The summer movie season is once again upon us.  Kids will be out of school, non-teacher adults will be wishing they could take the summer off, and there will be far too many movies to see.  Thankfully, the marketplace is diversifying, so that there are worthwhile-looking movies coming to Netflix, there are indies that could make a splash, and then there's the general assortment of blockbusters that will inspire 1,000 thinkpieces on their way to grossing hundreds of millions of dollars.

With so many choices, the season can get overwhelming, so we're here to help narrow things down.  We've selected the 25 movies that you need to put on your radar this summer.  There's a solid variety of blockbusters, indies, and Netflix releases, so this isn't a matter of running down every wide-release that's opening this summer (sorry, not sorry Transformers: The Last Knight).  Although we always encourage you to see as many movies as possible, if you're having trouble deciding, this guide is here for you.

Related: Must Watch Movies

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (May 5th)

Director: James Gunn

Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, Kurt Russell

Marvel pretty much owns the first weekend of the summer movie season, and they’ll likely keep that streak going with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. While early reviews have been mixed to positive, the movie still looks like a blast and James Gunn has a firm handle on the unique characters and worlds he contributes to the Marvel Cinematic Galaxy. It should be interesting to see how the original Guardians mesh with new additions Yondu, Nebula, and Mantis, plus you have Kurt Russell playing Ego, the Living Planet. But even if there was none of this, you’d still have Baby Groot, who is too adorable to miss. - Matt Goldberg

King Arthur (May 12th)

Director: Guy Ritchie

Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Djimon Hounsou, Aidan Gillen, Jude Law, Eric Bana

While the constant delays and reshoots raised some question marks on this movie, early word is that the movie is surprisingly fun, and that director Guy Ritchie’s abundance of style has given his King Arthur movie its own unique personality. While I’m still not sold on Charlie Hunnam as an action star, there’s still a strong supporting cast in place, and if Ritchie can bring the same verve and excitement to medieval times as he did to late 19th century with the Sherlock Holmes movies, then King Arthur should be a good time. - Matt Goldberg

Snatched (May 12th)

Director: Jonathan Levine

Cast: Amy Schumer, Goldie Hawn, Joan Cusack, Ike Barinholtz, Wanda Sykes, Christopher Meloni

Amy Schumer delivered a strong R-rated comedy a couple years ago with Trainwreck, and now she’s back, and teamed up with talented director Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies) and Goldie Hawn, who has been absent from the big screen for far too long. Plus, an R-rated Mothers’ Day comedy seems like such an obvious idea, it’s surprising that no studio has tried to make it a tent pole yet. The trailers for the film are encouraging, and I’m definitely excited to see Schumer and Hawn as a bickering daughter and mother who must fight their way to freedom after being kidnapped while on vacation. - Matt Goldberg

Alien: Covenant (May 19th)

Director: Ridley Scott

Cast: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir, Carmen Ejogo, Amy Seimetz, Jussie Smollett, Callie Hernandez, Nathaniel Dean, Alexander England, Benjamin Rigby

War Machine (May 26th)

Director: David Michod

Cast: Brad Pitt, Emory Cohen, Topher Grace, Anthony Michael Hall, John Magaro, Anthony Hayes

Netflix has been making original movies for two years, but War Machine feels like their biggest test of theater v streaming yet. While Beasts of No Nation had a post-True Detective Cary Joji Fukunaga at the helm of a serious drama and the respected Idris Elba involved, War Machine is their first foray into debuting a full-fledged global movie star in theaters and online on the same day. Brad Pitt stars as a U.S. General in command of NATO forces in Afghanistan, who’s taken down by a journalist’s savage profile. David Michod, makes this extra appealing, as the director of The Rover and Animal Kingdom is said to alternate this military-industrial complex satire between stark reality and harsh parody.

