Summer in Michigan is filled with lake days, summer sports teams, pool parties, road trips, and of course, the movies. This summer, the list of new and highly anticipated movies is extensive, with a wide variety of genres to choose from. This list narrows down the 10 must-see movies this summer.  From adventure, to romance, to remakes, the theaters this summer will be filled with blockbuster hits you won’t want to miss.

10. Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning (Part One)

Tom Cruise returns to the screen with one of his most well known roles, IMF agent Ethan Hunt in the Mission Impossible series. The newest installment is expected to be a suspenseful movie full of action packed scenes, and a convoluted plot. Set to be released July 12th, the plot of this movie has stayed a secret, with little information on what will happen during the film. What is known is that the movie will have two parts and the characters will be facing off with a villain possibly from one of the first movies. Fans can also expect to see Tom Cruise performing his own stunts, as usual. The trailer teases one of these stunts with Cruise riding a motorcycle off a cliff.  It is recommended that if you’re planning to go see the movie, you should watch the 6 other Mission Impossible movies before the 7th hits the big screen. 

9. Transformers: Rise Of The Beast

Transformers have been around for a long time, and since the 80s there have been 6 movies and 45 different TV series focused on the well-known alien robots. The newest Transformers movie is set to be released June 9th. The film will follow a group of archeologists in Peru who find themselves in the middle of a transformer conflict. The movie is set in 1994, a change from the other Transformer movies and will star well-known actor Anthony Ramos. Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts builds up a lot of excitement for new and old fans, showcasing the return of Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and characters from the older films. The trailer is very exciting and filled with action, as well as an “Avengers Assemble” style Transformer team up. Whether you’re a die-hard Transformers fan or just someone who wants to go see a cool movie this summer, Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts is definitely going to be a must-see this June. 

8. Spider-Man: Across The Spider Verse

Spider Man and Marvel fans are in for an exciting movie this summer with Spider-Man: Across The Spider Verse. This will be the second animated film following Miles Morales as Spider-Man, but similar to the first film, he won’t be the only Spider-Man in this movie. Miles Morales will venture into the spider-verse yet again. The synopsis sets up the movie well, “After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.” According to IMDB. The last Spider-Verse movie received great reviews and when Spider-Man: Across The Spider Verse is released on June 2nd, the reviews are expected to be just as good, if not better, making this a film you won’t want to miss this summer.

7. Fast X

Yes, the rumors are true. On May 19th, another Fast and Furious movie will be released to the world and Vin Diesel will yet again grace your screen as Dom Toretto in this fast-paced addition to the franchise. In the 10th installment, Dom Toretto and Co. face one of their biggest threats yet. The vengeful son of a past villain, who was killed in Fast Five is back and ready to take down Toretto and his family. The movie will take the characters to Rome, Antarctica, Portugal, and LA. The trailer shows extreme action scenes full of fast cars. With this being the final movie, big things are expected to happen to Dom Toretto. To tease fans, the director Louis Letterieter shared some suspense inducing information in an interview with Empire saying there will be  “tremendous casualties.” The characters in Fast X will need to band together to take down their foes and prove “Family is everything” to end their story happily this summer. 

6. The Little Mermaid

“Part of that world” sings the Little Mermaid in one of the most memorable Disney Princess movies to date. Ariel’s dream will in fact come true as she will be making her live action debut in theaters May 26th this year. The cast is full of notable actors, with Halle Bailey playing the lead role of Ariel, Daveed Digs as Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Awkwafina as Scuttle, and Melissa Mcarthy as Ursula. The movie is expected to follow the original plot, but with added depth to certain characters, according to Director Rob Marshall in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.  There will also be more of a focus on Ariel’s personal self-discovery in the movie, which will be refreshing to see in theaters on May 26th. It should be exciting to see Disney introduce Ariel to the new generation of Disney Princess fans, and give old fans some good old fashioned nostalgia. 

