Grab the popcorn
Must-see summer blockbusters and indie flicks await in 2022
This summer movie season is all about catching up.
We're reuniting with characters we know well — Doctor Strange, Maverick, Violet Crawley, Elvis and Lightyear — and we're finally seeing films whose release dates have bounced all over the place.
If there's one dominant theme this summer season, it's that animation — a box-office boon these last few months — is staking a big claim and giving families much to choose from, besides the usual reboots, franchise entries and sequels.
There's so much heading to theaters and streaming apps, we've come up with this guide to some of the most promising cinematic prospects. Bring on the popcorn! (Release dates, of course, are subject to change.)
`Top Gun: Maverick'
Stars: Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, Val Kilmer, Jon Hamm
Release date: May 27 in theaters
Why we're pumped: Long delayed because — well, obviously — this sequel, directed by Joseph Kosinski, lands some 35 years after the original jetted off, took our breath away and made us want to check out some beach volleyball. The big question here is whether younger audiences will show up to see Maverick (Tom Cruise) and Iceman (Val Kilmer) tussle, while Maverick meets up with Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of Maverick's copilot Goose, who was killed in the 1986 original.
To bone up on all those past grudges, turn to Netflix and watch the original.
`Jurassic World Dominion'
Stars: Chris Pratt, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Neill
Release date: June 10 in theaters
Why we're pumped: Although the first two films in
this three-pack reboot — boxoffice sensations that earned a collective critical meh — left us wondering when franchise extinction might come about, we're holding out hope that Bay Area native Colin Trevorrow rights the wrongs and gets back into the spirit of the original series. This one sports a fun premise, as dinos venture out of the park. What makes it sound even more fun is that the old gang — Laura Dern, Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum — are back together.
`Lightyear'
Voices: Chris Evans, Keke Palmer, Taika Waititi, James Brolin
Release date: June 17 in theaters
Why we're pumped: Some people were puzzled when it was announced that Chris Evans would be voicing Buzz Lightyear instead of Tim Allen in this animated flick directed by Angus MacLane (codirector of “Finding Dory”), but the casting makes perfect sense since we're talking about the character rather than the toy Andy loved. From the initial footage I saw, “Lightyear” delivers on its promise of exciting sci-fi adventure. And if that doesn't get you, Sox, the adorable robot cat, certainly will.
`Official Competition'
Stars: Antonio Banderas, Penelope Cruz, Oscar Martinez
Release date: June 17 in theaters
Why we're pumped: In this comedic takedown of artistic pretension and out-of-control egos, two self-absorbed, self-important types (Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz) make a movie for dubious reasons. Directors Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn's film has been making the rounds of the festival circuits and picking up kudos for all involved. The cast will get us in the theater.