As for Pitt, who is more famous than he is famous for opening a film, it feels like people will be more willing to give War Machine a shot at home than in the theaters and his platinum blonde hero pose will likely garner first-tile placement on Netflix’s home page for weeks. Netflix does not release their streaming data numbers, but we can be sure they’ll be looking at this serious movie from a serious movie star approach to wager future endeavors. — Brian Formo

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (May 26th)

Directors: Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg

Cast: Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Brenton Thwaites, Kevin R. McNally, Kaya Scodelario, Golshifteh Farahani, Stephen Graham, David Wenham, Geoffrey Rush

It was looking easy to write this one off, especially after the numerous delays, but word on the movie coming out of CinemaCon this year was shockingly positive. Furthermore, it looks like the upcoming sequel understands where Jack Sparrow fits in terms of a Pirates movie—his character is important, but he can’t be the lead. You need normal characters to drive the plot forward and then Sparrow comes along to spice things up. On Stranger Tides misunderstood that formula, and was a slog because of it. I don’t know if Dead Men Tell No Tales will be as good as Gore Verbinski’s bonkers Pirates trilogy, but I’m willing to at least give it a shot. - Matt Goldberg

Wonder Woman (June 2nd)

Director: Patty Jenkins

Cast: Gal Godot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, David Thewlis, Danny Huston, Elena Anaya, Ewen Bremner, Saïd Taghmaoui

We’ve got no shortage of superhero movies in 2017 (although it’s a relatively lean year compared to others), but the one that has my interest the most is Wonder Woman. As I’ve said before, I need this movie to succeed. That’s not to say I’m in the tank for it; but I’m also aware of the ramifications of this film’s success or failure. If it succeeds, it opens the door to other female-led superhero films. If it fails, shortsighted Hollywood will assume that female superheroes can only be supporting characters at best. That being said, I think the film has a solid shot at being a worthwhile origin story. And if it turns out to be good, it will show that not all hope is lost for the DCEU. - Matt Goldberg

The Mummy (June 9th)

Director: Alex Kurtzman

Cast: Tom Cruise, Russell Crowe, Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis, Jake Johnson

The Mummy has gender-swapped the mummy swaddle for Kingsman’s breakout Sofia Boutella (though it never seemed gendered before since a mummy is a dead body wrapped in cloth and I guess I assume that in death one loses their gender with their flesh)—but what’s most appealing about The Mummy is that it kicks off Universal’s Monster Universe in a big way with Tom Cruise doing his Tom Cruise thing and Russell Crowe appearing as Dr. Henry Jekyll. With Star Trek’s producer-screenwriter Alex Kurtzman stepping behind the camera for his second directed feature, this whole enterprise has the feeling of a blank slate and we’re hoping it’s adventurous and not rushing any shared universe agenda. — Brian Formo

It Comes at Night (June 9th)

Director: Trey Edward Shults

Cast: Joel Edgerton, Christopher Abbott, Riley Keough

A24 has achieved the enviable position of holding a reputation with such power that nearly any of their releases immediately become indie must-sees, but in the case of It Comes at Night, the pedigree is so strong it would land on this list regardless of the studio. The trailer itself is one of the strongest I’ve seen so far this year – with a nightmarish audio track and purposefully obfuscative visuals, it’s a brilliant experiment in building dread in under two minutes. Add to that the talents of Trey Edward Shults who burst onto the scene with his wildly impressive Krisha just under two years ago and the film’s impressive cast, and It Comes at Night looks to be a grotesque little palate cleanser in a blockbuster-packed summer. - Aubrey Page

 

Rough Night (June 16th)

Director: Lucia Aniello

Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Zoë Kravitz, Kate McKinnon, Demi Moore

Four friends, a bride, a groom… and one dead stripper. From the minds of Broad City writers and co-creators Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs, the script for Rough Night found its way onto the Black List and shortly sparked a bidding war before the film found its way at Sony Pictures. And while the Black List is no guarantee of a quality film (cough cough, Passengers), the cast certainly promises a jet-fueled vegas romp, with comedy regulars like Jillian Bell, Ilana Glazer and Kate McKinnon as well as A-listers like Scarlett Johansson, Zoe Kravitz and Demi Moore. So what if it’s a female-driven retread of Peter Berg’s Very Bad Things? Doesn’t that sounds kind of great? - Aubrey Page

