Ah, summer. With the warm weather, sandy beaches, and lovely foliage in the great outdoors, what better way to spend the next eight weeks than to coop yourself up in an air-conditioned movie theater and watch men in funny suits beat each other up?

In all seriousness, summer is a historically great time for “big movies”– the vastly-budgeted, action-packed extravaganzas that have been Hollywood staples ever since 1975’s audiences watched a giant animatronic shark devour humans in Jaws. And even with more and more people staying at home to watch movies on Netflix, the experience of going to the theater still hasn’t entirely gone away. “I usually like to see movies in the theater, because you are able to get the full experience of the movie,” junior Erin Swider said.

But the question does remain: what movies do you actually want to see in theaters? We polled Hillsborough High School to see what some of the big contenders are. Take a look at the movies below; maybe you’ll find something you’re interested in!

Spider-Man: Far From Home

I guess I still have to hide spoilers from the people hiding under a rock, eh? All right: Tom Holland’s Spider-Man returns for his second feature-length film, set after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Having just returned from the *REDACTED* in Endgame, Spider-Man just wants to readjust to his life, go on a school trip with his friends, and maybe attract the attention of his crush, Zendaya’s MJ. Unfortunately for him, Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury (does he really need an introduction at this point?) has a mission for him: it seems that a certain *REDACTED* in Endgame has ripped a hole in the multiverse, leaving both allies (Mysterio, as played by Jake Gylenhall) and enemies from other versions of Earth in its wake.

“I like the characters and want to continue to see Peter’s development,” sophomore Grey Kazim said. He says, however, that he might not see it in theaters: “They’re too expensive, and usually I like reacting to the movie, which causes distractions for fellow viewers.”

See the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt9L1jCKGnE

Toy Story 4

Do we really need a Toy Story 4? That’s the question newspapers, critics and audiences alike have all been asking ever since the movie was announced. “I feel like it didn’t need another movie,” junior Isabel Dutta said; however, she still wants to see “what direction they take with this film.”

Set soon after the events of Toy Story 3, this film once again covers the exploits of Woody, Buzz and the rest of the gang as Woody attempts to protect a newly-created toy, Sporky, from an expansive road trip. He ends up reuniting with his lost love, Bo Peep, but she’s got a bit of an action-girl spin– and a very different attitude regarding toykind.

See the most recent trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl9JS8-gnWQ

A Dog’s Journey

If you liked last year’s heartwarming adventure A Dog’s Purpose (which I will freely confess to having never seen), you might not have heard that its sequel, A Dog’s Journey, came to theaters on May 17th. This movie, like the previous film, is a reincarnation-based tale surrounding our canine hero, Bailey (voiced by Josh Gad), as he lives multiple lives in order to keep an eye on his previous owner’s (Dennis Quaid) granddaughter, CJ (Abby Ryder Fortson as a child, Kathryn Prescott as an adult), who’s been taken away by her neglectful mother (Betty Gilpin). Will he be able to accomplish his goal across multiple lifetimes?

“I think dogs are special,” junior Jessica Ma said, “and this movie is about the dog’s side of the story, about finding a special relationship. I can’t wait to see it.”

Watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2FrrSyyKfA

Yesterday

With all of the rock-and-roll biopics coming out over the past couple of years, it seems weird that we haven’t seen one for The Beatles yet, but hey, we’ll take what we can get. Junior Erin Swider also expresses her excitement: “It caught my attention, and I enjoy the Beatles.”

This movie has a pretty fun sci-fi premise: a struggling songwriter (Himesh Patel) suddenly wakes up to realize that he is now the only man on Earth who knows the songs of The Beatles. Needless to say, he quickly realizes that he can make a ton of money off of performing “his” new songs. But with the ever-present risk of creepy managers, forgetting lyrics, and losing the love of his life (Lily James) to stardom, how will he deal with his Beatles-found fame? And, hey, it has Ed Sheeran if you’re into that!

See the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY0GBmOxyYY