‘Superman,’ Mission: Impossible,’ ‘F1’ and summer’s must-see films
USA TODAY film critic Brian Truitt releases his list of summer’s must-see films. The highlights include “Superman” and “Mission: Impossible.”
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At movie theaters this summer, it’s going to be hard to tell which hero’s flying through the air. Might be Superman. Might be one of the Fantastic Four. Might be Tom Cruise, especially if said hero’s hanging off an airplane. Might be a Viking youngster and his dragon BFF. Or, heck, it might even be that furry rascal Stitch.
“A little something for everybody” may seem cliché, but from huge franchises to prime-time A-listers, that’s what moviegoers will see in the films coming out between now and Labor Day. There’s a crop of scary movies, and the upcoming Stephen King adaptation isn’t one of them – instead it’s pretty darn feel-good. Brad Pitt is zooming around in a race car, a new karate kid makes his debut (with help from the old one), a bunch of rampaging dinosaurs return, and Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan are acting freaky once more.
Here’s an exclusive peek at new 15 movies you absolutely, positively must see this summer:
‘Lilo & Stitch’ (May 23)
Whether animated or in “live action,” Experiment 626 – aka Stitch – is a lovably rambunctious rapscallion. Your favorite Elvis-loving fugitive alien is back on the big screen in the Disney redo, crashing down on our planet, befriending a lonely Hawaiian girl (newcomer Maia Kealoha) and becoming a part of her family.
‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ (May 23)
It’s not a real summer movie season until Tom Cruise is defying death for the cinematic experience. In the eighth (and what may be the last) “Mission,” his superspy Ethan Hunt teams with old friends and newer allies to keep a villainous AI and its human right-hand man (Esai Morales) from throwing the world into chaos.
‘Bring Her Back’ (May 30)
Australian directors Danny and Michael Philippou, the brothers behind the 2022 summer horror hit “Talk to Me,” are back with a domestic creeper. Billy Barratt and Sora Wong star as a brother and sister who move in with their new foster mother (Sally Hawkins) and discover a terrifying ritual going on at her secluded home.
‘Karate Kid: Legends’ (May 30)
The Miyagi-verse expands with the latest in the “Karate Kid” franchise. Sensei Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) is approached by Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) to help train kung fu prodigy Li Fong (Ben Wang). Relocated to New York City from China, the teen boy struggles to fit in and learns from both martial arts masters before a big tournament.
‘The Phoenician Scheme’ (May 30)
Wes Anderson’s latest film casts Benicio Del Toro as a wealthy European who entrusts the family business to his estranged nun daughter (Mia Threapleton, Kate Winslet’s daughter). A new venture makes them the target of terrorists, assassins and other tycoons in a comedy co-starring Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Michael Cera and Scarlett Johansson.
‘Ballerina’ (June 6)
The “John Wick” franchise spinoff features Ana de Armas as Eve, an orphaned child trained by a criminal organization to be a dancer and a ruthless assassin. The rookie killer goes rogue when she finds a chance for vengeance, leading to a faceoff between her and the legendary Baba Yaga himself, Wick (Keanu Reeves).
‘The Life of Chuck’ (June 6)
Based on the Stephen King novella, Mike Flanagan’s genre-bending character study about a seemingly ordinary accountant (Tom Hiddleston) involves a schoolteacher (Chiwetel Ejiofor), his nurse ex-wife (Karen Gillan), a lovable grandpa (Mark Hamill), multiple dance sequences, a haunted attic and the end of the world.
‘How to Train Your Dragon’ (June 13)
Dean DeBlois remakes his own 2010 animated fan favorite as a heartfelt live-action adventure. Gerard Butler returns as Viking king Stoick and Mason Thames plays his son, Hiccup, who struggles to fit in but finds newfound confidence and a place in the world when he befriends an injured Night Fury dragon named Toothless.
‘F1’ (June 27)
In the racing drama directed by Joseph Kosinski (“Top Gun: Maverick”), Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) is a hired gun with a penchant for driving anything with four wheels. He’s recruited by old friend Ruben (Javier Bardem) to join his underdog Formula 1 race team and tapped to mentor a rookie prodigy (Damson Idris).
‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ (July 2)
The latest franchise installment centers on a team including a covert agent (Scarlett Johansson) and an expert paleontologist (Jonathan Bailey) sent to the island site of the original Jurassic Park to extract dinosaur DNA for a miracle drug. There, they find a shipwrecked human family and a host of extremely dangerous mutated monsters.
‘Superman’ (July 11)
James Gunn’s rebooted DC superhero universe begins in earnest with his hope-filled take on the Man of Steel. David Corenswet is the new man in Superman’s cape and (and Clark Kent’s glasses) in a movie also featuring journalist Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), supervillain Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) and rambunctious superdog Krypto.
‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ (July 18)
In the “requel” to the 1990s slasher franchise, a new crop of youngsters have covered up something bad they’ve done – in this case, a fatal car accident – and are being hunted by the deadly Hook Man. Fortunately, they get expert help from a pair of folks who have been there before: original stars Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt.
‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ (July 25)
Set in a retrofuturistic 1960s America, the latest Marvel adventure stars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as astronauts bombarded by cosmic rays in space who have returned home as national heroes with superpowers. They’ll need those powers to stave off the imminent arrival of planet-eating bad guy Galactus.
‘The Naked Gun’ (Aug. 1)
Liam Neeson trades steely stares for belly laughs in the cop spoof reboot as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. The son of original “Gun” star Leslie Nielsen’s iconic character is the new man in charge of Police Squad tasked with saving the world, dressing up as a schoolgirl and diving into puns, gags and buffoonery alongside Pamela Anderson.
‘Freakier Friday’ (Aug. 8)
Body-swapping shenanigans are afoot again in the Disney sequel. Jamie Lee Curtis is back as Tess Coleman and Lindsay Lohan plays grown-up Anna, whose impending nuptials spark another fantastical incident also involving Anna’s kid, Harper (Julia Butters), and her soon-to-be stepdaughter, Lily (Sophia Hammons).
