After finally getting around to watching Jurassic World Rebirth this past Friday thanks to the CAB-sponsored movie night, I’ve finally completed a mission that I’ve been on since the beginning of this summer. Well—technically, the beginning of last summer.
I first got the greenlight for a Guidon film column way back towards the end of the Spring 2024 semester. And although it was a bit late to start publishing things at that moment, the gears were already turning in my head thinking about all the ways I could come out swinging later in August of that year. The dominant idea being a “summer blockbuster review”.
As the name implies, it would be a quick recap/speedround of my thoughts on some of the biggest movies in summer 2024. But due to some…uhhh, unforeseen roadblocks, I wasn’t able to put up that article at the begging of the previous school year. Which is a shame, because some of my best reviews were for movies like Challengers and Alien: Romulus.
Anyways, enough with the origin story. Today’s article is going to be that same idea as I originally had over two years ago, but with a little twist. It would be a little lame if I just wrote about the movies I liked, so for the sake of variety…welcome to my personal takes on the top 10 highest grossing movies of this past summer!
(Obligatory ground rules: ratings out of 5 stars, list sourced from IMDB’s Domestic Box Office charts, and please don’t come for me cuz I liked a movie more than I was supposed to. Just my opinions. Alright, let’s do this.)
#10 – Weapons
U.S Theatrical Release: August 8th, 2025
Domestic Gross: $135,282,388
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
Starting off on a high note, Weapons is a film that has been incredibly well-received by both critics and audiences alike (which you could probably tell by it’s being on this list to begin with). It’s such a simple premise that gets taken in all sorts of unique directions, and I absolutely adore just how much it plays with this dynamic. The story structure flows incredibly well and creates some tension in places you don’t usually expect in a horror movie, but the tension never feels like it defines the entire film.
In contrast, as a matter of fact, Weapons is oddly comedic in places—which works wonders in contributing to the dark symbolism of people coping with tragedy in different ways. While I don’t think it’s the most layered example of elevated horror that exists (and definitely could’ve gone further in a few places), Weapons more than succeeds at being profound and dynamic, yet still being a damn good horror movie…and not even for a second sacrificing one element for the other.
#9 – Final Destination: Bloodlines
U.S Theatrical Release: May 16th, 2025
Domestic Gross: $138,130,814
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐½
Full transparency: I had never seen a single movie in this series until literally two weeks ago. I was led to believe these were gonna be schlocky dumb fun horror movies with a premise just barely intriguing enough to be milked by Hollywood for the past 25 years. And for the most part, they were right. There were some incredibly awful moments in this series, but I did find a surprising amount of genuinely impressive elements at play in these movies.
But for what it’s worth though, I think the highs of Final Destination Bloodlines are a lot higher than the highs of the weaker entries in this franchise. The kills have never looked better, the performances are pretty fun, and the story actually put itself in a place where further sequels would actually be interesting to see. The structure and pacing of it all is embarrassingly weaker than it should be, especially because it’s not that hard to get a Final Destination story development right…but this is such a fun shake-up of the formula that it ultimately doesn’t matter enough to ruin the whole thing for me. I really hope that the next movie follows this formula, because I think that this franchise has finally found new life. And in the words of the immortal Tony Todd—”only new life can defeat death”.
#8 – F1: The Movie
U.S Theatrical Release: June 27th, 2025
Domestic Gross: $188,242,104
My Rating: ⭐⭐
It’s been a while since I watched a movie that walked the line between being incredibly effective high-octane entertainment and pathetically hollow, but what else are summer blockbusters for? F1: The Movie very well could’ve been a showstopping spectacle in theaters, but once you take off the rose colored 3D glasses…there’s not really any gimmick to keep this afloat.
I mean, I guess the cinematography is good? It’s far from boring, but nothing really stood out as earthshattering. And as great as Hans Zimmer is, I feel like his score is just trying to be Challengers (which doesn’t really sit right with me, especially because I just got huge into Nine Inch Nails…and that’s a style you just can’t rip). Anyways, there’s still a couple decent qualities about this film like the stellar casting choices and overall immersion into the world of Formula 1 racing…but stepping back makes you realize that it’s nothing more than a cartoonish nonsensical good time. Which is all fine and well, but sometimes when a movie costs $300 million dollars and stars Brad Pitt…it should probably be a bit more than “fine and well”, if you ask me.
#7 – Thunderbolts*
U.S Theatrical Release: May 2nd, 2025
Domestic Gross: $188,242,104
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
Of all the entries on this list, Thunderbolts* was the first one released. It was also the first one I saw. And it was also the first one that I saw twice.
