2025 Summer Movies Ranked

2025 Summer Movies Ranked

In my opinion, the 2025 movie season has officially ended. For me the summer movie season starts May 1st and ends August 31st. This year it ranges from Thunderbolts* to Caught Stealing. I was able to see quite a few films during that period of time. But which ones did I enjoy the most? Let’s talk about it!

21. Happy Gilmore 2: I don’t have nostalgia for the original film. In fact, I watched it for the first time the same day I watched this film. I didn’t hate this film the way other people did, but it’s in last place so I didn’t think this film worked. I thought this film went in some very weird and odd directions for a Happy Gilmore sequel. There’s this shocking and truly bizarre incident that happens in the opening minutes of the film that sets Happy Gilmore on this alcoholic recovery program. When you have a character who’s name is HAPPY Gilmore, the last thing you want from him is him being a depressed drunk. Beyond that, the humor didn’t work for me really at all. Too many of the jokes are either laughing at Happy’s alcoholism, callbacks to the original, or a random cameo that’s in here just because they’re friends with Adam Sandler. Also the plot of the film and how they modernize it feels bizarre to me. They took the Jurassic World approach with Happy Gilmore and genetically made golfers to make them a bigger threat than before. 

20. Bring Her Back: This is one of the biggest disappointments of 2025 so far. I loved these directors’ previous films, Talk to Me a good bit. I was very let down and underwhelmed by Bring Her Back. For the first 75% of the film I was on board with this film and really digging the thrills and creepiness of what’s going on. Sally Hawkins delivers a very creepy and unsettling performance. The thing that killed this movie for me was the decision they made in the third act that completely lost me and the film never won me back afterwards. There’s a version of this subversion of expectations that maybe could’ve worked, but the way it’s done in the film didn’t work for me at all and dragged the film down multiple spots on this list. Also, the film both felt way too long and way too short. It felt like the film could’ve cut 5-10 minutes of the film but it also felt like it could’ve added 5-10 minutes. Either making it longer or shorter would’ve changed the quality of the film. There’s a lot of that’s left unanswered, but not in a satisfying way it leaves you frustrated and wanting more. I know some people loved this film, it has an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. I was not one of those people that loved this film however. 

19. Together: Yet again another summer horror film that a lot of people loved that I didn’t connect with. This is basically 2025’s version of The Substance, except not as good as not as thought provoking. This film uses body horror as a metaphor for a broken couple’s struggles and learning to grow together (literally and figuratively). There’s an interesting premise in there and you can see where there’s something really cool but I didn’t work. I found the film to be very predictable, there’s certain things that happen in the back half of the film that were telegraphed so far off in advance that when they were revealed meant nothing to me. I didn’t think the film worked with having it reveal what’s going on. The answers they give for what’s happening made the whole film cartoonish and took away the ickiness of the body horror and what’s really going on. Had the film chosen not to reveal what’s going on I think it would’ve been better. Beyond that, the final minutes of the film basically ruined it for me. There’s a CGI character that appears in the final minutes that is so noticeably bad and throws you off. Even the way the film ends, I’m not even sure what the film is trying to communicate. 

18. Fountain of Youth: This is one of the bigger disappointments of the summer, this is a Guy Ritchie global-troating adventure film inspired by Indiana Jones and National Treasure that stars John Krasinski and Natalie Portman. I found this film to be another example of these bland generic streaming movies getting $200 million and a star-studded cast. There’s such obvious nods and references to other films that are much better than this film. The ending and what the third act involves feels pulled straight from Last Crusade. So many sequences feel like a knock off National Treasure. It’s a film that’s trying to be an homage and paying tribute to classic adventure films, but does nothing with the source material to make it a worthy homage to those action adventure films. It’s the type of film that I don’t have to say much about. I watched it when it dropped on Apple TV+, I had enough fun with it and for three months basically forgot that this film came out. It’s harmless, it’s not offensive but when you have a fun genre, a great cast, and a solid director you want something more than mediocre. 

