JURASSIC JULY
W
ait, what year is it? This month brings back several beloved film franchises that you may not have asked for, but Hollywood doesn ' t seem to care. We have Adam Sandler ' s sequel to Happy Gilmore, James Gunn ' s controversial version of Superman, a reboot of I Know What You Did Last Summer, and a retro reimagining of The Fantastic Four – covering a wide range of genres. Oh, I almost forgot: dinosaurs are back! Three years after the conclusion
By Lori Vernon
Jurrasic Worlc Rebirth
of the Jurassic World trilogy, with each film surpassing $ 1 billion at the global box office, the enduring series is evolving in a new direction with Jurassic World Rebirth.
Jurassic World Rebirth
Directed by Gareth Edwards RatedPG-13 • July2-InTheaters
Five years after the events of Jurassic World Dominion, the planet’ s ecology has proven largely inhospitable to dinosaurs. Those remaining exist in isolated equatorial environments with climates resembling the one in which they once thrived. The three most colossal creatures across land, sea, and air within that tropical biosphere hold, in their DNA, the key to a drug that will bring miraculous life-saving benefits to humankind. Scarlett Johansson plays skilled covert operations expert Zora Bennett, contracted to lead a team on a topsecret mission to secure the genetic material. When Zora’ s operation intersects with a civilian family whose boating expedition was capsized by marauding aquatic dinos, they all find themselves stranded on a forbidden island that had once housed an undisclosed research facility for Jurassic Park. There, in a terrain populated by dinosaurs of vastly different species, they come face-to-face with a sinister, shocking discovery that has been hidden from the world for decades.
Superman
Directed by James Gunn Rated PG-13 • July 11- In Theaters
DC Studios’ first feature film from Warner Bros. Pictures soars into theaters this month. In his signature style, James Gunn takes on the original superhero in the newly imagined DC universe with a singular blend of epic action, humor, and heart, delivering a Superman who’ s driven by compassion and an inherent belief in the goodness of humankind. The film stars David Corenswet in the dual role of Superman / Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson Rated R • July 18- In Theaters
When five friends inadvertently cause a deadly car accident, they cover up their involvement and make a pact to keep it a secret rather than face the consequences. A year later, their past comes back to haunt them and they’ re forced to confront a horrifying truth: someone knows what they did last summer … and is hell-bent on revenge. As one by one the friends are stalked by a killer, they discover this has happened before, and they turn to two survivors of the legendary Southport Massacre of 1997 for help.
Smurfs
Directed by Chris Miller Rated PG • July 18- In Theaters
When Papa Smurf( John Goodman) is mysteriously taken by evil wizards, Razamel and Gargamel, Smurfette( Rihanna) leads the Smurfs on a mission into the real world to save him. With the help of new friends, the Smurfs must discover what defines their destiny to save the universe. SMURFS features an all-star voice cast including James Corden, Nick Offerman, JP Karliak, Daniel Levy, Amy Sedaris, Natasha Lyonne, Sandra Oh, Octavia Spencer, Nick Kroll, Hannah Waddingham, Alex Winter, Maya Erskine, Billie Lourd, Xolo Maridueña, with Kurt Russell and John Goodman.
12 illinoisentertainer. com july 2025