Now before you assume anything, trust me when I say that I’m hardly a MCU fanboy. Hell, I thought Avengers: Infinity War was “just kinda ok”. And that’s also what I thought when I first saw Thunderbolts* in theaters. Although it’s without a doubt the most promising MCU entry in a long time, it still isn’t the overnight solution to all of the MCU’s storytelling problems that people have been calling it. But after a rewatch, I was more than willing to forgive a few minor hiccups…because I have now seen the light.
Even though it’s far from being the best thing Marvel’s ever done and the overnight second coming of the MCU’s golden age, it does do plenty of things right that really give me faith in the direction that things could go. Some genuinely solid comedic moments, great action and stunt choreography, the character work is actually pretty fantastic and multi-dimensional, and the final act isn’t just one giant CGI-laiden fight scene. Thunderbolts* is definitely the movie that corrects the course of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, even if it is about 3 years too late.
#6 – Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
U.S Theatrical Release: May 23rd, 2025
Domestic Gross: $197,413,515
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Honestly, this is one of those reviews where I could simply go on and on about just how great this movie is (some of the best action of the series, stellar and beautiful underwater cinematography, and phenomenal lighting in every shot)…but unfortunately, the small handful of flaws here are in the most extremely noticeable spots.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is a love letter to everything that has made this franchise a hallmark in the action genre, and especially a love letter to cinema itself. While it does suffer from production delays and studio mandates that force it to treat the audience like we’re single-celled organisms, it more than makes up for these misguided creative choices with a truly jaw-dropping and show-stopping final act.
#5 – How To Train Your Dragon
U.S Theatrical Release: June 13th, 2025
Domestic Gross: $262,942,665
My Rating: ⭐⭐½
At the end of the day, this is one of those dreaded live-action remakes. And unfortunately, it falls into quite a few of the same traps to make it feel like any old live-action remake. But while on one hand, it’s really just nothing more than a straightforward mediocre live-action remake…but on the other hand, it’s not mediocre in the same way that all the other soulless live-action remakes are. Throughout the film, we get a hearty amount of what appears to be earnest attempts to separate this from the 2010 original in at least some ways. And to an extent, I can respect that. While it’s unfortunate that some of these attempts don’t end up being as committed or thorough as they should be, there’s still an attempt. And in the modern-day landscape of live action remakes where the bar is unfathomably low…we’ll take it.
#4 – Fantastic Four: The First Steps
U.S Theatrical Release: July 25th, 2025
Domestic Gross: $266,407,834
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐½
With the bigger picture in mind, I completely get why Marvel Studios wanted to play it safe with a F4 movie. All it needed to do was be better than the previous adaptation attempts (an embarrassingly low bar), so they didn’t want to risk anything. And besides, we’ve seen plenty of MCU movies play it safe in the past…and Fantastic Four: The First Steps still does way better than all of those by a mile.
Setting the film in a brand new universe with no connections to the familiar MCU, having the plot twist into such dark and nihilistic places for such a deliberately campy comic book movie, and going against the fans to cast actual fans of the source material? If all that isn’t taking risks, then I don’t know what is. Even though it does feel awfully sanitized in certain places to the point where you can’t help but feel like the studios cut out several key elements of the film (because they totally did), there’s still just enough left over to call Fantastic Four: The First Steps a great Marvel movie.
#3 – Jurassic World Rebirth
U.S Theatrical Release: July 2nd, 2025
Domestic Gross: $338,310,765
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Overstuffed dialogue, hollow characters, and very generic stakes with no new dimension to it. Huh…guess that means this is basically an MCU movie with dinosaurs. Dedicated quip machine character, cute thing that literally only exists to be a marketable plushie, and a nearly $900 million box office return that of course means the studios are going to learn nothing and rush out a sequel that’s just as narratively superficial as this one…I mean, I could go on.
Frankly, it’s a miracle that the few high points of the film are able to pull as much weight as they do. Jurassic World Rebirth may be a lousy example of a “back to basics” soft reboot, but at least it’s still a treat for the eyes. And at the end of the day, if the dinosaurs look good in a dinosaur movie (and the action looks good in an action movie)…what more could you want?
#2 – Superman
U.S Theatrical Release: July 11th, 2025
Domestic Gross: $351,814,671
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
It was a bit plodding to sit through at times, but I’m willing to overlook that for the simple reason that this is such a feel-good blockbuster movie (two words that haven’t been next to each other in a sentence for years). Hell, the performances alone make this one of the most enjoyable and exciting movies of the year. David Corenswet plays the classic golden age Superman incredibly well, Rachel Brosnahan both has insane chemistry with Corenswet and gives the character of Lois a perfect amount of agency in the story, and Nicolas Hoult is the peak combination of a D1 hater and a charismatic quippy James Bond-ass villain. The dialogue is fantastic, the CGI is fantastic, and just the whole mood of the thing is unforgettable. I can’t wait to see everyone who worked on this film from both sides of the camera back on another project, because this was…well—it was super, man (no I will not be apologizing for that one thank you have a nice day).
