Six To See June 23-July 6, 2025

Six films to see:

1. F1: a new sports drama film, starring Brad Pitt as a racing driver who returns to Formula One (F1) after a 30-year absence to save his former teammate’s underdog team, APXGP, from collapse. Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, and Javier Bardem also star. The film was directed by Joseph Kosinski from a screenplay by Ehren Kruger and a story written by the two, and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. All three previously worked together on Top Gun: Maverick (2022). The FIA, the governing body of F1, collaborated in the production; racing sequences were adapted from footage of the real 2023 and 2024 World Championships, with real-life F1 teams and drivers appearing throughout, including Lewis Hamilton, who was also a producer. F1 was released in theatres on June 27 and received positive reviews from critics. It’s a film you have to see if you love Formula 1 and race films.

2. M3GAN 2.0: the sequel to the sci-fi horror film M3GAN from 2022. This film follows M3GAN being rebuilt to combat a humanoid military robot built using M3GAN’s technology that is attempting an AI takeover. It was written and directed by Gerard Johnstone from a story by Johnstone and Akela Cooper. It stars Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Ivanna Sakhno, and Jemaine Clement, with Amie Donald physically portraying M3GAN while Jenna Davis voices the character. Jason Blum and James Wan return as producers under their respective Blumhouse Productions and Atomic Monster companies. M3GAN 2.0 was released in theatres on June 27.

3. Jurassic World Rebirth: the new science fiction thriller film directed by Gareth Edwards and written by David Koepp. A standalone sequel to Jurassic World Dominion (2022), it is the fourth Jurassic World film and the seventh installment overall in the Jurassic Park franchise. The film stars Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, and Ed Skrein. Work on the film began shortly after the release of Jurassic World Dominion, when executive producer Steven Spielberg recruited Koepp to help him develop a new installment in the series. Koepp previously co-wrote the original Jurassic Park film (1993) and wrote its sequel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997). The film is set five years after Jurassic World: Dominion (2022) and follows an expedition braving isolated equatorial regions to extract DNA from three massive prehistoric creatures for a groundbreaking medical breakthrough. Jurassic World Rebirth was released in theatres on July 2 and received mixed reviews from critics, with some deeming it an improvement over the previous entries. I saw it myself in theatres and kinda liked it. There were some good scenes, but also some boring ones. But it’s still a fun summer blockbuster to see on the big screen.

4. The Old Guard 2: the sequel to The Old Guard from 2020. This superhero film is directed by Victoria Mahoney, from a screenplay by Greg Rucka and Sarah L. Walker, and is based on Rucka’s comic book The Old Guard. The film stars Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Veronica Ngô, and Chiwetel Ejiofor reprising their roles from the first film while Henry Golding and Uma Thurman join the cast. It follows Andy who leads immortal warriors against a powerful enemy threatening their group. They grapple with the resurfacing of a long-lost immortal, complicating their mission to safeguard humanity. The Old Guard 2 was released on Netflix on July 2.

5. Heads of State: a new action comedy film directed by Ilya Naishuller. It stars John Cena, Idris Elba, Priyanka Chopra, Jack Quaid, Paddy Considine, Stephen Root, and Carla Gugino. The film follows the UK Prime Minister and US President who become the targets of a foreign adversary. They’re forced to rely on one another to thwart a global conspiracy. Heads of State was released on Prime Video on July 2.

6. Ponyboi: a new thriller film directed by Esteban Arango, from a screenplay by River Gallo. It is based upon the 2019 short film of the same name by Gallo. It stars Gallo, Dylan O’Brien, Victoria Pedretti, Murray Bartlett and Indya Moore. The film is set on Valentine’s Day in New Jersey and follows a young intersex sex worker who is working at a laundromat with his pregnant best friend, Angel. He spends his nights with Vinnie, his secret lover and pimp who is also the father of Angel’s child. However, when a drug deal goes bad, he finds himself on the run from the mob. Ponyboi had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2024, and was released in theatres on June 27.

