Everyone knows June is peak movie season, and this year’s selection is truly top-notch. There’s such variety, from animation to horror, blockbusters to biopics, enough to drive any movie fan a bit stir-crazy.
As always, I also mention other movies that are releasing this month that didn’t make the list, but are absolutely worth checking out. If you want to make the most of your Hulu subscription, check out Good Luck to You, Leo Grande starring Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack. Don’t worry, Apple TV subscribers, we’ve got you covered as well. Make sure to look out for Cha Cha Real Smooth, with Dakota Johnson, Brad Garrett, Leslie Mann and newcomers Vanessa Burghardt and Evan Assante. Both movies are released June 17, which is further kismet proof that you should definitely watch them.
Without further ado, here are are the biggest new movies of June 2022.
New Movies of June 2022
1. Crimes of the Future | June 3rd, 2022
The last David Cronenberg feature film we got was Map to the Stars in 2014 – that was over 8 years ago. This year, he’s back with Crimes of the Future, starring Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux and Kristen Stewart. The man hasn’t delved into body horror since his 1997 film eXistenZ, so it’s enthralling stuff to see him tackle the ideas and themes that made him such a household name.
In the film, which takes place in some dystopic future, pain is a thing of the past and surgery is now the new sex, with celebrity performers putting on shows revolving around body modifications, much to the glee of rapt audiences. It has so much to say about human evolution, and our innate fascination with aesthetics and violence. Since this is Cronenberg, it’s not a film for the squeamish, so if penetrating flesh isn’t your thing, best to stay away, especially since there were walk-outs during the film’s screening at the Cannes Film Festival.
But horror fans should gladly partake.
2. Jurassic World Dominion | June 10th, 2022
Jurassic World Dominion is the third and final movie of the Jurassic World trilogy. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are back as Owen and Claire, but we also have Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill and Lara Dern reprising their roles from the original series.
As you may recall, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom saw dinosaurs let loose into the actual world. According to director Colin Trevorrow, the third movie picks up three years after the short film Battle at Big Rock as Dominion is set in 2022. Now that the dinosaurs are out in the world, things aren’t great, since humans and dinos aren’t meant to co-exist.
What will it take for humans to regain dominion once more? Guess we’ll just have to watch the movie to find out.
3. Lightyear | June 17th, 2022
In case you’re still confused, this movie isn’t about Buzz Lightyear the toy. This is the origin story of the human Buzz Lightyear that the toy is based on. Got it? Good.
Lightyear is about young astronaut Buzz Lightyear, who has to find his way back home through space and time after being marooned on a hostile planet with his commander and crew. He also has to confront a threat to the universe’s safety. The movie sounds like an amalgamation of The Martian and Interstellar, and while Matt Damon was in both those films, he’s sadly not in this one.
What we need to talk about is how good the animation looks, and while the film is definitely hoping to hit that nostalgia bone, knowing Pixar’s track record, it’ll still be something truly fantastic.
4. Elvis | June 24th, 2022
Baz Luhrmann hasn’t done a feature film since 2013’s The Great Gatsby, and after nine years, it’s great to see him back with his new film on musical icon Elvis Presley. The movie covers Elvis’ (Austin Butler) road to stardom, from dirt-poor singer to global icon, with a keen focus on his complex relationship with his manager Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks).
The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival recently, and apparently festival goers were all shook up by the movie, giving it a 12 minute standing ovation.
The movie currently sits at a 82% on Rotten Tomatoes with 34 reviews, with many critics praising Butler’s star-making turn as Elvis, though some were less enthused by the performance, calling it more of an impersonation than a full embodiment. Baz Luhrmann’s movies can be a tad divisive, so see it for yourself to see where you stand.
5. The Black Phone | June 24th, 2022
Ethan Hawke’s been killing it this year. He was the antagonist in Moon Knight, the king in The Northman, and now he’s the grabber in Scott Derrickson’s The Black Phone. Adapted from a Joe Hill short story, the movie takes place in 1978, in a suburban town where children go missing with alarming frequency.
In an unlucky turn, Finney (Mason Thames) crosses paths with the kidnapper and gets taken. He finds himself trapped in the kidnapper’s basement, though he’s not as alone as he initially thinks. The grabber’s previous victims somehow manage to call in on the broken black phone in the basement, and he uses the details they give him to piece together information about the grabber. At the same time, his sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) investigates his disappearance through her dreams, which serve as a catalyst for her clairvoyant abilities.
If you’re a fan of Derrickson’s previous movie Sinister, then you should find much to enjoy here.
READ NEXT: Make the Case: 5 More of the Best Movies About Redemption
Some of the coverage you find on Cultured Vultures contains affiliate links, which provide us with small commissions based on purchases made from visiting our site. We cover gaming news, movie reviews, wrestling and much more.