#1 – Lilo & Stitch
U.S Theatrical Release: May 23rd, 2025
Domestic Gross: $423,379,409
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
There’s a lot of elements in the Lilo & Stitch remake that actively make it feel like any other soulless Disney live-action remake…but there’s also just as many elements that make this way more lively and enjoyable than a majority of the soulless Disney live-action remakes. The magic and energy of the original movie is, in the broad strokes, pretty well-preserved with some fun performances and the visual mood and atmosphere of the Hawaii setting being largely maintained. Honestly, I think that my takes on this film are pretty similar to the general consensus…but it’s my takes on the 2002 original that are going to make this look a lot more blasphemous by comparison. At the end of the day though, do I care? No. Am I going to be watching either of these movies again? Probably not.
Honorable Mentions (AKA My Favorites of Summer 2025)
The Naked Gun
⭐⭐⭐⭐½
Call me original, but I’m willing to go out on a limb and say that reboots and/or remakes of old movies don’t exactly have a great track record…so I was a bit more than skeptical about The Naked Gun in 2025. But now I can rest easy, because this is the funniest movie I’ve seen in theaters in a long time—probably ever, honestly. On paper, you would never expect the general style of humor from a movie made in 1988 to carry over to a movie made almost 40 years later. But man, it does on almost every single level…and does it DAMN well.
The Naked Gun reboot proved that this antique style of spoof humor can very much still work in the modern day. Liam Neeson’s career may have been stagnating for the past few years, but his performance here aptly demonstrates that it’s a damn shame he’s pigeonholed himself into straight-to-DVD action movies. His sense of humor is absolutely perfect for a film like this and 100% lives up to the legacy that Leslie Nielson left. Everything about this movie filled me with so much joy, and had me giggling at every joke like an idiot. And if there’s one thing I appreciate the most in life, it’s giggling like a goddamn idiot.
KPop Demon Hunters
⭐⭐⭐½
Okay, so maybe that rating doesn’t exactly scream “one of my favorites of the year”…but goddamnit, you try watching this movie and pretending it’s not the most infectious and rewatchable thing ever. KPop Demon Hunters may have a fair share of shortcomings as a narrative like a lack of emotional depth in certain places or rushing though a lot of it’s plot developments, but where it succeeds beyond words is as an “experience”.
You know those types of movies. The ones that maybe don’t hold up the most if you’re trying to take it too seriously, but are still immensely enjoyable once you look past some flaws and shortcomings. Now granted, it’s harder to ignore the faults of some movies more than others…and I’m happy to say that this is not one of those movies (for the most part). The songs are equal parts hypnotically addicting and genuinely impressive, the animation is incredibly ambitious and fun, and the plot is still very entertaining despite some structural hiccups. KPop Demon Hunters may have one particularly glaring flaw in my eyes, and I’m still willing to die on that hill…but it really pains me that I’m not wholeheartedly in love with it. Only a regular amount of “in love with it”. But that’s not the worst problem to have.
Friendship
⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is one of those rare movies that focuses so intensely on capturing one very specific feeling…making friends as an adult is weird and difficult. Call it sad, call it shallow…because it is very much both of those things. But you can’t deny that Friendship captures that feeling of struggle and aimlessness so goddamn well.
Friendship sells itself as a psychological absurdist comedy, and man—does it absolutely nail the intricacies of those genres labels. Not only is the writing just so unbelievably spot-on and poignant that it never feels the need to be overly dense or derivative, but the performances are also insanely perfect for the tone that the film sets.
Now although the back half does feel decidedly slower and like a bit more of a chore to get through than the constantly engaging and profound first half, it still feels like it has a purpose. The last 40ish minutes of Friendship are tedious, uncomfortable, hollow, anxious, and unstable…but what holds my attention is just how everything from the evolving relationships between characters to the messy (and slightly outlandish) fallout of the key story beats…feels just as appropriately tedious, uncomfortable, hollow, anxious, and unstable. Regardless of any pacing or structural problems I think it has, its undeniable Friendship never loses sight of its purpose and its message—which ultimately makes it one of the most thoughtful, introspective, and darkly comedic/profound movies of the year so far.
Hey, look at you—you made it to the end! I’ve never met anyone who wants to actually sit down and read through one of my reviews, let alone 13 of them…so congrats. And thanks.
Now that the ice has been broken and this film column is back in full swing, it’s time to do my favorite thing: self-promotion!!!! If you thought this whole song and dance was a chore to get through, then why don’t you go ahead and check this link out. You’ll either love it or ask ChatGPT for a summary…up to you.
