Sherri chimes on what to see, and what to skip at the theatre this summer!

Okay, I made it to the theatre again to see Thunderbolts*, as I said I would when I did this with the Winter Trailers. I’ll post my review and thoughts on that film soon.

For now, let’s review the trailers I saw before the movie last week. If I have one complaint about these trailers, it is that there isn’t an original premise in the batch. Three are sequels, and the other two are reboots. There is room for originality in the cinema, Sinners just proved that, and yet… Also, I’ve updated my meter:

See it: In the theatre

Stream it: Wait until it shows up on one of the platforms.

Skip it: I’m not going to watch it.

Tron: Ares

Cast:  Gillian Anderson, Jeff Bridges, Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Julian Dillinger, Cameron Monaghan, Jodie Turner-Smith, Hasan Minhaj

Summary: Mankind encounters AI beings for the first time when a highly sophisticated program, Ares, leaves the digital world for a dangerous mission in the real world.

Release Date: October 10, 2025

Thoughts: I may lose some movie-watching credibility here, but I have not seen any of the Tron movies, so I’m unfamiliar with the story (I can hear my colleagues here screaming, “WHAT?”)^{Editor’s Note – I did literally scream ‘What?!’ – Belle}. This movie is visually interesting, and the cast is outstanding. I hope the material rises to meet their talent.

Jurassic World: Rebirth

Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Rupert Friend, Jonathon Bailey, Mahershala Ali

Summary: Zora Bennett leads a team of skilled operatives to the most dangerous place on Earth: an island research facility for the original Jurassic Park. Their mission is to secure genetic material from dinosaurs whose DNA can provide life-saving benefits to mankind. As the top-secret expedition becomes increasingly risky, they soon make a sinister, shocking discovery that’s been hidden from the world for decades.

Release Date: July 2, 2025

Thoughts: I have not watched a Jurassic Park movie since the second sequel. Whenever one comes out, I ask the same question: “Why do people keep returning to the island? They know the dinosaurs are dangerous and are going to kill them?” The CGI of the island is spectacular, so I see where the money was spent. I love Jonathon Bailey and Mahershala Ali; I would love them to do another film together, playing to their strengths. I am not confident that this one is it.

Superman

Cast: David Corenswet, Nicholas Hoult, Isabela Merced, Rachel Brosnahan

Summary: Superman embarks on a journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent.

Release Date: July 11, 2025

Thoughts: The James Gunn era of the DCEU starts this summer with Superman. While the trailer does not show it explicitly, I’m afraid we are at the start of the Superman story AGAIN!! This is one of my biggest pet peeves at reboots. After 50 years of Superman movies, we know the back story, we know one of his parents dies, we know he falls in love with Lois. Can we just pick up the story at some point after that?  The trailer shows that Superman isn’t always loved or seen as a beloved protector, which may make this film enjoyable.

The Fantastic Four

Cast: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ralph Ineson, Julia Garner

Summary: Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch and the Thing face their most daunting challenge yet as they defend Earth from Galactus and the Silver Surfer.

Release Date: July 25, 2025

Thoughts: I’ve seen this trailer before and love its ’60s feel. If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought it was filmed in that decade.  I’m looking forward to watching this movie. I’m also excited to see The Fantastic Four join the modern MCU.

Adding a trailer that was released last week.

Old Guard 2:

Cast: Charlize Theron, Uma Thurman, Kiki Layne, Chiwetel Ejiofor

Summary: Andy leads immortal warriors against a powerful enemy threatening their group. They grapple with the resurfacing of a long-lost immortal, complicating their mission to safeguard humanity.

Release Date: July 2, 2024

Thoughts: I have been waiting for this sequel since the original dropped in 2020. I loved the premise, the characters, the storyline, everything. So I’m pretty excited about this. They’ve given us a new villain and brought back one from the first film. My Netflix will be tuned in on July 2nd. So for this one, it’s a stream, but only because that is how it’s being released, I would gladly see this in theaters!

The summer movie season should be interesting. I hope these movies live up to the hype they are trying to create.