Sunlight and Cinema
A review of movies that came out over the summer
By Sydney Scovic, Gg Gallagher, and Violette Cline, Blueprint Coordinator, Print Arts Section Editor, and Staff Writer
Avatar: Aang – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Avatar: Aang was the long-awaited comeback that Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA) fans deemed the redemption of the generally unpopular The Legend of Korra show. On April 13, 2026, a hacker leaked the entire 98-minute film, upstaging the movie's June 25 release.
Still, this did not deter ATLA fans, as the film held Paramount+’s most-watched movie spot for the first four weeks of its release. As for the movie itself, it diverged from the original 2D animation style of the ATLA series and moved into a 2.5D/3D hybrid, anime-influenced style. Critics argued that the new style smoothed the characters' faces with uniform noses and wider eyes, stripping away the original cast's unique charm. But other fans praised the new style, complimenting the dynamic lighting and fluidity of the bending sequences while acknowledging that the grown-up versions of these beloved characters required a visual update.
The plot was fast-paced with the tight 98-minute cap, but it did not fail to deliver an engaging and fascinating new angle. Even if this pace meant phenomenal fight scenes and several smaller subplots were cut, the movie’s snappy action and gorgeous detailing left little to be desired.
We found that the movie's strengths lay in its stunning animation and engaging new villain, as well as the nostalgia of seeing childhood favorites grow with the fans. The film's weaknesses came in poor timing and minor details that left fans questioning the writers, such as the character Katara, a master waterbender, and “running out of water” during one of the final battle scenes. Due to the tight time crunch nature of the movie and released cut scenes, some fans wished that the film was longer to include more buildup and battles.
Overall, we found this movie to have captivating graphics, charming characters, and a well-thought-out plot despite the timing. For ATLA fans, this movie seemed to be an ideal must-watch and a great addition to these characters' stories.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When talking about Spider-Man: Brand New Day, reviewers must address that this smashing success surpassed Avengers: Endgame in their domestic opening weekend. Raking in $360 million, this film officially became Marvel’s largest theatrical success in years. Witty, visually and engaging, this movie was exactly what the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) needed.
This movie’s success rested on three main factors, besides the obvious star factors of Tom Holland and Zendaya as the leads. Starting with marketing, Marvel cleverly released teases leading up to the movie’s opening, leaving room for fans to speculate Peter Parker’s place in the broader MCU. Spider-Man remains one of Marvel’s most bankable solo superheroes. Capitalizing on the blank slate left by Spider-Man: No Way Home, Brand New Day addresses Peter’s life and demonstrates how he copes and evolves after the dramatic ending of No Way Home. Finally, the movie grounded viewers by localizing the story around Peter and the return to his comedic roots combined with plenty of emotional bandwidth.
Between smaller comedic moments and more serious scenes, the movie provides a well-rounded experience. When seeing Peter reunite with his old friends, the writers do a great job of illustrating the effects of memory loss and time without making the fragile connections seem forced or hitting any cheap magical reset buttons. The movie also showcases cameos from classic villains such as Scorpio.
Peter is a solo operation without the support of the Avengers and turns to characters like the Punisher and Yelena for alliances and aid. It is through this lens that viewers get a glimpse into the genius that Peter is. The story also gives us a very morally gray yet compelling antagonist in Jean Grey, a telepathic threat, introducing a redeemable and emotionally vulnerable villain rather than the straightforward punching villain. An argument could be made that Peter forgives Jean Grey too quickly given the damage she caused. That said, the movie’s climax features a visually stunning battle, and the entire movie is filled with action.
Finally, the movie's post-credit scene left a lot of room for speculation on future Spider-Man movies, roles, or appearances. The scene depicts Ned’s “Spidey Tracker” app glitching before zooming out to show Peter’s location deep in space, and some fans even speculate about the multiverse. This leaves room for hopeful fans to look forward to a possible Peter Parker appearance in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, either portrayed by Tom Holland or a past Spider-Man actor.
All in all, there is simply too much good to say about Spider-Man: Brand New Day. With deeply thought-out character dynamics, a beautifully done plot, and stunning visuals, Brand New Day gives hope back to Marvel fans everywhere. It is a phenomenal movie, and a must-watch for any MCU fan.
Backrooms – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Before the movie Backrooms was produced with A24, it started as an internet horror story or creepypasta. It began with an image on the photo-sharing website "Flickr”, which showed an empty warehouse full of seemingly endless hallways covered in musty yellow wallpaper. The internet instantly attached stories of entities roaming the warehouse halls to these photos. This continued as a small fanbase until Jan. 7, 2022, when YouTube creator ‘Kane Pixels’, otherwise known as Kane Parsons, made a found-footage-style video, diving deeper into the maze. It instantly became a hit and spread across the internet, before inspiring the Backrooms movie. The official movie grossed $396.5 million worldwide and is currently the highest-grossing A24 film in history.
