When Top Gun: Maverick came out last summer, it brought several people back into the cinemas and revived the summer blockbuster. This summer is around the corner and it looks like it will be no different. From Indiana Jones to Mission: Impossible here are my top five most anticipated films for the summer of 2023.

5. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

I am excited to see Harrison Ford’s final portrayal of Indiana Jones this summer. I am hoping he closes out the franchise with a bang. Instead of Steven Spielberg, James Mangold, the director of Logan and Ford v Ferrari, is taking over, and Harrison Ford is actually excited to be returning in the role. Although the previous installment, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was well received by critics when it was released in 2008, it polarized fans and audiences. Expectations are high for the Dial of Destiny but they could be brought down.

4. Asteroid City

I am a big fan of Wes Anderson’s films with The Grand Budapest Hotel being my favorite. With a cast of Wes Anderson veterans and some new additions such as Tom Hanks and Maya Hawke, it looks like another Wes Anderson hit with Anderson’s style of symmetry present in which everything is centered on screen. His unique style and the warm tint makes it look like art on screen.

3. Oppenheimer

Christopher Nolan is one of my favorite filmmakers of all time, having made some of the greatest films ever made like The Dark Knight, Inception, and Interstellar. Now he’s making a movie about the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb. The film stars Cillian Murphy, who has appeared in some of Nolan’s previous films. Nolan loves to use practical effects instead of CGI to make the experience more realistic, and Oppenheimer is no different. With a runtime of reportedly three hours it will be longer than Interstellar which is 169 minutes.

2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

I absolutely loved Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, so I am going into this sequel with very high expectations. The first film was a success at the box office, earning more than $384 million, even though it was competing against films like Aquaman. The sequel is going to be nuttier than ever focusing on the multiverse with even more Spider-Mans.

1. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

The Mission: Impossible series is one of those rare times where each installment gets better. I wasn’t a fan of the first movie, but I loved the second movie, and each of the next installments got better with 2018’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout being my favorite and one of my favorite movies ever. The big stunt is Tom Cruise actually driving off a cliff on a motorcycle and there is even a training video on how he did it. In the video, director Christopher McQuarrie said “This is far and away the most dangerous thing we’ve ever attempted.” This is my number one pick because the trailer looked incredible, I loved Fallout and I’m excited to see what other stunts Tom Cruise is up to.

Commentary writer Linden Lansberry can be reached at [email protected].

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