Six series to see:

1. Ironheart: the new Marvel miniseries created by Chinaka Hodge, based on Marvel Comics featuring the character of the same name. It is the 14th television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and shares continuity with the films of the franchise. It sees MIT student Riri Williams return home to Chicago, following the events of the film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) where she discovers secrets that pit technology against magic. Hodge serves as head writer. Dominique Thorne reprises her role as Riri Williams / Ironheart from Wakanda Forever, starring alongside Lyric Ross, Manny Montana, Matthew Elam, Anji White, Jim Rash, Eric André, Cree Summer, Sonia Denis, Shea Couleé, Zoe Terakes, Shakira Barrera, Anthony Ramos, Alden Ehrenreich, Regan Aliyah, Paul Calderón, and Sacha Baron Cohen. Ironheart premiered on Disney+ with its first three episodes on June 24, followed by its other three episodes on July 1. It is the conclusion of Phase Five of the MCU. The series received generally positive reviews from critics and I also really liked the series.

2. The Sandman season 2 volume 1: the second season of the fantasy drama series based on the 1989-1996 comic book written by Neil Gaiman and published by DC Comics. The series was developed by Gaiman, David S. Goyer, and Allan Heinberg. Like the comic, The Sandman tells the story of Dream / Morpheus, the titular Sandman. The series stars Tom Sturridge as the title character, alongside Vivienne Acheampong, Patton Oswalt, Jenna Coleman, Gwendoline Christie, and Kirby. Season 2 of The Sandman releases in two parts with the first volume that was released on Netflix on July 3 and the second volume releasing on July 24. There’s also a bonus episode releasing on July 31.

3. Squid Game Season 3: the third and last season of the South Korean dystopian survival thriller drama series created, written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk. The series revolves around a secret contest where 456 players, all of whom are in deep financial hardship, risk their lives to play a series of children’s games that have been turned deadly for the chance to win a ₩45.6 billion (US$39.86 million) prize. The series’ title draws from ojingeo (“squid”), a Korean children’s game. Lee Jung-jae, who portrays series protagonist Seong Gi-hun, leads an ensemble cast. Hwang conceived the idea based on his own economic struggles, as well as the class disparity in South Korea and capitalism. Although he wrote the story in 2009, Hwang could not find a production company to fund the idea until Netflix took an interest around 2019 as part of a drive to expand their foreign programming offerings. Squid Game became a worldwide succes and the most-watched series on Netflix. The third and final season of Squid Game was filmed back-to-back with the second season, and was released on Netflix on June 27.

4. The Bear Season 4: the fourth season of the comedy-drama series created by Christopher Storer. Jeremy Allen White stars as Carmy Berzatto, an award-winning chef who returns to his hometown of Chicago to manage the chaotic kitchen at his deceased brother’s Italian beef sandwich shop. The supporting cast includes Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón-Zayas, Abby Elliott, Matty Matheson and Edwin Lee Gibson. The series has received critical acclaim, with season four also receiving positive reviews, but it’s not the success of the first few seasons. Season 4 of the Bear was released on FX in the US and on Disney+ internationally on June 25. It has already been renewed for a fifth season.

5. Smoke: a new crime drama miniseries created by Dennis Lehane, inspired by Firebug, a podcast about the crimes of arsonist John Leonard Orr. The series follows a detective and an arson investigator who work together to stop two serial arsonists in the Pacific Northwest. It stars Taron Egerton, Jurnee Smollett, Rafe Spall, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Hannah Emily Anderson, Greg Kinnear, and John Leguizamo. Smoke premiered on Apple TV+ on June 27 with the first two episodes, and the rest releasing weekly.

6. Countdown: a new crime drama series created and written by Derek Haas, starring Jensen Ackles in the lead role, alongside Jessica Camacho, Violett Beane, Elliot Knight, Uli Latukefu, and Eric Dane. The series follows LAPD detective Mark Meachum who joins a secret task force with undercover agents from various law enforcement agencies to investigate a suspicious murder. However, the search reveals a much darker conspiracy than anyone expected, sparking a frantic race to protect a city of millions. Countdown premiered on Prime Video on June 25 with the three first episodes, and the rest releasing weekly.