The team at "After the Credits" watched dozens of films that were released in theaters or became available online in the summer of 2026 and decided to share their favorites. Add them to your watchlists and share your own summer favorites in the comments.
"Pressure"
"Pressure" is an intimate film that has undeservedly sunk in the stream of summer blockbusters, where the main character is not a person but an atmospheric front. The plot revolves around it: two chief meteorologists — a British one (Andrew Scott) and an American one (Chris Messina) — must predict the weather with pinpoint accuracy on the day of the Allied landing in Normandy. The fate of the entire operation depends on it.
The film exudes a noble old-fashionedness, yet it can captivate with its cabinet-like spirit of rivalry. And since the outcome of the operation itself has long been known, the filmmakers focus more on tone and the play of sympathies, as the viewer's pendulum of empathy swings from one character to another. But it is restrained, subtle, and without unnecessary melodrama. It delicately reminds us that sometimes the outcome of a battle can be decided behind closed doors. And there are also courageous people behind that.
Top 5 best films of the summer according to Vitaly:
- Odyssey
- Evil Dead: Inferno
- The Death of Robin Hood
- Motor City
- Sheep Investigate
"Toy Story 5"
I generally love "Toy Story" very much, and the fourth part seven years ago didn't bother me as much as it did some fans. Of course, "Toy Story 4" would have been a great finale, but the franchise is too profitable to give up (especially in the situation with Pixar). In the end, the series has reached its fifth film and raised a cool theme of the confrontation between toys and technology. True, the creators cut corners and didn't go into criticizing the generation of iPad kids (actually, because many will watch the cartoon on a tablet), but the film turned out to be very cozy.
You can't escape self-repetition and a bit of fatigue, but visually "Toy Story" is still beautiful. A great summer cartoon for viewers of all ages. Next, we look forward to Woody and Buzz's confrontation with neural networks.
Top 5 best films of the summer according to Evgeny:
- Toy Story 5
- Spider-Man: Brand New Day
- Odyssey
- Evil Dead: Inferno
- The Colony
"Spider-Man: Brand New Day"
For me, "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" is the best film of this summer and definitely the best solo Spider-Man film with Tom Holland. For the first time, his Peter is finally trusted to be the main character of his own story. There's no Tony Stark, no multiverse, no friends taking up screen time, no bunch of cameos for fan service and constant reminders of the MCU's scale. Here, Spidey truly lives his own plot — yes, sometimes underdeveloped and with a caveat about the inexplicably appearing Hand Clan, but still. This is a much more adult Peter: lonely but already learned to save New York. Therefore, the film works not only as a good adventure but also as a drama about growing up, grief, and accepting changes in oneself. The development of his abilities doesn't feel like another fancy suit or upgrade. Spidey goes through a bodily metaphor of growing up: he changes, not fully understanding what he will become, he is afraid, makes mistakes, and still must learn to live with it.
"Brand New Day" somehow combines several versions of Spider-Man at once. It has a hint of the old films, the rhythm of a good comic book, and even a special episode with the Punisher, Hulk, Yelena Belova, and other heroes, as well as the plasticity, quips, and inventiveness of Insomniac's games. I admit, part of the film I felt like I was sitting with a gamepad in my hands.
The cherry on top of this whole story is Sadie Sink and her Jean Grey. Perhaps this is the most interesting new character introduced in the recent films and series of the universe. They gave her a familiar pattern but a completely new storyline — fresh, interesting, and one that you want to follow further. This is a very successful launch of the mutant line and the return of the X-Men to the screen, along with their eternal theme — society's fear of those who are different.
It's also especially important to me that the final conflict isn't resolved by a huge CGI battle: Peter wins when he shows the most vulnerable part of himself.
I could go on for a long time listing the advantages of "Brand New Day": the acting, the plot construction, the soundtrack. But I'll stop at the thought that the film is making incredible box office simply because viewers were finally given a clear emotional story about a hero who grew up with us.
Top 5 best films of the summer according to Larisa:
- Odyssey
- The Invitation
- Behind the Scenes of Reality
- Spider-Man: Brand New Day
- Messages for Isabel
"The Colony" (Gunche)
A biotechnology conference is taking place in a Seoul skyscraper — and, of course, something goes wrong. One of the guests releases a mutating virus that turns people into bloodthirsty creatures, and the authorities, in the best traditions of the genre, immediately cordon off the building, trapping a whole company of random fellow travelers inside: a scientist, a security guard with a disabled sister in his care, school bullies, and the ex-husband of the main character. A classic formula of "zombies plus confined space," but director Yeon Sang-ho (author of "Train to Busan") manages to breathe new life into it.
And here begins the main trick: the zombies in "The Colony" don't just run and bite, they learn. At first, the infected are as dumb as a tree and confuse mannequins with people, but over time they begin to exchange "experience" with each other — and the survivors have to deceive an entire collective mind by dousing themselves with perfume and offering the monsters cardboard decoys. It's a rare case where a horror about the undead doesn't devolve into repeating itself but honestly evolves throughout the film — it's just a pity that in the second half the picture sags a bit and veers into a typical Korean action movie with pathos and revenge motives. But the first hour and a half is so inventive and tense that it's enough for "The Colony" to deservedly make it into the main summer premieres — and to remind us that even the overused zombie genre still has something to say.
Top 5 best films of the summer according to Roman:
- Spider-Man: Brand New Day
- The Colony
- Evil Dead: Inferno
- Fury Unleashed
- Sheep Investigate
"Fury Unleashed" (Fo ze ngaan)
For those who miss vibrant Asian action films inspired by "The Raid," the film "Fury Unleashed" will be a real discovery. The plot is banally simple: a father of an abducted girl sets out to find her in dangerous parts of the city, and he is helped by the husband of a missing journalist. Then the viewer is treated to tense and dynamic fights, broken bones, and many blows to the head. Although some scenes look extremely unrealistic, they still impress with their spectacle. It's impossible to tear yourself away from the screen! Almost two hours of gripping action.
The film doesn't aspire to deep philosophical reflections or the title of high art, but it can't be called a frankly stupid action movie either. The quality of the production, the fight choreography, and the physical training of the entire cast are impressive. And the scenes of self-harm, shot almost in one take, can easily compete with such Hollywood blockbusters as "John Wick."
Top 5 best films of the summer according to Evgeny:
- Fury Unleashed
- Pressure
- Crime on the Third Floor
- Momo
- The Colony
Share your favorites in the comments.
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