17. Elio: This was a big disappointment for me because Pixar has made some great movies and one of the directors of the film, Adrian Molina, went to the same high school as me which is very cool. Unfortunately, this was another totally fine and generic Pixar film. I watched it in the theater and didn’t have many strong emotions leaving the theater. I thought it was enjoyable enough but that’s really it. It has all of the fun, emotions, and fun characters that you’d expect from a Pixar film but it doesn’t do anything interesting with any of it. It’s a film that went through multiple changes, there was a director swap and other things happening and I feel like you can feel that when you’re watching the film. Each act has its own ideas that it’s exploring, some of them tie together but each act feels separated at the same time. I was never bored while watching it, it moves at a nice pace to keep you entertained. The theater I was in had a lot of children and they all seemed to be having fun which is what matters and the most important part when making a movie like this. It’s not fully bottom tier Pixar, it’s just another generic mediocre middle film for Pixar. 

16. Freakier Friday: I really enjoyed the 2003 film and I went into this film cautiously optimistic that it’ll be a good time and that’s what I got. It’s not ranked particularly high on this list, so I didn’t think it was a masterpiece or anything but for what the film was and what it was trying to be, I enjoyed myself well enough. Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan are clearly having a lot of fun in their roles. There’s a lot of great jokes from Jamie in regards to her age and getting older that put a smile on my face. Like I said, I went into the film cautiously optimistic about it and it delivered exactly what I wanted, nothing more or nothing less. I do think some of the dynamics between the teenagers provided a mean spiritedness to the film that I don't think was necessary in this film, it took away some of the fun of the film. There’s ideas in what they’re doing with the girls that maybe could’ve worked and you can see where those ideas can be interesting but the execution in the film didn’t work for me. Originally this film was made to be a Disney+ original but they changed it to be a theatrical release and it has a Disney+ vibe to it, which isn’t necessarily a good thing. 

15. Heads of State: One of the latest streaming action comedy films with movie stars. This time it stars John Cena and Idris Elba and I thought this film was much better than other streaming movies like this. I thought this film was a lot of fun that’s elevated by the chemistry between Cena and Elba. Their dynamic was a lot of fun in The Suicide Squad and now in this film. They have great chemistry with each other and play off of each other nicely. One of the stand outs here was Jack Quaid who has a side role in the film and the sequence with him was very cool. He might get the best action scene of the entire movie with a film filled with a lot of action. This film isn’t reinventing the genre or doing anything super unique or special with the material but given a lot of streaming movies like this feel generic and bland, this one felt above average. If you’re just burnt out and tired of streaming movies, this movie isn’t going to win you back. But if you just want a fun 90 minutes with movie stars then this is a film that you’ll enjoy and have a good time with. 

14. The Naked Gun: Of every movie that I’ve watched with my dad, this is probably the film that had the biggest split between my thoughts and his thoughts. For me, I liked the film and thought it delivered some great laughs that kept me entertained from beginning to end. My dad on the other hand hated this movie as a passion. I haven’t seen the original set of film so I didn’t have many expectations but I did enjoy this film. Liam Neeson is actually able to deliver this great dead pan sense of humor that works perfectly. So many jokes in this film were making me laugh out loud, the rate per minute that there were jokes was so consistent, my audience was laughing out loud from beginning to end. Everybody in the film is clearly having a lot of fun, Neeson and Pamela Anderson had nice chemistry with each other. There’s some fun cameos that put a smile on your face. This isn’t one of the best movies of the year, I’m not sure how often I’ll watch this film but I did enjoy myself while watching…the complete opposite of my dad. 