 

The Big Sick (June 23rd)

The Big Sick was arguably the biggest crowdpleaser at this year’s Sundance Film Festival (click here for my full review). Nanjiani, who has been crushing it in a variety of supporting roles over the past few years, takes the lead role this time working from a script he co-wrote with wife Emily V. Gordon based on their relationship. In the film, Nanjiani plays a stand-up comic who falls for Emily (Kazan), but has to hide it from his parents, who want to arrange his marriage. Matters become further complicated when Emily gets sick, falls into a coma, and Kumail has to navigate his feelings for her while meeting her parents (Hunter and Romano) for the first time. The film is incredibly funny, surprisingly heartwarming, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes a sleeper hit this summer. - Matt Goldberg

The Beguiled (June 23rd)

Director: Sofia Coppola

Cast: Nicole Kidman, Colin Farrell, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning

Sofia Coppola certainly made an interesting 180 when she dropped out of making The Little Mermaid to make a film set in the Civil War focusing on the seductive qualities of a wounded soldier (Colin Farrell) who’s using a girl’s schoolhouse as his hideaway. That cast is great. Cannot wait for Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst and Elle Fanning to get into Southern belle mode. Kidman just broke our hearts in Big Little Lies and reminded a swath of people that she’s one of our greatest modern actors (it’s strange that the media and audiences constantly need to be surprised by her, she’s flat out earned that status by now). And Farrell just turned in his career best performance in The Lobster. The actor who burst out in the early 2000s with a ton of movie idol swagger now possesses a certain beaten down quality that keeps him humble. For this tale, Farrell’s newfound humility mixed with seductive deception and Coppola’s expert use of cinematography certainly has gives The Beguiled the potential to be as delicious as a Mint Julip on a hot porch.

Coppola has impressed me with many films but I’ve always loved her period works the most (The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette), so I am suited the hell up for this tale. (For the extra curious, The Beguiled is based on a book by Thomas Cullinan, which was turned into a pre-Dirty Harry film starring Clint Eastwood and directed by Harry’s Don Siegel; Coppola’s intent is to focus on the female’s point of view, whereas Siegel’s focused on the man’s.) — Brian Formo

Baby Driver (June 28th)

Director: Edgar Wright

Cast: Ansel Elgort, Lily James, Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx, Jon Bernthal, Eiza Gonzalez 

Okja (June 28th)

Director: Bong Joon-ho

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Tilda Swinton, Lily Collins, Giancarlo Esposito, Paul Dano, Ahn Seo-Hyun 

After directing some of the best Korean genre films of the last two decades (The Host, Memories of a Murder, Mother), Bong Joon-ho made one hell of an English language debut with 2013's class warfare fable Snowpiercer. With Okja, Bong has lined up yet another first-rate cast, including the Tilda Swinton seal of awesomeness, for a creature feature that's all about... capitalism? Yep, sounds like Bong Joon-ho. The story follows a young girl who risks everything to rescue her best friend -- a giant creature -- when its kidnapped by a multinational corporation and transplanted from Korea to New York City. Snowpiercer was brushed under the rug by an infamously bungled theatrical release, so here's hoping Okja's Netflix release will finally introduce a broad international audience to the wonders of Bong's filmmaking. -- Haleigh Foutch 

Spider-Man: Homecoming (July 7th)

Director: Jon Watts

Cast: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Zendaya, Jon Favreau, Donald Glover, Tyne Daly, Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey Jr.

