We're halfway there! 2021 is just getting better every second. Vaccines are being dished out, things are starting to open up again, and movies are beginning to come out.
Spring delivered us two fantastic movies with In the Heights and A Quiet Place Part II, as well as two solid movies in Cruella and Spiral. Summer brings a lot of new films and some continuing TV shows to get excited for. Summer covers the end of June to mid-September. So here we go.
F9 / The Forever Purge / Black Widow / Escape Room: Tournament of Champions / Space Jam: A New Legacy / Hotel Transylvania: Transformania / Old / Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins / Jungle Cruise / The Suicide Squad / Respect / Reminiscence / Candyman / Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Rick and Morty Season 5 / Monsters at Work / Ted Lasso Season 2 / Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 8 / What If...?
F9
The first movie of the summer is F9, which is the newest installment in the Fast and Furious franchise. I, for one, have never watch a single Fast and Furious movie, nor do I plan on it. But for people that are into crazy, dumb car stunts, this is the movie for you. I'm sure if I watched this movie I'd have fun, but there's no way that it's actually quality. This is the kind of movie that causes you to lose brain cells, so I will not be watching it. But if you guys are Fast and Furious fans, enjoy!
F9 will be in theaters on June 25.
The Forever Purge
The Purge is an interesting concept that has supposedly been wasted. All of The Purge movies are rotten on Rotten Tomatoes, and people seem to be not that into them. This is the final movie in The Purge franchise, and I think they understand that this franchise cannot go on for very long because the gimmick of the series will be repeated too many times. I probably won't watch this one, either, because I simply do not care about The Purge series.
The Forever Purge is scheduled to hit theaters on July 2.
Black Widow
First reactions to Black Widow came in around the time that I am writing this, and everyone is lauding the film. I simply cannot wait. This is going to be a milestone for me, because it will mark the first Marvel movie in almost two years. Yes, we got WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and we are in the middle of Loki, but there's nothing like seeing a blockbuster Marvel movie in a packed theater. I'm so excited.
Black Widow will hit theaters and Disney+ Premier Access on July 9.
Escape Room: Tournament of Champions
Escape Room is a strange movie. And it is one that I definitely did not expect to get a sequel. Not a ton of movies are released in January, and the films that are released in the opening month of the year are usually crappy horror movies. Escape Room is in that category. But it made some money, and the sequel has a promising trailer. I probably won't watch this, but there's a slight chance.
Escape Room: Tournament of Champions is in theaters on July 16, 2021.
Space Jam: A New Legacy
Space Jam 2 appeared on my most anticipated list for the rest of the year. A few days later, Warner Bros. dropped the second trailer, and my expectations for the film deteriorated. I will still be watching this movie, but the second trailer made this film look simply awful. I'm sure it will feel like Tom & Jerry from earlier this year, but I'm sure there will be some dumb, child-like fun to be had.
Space Jam: A New Legacy hits theaters and HBO Max on July 16.
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania
Speaking of child-like humor, Hotel Transylvania is a thing that is still happening. After seeing the third one in theaters and realizing how truly terrible this series is, I watched the trailer for this one and laughed at how bad it looked. There's a potentially interesting concept inside of monsters becoming human and vice versa, but this franchise is just stretching itself out way too much. Adam Sandler isn't even returning as the voice of Dracula. There is zero possibility that I watch this movie.
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is in theaters on July 23.
Old
When it comes to inconsistent directors, M. Night Shyamalan is probably at the top of the list. While he has directed iconic films such as The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, he has also directed some of the worst films ever made, like The Last Airbender and After Earth. Shyamalan is known for the twist ending, which is evident in all of his films. I haven't been crazy about the trailers for Old, but a good M. Night movie can be great, so I will watch this movie.
Old is released to theaters on July 23.
Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins
I have never been into G.I. Joe. It's very much a product of the 80s. Likewise, the trailers for Snake Eyes aren't great. I feel like it will be relatively generic and stupid, but some people with have nostalgia for G.I. Joe, so they may enjoy this. I don't think I'm gonna watch this movie.
Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins is in theaters on July 23.
Jungle Cruise
I will be at summer camp from July 26-August 19, so Jungle Cruise will, sadly, be the first new release that I'm missing out on. There's no way that a movie with The Rock and Emily Blunt about a fantastical adventure will be boring. While this may not be the highest on the quality scale, I do feel like it will be fun. Disney has adapted a few of its amusement park rides into films. While most of them are trash, there's always hope that they release another Pirates of the Caribbean. And maybe Jungle Cruise will be that. I will watch it as soon as I get home from camp.