13. Relay: This is probably the smallest scale film on this list in the sense that the least amount of people have seen it. I thought this was a solid enough little thriller starring Riz Ahmed, Lily James, and Sam Worthington. It’s not a fantastic film by any means but for what the film was trying to be, I thought it did a good enough job. There’s moments that can be very thrilling and exciting, it’s directed very well with building the tension of certain moments. Riz Ahmed is giving a very good performance where in the first act of the film he barely speaks, but he’s able to emote a lot just through his face and emotions. There’s just enough humor that had me and my audience chuckling. There’s some laps in the logic of how the main source of communication works and it strained some credibility. There’s a big plot twist in the film that happens in the third act that I don’t think really worked, the film didn’t earn it and what the twist implies makes the film feel more complicated then it actually needs to be. 

12. Eden: This is an interesting film because I was more mixed on the film when I first saw it, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since I saw it. This film is based on a true story but as you’re watching it you’re in disbelief that this actually happened because it gets so wacky and wild that it feels fictional. It’s a film that’s exploring the ideas of democracy and facism set after World War I and every group has their own views on them and their reasons as to why they wanted the island. The film constantly keeps you guessing and wondering what’s going to happen and where this story is going. Some of the information that’s revealed during the credits about the different perspectives makes you want to see the other side of the story. The film features a star studded cast and all of the actors are delivering great performances and possibly career best performances. Ana de Armas, Sydney Sweeney, and Jude Law being the prime examples of this. I don’t think the ending was properly set up, I get what the film was trying to say but I think the film could’ve set up the final choices of the film much better. And it feels like a one time watch film, it’s not a film I’m going to explore all that much. 

11. Caught Stealing: The second Darren Aronofsky film that I’ve ever seen. More so than The Whale, this is a film that’s more on my wave length. I thought Aronofsky took what could’ve been a fairly straight forward and generic character based thriller but added layers of emotion and humor to make it a more interesting and compelling film. There’s plenty of heart in the film, especially with Austin Butler’s character arc and what he does in the third act. There’s also a dark sense about the film that made me laugh and added some spice and flavor to the entire thing. The performances all around are pretty fantastic, especially Butler is able to just anchor the film and he continues to prove that he’s one of the top actors working today. Matt Smith provides more fun in the film playing this obnoxious and over the top rockstar character, he’s clearly having a lot of fun in this role. The film’s trailers were a bit interesting in terms of how they showcase what the film is about. There’s several ways that it subverts expectations but there were also a few things that I found to be pretty predictable that were treated as a big twist but seemed way too obvious. A solid little thriller that had a lot about it that I liked and just a few things that frustrated me. 

10. The Fantastic Four: First Steps: I know a lot of people will have this movie much higher up on this list. For me, there’s a whole lot about this film that I loved but a whole lot that left me frustrated and disappointed. On the positive, I appreciate that this is a film that has its own unique style to it. It has this futuristic ‘60s vibe that feels inspired by The Jetsons. When so many modern day MCU projects have this generic vibe to them, when you get something like that’s the opposite of that it’s super refreshing. The film is about family and loving each other and that’s really the main theme running throughout the film. They tie that idea into Silver Surfer and Galactus’ motivations in the film. Between this film and Thunderbolts*, the MCU has started making films that are actually about something. The cast here is really fun, all of them do a great job with what they’re given. Vanessa Kirby being the stand out of the film. Unfortunately, I think the film montages through its first act. The film is only 1 hour and 55 minutes long and I felt like they could’ve added another 5-10 minutes to the film. Have an action scene at the beginning to showcase their powers and to better establish Mole Man in the film. Likewise, there’s just a number of plot similarities between this film and Rise of the Silver Surfer, this film can feel very derivative at points, even down to very specific plot points. Overall, I thought this was a good MCU movie that easily could’ve been a great MCU movie. 

9. Lilo & Stitch: I might be crazy in saying this but I actually haven’t seen the original animated film. So I went into this film not knowing the story or really what to expect and I thoroughly enjoyed this film and I think it’s one of Disney’s better live action remakes. What I think works about this film is that they didn’t try to make any big changes or make it a $200 million blockbuster. I believe the film’s budget is $100 million which is one of their cheaper remakes that they’ve done. I think that’s why this film was widely regarded as better than Snow White. Stitch himself is just so cute and has all of the fun and hijinks that you want. I know a lot of people hated the ending and thought that it undid the message and theme of the film. I never thought that and in fact I think it’s a new way to look at family. Overall, I thought this film was a very charming and sweet Disney live action remake that I had a pretty good time watching in the theater and it made me want to watch the original animation…that I still haven’t done. 

