U.S. Release Date: 2021-07-02
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence)
Genre: Science Fiction/Action
Director: Chris McKay
Cast: Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, J.K. Simmons, Betty Gilpin, Sam Richardson, Jasmine Mathews, Edwin Hodge, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Mary Lynn Rajskub
Uses reliable science fiction/time travel/alien invasion tropes in ways that could be interesting but ultimately turn out to be regurgitations of stories we’ve seen before.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-06-25
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence, Profanity)
Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Jonathan Hensleigh
Cast: Liam Neeson, Marcus Thomas, Laurence Fishburne, Amber Midthunder, Benjamin Walker, Holt McCallany, Martin Sensmeier
There’s a depressing predictability to nearly all the action scenes that saps tension and encourages boredom.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-06-25
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence)
Genre: Action
Director: Justin Lin
Cast: Vin Diesel, Sung Kang, John Cena, Charlize Theron, Nathalie Emmanuel, Chris “Ludcaris” Bridges, Tyrese Gibson, Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Thue Ersted Rasmussen
F9, like its predecessors, isn’t about characters or story. It’s about the excessively over-the-top action sequences.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-06-18
MPAA Rating: "PG"
Genre: Animated
Director: Enrico Casarosa
Cast: Jacob Tremblay, Jack Dylan Grazer, Emma Berman, Marco Barricelli, Saverino Raimondo, Maya Rudolph, Jim Gaffigan
The message is laudable and Luca’s heart is in the right place but its sledgehammer tactics make parts of the movie feel more like a homily than summer entertainment.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-06-16
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Profanity, Sexual Content)
Genre: Action/Comedy
Director: Patrick Hughes
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, Antonio Banderas, Morgan Freeman, Richard E. Grant, Tom Hopper, Frank Grillo, Caroline Goodall
An unfortunate example of what happens when the financial gains of a stand-alone film cause everyone involved to envision a franchise-in-the-making.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-06-10
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Profanity, Sexual Content)
Genre: Musical
Director: Jon M. Chu
Cast: Anthony Ramos, Melissa Barrera, Jimmy Smits, Leslie Grace, Corey Hawkins, Olga Merediz, Gregory Diaz IV
The high-energy musical numbers represent the motivation to stick with the movie when the narrative momentum flags.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-06-09
MPAA Rating: "NR" (Violence, Profanity, Nudity)
Genre: Science Fiction
Director: Mark Raso
Cast: Gina Rodriguez, Ariana Greenblatt, Lucius Hoyos, Shamier Anderson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Frances Fisher, Gil Bellows, Barry Pepper
Sketchy character development and poor world-building keep the film and its protagonists at arm’s length.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-06-04
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Disturbing Images)
Genre: Horror
Director: Michael Chaves
Cast: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ruairi O’Connor, Sarah Catherine Hook, Julian Hilliard, John Noble, Eugenie Bondurant, Shannon Kook
The magic previously enjoyed by "The Conjuring" movies has failed to materialize for this journey into the supernatural.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-06-04
MPAA Rating: "PG"
Genre: Animated
Director: Elaine Bogan, Ennio Torresan
Cast: Isabela Merced, Jake Gyllenhaal, Marsai Martin, McKenna Grace, Julianne Moore, Walton Goggins, Eiza Gonzalez, Andre Braugher
As generic, made-for-quick-consumption animated productions go, there’s nothing especially bad about "Spirit Untamed." Unfortunately, there’s nothing especially good, either.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-05-28
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence, Adult Themes)
Genre: Adventure/Comedy
Director: Craig Gillespie
Cast: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry, Paul Walter Hauser, John McCrea, Emily Beecham, Mark Strong, Kayvan Novak, Kirby Howell-Baptiste
If one puts aside the film’s antecedents, what’s left is an unremarkable family film that lacks a compelling reason to exist.