Let's Get Reel

2024 wasn’t the biggest year for movies, but that’s okay because 2025 is going to be a juggernaut.

There are so many films coming out it’s hard to keep count. Marvel and DC are making a strong showing, there’s a Michael Jackson biopic, Wicked Part 2, even a brand new Avatar. Hell, there are 3 billion dollar contenders in July alone.

This was such a hard list to make, but I think I finally narrowed it down to top 5 most anticipated (and maybe some honorable mentions along the way).

5) Jurassic World Rebirth

This movie sounded like a nightmare scenario when announced. Universal rushed it into production immediately after releasing the franchise’s “final installment” and then refused to let directors change any part of the script. But then Gareth Edwards signed on and my interest skyrocketed.

Gareth Edwards knows how to make things look big, so putting him with dinosaurs is a no brainer. The cast looks great and that trailer was awesome. If nothing else, this looks like a really solid Summer action movie. It breaks my top 5 because the kid in me will never not be excited to see dinosaurs eating people.

4) Thunderbolts*

I’ll be honest, I had zero interest in this when it was announced. Now, I’m completely sold.

The tone seems like nothing the MCU has put out in a long time, the story seems interesting, and I can’t wait to see these characters interact. This goes to show the effect good trailers can have. I have a lot of hope for this movie.

3) Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning

Put Tom Cruise in a movie and I’ll be there. The Mission Impossible franchise has always been one of my favorites. The action is some of the best you can get and Tom Cruise doing his own stunts will never get old, even as he does at 62.

This is being marketed as the last Mission Impossible movie. Even if this doesn’t end up being the case (*cough* Jurassic World Rebirth), you better believe I’ll be seated.

2) Superman

That trailer, man. I am all in with this movie. It looks like the optimistic and hopeful movie we need right now. The world right now is so dark, divisive, and depressing which is exactly why we need Superman.

It’s been a long time since we’ve gotten a universally beloved Superman. If this movie captures even a fraction of the hopefulness of the trailer, the DCU will be off to an amazing start.

Honorable Mentions: Mickey 17, F1, and Sinners

I really, REALLY wanted to put these on my list, but 2025 is just too jam-packed with blockbusters.

Mickey 17 sold me before I even knew what it was about. Put Bong Joon-Ho and Robert Pattinson together and you’ve got my money. The trailers have been fantastic but not quite as good as the others on this list.

Sinners is yet another collaboration between Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan. These guys are so consistent that you know whatever they put out will be a banger.

My excitement for F1 relies solely on my love for Top Gun: Maverick. The trailer gives me the sense that the racing scenes will be shot similarly to the flying sequences in that film. I don’t need to know anything else.

1) The Fantastic Four First Steps

Similarly to Superman, Fantastic Four’s family dynamic is exactly the kind of optimism we need in the world right now. There’s also the 60s aesthetic, incredible music, and the fact that Marvel’s first family has never been done justice on the big screen.

While I think that Superman will be the film that hits harder, Fantastic Four’s ties to the MCU put this at number 1 for me. If done right, this could breathe new life into the franchise and start building the hype that Marvel so desperately needs going into Avengers Doomsday.

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That’s my list, but are your most anticipated movies coming up?