8. How to Train Your Dragon: 2025 is the year of live action remakes, this one of course being a Dreamworks live action remake. This is another one that I heard a lot of people were crapping on because it’s a beat for beat remake of the original. Sure, it is beat for beat but given it’s pulling from already great source material and doing a direct adaption means that the remake is a good movie. And I think this story lends itself to being told in live action. Vikings and dragons battling each other is very cinematic and can provide these big sweeping action set pieces. The visuals from top to bottom are pretty fantastic. Everything about it looks incredible, there’s not a single shot in here that I thought didn’t work. It all looks believable and realistic and when you’re telling a big fantasy story like this, that’s impressive and important. Toothless is just as adorable and fun as you’d expect him to be. This film makes you fall in love with him all over again. If I was to rank this amongst the Disney live action remakes, it’d be pretty high on this list. 

7. Jurassic World: Rebirth: This one seems to be a bit polarizing. There’s a lot of people that thought this was another Jurassic disappointment and further shows that this franchise should’ve ended a long time ago. There’s other people (like me) who just really dug this film and think it’s one of the better entries in the franchise. Sure, this film has all of the stupid characters that you’d expect the family in here feels totally pointless. But I went into this film wanting some dinosaur carnage and mayhem and that’s what I got. There’s plenty of fun dinosaur action from the boat scene to the T-Rex (that’s pulled from the Jurassic Park) book. Given the quest that our characters are on, there's a different type of dinosaur action from water, ground, and aerial sequences. Garth Edwards has a great eye for visuals and he’s able to make the dinosaurs look both mesmerizing and terrifying at the same time. When he was announced as the director, it felt like a great pick. You also have a great cast here with Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey. All of them are a lot of fun and are clearly movie stars. I got exactly what I wanted from this film, nothing more and nothing less. 

6. From the World of John Wick: Ballerina: Between this film and No Time to Die, it made me realize that Ana de Armas kicking ass needs to be its own sub genre in action, because this film is great. This is a spinoff in the John Wick franchise but has all of the magic and production of the main line films so it doesn’t really feel like B-team John Wick at all. The action in here is very gnarly, this is probably the gnarliest film of the franchise. What our lead character is doing in the film had my audience wincing multiple times. The action here feels the same yet different from the main line films because she’s using the environment around her to fight her foes. The film did a really good job of making you care about Ana de Armas’ character. You care about the arc and journey that she’s on. When the credits rolled it made me want to see more of her in this universe. There’s a few things in the back half of the film that felt altered because of the reshoots that could’ve been ironed out a bit. But overall this is a great installment in the John Wick franchise. 

5. Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning: On a story level this film is one of the weakest of the franchise. On an action stunt level, this film delivers some of the best set pieces of the entire franchise. Both of the main set pieces with the submarine and the plane are some of the most intense and gripping sequences I’ve seen in a long time. It further shows how far Tom Cruise is willing to go to entertain the audience. When you know it’s all practical and not him on a green screen, it makes the sequence feel real and authentic. If this really is the final reckoning then I’d be satisfied with where they landed the ship. Apparently they shot two different endings to the film and I think the other ending was probably more definitive which maybe would’ve worked just a little bit better. Like I said, on a story level this film isn’t great. The first half of the film feels very choppy and clunky, it feels like they were reworking and re-editing this film a lot. Luther’s usage in the film feels weird and felt like it was more important in a different edit of the film. I went to this franchise to be entertained and thrilled by Tom Cruise and that’s what it delivered, so I liked this movie more then most people it seems like. 

