Summer of 2025, the period of time where many long awaited films were released and students from Rancho Cucamonga High School joined the masses in theaters. With the releases, critics and ratings are bound to come. This summer in particular came with some very controversial takes. Ranging from live-action remakes of classics to a sci-fi dinosaur world in “Jurassic World: Rebirth” to superhero movies, the movies all have their respective fans and haters.
Fantastic 4: First Steps
“Fantastic 4: First Steps” debuted in U.S. theaters on Friday, July 25, 2025. Directed by Matt Shakman, the film is a Marvel Cinematic Universe reboot of the original movies, and it takes place in an entirely different timeline.
The movie was a long-awaited return, and it gained more than 200 million views in its first 24 hours, according to IMDb. Furthermore, according to Variety, it earned $57 million on opening day.
The movie practically went viral on social media. Students and casual movie viewers were posting about the movie and even investing in a Little Caesars “Fantastic Four-N-One” pizza.
The film takes place in a 1960s-inspired world with retro-futuristic characteristics. The Fantastic Four consists of Mister Fantastic, played by Pedro Pascal; Invisible Woman, played by Vanessa Kirby; Human Torch, played by Joseph Quinn; and The Thing, played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach. Together, they learn to balance their roles as heroes with their family bonds as they defend Earth from the space god Galactus, played by Ralph Ineson, and his Herald Silver Surfer, played by Julia Garner.
Many viewers, according to Rotten Tomatoes, enjoyed the movie. The film scored a 91% on the Popcornmeter from the general audience. Junior Isaiah Valtier said that his favorite part of the movie was the ending buildup.
“I like the lead-up to the ending where they all devised a plan that got the world back on their side because they initially had their whole world against them,” Valtier said.
Some reviews from Rotten Tomatoes praised the movie for its writing and adaptation of the original characters. However, some reviewers do not like this version of the beloved heroes.
There were quite a few ratings from critics that said the film did not do the characters justice and that the script was dull. Valtier shared that his least favorite part about the movie was how it didn’t cater to the newer audience who may not know the characters that well.
Most of the critics’ reviews are positive, resulting in an 86% on the Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes. Most of the reviews were of high scores, with little criticism of the film.
“I’d rate it an 8.5 out of 10,” Valtier said when asked how he’d rate the movie. “It’s a very hopeful movie. It wasn’t a fearful action movie. It was more like an uplifting story of trust and understanding.”
Overall, the MCU’s “Fantastic 4: First Steps” was very successful and well-liked throughout the U.S. Viewers can expect to see them return in future Marvel movies.
Jurassic World Rebirth
As the seventh installment of the Jurassic franchise, “Jurassic World: Rebirth” was released in theaters on Wednesday, July 2, 2025. Directed by Gareth Edwards, this film takes place in a sci-fi universe where the dinosaur dynasty returns to planet Earth. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the film made $833 million worldwide when it was in theaters, making $30.5 million on opening day.
The movie begins in 2010 in an InGen research facility– the company creating hybrids of dinosaurs. There was a freak accident where the Distortus-rex got loose from its enclosure and caused the facility to be abandoned.
The film then goes through a time skip to 2027 and introduces Zora Bennett, played by Scarlett Johansson, and Martin Krebs, played by Rupert Friend, as they embark on a journey to create a medical drug from dinosaur DNA. They invite paleontologist, Dr. Henry Loomis, played by Jonathan Bailey, to the deserted InGen facility on a remote island. Together, along with a few friends along the way, they collect the DNA and decide to share the contents with the world to help cure heart disease.
As mentioned previously, the film made outstanding numbers in revenue; however, the film was perceived as a critical disappointment by fans and critics alike. “Jurassic World: Rebirth” scored a 71% on the Popcornmeter from the general audience and scored a 51% on the Tomatometer from critics.
Senior Clarissa Quevedo said she enjoyed the movie overall. She shared that the suspense the movie created was her favorite part, as it kept her on her toes the whole time, waiting to see what happened next.
Reviews from the general public say that “Rebirth” was a fun watch. Many viewers agreed with the critics that it fell flat in terms of the “Jurassic” elements, but they also found it to be enjoyable enough to watch again.
Quevedo said the movie had some factors that did not meet her expectations. She said that she wanted more action than what was given.
“The worst part was there wasn’t as much action as I thought there would be,” Quevedo said. “Although the movie was still good, I just expected more to happen than what did.”
Despite all the criticism that came with its release, “Jurassic World: Rebirth” was still an overall successful film. It acted as an introduction into the franchise for new fans, according to a critic on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie had its ups and downs, but Quevedo still found it really funny and enjoyable. She said that she would recommend this movie to others, especially those who are into the “Jurassic” franchise.
How to Train Your Dragon
Released 15 years after the original film, the “How to Train Your Dragon” live-action film debuted in theaters on Friday, June 13, 2025. Directed by Dean DeBlois, this live-action remake was another long-awaited reboot of the beloved original trilogy, making $623 million at the box office during its time in theaters. This number actually surpasses the original second movie in the trilogy in opening revenue.
The movie had many appealing aspects to it, but something that many people loved was how it stuck to the original plot.
The movie follows a young Viking named Hiccup, played by Mason Thames, as he defies his tribe’s traditions of dragon slaying. He meets an injured Night Fury dragon named Toothless and creates an inseparable bond. Hiccup learns that dragons are not something to be slayed but something to be respected and cherished.
Since the original animated film came out in 2010, many kids who grew up on the movie went to see it, including junior Micayla Chavez, who had seen the movie over this past summer. She said she enjoyed that the movie stuck with the same plot from 15 years ago.
“I think the best part of the movie was when Hiccup went out to train Toothless,” Chavez said. “I thought that scene was really cool with all the CGI.”
Although the CGI was very realistic and well-made, many people found that the dragons did not fit the atmosphere. Some viewers from the general audience say that the CGI Toothless and human actor Thames did not fit together and looked unnatural, according to a Reddit post on the film.
However, despite these criticisms, “How to Train Your Dragon” received a 95% Popcornmeter rating from audience viewers and a 76% Tomatometer rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
Chavez said that she would rate the movie an eight out of ten, and that she would recommend the movie to others but specifically a younger audience.
“I would recommend the movie more probably to a younger audience,” Chavez said. “I feel like they would like it a lot. Also, kids who grew up with ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ because they would like it.”
“How to Train Your Dragon” is expected to make a comeback in 2027 with the live-action adaptation of the second movie.
