Hot Summer Movies to Enjoy; Flicks that Flopped to Avoid

By Rick M. Pezzullo

It’s been a busy summer for movies, so here’s a few of the biggest hits and some you may want to avoid as you look to beat the summer heat.

Top Gun: Maverick

The long-awaited sequel to the 1986 classic, Top Gun: Maverick has taken the box office by storm this summer. I think it goes without saying: This movie is hands down better than the original. While Top Gun was certainly everything we loved about 80s cinema, its sequel does not suffer from cheesy, lazy writing and jamming the same two songs down your throat for two hours. Top Gun: Maverick flashes forward into the future with Maverick (Tom Cruise) returning to Top Gun to teach young pilots and lead them on a dangerous mission to take out an uranium enrichment plant. One of those pilots happens to be Maverick’s deceased partner’s son, Rooster (Miles Teller). Their relationship complicates Maverick’s judgment throughout the training and whether to take Rooster on the mission. The film does a nice job of capitalizing on the nostalgia of the original, while not feeling like a retread. I was never bored and I appreciated the film’s commitment to navigating a complex character relationship. The plane stunts are excellent and give a real feeling of authenticity. If you are one of the few people in the world who haven’t seen Top Gun: Maverick, then you might be missing out on the best film of the summer.

Rating: 9.25/10

Where to watch: In theaters (probably not much longer)

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Marvel’s long-awaited sequel to the 2016 original was certainly polarizing among fans. Taking a step away from the normal Marvel blueprint, director Sam Raimi injected his horror perspective into the film, which definitely turned heads. The film begins with Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) encountering America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), who has the power to traverse the multiverse. Doctor Strange attempts to consult Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), but finds that she is responsible for the attacks on America Chavez. Wanda wants to control her power in order to reunite with her children in another universe. This sets up the premise of the film as Strange and the other sorcerers try to protect Chavez from Wanda. While many disliked the portrayal of Wanda, I felt that it was a refreshing change of pace for Marvel to embrace chaos and horror. It certainly is not a film for the faint of heart as guts and blood were more present than any other MCU film I’ve seen. While it definitely had its share of plot flaws and CGI lapses, I felt the film was a valuable addition to the MCU and I was excited to finally see a Latina superhero hit the big screen. It is important to note that watching Wandavision and Dr. Strange is essential viewing before watching this film in order to fully understand what is happening. Overall, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a solid superhero movie that doesn’t break the upper echelon of the MCU, but is certainly original and entertaining.

Rating: 8/10

Where to watch: Disney+

Lightyear

Another addition to the Toy Story universe, Lightyear succeeds in making the audience care about a fictional character in a film inside of a fictional universe. Lightyear is supposed to be the movie that Andy watches that makes him buy his Buzz Lightyear toy. Buzz is marooned on a distant planet and in his attempts to reach hyperspeed to return home, his friends and colleagues age around him at a much faster rate. After the government tries to shut his program down, Buzz is forced to train a group of misfits to help on his mission. I found Lightyear to be entertaining and surprisingly emotional. It provided some interesting insight into Buzz’s backstory and created a solid foundation for an extended Toy Story cinematic universe. I was expecting the film to be slightly more light-hearted, but I give credit to the movie for attempting to provide some depth to its characters. In summation, Disney continues to capitalize on its beloved characters and Lightyear is certainly a film worthy of reviving the Toy Story franchise.

Rating: 7.5/10

Where to watch: Disney+

Thor: Love and Thunder

Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the only Marvel superhero with four titular movies, returns to face off with Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) in Thor: Love and Thunder. Thor reunites with his ex-love interest Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and longtime friend, Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), as they work together to stop Gorr from murdering gods across the universe. Jane, who is battling cancer, was granted powers by Mjolnir due to an enchantment placed on the hammer by Thor years ago. Similar in style to Thor: Ragnarok, this film is never short on humor and is a fast-paced adventure. While there were a few shortcomings with the plot, Thor: Love and Thunder is certainly enjoyable and a fun time for any superhero fan. Christian Bale played an excellent villain, who is odd, but has a surprising amount of character depth. The ramifications of the movie are yet to be determined, but it seems as though we haven’t seen the last of the Asgardian prince. At times, I felt like the film was too similar in style to its predecessor, but it was entertaining nonetheless. Overall, Thor: Love and Thunder is another solid addition to the MCU, but doesn’t quite crack its upper tier.

Rating: 8/10

Where to watch: In theaters and coming soon to Disney+

Jurassic World: Dominion

Jurassic World: Dominion, the last movie in the Jurassic Park franchise, unfortunately ends the wildly popular series of movies with a thud. The movie’s plot revolves around dinosaurs living in the wild and causing dangerous conditions for humans as they attempt to co-exist. A genetics company, Biosyn, claims to have a sanctuary for the dinosaurs where they can live and prosper. However, it becomes obvious that it is not out of a genuine care for dinosaurs, but for ulterior motives. Now, let me preface: I love dinosaurs as much as the next guy. I was willing to give this movie a chance and not only was it two-and-a-half hours long, but it was riddled with lazy film editing, writing, and countless plot flaws. I understand that this is a movie about dinosaurs, so I should temper my “realistic” expectations, but it was like they didn’t even try or thought I was too stupid of a moviegoer to see how ridiculous some of the details were. The shining light of this film was the CGI because the dinosaurs looked awesome and I genuinely enjoyed some of the dinosaur action scenes. All of that was overshadowed by how the film was so unbelievably negligent with its details. I believe that this franchise has certainly run its course and will be rightfully put to bed. If you want to watch this movie, all I can say is good luck and keep your expectations low.

Rating: 3.5/10

Where to watch: Online streaming services for a fee