The Blockbusters

Spider-Man: Brand New Day

90% Rotten Tomatoes / 98% Popcorn Meter

The clear favorite of the summer, and by Eli's count, the best Tom Holland Spider-Man movie yet. The action got a noticeable bump from the previous film, and the chemistry between Tom Holland and Jon Bernthal was called out as a highlight — which tracks, since Bernthal reportedly helped Holland land the Spider-Man role in the first place by coaching him through his audition.

The bigger conversation was about villains. Fans have pointed out that the MCU's Spider-Man still doesn't have a signature villain the way Tobey Maguire had the Green Goblin or Andrew Garfield had the Lizard and Electro — Tom Holland's Spidey is arguably closest to Scorpion, but only while under mind control. Casting Jean Grey as the antagonist proved divisive online, with some fans calling it a wasted storyline, though the group pushed back on that, pointing out that modern superhero films increasingly favor "misunderstood" villains over cut-and-dry evil ones.

The Peter/MJ storyline also got real estate in the conversation — MJ no longer remembers their relationship after the events of the last film, and watching Peter try to reconnect with her landed as genuinely heartbreaking. The group speculated that a future film, possibly Doomsday or the next Spider-Man movie, may resolve it.

The Odyssey

94% Rotten Tomatoes / 97% Popcorn Meter

Christopher Nolan's latest has pulled in roughly $1.6 billion at the box office and has already passed Deadpool & Wolverine as the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever. None of the three had read the source material going in, but all three walked away impressed. The one point of controversy: some fans wanted a more historically grounded, all-Greek cast and crew, and have floated the idea of Mel Gibson tackling his own version given his track record with similarly grounded historical epics. Regardless, the consensus was that Nolan remains one of the most consistently excellent directors working today — even if his last film, Oppenheimer, was a tougher rewatch given its runtime.

Masters of the Universe

67% Rotten Tomatoes / 86% Popcorn Meter (5,000+ ratings)

Called an "underdog masterpiece" by the group, this one surprised everybody. Nobody went in with high expectations, but it delivered strong action, a surprisingly good script, and a lot of dry humor — and doubled as one of Jared Leto's best performances to date as Skeletor (edging out even his work in Tron: Ares). The consensus was that the marketing let the movie down by leaning too heavily on nostalgia for the original 1980s cartoon instead of reaching a broader audience unfamiliar with the source material — the trailer itself was singled out as weak, even though it gets credit for not spoiling anything. With the movie underperforming at the box office, the group is doubtful Amazon will greenlight the rumored Thundercats follow-up, though they'd be open to it with the right trailer.

Project Hail Mary

Simply described as "unexpected brilliance." Ryan Gosling carried the film, and the group agreed it was cinematic enough to be worth owning on DVD. None of them had read the novel going in, but it didn't matter — the movie stood on its own. The conversation veered into casting rumors, with word that Gosling may be stepping into the Ghost Rider universe as Carter Slade — a notably more serious role for an actor known for a lighter, more comedic style.

Michael

The Michael Jackson biopic drew some early backlash online for focusing so heavily on one era of his life — but by the film's end, it's clear this is meant to be the first chapter of a planned trilogy covering different points in his life. What stood out most wasn't the music, but the emotional weight of Jackson's upbringing: an abusive, controlling father and a family that leaned on him financially even as he stayed the only real breadwinner. Christopher, in particular, found some of the film's depictions of childhood abuse hit close to home. The group also touched on how Jackson's isolation shaped his adult life — including the choice to surround himself with animals rather than people — and praised the film's portrayal of him finally standing up to his father by the end.

Scary Movie

A lower critic score, but a stronger 64% Popcorn Meter rating off more than 5,000 verified reviews. The verdict: comedy is officially back. The film is stacked with pop-culture references and Easter eggs covering roughly the last five to six years since 2020 — so dense that a companion breakdown video reportedly runs nearly as long as the movie itself. Bottom line: a must-watch if you've kept up with pop culture recently, and a genuine whodunit until the reveal.

The Super Mario Movie (Sequel)

87% Popcorn Meter (10,000+ ratings)

Sequels are usually a letdown, but this one bucked the trend. While the group felt the first film edged it out overall, the sequel leaned harder into recreating specific video-game imagery and in-universe visuals, which landed as a nostalgia win even if it skewed a bit younger in tone than the original.

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu

86% Popcorn Meter

Going from a TV series to a full theatrical release is a tough transition, but the group felt it worked — action-packed and carrying real 80s-era Star Wars nostalgia. They also gave credit to Lucasfilm's in-house visual effects team, noting the character detail looked noticeably sharper than recent Marvel releases, despite both studios living under the Disney umbrella.

Quick Hit: Moana (Live Action)

88% Popcorn Meter

None of the three had seen it personally, but reports from friends and coworkers were largely positive. The read: Disney leaned on Dwayne Johnson's Maui and skewed the marketing toward the audience that grew up with the 2018 original rather than winning over new viewers.

What's Coming: Most Anticipated Movies of 2026

With the summer wrapped, talk turned to the back half of the year. The list: Doomsday, Clayface, Street Fighter, Coyote vs. Acme, Violent Night 2, Jumanji 4, Narnia, The Hunger Games, and Dune — with Christopher adding a few of his own off the top of his head: a new Tom Cruise film, an upcoming Brad Pitt movie, and the Ebenezer Scrooge remake.

A few highlights from the discussion:

Doomsday is the runaway favorite. The group broke down the trailer's now-viral "For I am Doom" moment and debated whether the film could challenge Avengers: Endgame's box office numbers — with real doubt about whether it (or anything short of Secret Wars) could crack the $3 billion club.
Coyote vs. Acme already sits at a rare 101% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes after nearly being shelved by Warner Bros. entirely before another distributor picked it up.
Violent Night 2 brings Mrs. Claus into the spotlight after her being talked up throughout the first film, and the new trailer suggests she might steal the show entirely.
Street Fighter is leaning hard into 90s arcade nostalgia, with a soundtrack reportedly featuring unreleased tracks from 50 Cent, Eminem, and Tupac together.
Two different Ebenezer Scrooge films are landing this year — one starring Johnny Depp, his first major role since his highly publicized legal case, with Paramount giving him another shot (Disney is reportedly watching its performance before deciding on further roles) — and another starring Willem Dafoe.
Jumanji 4's trailer didn't land well with the group, despite their affection for Dwayne Johnson and the cast.
Rounding out individual picks: Eli's most excited for Clayface, Street Fighter, and the Wile E. Coyote film; Christopher's holding out for Clayface and Street Fighter specifically, citing his long-standing love for both characters and the era they're pulling from.

The group also touched on fresh D23 news, including casting details for the upcoming X-Men film — Adam Driver stepping into the role of Mister Sinister after reportedly turning down Marvel roles for years, and a new actress (known for her role in Superman & Lois) cast as Rogue.

What's Next

Supergirl is getting its own dedicated episode next week, complete with a full comic book breakdown — the crew is holding off on discussing it until then, having watched it together as a group multiple times over the summer. They'll also likely dig into Lanterns and X-Men '97 in upcoming episodes.

Catch the full episode on YouTube, and don't forget to subscribe — every new subscriber this season means a fruit tree gets planted. Grab merch, including designs from Eli's and Levi's own lines, at ICEDentertainment.net/drip.

Summer Blockbusters, Ranked: The Fruitful Three Show Kicks Off Season 4