The 2023 summer movie season is coming to a close; get ready to start streaming all that you may have missed at the theaters. After years of the entertainment industry’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, this year was filled with a diverse group of different kinds of films. The top 10 box office hits exemplified this trend. Here is how, in my view, each one of them turned out.

#1: “Barbie” – $1.3 billion+

Acclaimed director, Greta Gerwig, (Lady Bird, Little Women) came out with her latest film,  “Barbie”, in order to feature the iconic Mattel toy. Gerwig collaborated with screenwriter, Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story), to create this film, and casted executive producer Margot Robbie (Suicide Squad, The Wolf of Wall Street) as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken (La La Land, Blade Runner 2049).

At its core, the movie is a feminist work which seeks to reach and empower women of all ages. In some ways it succeeds in this endeavor, and in others, the lack of subtlety and nuance in the screenplay harms the impact of the film’s message, depending too much on heavy handed dialogue where other filmmaking tools could have supported it. This issue is especially highlighted in the undertones of existential reflection that were present, but underdeveloped in the film.

By far my favorite aspect of the film is the well-crafted technical filmmaking. The production design is vibrant and immersive, the cinematography and costume design is intricately done, and these aspects come together to create an astounding technical accomplishment, heightened by a stellar cast.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

#2: “Oppenheimer” – $853 million

The other half of the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon, a social media trend highlighting the differences between “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer”, two wildly different movies releasing on the same day, was venerated director Christopher Nolan’s biopic about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb.

In many ways the polar opposite of the bright and colorful “Barbie”, “Oppenheimer” is a deep and contemplative

reflection, dark both in its tone and aesthetic.

Lead actor Cillian Murphy, (Inception, Peaky Blinders) supported by a stellar extended cast, delivers a subtle and engrossing performance worthy of an Academy Award victory.

Nolan, a master of his craft and veteran filmmaker, transformed the three-hour biopic into an engaging feature film filled with suspense, intensity, and enduring immersion, despite his audience knowing the history of the war. Everything from the subtle visual effects to deliberate editing, makes for a memorable experience, even though its hefty three hour runtime requires significant audience attention to get the most out of its story.

Rating: ★★★★★

#3: “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” – $845 million

Following years of mixed reactions to recent Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) content, “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy director James Gunn succeeded in creating a rewarding, cathartic, and emotional sendoff to the band of space-adventuring heroes.

For a more in-depth look at this movie, check out our “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3” Review.

Rating: ★★★★☆

#4: “Fast X” – $704 million

The tenth movie in the Vin Diesel-led action franchise, “Fast and Furious”, is redeemed only by an entertaining performance from Jason Mamoa (Aquaman, Justice League) as the antagonist, and by improving slightly from the previous “Fast and Furious’ film.

The plot makes little to no sense, the action sequences defy the laws of physics, and the characters are as deep as a puddle.

The film is not necessarily terrible, but painfully mediocre especially considering the repetitiveness of its franchise and behind-the-scenes conflict. Despite being one of the biggest movies of the year, it stands also as one of its biggest financial disappointments, considering its predecessors making upwards of $1 billion multiple times.

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

#5: “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” – $689 million

In contrast, Sony Animation’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”, the sequel to 2018’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”, shares the original’s stylistic flair, clever screenwriting, and heartfelt narrative, to an even greater extent.

The animation is ingenuitive and breathtaking, and the story mixes comic-book camp, fan service, and sincerity marvelously. However, some elements of the plot remain underdeveloped since it is the first film in a two-part story, the conclusion of which will be in the next “Spider-Verse” movie “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse”.

As of now, though it is both unfinished and imperfect, this movie is a stellar start to this story.

Rating: ★★★★☆

#6: “The Little Mermaid” – $569 million

Disney’s live-action movies have almost always been both financially fruitful and poorly received by critics. “The Little Mermaid”, the remake of the 1989 animated classic, is no exception.

Every technical aspect is sufficient and yet the movie suffers from what I feel is a lack of soul, feeling less like a work of art and more like a corporate product. Even the involvement of talented artists such as actress Halle Berry (Monster’s Ball, X-Men) and songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, Moana) falls flat.

Whereas other Disney live-action remakes gross over $1 billion, this one fell short. I hope this encourages Disney to reevaluate their approach to adapting their classic catalog of films.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

#7: “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” – $560 million

Following Tom Cruise’s success of “Top Gun: Maverick” last year, the seventh “Mission: Impossible” film was burdened with high expectations.

Cruise, and Writer/Director Christopher Mcquarrie had a lot to live up to, seeing as their track record includes the critically acclaimed “Mission: Impossible – Fallout”, the previous installment in the franchise.

Though the series’ most recent entry delivers a handful of thrills, its action lacks excitement , and its story suffers from several perplexing narrative decisions leading to a convoluted and unfulfilling plot. I left the theater on opening night entertained, but underwhelmed. I hope the next film, set to release next year, will reach the franchise’s former heights.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

#8: “Elemental” – $478 million

For years, Pixar stood at the absolute peak of animation, weaving innovative technology and classic storytelling techniques to produce some of the most beloved family films ever.“Elemental”, though sufficient in its quality, fails to reach the heights of Pixar’s past.

I found that the most interesting elements of the movie were underwritten as compared to uninteresting and unoriginal story tropes. It frames itself as a fictitious allegory for real world issues, but it falls apart under the slightest degree of scrutiny. The fact that the characters are not interesting enough to keep the story intriguing does not help either.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

#9: “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” – $438 million

This movie is everything I expected it to be: Forgettable, but fun.

The “Transformers” franchise has struggled severely on the big screen. Under director Michael Bay, the first five movies sacrificed story and character in favor of incomprehensible, chaotic action, labeled by viewers as “bayhem”, a style of action filmmaking that has become his trademark..

In contrast, new director Stephen Caple Jr. (Creed II) makes the action somewhat enjoyable, and I personally always enjoy seeing characters from my childhood such as Optimus Prime, voiced by Peter Cullen for over 40 years now, in projects of comfortable quality. 

Not much depth can be expected from a movie based on a toy line about robot aliens that fight and turn into cars. In that regard, the film is a moderate success, since it managed to deliver on the fun, but forgettable experience promised by the marketing.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

#10: “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” – $381 million

Director James Mangold (Logan, Ford v Ferrari) is extraordinarily talented, having experience in both action filmmaking and dramatic storytelling. While all the technical elements are competent, the script loses all of the charm and effectiveness of Steven Spielberg’s original “Indiana Jones” trilogy.

The movie’s handling of Indiana Jones himself, the villains, the mechanics of the plot, the supporting characters, and overall approach is flawed and underwhelming. It finishes the franchise with a movie unable to achieve what it once did with ease.

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

This summer’s set of movies had its fair share of ups and downs, but its top 10 biggest hits capture the diversity of stories that can be told and experienced. After years of filmmaking struggles induced by the pandemic, these past few months have proved that the magic of the movies remains achievable.