4. Thunderbolts*: Easily my favorite MCU movie of the year and one of the best MCU movies in the post-Endgame era. This is a film that I’ve been excited for ever since they announced it and it did not disappoint. What I love about this film is that it’s an exploration of weirdos and outcasts learning that they’re not alone. Part of the reason why the film underperformed is because nobody cared about these characters or know who they are. The fact that they took B and C list level characters and explored this idea of outcasts is very clever. The way that movie ends with them being labeled as “The New Avengers” is the completion of their character arcs, specifically Yelena. They created a villain that ties into the themes of the film and he’s defeated by just hugging it out. I love that all of the action here is practical. There’s behind the scenes footage of Florence Pugh jumping off the second tallest building in the world. All of the other actors from the vault fight to the chase with Bucky to the third act are all done on real locations so it feels more visible and real. In general, it feels different from other MCU films. It’s also an MCU that feels like it’s bringing the MCU together. When this film ended, I had a better idea for what the future of the MCU is like. This is one of the MCU’s best films in general. 

3. F1: The latest film for Joseph Kosinski, the director of Top Gun: Maverick. He took all of the tricks that he learned from Top Gun: Maverick and Tom Cruise and applied them to Formula 1 racing and Brad Pitt. This is another banger for Kosinski. This is one of the best sports movies of all time. It’s a film that feels like a classic blockbuster that we don’t get a lot of these days. It has a little bit of everything from movie stars, emotion, thrilling sequences, humor, and a little bit of romance. It’s not a big CGI spectacle film, once it’s all practical and trying to deliver the best possible movie theater experience. When the racing sequences happen they’re super dynamic and feel like you’re in the middle of these sequences and in the cars with these characters. Brad Pitt is just as charismatic and cool as ever. This is the type of character that’s designed for Pitt to play and have a lot of with. He’s partnered up greatly with Damon Idris’ character, both of them have character arcs and learn what they need to learn through the events of the film and with each other. This is a film that I had a blast watching in the theater, it’s probably going to be in my top 5 by the end of the year.  

2. Superman: The 2025 film that I’ve seen the most times. I saw this film opening night and gladly watched it two more times on the big screen. I thought this film was great when I first saw it, but I think it gets better and better with rewatch. My issues with the film regarding Lex Luthor’s plan doesn’t really affect my experience anymore. This solidified that James Gunn is one of the best directors in the comic book movie genre. He made the most comic booky comic book movie of all time. It’s a silly and goofy film that’s not afraid to be silly and goofy. It’s a hard pivot from what Zack Snyder did with Man of Steel and I like that film. David Corenswet’s take on Superman feels like a classic version of the character while also fitting him into the modern world with social media. It felt like a version of the character that we’ve seen before while also delivering something totally fresh, new, and different. Nicholas Hoult delivers the most despicable and hateable version of Lex Luthor. When Krypto gets his moment with him in the third act it’s so satisfying and one of the best scenes of the year. Given that this film is designed to lay the groundwork for the DCU, this film made me excited for the future and I’m excited for more stories in this universe. 

1. Weapons: This is my favorite movie of 2025 so far and will likely be my favorite movie 2025 by the end of the year. On every single level, I thought this film was awesome and it’s an example as to why I love movies. This is a totally original film that has a good size budget and movie stars and given that this film is succeeding I hope we get more movies like this. The film does a fantastic job of building suspense and making the audience wonder what’s going on. The fact that it’s told in chapter form and each chapter ends on a cliffhanger makes you want to see what’s going to happen next. You’re constantly on the edge of your seat as you don’t know what’s about to happen. Zach Cregger is able to create this unsettling atmosphere and creepiness throughout the entire film. The scene with the scissors and the shots he used is one of the scariest scenes I’ve ever seen. All of the mystery and intrigue builds up to this finale where all is revealed and I found it so satisfying. I didn’t have any issue with the ending. I know horror films don’t normally get awards buzz but Amy Madigan should be in the Best Supporting Actresses category because she delivers the best performances of 2025 so far.