8 Movies to Look Forward To July 2021

The Movie Time Team is back with July’s biggest feature films. Erin and Kassie have put together a list of the biggest movies being released this month...for your viewing pleasure! No matter where you are, whether back in lockdown or free to hit the big screen, we’ve got something for you.

So grab your popcorn — whether that’s from your own microwave or at the theatre — and get ready for this month’s Movie Time!

1. The Tomorrow War

Together we can stop this war from ever happening.

Chris Pratt. Aliens. Time Travel. That’s what Amazon Prime’s The Tomorrow War promises. When armed time travellers appear in the middle of a football field during a televised game, they come searching for help in a global fight against aliens 30 years in the future. Together with his estranged father, a family man teams up with a scientist to change the course of the war.

Directed by Chris McKay and featuring Chris Pratt in the leading role, The Tomorrow War also stars Yvonne Strahovski, J.K. Simmons, and Jasmine Matthews. Originally set for theatrical release in 2020, Paramount sold the film’s distribution rights to Amazon Studios due to the pandemic.

The film was released for direct streaming anywhere Amazon Prime is available on 2nd July. - Kassie

2. Black Widow

I've lived a lot of lives... But I'm done running from my past.

After the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s bombastic conclusion to its Phase Three and the release of shows like Wandavision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the MCU’s Phase Four is getting its first film. Not unlike Ant-Man and the Wasp before it, Black Widow takes place between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, delving into the past of enigmatic spy/agent/Avenger Natasha Romanoff, better known as the titular Black Widow. Once again, Romanoff finds herself on the run, surrounded by past failures, regrets, and a new, mysterious foe, the Taskmaster.

Directed by Cate Shortland, Black Widow features the return of Scarlett Johansson in the title role, as well as Florence Pugh and Rachel Weisz as fellow Black Widows Yelena Belova and Vostokoff respectively. Also in the film are David Harbour as Red Guardian, O-T Fagbenle as Rick Mason, Ray Winstone as the head of the Red Room, and returning actor William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross.

Black Widow climbed into theaters on the 7th of July and into your home through Disney+ on the 9th. - Erin

3. The Forever Purge

This is the real purge. The forever purge.

Return to the annual bloodbath as the rules are broken in The Forever Purge. In the world of The Purge, a dystopian America annually observes a 12-hour period where anything goes and all crime is legal. The Forever Purge follows the story of Adela and Juan, a couple fleeing from a drug cartel, as they’re stranded on a ranch in Texas and find themselves at the mercy of a group of individuals who decide that the Purge shouldn’t end.

This violent action-horror film is directed by Everardo Gout, and stars Ana de la Reguera, Tenoch Huerta, and Josh Lucas. Written and co-produced by series creator, James DeMonaco, The Forever Purge is the fifth (and supposedly final) installation of The Purge franchise.

After facing a release delay last year, The Forever Purge will be in theatres in the UK on 16th July, with an earlier US release on 2nd July. - Kassie

Space Jam: A New Legacy

A computer dude kidnapped my son.

In line with the vast amounts of remakes and “reimaginings” seen in recent years, comes Space Jam: A New Legacy, the sequel to the Michael Jordan-starring film of 1996. Once again combining live-action, hand-drawn animation, and modern CGI, Space Jam: A New Legacy tells the story of a father trying to save his family, along with the help of everyone’s favourite Looney Tunes characters. When a basketball champion and his son become trapped by a malicious A.I., it’s up to the Tune Squad to help him win a basketball tournament...and avoid being “deleted” themselves.

NBA superstar LeBron James stars as himself in this sports-comedy family film. Space Jam: A New Legacy also stars Don Cheadle, Cedric Joe, and a number of cameos from other NBA players, including Michael Jordan.

Parents, nostalgia chasers, and those just young at heart, be sure not to miss Space Jam: A New Legacy when it releases theatrically on 16th July. - Kassie

5. Old

It’s only a matter of time.

We know that old age and, after a while, death comes for us all, but what if that inevitability came faster than expected? Based on Pierre Oscar Levy and Frederik Peeters’ acclaimed graphic novel, Sandcastle, Old follows a family of vacationers and other guests on a beautiful, idyllic beach. However, when strange occurrences (including a few dead bodies) keep popping up and they get a better chance to look at each other, and themselves, they find themselves much older than they were when they arrived. Will they escape the sands of time before their lives have been wrapped up into a single day?

In this latest project from director/writer M. Night Shyamalan, Old features an ensemble cast including the likes of Gael García Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Rufus Sewell, Ken Leung, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Abbey Lee, Kathleen Chalfant, Embeth Davidtz, Emun Elliott, Alex Wolff, Eliza Scanlen, and Thomasin McKenzie.

Old will come to theaters on the 23rd of July. - Erin

6. Jungle Cruise

Of all the jungle cruises you could take in the Amazon, this one is undoubtedly...the cheapest.

Joining the ranks of The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Tower of Terror, Jungle Cruise is the latest Disney Parks ride to be receiving its very own feature film. This action-adventure flick with a supernatural twist includes stars such as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Emily Blunt, Edgar Ramírez, and Paul Giamatti.

Join Frank Wolff (Dwayne Johnson), an Indiana Jones-esque riverboat captain, as he adventures with Dr. Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt) and her brother (Jack Whitehall) on a quest to find the Tree of Life. The movie will be a PG-13 romp through the Amazon as the trio faces off against the dangers of both nature and a villainous crew racing to find the legendary tree first.

Jungle Cruise will release in cinemas in both the UK and US on 30th July, and will also be available through Disney+ with Premier Access the same day. - Kassie

7. The Suicide Squad

Each member was chosen for his or her own completely unique set of abilities.

From James Gunn, the MCU-to-DCU hopping director of Guardians of the Galaxy, comes The Suicide Squad. Just five years after the underwhelming reception of 2016’s Suicide Squad, DC Films is making a second attempt at bringing these antiheroes to life. In this irreverent and bombastic take on the more villainous side of superheroism, a government organization forms a team of dangerous convicts and tasks them to take down a Nazi-era laboratory.

The soft reboot will once again star Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, and Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag. The star-studded cast of new characters will include Nathan Fillion, Idris Elba, John Cena, and Sylvester Stallone, among many others.

The Suicide Squad will be released in theatres in the UK on 30th July, with a later theatrical release in the US, as well as on HBO Max, on 6th August. - Kassie

8. The Sparks Brothers

All pop music is rearranged Sparks.

Meet Ron and Russell Mael, better known as the prolific American pop/rock duo, Sparks. Known for their quirky music and theatrical performances, Sparks has released 25 albums over their long history and inspired an untold number of fellow musicians. And now their story will be told.

From the equally prolific and artistic director, Edgar Wright of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and the Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy, comes his first documentary film, The Sparks Brothers. The movie features animations and interviews with over 80 people, including famed musicians and actors such as “Weird Al” Yankovic, Beck, Björk, Flea, Todd Rundgren, John Taylor and Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran, Jason Schwartzman, Patton Oswalt, Mike Myers, and Fred Armisen.

Find out more about The Sparks Brothers when this documentary comes to theaters on the 30th of July. - Erin

And that’s a wrap!

Action, horror, and a bit of family fun are all on the table for July! Even with the moviegoing experience fundamentally changed after a year of uncertainty, we can still look to films for a brief escape — whether it’s two hours of action and explosions or deep introspection that teaches us a little more about ourselves.

Tell us in the comments what movies you’re planning to see this month!