5. The Flash
Despite the controversy surrounding the lead actor Ezra Miller, the new Flash movie will be released to theaters on June 16th. For fans of DC, the plot is similar to how most Flash movies go, as Barry Allen (The Flash) will travel back in time to change the past and surprise… he alters the future in the process. The Flash will end up getting stuck in this terrible new timeline where General Zod, (who you may recognize as the recurring villain in Superman) is running the show and threatening to end the world. There were quite a lot of issues before the directors announced this movie would be released, as the lead, Ezra Miller faced charges for felony burglary, assault and allegations of grooming. Despite that, Ezra Miller will be the person you see behind the Flash suit. Despite the bad reputation the lead actor now has, fans also have the return of Michael Keaton’s Batman to focus on and be excited for. The Flash will even get to team up with Supergirl. 

4. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Swashbuckling is the best way to describe the Indiana Jones series, as the new movie is expected to bring tons of old fashioned Indiana Jones style charm to theaters on June 30th. Harrison Ford will reprise the role of Indina Jones again, and the movie is expected to be a continuation of the last film Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. If you’re a fan and worried about the possibility of Indiana not making it through the film alive, don’t be as it has already been confirmed that Indian Jones will not die in the movie. However, it is expected that this will be the last time Harison Ford will be wearing Jones. The question of who the next Indiana Jones will be (if there even is a new one) remains a mystery. The new film will be set in the 1960s, in the midst of the space race between the Soviet Union and the US. Although Ford is older now, the trailer shows him being just as limber as he was years ago, riding on horses through city streets and fighting foes. The movie will also show a younger-looking Ford using digital de-aging. In the trailer, the new technique for making actors look younger seems to do the job well. The Indiana Jones Series has arguably been an American classic since the 80s, and the finale is shaping up to be just as legendary as the first movie. You won’t want to skip this one in theaters this June. 

3. Insidious: The Red Door

Will be this summer’s terrifyingly good horror movie. The film is expected to be a big hit when it’s released to theaters July 7th. The newInsidious will be a welcomed addition to the popular Insidious film franchise. The movie will be a sequel to the last Insidious film from 2018. The film is pretty dark, as it follows a family being tormented by a demonic presence. Insidious: Red Door will focus on the family dealing with the aftermath of the last film, and be centered around Dalton, one of the sons in the family, as he heads to college. Directors revealed that Dalton will start to feel an increasingly nefarious presence. The Insidious franchise is said to have some of the scariest movies in the horror movie world. The trailer itself is super ominous, but makes the movie look well worth seeing. If you’re a big fan of horror, this movie will be one you do not want to miss this summer. 

2. Barbie

Yet another live action movie will be coming this summer when Barbie is released to theaters July 21st. Life in plastic will be fantastic this summer with the release of Barbie living her wonderfully pink life in Barbie Land. No one really knows what Barbie will be about but the cast is full of notable names, Dua Lipa as mermaid Barbie, Kate McKinnon as gymnast Barbie / weird Barbie, Alexandra Shipp as writer Barbie, Emma Mackey as physicist Barbie, Ana Cruz Kayne as judge Barbie,, Issa Rae as president Barbie, Sharon Rooney as lawyer Barbie, Kingsley Ben-Adir as another Ken, Simu Liu as another Ken, and, Scott Evans as yet another Ken, there will also be appearances from Will Farrel and John Cena. The main Barbie will be played by Margot Robbie and the main Ken will be played by Ryan Gosling. The film is expected to be pretty upbeat with a lot of nods to Barbie history. Barbie will be a romantic comedy, making it a perfect summer movie to go see. 

1. Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated films of the summer. With an absolutely star studded cast, fans will recognize tons of well known actors like Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr, Florence Pugh, Josh Peck, and Rami Malek in this new movie. The packed cast itself is enough to bring fans to the theaters this summer, and to make it even better Oppenheimer will be directed by the one and only Christopher Nolan. Known for being one of the best directors of the 21st century, Christopher Nolan is sure to bring the story of Oppenheimer to life. The drama will follow J. Robert Oppenhemer the scientist, played by Cillian Murphy, who has been called “father of the atomic bomb.” as he creates the atomic bomb during World War 2. The film’s specific plot details have been kept under wraps pretty well, but after watching the trailer it is clear the plot will stay pretty true to the book it is based on, American Prometheus. The fantastic directing coupled with the enthralling story makes Oppenheimer a must see this summer.