Summer Movies

There’s no better way to fight the sweltering summer heat than relaxing in a dark movie theater with a large Dr. Pepper and a bowl of popcorn. This summer was no exception. Fans still came out in droves, despite increased competition from the home viewing platforms such as Netflix and HBO, due to the large number of box office behemoths that were released.

First was Wonder Woman, released at the start of June. Starring Gal Gadot, it was the highest grossing movie of the summer, grossing over 400 million dollars at the box office, which is not surprising. Wonder Woman combined a well loved superhero, starring in her solo debut, with a historical World War I backdrop. This combination appealed both to longtime fans and general audiences. Also, the movie had a particular appeal to people who were eager to see a super heroine fighting bad guys. Senior Frank Saldaña cited the feminist aspects of the movie as one reason he liked them. “I liked it because it was very pro-woman, without being anti-man.” It also left fans excited for DC’s next release, Justice League, in November 2017.

Another well loved summer movie, Baby Driver came out later the same month. Starring Ansel Elgort and Kevin Spacey, it was a unique story that combined love, music (the movie is named after a Simon and Garfunkel song), and car racing within a crime movie. It follows a young getaway driver trying to escape from his larceny-filled life. Senior Jacob Bartz encapsulates what most people were saying about the movie, “It portrayed a well-worn storyline, but both the chase scenes and the attention given to avoid clichés turn it into an instant classic.” Baby Driver also had undoubtedly the best soundtrack of the summer.

Looming large was another superhero movie, Spider Man: Homecoming. It was Tom Holland’s second time playing Spider-Man, and many thought he was the best Spider-Man yet. It was because, unlike Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire, he played a more believable high school student than either of the previous actors. It didn’t hurt that the movie co-starred Zendaya as Michelle and hilarious breakout actor Jacob Batalon as Peter Parker’s best friend Ned.

There were a few other popular movies, such as Dunkirk, the Big Sick, and Despicable Me 3. The senior
class voted Spider Man:Homecoming as the best movie of the summer, with Baby Driver and Wonder Woman tied
for third and Dunkirk in fourth.