytlin Robinson (Do Revenge, Thor: Love and Thunder) writes and directs this updated version.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps (July 25) – There’s no other way to put this: Marvel needs a hit. After a rough first half of the year with the costly misfire that was Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* missing the mark financially (but was an excellent film), the stakes are increasingly high with this fourth reboot (I am indeed counting the 1994 version) of a franchise that has so much potential and has been consistently mishandled. In this iteration, Mr. Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Human Torch (Joseph Cross), and The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) protect a 1960s America from the mighty Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and the Silver Surfer (Julia Gardner). Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser and John Malkovich co-star in non-mutant roles. Director Matt Shakman hopes the sensibilities that made WandaVision a huge success translate to reviving this storied, budding franchise.
Henderson resident McManus Woodend is an Assistant Professor of Digital Media at the University of Southern Indiana and has worked in film, television and commercials for more than 20 years. To see some of his work, visit www.mcmanuswoodend.com.