The summer of ’25 had its share of blockbusters — “Superman,” “Jurassic World Rebirth” and “Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning.” But what films could go on to challenge the holiday releases for Oscar attention?
Certainly, those three are contenders for awards in behind-the-camera categories but aren’t threats in the acting categories.
Summer, in fact, is rarely a place for those performances to emerge. Still, “28 Years Later” boasted a couple of key performances, “Warfare” and “Sinners” are in the hunt, and “Mickey 17” could bring “Parasite’s” Best Director, Bong Joon Ho back in the spotlight.
Before we get the fall films, here are 10 (in alphabetical order) that best represent the first half of the year:
F1
The folks behind “Top Gun Maverick” put Brad Pitt in the driver’s seat and pulled away with a film that deserves a place on the widest screen possible. As the aging driver who just wanted to be back in the game, Pitt wasn’t taxed but he did provide the oomph to keep this moving. Look for it to be a cinematography and special effects contender.
Review: Effective Pitt stop makes 'F1' a summer must
Jurassic World Rebirth
The franchise may not have veered too far from the original premise, but Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey got it rolling with a interesting take on mutant dinosaurs. There’s still life in the creatures. It’s just a matter of finding where that life will end up. “Godzilla vs. Jurassic World”? Probably not, but this keeps the special effects experts on their toes.
Review: 'Jurassic World Rebirth' follows a familiar path
Tom Hiddleston plays an accountant who take a leap of faith and begins dancing in the streets of a town in "The Life of Chuck," a film based on a Stephen King novella.
The Life of Chuck
Stephen King, who’s always good for a short story, fueled this fascinating look at life. Though top-billed, Tom Hiddleston barely grazed the screenplay. His quirky, inspiration dance, however, gave it momentum and just the touchstone newcomer Benjamin Pajak needed to launch a big film career. Mark Hamill got a cameo, too, and could find more work.
Robert Pattinson plays a man who is duplicated several times over to test the environment on a planet in "Mickey 17."
Mickey 17
Robert Pattinson showed he’s more than the sum of his parts as two characters in this goofy futuristic film from Bong Jun Ho. Had it been released in December, it might be driving the Oscar acting chatter. Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo were great in support.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Tom Cruise must have secretly wanted to be a stunt man. Why else would he put himself in harm’s way for a 12 1/2-minute plane scene? Even though it was impossible to remember what the mission was, this sequel held its audience and delivered. Could this be the first film to win the stunt Oscar? (And give Tom a statuette?)
Michael B. Jordan stars in "Sinners."
Sinners
It took Ryan Coogler a while to get to the point of his blues origins film, but he got great support from Michael B. Jordan as not one but two leading men. Acting and music could figure in here.
David Corenswet stars as "Superman."
Superman
Avoiding all those horrible origins stories, this jumped right into the action, introduced David Corenswet with a bang and set itself up for sequels. Director James Gunn used his “Guardians of the Galaxy” glasses to see a different world for a superhero who appears to have been around since the birth of print. Nicholas Hoult expanded his range after a year with “Nosferatu,” “The Order” and “Juror No. 2.”
Review: New 'Superman' takes off and never lets go
Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), right, and his son Spike (Alfie Williams) are chased in "28 Years Later."
28 Years Later
While it’s not quite 28 years after the first (“28 Days Later”) or second (“28 Weeks Later”) films, it did have a fascinating premise and a performance by Alfie Williams that will make the next entry worth seeing. Ralph Fiennes entered late in the picture and made his presence known, too. Director Danny Boyle has a vision with this that we didn’t see coming.
Joseph Quinn, left, and D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai star in "Warfare."
Warfare
Some of the hottest young actors played soldiers in this based-in-fact drama about a mission in Iraq. Embedding with them, directors Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland had a look at war that others avoid showing. Any of the seven leading men could figure in the supporting actor category, given the competition.
Julia Garner plays a teacher accused of making 17 students disappear in "Weapons."
Weapons
Now climbing the box office ranks, this drama moves out of the horror realm and into thriller territory. Seventeen students go missing from an elementary school class and no one knows what could have happened. By playing with storytelling, director Zach Cregger made this an attention-getter right up to the last chase scene.
Review: 'Weapons' interviews create a chilling thriller