Jungle Cruise is released in theaters and Disney+ with Premier Access on July 30.
The Suicide Squad
Yep. I'm gonna miss the opening of The Suicide Squad. James Gunn, known for Guardians of the Galaxy, puts his dark humor into the DCEU with a sequel/remake of The Suicide Squad. The DCEU's future is somewhat unclear after Zack Snyder's Justice League, and The Suicide Squad contributes to that confusion. I was not a big fan of the trailer. The CGI looks like some of the worst that I've seen in a while. But it's a DCEU movie, so I will check it out when I can.
The Suicide Squad hits theaters and HBO Max on August 6.
Respect
Aretha Franklin's life comes to the big screen with Respect. Jennifer Hudson will play the Motown icon in a film about Aretha's rise to fame. I dug the trailer for this movie. While I don't know a lot about it, I do think that it will be good. There's a strange new rise of biographical films about singers: Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman, and now Respect. I think that Aretha Franklin is a bit of a controversial figure because of how she treated her son, but her story may be interesting.
Respect hits theaters on August 13.
Reminiscence
Reminiscence is a movie that I am super pumped for. Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Ferguson are two great actors in a very intriguing sci-fi thriller concept. The trailer looks fantastic. The very idea of this movie had me excited, and everything that has been said and marketed just skyrockets my excitement.
Reminiscence is in theaters and HBO Max on August 20.
Candyman
Oh, Candyman. The movie that will probably scare the living s**t out of me. Written and produced by Jordan Peele, the sequel/remake of Candyman looks amazing. It also looks absolutely horrifying. I don't usually get scared by horror movies, but the Candyman is one of those characters that gets under my skin. I absolutely adored Get Out, and I have been watching Jordan Peele like a hawk. Every time his name is attached to a project, I get excited. And the mix of Jordan Peele and Candyman makes me extremely hyped for this movie.
Candyman is in theaters on August 28.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
The second Marvel movie of the summer, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the first martial arts movie in the MCU. Phase Four is definitely taking this universe in a different direction than before, and I really appreciate that. I'm excited to see the real Mandarin that was teased in Iron Man 3. I'm interested to see what happens with this film. The trailer was not my favorite, and that's why my excitement has not skyrocketed, but I'm still very excited for this movie.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is in theaters on September 3.
Rick and Morty Season 5
I don't watch Rick and Morty. I just know that a lot of people love it, so I put it on here. I don't have much to say, because I don't know anything about this show. I don't even know which one's Rick and which one's Morty.
The fifth season of Rick and Morty premieres on June 20 on Adult Swim.
Monsters at Work
I love Monsters, Inc. I don't remember Monsters University. Disney announced a couple months back that they would be doing a Monsters, Inc. sequel show, and, thus, Monsters at Work was born. I watched the trailer when it came out, and this looks like it's for toddlers. I mean, this was like Jake and the Neverland Pirates quality. The animation looked subpar and sidelining Mike and Sully is something I am not a fan of. I wasn't really ever planning on watching this, but I doubt that this will be a hit.
Monsters at Work premieres on Disney+ on July 2.
Ted Lasso Season 2
Yes!!!!! Ted Lasso Season 2 is almost here! My family and I absolutely adored the first season of Ted Lasso. Jason Sudeikis absolutely nails the naive, charming humor that this show requires. It's a feel-good, funny show that gives us a great image of the contrast between Americans and British people. This, alongside the Marvel shows, is the show that I've been most anticipating in 2021.
Season two of Ted Lasso premieres on Apple TV+ on July 23.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 8
Another sitcom that I haven't watched, Brooklyn Nine-Nine's eighth and final season is coming in mid-August. This is a show that, like Rick and Morty, I have no commentary on. I really don't know anything about Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
The eighth season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine premieres on August 12 on NBC.
What If...?
This is the next Marvel show scheduled after Loki. I don't really know what the deal is with What If...?, but it seems cool. It's unclear whether it will actually connect to the MCU, because it's an animated anthology series that explores alternate outcomes inside of the MCU. It's a very strange project, but I'm obviously looking forward to it and will watch it.
What If...? will debut on Disney+ in late August. A specified release date is yet to be announced.