Top five movies of the summer

The summer is generally a great time for movie releases. Movies have better budgets because they are all trying to be the summer blockbuster of the year. Not to mention that students have more free time and more money in their pockets to see movies. With so many movies coming out during this season it’s hard to count them all, but five were shining beacons that set the bar for what a summer movie should be.

5. Hotel Artemis

An assassin, a kingpin, an arms dealer and two bank robbers walk into a hotel. Except it’s not a hotel, it’s an entire secret hospital full of the worst criminals in Los Angeles. They’re all  sitting ducks as riots and police are busy occupying the space outside. This film was an action thriller that thrives under the claustrophobic setting that is in place throughout the entire film. Because all the villains either want something from each other or to get out of the hospital, the audience must choose which characters to side with. However, as their interests start to impede each other’s, the viewer has to make a choice on which character they want to win. With every character’s life on the line and Jodie Foster, Jeff Goldblum, Sterling K. Brown, and Charlie Day as the main characters, it makes it even harder to pick the “hero” of the story. Hotel Artemis does a great job of keeping audiences guessing on which main character will escape the hotel and who will remain at the mercy of the other visitors.

Hunter Matzke, a history junior from Houma and frequent action movie watcher, said, “It is nice to see something that isn’t a remake. It was a short film, but the pacing was excellent. Watching Charlie Day appear in something other than comedy was also incredibly fun to watch.”

4. Deadpool 2

Deadpool 2  is a great example of how sequels should be. It manages to find a nice medium of being extremely over the top without making one roll their eyes, just like they did in the first film. Ryan Reynolds comfortably settles back into his role as the titular character, making it incredibly difficult to imagine anyone else being the “merc with a mouth.” With the addition of Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Brad Pitt, and Terry Crews, this star-studded cast allows Reynolds to play off of their characters and really make his jokes land.

Dillan Massey, a journalism junior and all-around film buff, said, “It’s a great parallel to Infinity War. Rather than a serious tone, Deadpool 2 takes a lighter and more ridiculous approach.”

With a silly plot featuring jokes only Deadpool can pull off, and a cast that has great chemistry, Deadpool 2 was an amazing addition to a series that will hopefully continue.

3. The Avengers: Infinity War

Marvel’s universe finally comes together as we get to see the ultimate villain, Thanos, force the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy and many more to join together and make choices that will ultimately change the entire foundation for what a Marvel superhero movie is. It picks up directly after Thor: Ragnarok, with no holds barred, as it immediately starts the film off by pushing the audience toward the edge of their seat. The heroes are quickly spread out, and watching how they react to meeting someone who was previously on the other side of the galaxy is beautiful. Combat is plentiful in this movie, but most end with an amazing, spectacular show of super moves and teamwork, showing us why our characters are the Earth’s mightiest heroes in the first place.

Massey said, “It is now a spectacle from ten years of buildup that started with Iron Man. Having so many heroes in the movies lets every fan be heard, and its their dream come true.”

2. Hereditary

What happens when a character in a movie slowly goes insane? This horror/drama with a bigger focus on unsettling is a slow burn that shows us how far a family can crumble while dealing with their own mental illnesses and the death of a family member. Watching them slowly fall apart due to issues talked about before and issues seemingly thrust upon them by the devil himself is something that is shown in a way that somehow relates to the viewer’s own drama in their family life. Rather than show the family running away from a man in a mask, they’re often running away from each other, whether they know it or not. Every character in this movie is an enigma, their true thoughts and emotions buried deep down in their conscience. With everyone in the story seemingly untrustable, anything could happen to this former ordinary family.

Stephen Donovan, a public relations senior from Houma, said, “It’s very extreme in its theme, and that it was good because it focused more on it being unsettling to watch than scary.”

1. Incredibles 2

After a fourteen year wait, the Parr family is finally back to show us that they are still the lovable, ordinary family everyone has, except for the fact they have superpowers. Even with the hiatus, the director, Brad Bird, still creates a universe that viewers of any age can fall in love with. The animation of this film is half of the enjoyment. Colors pop, backgrounds breathe life into the plot and the Parr family is able to make themselves relatable with a simple raised eyebrow or an entire array of facial movements without any sound. In Incredibles 2, we watch as Bob Parr is stuck at home watching his rambunctious family, only exacerbated by the fact that Jack-Jack is no longer the ordinary baby from the first film. No matter the crisis happening, the Parr family is always a lovable group of supers who remind the audience what it’s like to be a family.

Logan Leblanc, a journalism sophomore and aspiring documentary maker, said “[I] loved the Incredibles 2; it noticeably felt more mature than the first film. It was still a family movie, but had brain-washing, fighting, and other themes which doesn’t really get shown in kids Pixar movies.”