Through his work as a director on Backrooms, Parsons paved the way for internet personalities who got their start on platforms like YouTube to transition into filmmaking. Throughout the film, there are many aspects of found footage and set design resembling early computer graphics. Objects clip into each other, perspectives warp, things phase in and out, uncanny, distorted people act more like walking statues, and distant memories are captured through 90s-era graphics. Suffused with a pervasive feeling of dread, the film feels as if the entire Backrooms were misremembering reality in an eerie attempt to improve upon it.
Fueled by the director's background as a visual artist, the current cultural climate, and the film's own symbolism, fans speculate that it serves as an allegory for the perils of Generative AI in the creative space. The horror genre has always appealed to the respective decade’s fears, and this is just the beginning of what the 2020s have to offer. Reflecting Gen Z’s deep anxieties about an uncertain future, the movie’s motifs of deepfakes, “improved” graphics, feeling trapped, and unclear career trajectories in Backrooms directly mirror their fear of the unknown, particularly the threat posed by AI. But the film ends up narratively flat in the third act, and the ending is underwhelming, which, for better or for worse, leads to its sequel. By the end of the movie, there is a clear accumulation of decades of horror and dread. This film keeps you on the edge of your seat, terrified of every corner.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 – ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Devil Wears Prada was a Y2K classic that spans generations. The movie starred Anne Hathaway as Andy Sachs, the protagonist, and Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly. Before it was a movie, The Devil Wears Prada was a novel written by Lauren Weisberger. Weisberger was previously the personal assistant of Anna Wintour, the editor of American Vogue Magazine. Many people believe that Weisberger wrote the book based on her own experiences. The book, published in 2003, was made into a movie in 2006. The movie became an instant hit for the generation, immediately after its showings in theaters.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 takes place in the modern-day world, about 20 years after the release of The Devil Wears Prada. Andy Sachs is experiencing the decline of journalism when she unexpectedly loses her job because a company bought out the publication she worked at. In The Devil Wears Prada, after creating her new style, Andy was often dressed in very chic colors. In the sequel movie, Andy is featured having a more ‘corporate’ dressing style. She adopts more dainty and minimal jewelry, a stark contrast to the chunky and long necklaces of the Y2K era.
One of the main problems of the film seems to be a lack of depth throughout the movie. The characters lack the charm that the first movie possessed, possibly because of the slower pacing of the sequel.
Reception online was overwhelmingly negative, despite the film's impressive campaigning and advertisements. Many viewers felt the film abandoned its core message about how toxic work environments force people to sacrifice their personal lives and values. The new film updates its cultural commentary for the digital age, highlighting corporate greed and the collapse of print media, a stark contrast to 2006, when magazines were at their absolute height.
Since the film franchise is about fashion journalism, the movie was backed by some of the most influential designers, such as Dior, Versace, Chanel, and more. The movie has a very current message for the new and old generations alike regarding evolving media, but that message is overshadowed by an unrelatable script and lazy, uninteresting storytelling. Many people said it felt like a corporate cash grab, which it definitely did at times. The movie stood as a sequel, and let its core audience down.
The Odyssey- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Christopher Nolan’s epic adaptation of The Odyssey trades the cozy nostalgia of traditional mythic cinema for a visceral spectacle. Matt Damon’s performance as Odysseus was a monumental addition to the movie industry. As Damon sailed across the seven seas, he captivated audiences with his character-building and heartfelt performance. Anne Hathaway’s portrayal of Helen was truly inspirational, perfectly paired with Tom Holland's captivating performance of Telemachus. Together, the two had theaters across the globe rooting for their success. Robert Pattinson as Antinous was revolutionary, and Pattinson did an exquisite job evoking both feelings of dread and disgust when he entered a scene.
The film had a budget of $250 million, and the production quality reflected that. Nolan’s innovative directing style brought aspects of limited use of computer-generated imagery. For the scene when Odysseus runs into Polyphemus, the Cyclops, production used a man-made 60-foot puppet along with a shorter stunt double.
While purists might debate Nolan’s grounded take on divine intervention, the film’s emotional weight and practical grandiosity make it a mesmerizing exploration of grief. The relentless pacing never falters across its expansive three-hour runtime, culminating in an ending that feels earned through sheer cinematic friction and human endurance. It is an uncompromising achievement that honors the spirit of the original epic while carving it firmly into the mold of a modern cinematic masterpiece.
