Friday marks the release of "Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning." Ironically, that final reckoning arguably marks the unofficial beginning of summer movie season 2025.
We’re now two summers removed from the supposed movie renaissance of 2023, which was largely fueled by the "Barbenheimer" phenomenon. But 2025 is already off to a blockbuster start, with "A Minecraft Movie" grossing over $400 million, and Ryan Coogler’s "Sinners" closing in on $250 million. So are movies back?
Monte Yazzie, filmmaker and president of the Phoenix Critics Circle, joined The Show to discuss that and some of the most exciting releases on tap for the next few months.
Full conversation
SAM DINGMAN: Monte, good morning.
MONTE YAZZIE: Good morning. Thank you for having me.
DINGMAN: So let's start by talking about “Mission: Impossible.” I understand you're a fan of the franchise.
YAZZIE: I am a big fan of the “Mission: Impossible” franchise. I remember watching it way, way back when the first one came out in a theater in downtown Phoenix.
DINGMAN: OK, so is the end of the “Mission: Impossible” era, the end of any particular kind of chapter in film history. Would you say maybe just the Tom Cruise chapter?
YAZZIE: You know, I feel like, yeah, it's kind of Tom Cruise's farewell to this character, but I don't think it's necessarily the end of the character itself. I feel like the Ethan Hunt character is like a James Bond character who’ll continue living on with a different character, maybe a different actor taking on the role. But you know, for Tom Cruise, it feels like it's time for him to wrap up this chapter and go out with bang, which he definitely is with this movie.
DINGMAN: Yes. Well, when you think about chapters coming to an end, right? There's folks like Tom Cruise, who are kind of wrapping things up. But then there's also movies that were kind of trying, or franchises that were kind of trying to get going again. And I'm thinking in particular Superman here.
I'm old enough to remember three or four attempts to reboot the Superman franchise over the last 10 to 20 years. None of those movies were particularly memorable, even if they did make money. What do you think about the one coming out this summer?
YAZZIE: You know, I am really excited for the Superman movie coming up, because I grew up with Superman. That was my first, like, comic book character that I really started loving in movies. The Christopher Reeve character when he played Superman, was so iconic to me growing up. And I feel like this new Superman has a great potential to kind of bring back those three elements that really make comic book movies come to life, which is a little bit of humor, a little bit of heart and a whole lot of heroics.
And James Gunn, who directed the "Guardians of the Galaxy" franchise and really brought some wonderful heart and some wonderful characters to life, you know, and these really oddball characters, I feel like, is the perfect choice to, like, kind of start up this new chapter of DC films. And the "Superman" film looks really great. The trailer is really fun. You know, you got a lot of a lot of things that are going to appease fans who have grown up with this character. And I think, bring in new people to enjoy this new Superman character.
DINGMAN: You know, that's such an interesting point about James Gunn. I hadn't thought about it until you said that. But he, in those fantastic, or sorry, "Guardians" movies, got so much out of a character like Groot, who basically says three words in the entire series, “I am Groot,” but people would tear up when Groot would say those words.
YAZZIE: You know, at the end of that first film. You know, Groot plays the heart of the film, and that last little moment that you have with that character is so great, because it kind of ties everything together. And you realize this character who really does only say three words, is the heart and soul of that whole film.
DINGMAN: So is that what you think has been missing from previous attempts with Superman, that quality of heart?
YAZZIE: I think the recent ones definitely. You know, you get this character who lives by this moral code, this ethics of how he is a hero, and the world is just kind of stuck, like depending on him to, you know, divert disasters from happening. And this new film kind of feels like it challenges that. You get this idea that society isn't so happy with who Superman is, yet, at his core, all he's trying to do is what he thinks is best.
And I feel like there's a lot of a lot of emotion to dissect from that, especially in today's current society, especially with how people are, you know, influenced by, you know, social media and all these different news stories that are coming out there. You get this great character who really is functioning as just trying to do his best and trying really hard to, like, protect people and save people. And I think if you watch the trailer, you really get a lot out of that.
DINGMAN: Interesting. So let's talk a little bit about, you know, the cruder topic of box office. It seems like we're sort of moving away from an extended period of time where superhero movies were dominant at the box office. We're obviously talking about Superman. Do you think we're still in that chapter, or do you think there are other movies that are more likely to be successful this summer?
YAZZIE: You know, I have a feeling that, you know you're going to start seeing these movies are going to, especially in the summertime, are going to start finding audiences. And I feel like you know, the one that I've been thinking about the most has been “Lilo and Stitch." This live action remake of “Lilo and Stitch,” which the last few Disney live actions haven't done very great. We had one this year with “Snow White” that wasn't so great.
But there's something about this “Lilo and Stitch,” I feel like, because you got a character that kind of connects with parents now who grew up with that character, they can now start bringing their families to the movies to watch this character that they love so much from the cartoon. You get this great potential of, kind of having that crossover success. And because it is such a family focused film, it's coming out on Memorial Day weekend, you know, maybe there's going to be families who might want to maybe not go see “Mission: Impossible." I feel like there's a recipe for some success with that film.
And, you know, especially in the summertime, you got so many films that are coming out, right? What are you going to pick? What are you going to choose when you have streaming that's always there Disney Plus, all these different avenues of watching movies now, you know, pulls people away from that. But for some reason, I feel like the summer chemistry of the films that you have this summer really has that potential to maybe bring it back to where we were a few years ago with, you know, “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie."
DINGMAN: Just about a minute left here, Monte. On a personal note, I have to ask you about the “Toxic Avenger" remake, because when I was a kid, just knowing that “Toxic Avenger" existed was like huge nerd capital. But now there's this version of it that's coming out with a little bit more of a budget, Peter Dinklage, what do you make of that?
YAZZIE: You know, I grew up with “Toxic Avenger," and, you know, VHS, kid, you know, movie store kid, you couldn't help but pick up that cover. And I feel like, you know, at the end of summer, this is like, way at the end of August, you get this film coming out. It is wild. I've heard, I've seen reviews, I've seen people who have watched it, and they say it is over the top in all the best ways possible.
And I’m glad they are able to find a way to market this film and get it out there. I feel like that was the issue, Is how you market a film so old. But I feel like there's something about this film with Peter Dinklage attached to it. I feel like it's going to really get those VHS, movie store kids you know, to come out and watch it.
DINGMAN: Sign me up, an over-the-top movie for over-the-top times.
YAZZIE: Yes, Definitely.