It’s been 13 years since we had a good Spider-Man movie. Current Spider-Man Tom Holland was 12 at the time, but if his new solo feature is as upbeat and vibrant as his appearance in Captain America: Civil War, then we should be all set. Sony has been at a loss with what to do with the character for about a decade, so hopefully Marvel can show the wall-crawler the love and care he needs. While I wasn’t a big fan of Watts’ previous feature, Cop Car, I like that Homecoming has a clear take on the character that’s different from anything we’ve seen before both from the Spider-Man films and from the MCU. If this Spidey is the YA hero we need, then I’m totally on board for those kinds of antics. - Matt Goldberg

A Ghost Story (July 7th)

Director: David Lowery

Cast: Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, Kesha, Will Oldham, Jonny Mars

After production ended on his largest-scaled movie yet, Disney’s Pete’s Dragon, David Lowery got the two leads of his breakout indie hit, Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, back together to make a poetic rumination on the passing of time. Those who’ve seen this Rooney Mara-Casey Affleck drama at Sundance (including our own Matt Goldberg, read his review here) have labeled it one of the most unique viewing experiences they’ve ever had at the indie film festival. That’s all we really need to know to get excited (and according to those who’ve seen the film, we shouldn’t see any more footage than we’ve already seen in the trailer). In a summer full of big tentpoles these counter-programmers are vital and deserve your attention. Maybe instead of seeing Spider-Man: Homecoming twice that weekend, swing into A Ghost Story for something wholly unique. — Brian Formo

War for the Planet of the Apes (July 14th)

Director: Matt Reeves

Writers: Mark Bomback, Pieerre Boulle (novel), Matt Reeves

Cast: Andy Serkis, Judy Greer, Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn

This is one major movie franchise that has found success against all odds. It's a property that was known for the films in the 60s and 70s that delivered a handful of one-liners by Charlton Heston and award-winning makeup effects. More than 30 years after the original film, Tim Burton attempted to reboot the story for the modern era with the woefully off-the-mark 2001 Planet of the Apes starring Mark Wahlberg. With that sour taste in fans' mouths, 20th Century Fox then announced a prequel series for a 2011 release, which had no right working at all...

More than 5 years, 2 Oscar nominations, and over $1.2 billion later, it's with quite a lot of anticipation that we await the third movie in one of Hollywood's most intelligent, entertaining, and poignant blockbuster franchises to date. Andy Serkis is in his element here as the motion-captured leader of the apes, Caesar. Once again, his people will have to defend themselves against vengeful humans, but now he'll also face internal threats and unforgivable betrayals. This may be the final act that pushes Caesar and his followers over the edge for good. If infinite apes typed on infinite keyboards for infinity, they might come up with War for the Planet of the Apes well before Shakespeare, and I prefer it that way. - Dave Trumbore

Dunkirk (July 21st)

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, Fionn Whitehead, Aneurin Barnard, Harry Styles, James D'Arcy, Jack Lowden, Barry Keoghan

Christopher Nolan has a new movie coming out. That’s enough to get most people through the door, but I love that Nolan continues to branch out and try new things. Even in the middle of The Dark Knight trilogy, he was breaking up installments with The Prestige and Inception. Now with Batman behind him, he’s going even bolder, and as one of the few directors in Hollywood who can pretty much get whatever he wants, I’m curious to see how he’ll tackle World War II. While he’s explained that Dunkirk is a “survival” drama rather than a war picture, he’s still in that setting and working from real events. Although the film will probably be visually stunning and expansive, I’m curious to see how he tackles the story, especially since he’s going with a triptych approach that will look at the Dunkirk rescue from air, land, and sea. - Matt Goldberg

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (July 21st)

Director: Luc Besson

Cast: Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevigne, Clive Owen, Ethan Hawke, John Goodman, Rihanna, Rutger Hauer

Luc Besson’s Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets promises to be one of the most bonkers films of the summer. Looking like a return to his sci-fi opera The Fifth Element, Valerian has given us a few trailers, dropped our jaws and made us scratch our heads. Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevigne are some type of bounty-hunter (and maybe lovers) who encounter many different creatures and oppositional forces on their quest for…? Honestly, although Besson can be hit or miss, he swings his own unique bat every time and this looks like he’s pulling a Babe Ruth, pointing at a direction over the fences and aiming for that spot. In a summer full of factory produced tentpoles something that wholly represents a director’s vision is something to get excited about. Even if we still don’t have a full idea what it is. — Brian Formo

Atomic Blonde (July 28th)

Director: David Leitch

Cast: Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Toby Jones, Sofia Boutella, Bill Skarsgard, Eddie Marsan