2021 Summer Movie Guide: 18 new films to see this season

By Jeffrey Sanzel

A year ago, studios were deciding whether to release their summer slates. Would theaters open to limited seating? Should movies be offered on streaming platforms? Does it make sense to delay a few weeks or even hold off to the fall? Many films announced for July did not appear until September or even later. Disney+, Amazon Prime, Vudu, and others hosted a range of new releases. For the summer of 2021, it is notable that some will continue simultaneous theater and home viewing releases. 

Some of the more anticipated films are already out, so we will focus on what is coming up in July and August.

There is never a shortage of sequels, especially for those who like numbers in their titles: The Forever Purge (July 2); Spacejam: A New Legacy (July 16); Hotel Transylvania 4: Transformania (July 23); Escape Room 2 (July 16); and Don’t Breathe 2 (August 13). This list could also include the Candyman reboot (August 27) and the “soft reboot” of The Suicide Squad (August 6).

Summer of Soul

While Woodstock has become the cultural icon of music events, the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival had huge attendance. It featured legendary artists (Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and Nina Simone, among many others.). Director Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s documentary explores the music and its influence with exceptional archival footage. 

Rated PG-13 · Release date July 2

Black Widow 

For those looking for a superhero blockbuster, Scarlett Johansson reprises her role as the Avengers super-spy in a prequel that takes place after the events of Captain America: Civil War. The character has been seen in over eight different films (including her death in Avengers: Endgame) in a ten-year span. This origin story is part of Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Rated PG-13 · Release date July 9

Old 

Few cinematic auteurs cause as much anticipation and frustration as M. Night Shyamalan. In Old, a family on a tropical vacation realizes that they are aging rapidly. The basic premise was suggested by the graphic novel Sandcastle, but in Shyamalan(d), nothing is ever straightforward. Whether this will be The Sixth Sense or The Lady in the Water remains to be seen. 

Rated PG-13 · Release date July 23

Stillwater 

Matt Damon stars in director Tom McCarthy’s thriller about an Oklahoma oil-rig worker who travels to Marseille, France, to clear his daughter’s name when imprisoned for a crime she says she didn’t commit. The preview offers Damon in rugged protective father mode, emoting shades of Liam Neeson. The cast also includes Camille Cottin from Call My Agent.

Rated R · Release date July 30

The Green Knight 

One of the summer’s most anticipated movies is writer-director David Lowery’s take on the 14th-century poem “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” The always excellent Dev Patel stars as the titular lord in an epic fantasy with horror-movie overtones. The Green Knight is definitely something for those who have been missing Game of Thrones: The film is replete with quests, romance, giants and beheadings. Also starring Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, and Sean Harris.

Rated R · Release date July 30

Respect 

Jennifer Hudson stars as the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. Earlier in 2021, National Geographic’s Genius: Aretha received the ire of Franklin’s family, having been cut out of the production’s development. Conversely, the family has embraced the upcoming Respect, claiming that Hudson was the only person Aretha considered right to portray her. The exceptional cast includes Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Marc Maron, and Audra McDonald. 

Rated PG-13 · Release date August 13

Coda 

In a remake of the French-language La Famille Bélier (2014), Emilia Jones plays a teenager torn between musical aspirations and a devotion to helping her deaf family in their fishing business. This mix of coming-of-age romance and topical family drama received accolades at Sundance. Academy Award winner Marlee Matlin and Eugenio Derbez co-star.

Not Rated · Release date August 13

Free Guy 

Ryan Reynolds plays “Guy,” a bank teller who discovers that he is just a background player in someone else’s video game. This realization drives him to make a life for himself. The clever premise of this action-comedy could be a breakthrough experience or just another been-there-done-that.

Rated R · Release date August 13

Reminiscence 

Westworld co-creator Lisa Joy makes her directorial debut with a sci-fi drama starring Hugh Jackman as Nicholas Bannister, a veteran living in climate-ravaged Miami. Bannister provides an unusual service: He gives clients an opportunity to relive any memory. His course is derailed by an affair with Mae (Rebecca Ferguson), leading to twists and turns in both the past and present.

Rated PG-13 · Release date August 20

The Night House 

This psychological thriller follows a recent widow (Rebecca Hall) living alone in the lakeside house built for her by her late husband. In true horror mystery fashion, the night brings nightmares that drive her to delve into the dark secrets of her husband’s past. The film also stars Sarah Goldberg and Stacy Martin.

Rated R · Release date August 20

The Beatles: Get Back

 Peter Jackson has created a documentary that focuses on the making of the Beatles 1969 album Let It Be, using footage captured for Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s 1970 film (also called Let It Be). The creation of songs such as “The Long and Winding Road” and “Get Back” is played against the clashes and carousing of a band on the verge of dissolution.

Not Rated · Release date August 27

This article first appeared in TBR News Media’s Summer Times supplement on 06/24/21.