Superheroes, tornadoes, and sandworms rule this year’s box office.
Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. We may earn a commission from these links.
Not too long ago, action movies only cared about explosions. Transformers led the box office, and the crew went from driving cars to becoming tactical mercenaries. No disrespect to Michael Bay and Optimus Prime, but sometimes I just want to watch someone punch someone else in the face.
So it’s fitting that this past weekend’s summer blockbuster, , included a massive brawl set to NSYNC’s “Bye, Bye, Bye.” (Have you relearned the dance yet?) Elsewhere, Twisters finally restored my faith in the natural-disaster film. The Fall Guy gave real stuntmen some much-deserved credit, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga took audiences back to Fury Road, and Dune: Part Two featured a fight between Timothée Chalamet and Austin Butler. That's cinema, folks. If you're looking for even more thrills, the films below represent the best action flicks of the year (so far).
Deadpool & Wolverine (In Theaters)
View full post on Youtube
Full of Marvel-multiverse antics, shoehorns Ryan Reynolds’s R-rated hero into the MCU with a little help from Hugh Jackman’s return to costumed tights. Plus, there’s a barrage of excellent celebrity cameos.
Twisters (In Theaters)
View full post on Youtube
The latest natural-disaster flick is a reboot of a nineties classic. Directed by Lee Isaac Chung (Minari), Twisters stars Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Anthony Ramos as tornado chasers hoping to discover the science needed to stop a storm dead in its tracks. It also boasts a killer soundtrack.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
View full post on Youtube
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga had a lot riding against it. Could Anya Taylor-Joy lead a prequel to one the decade’s most celebrated action films??? The answer, by the time Furiosa hit theaters, was a resounding yes. Its big rig ripped just as hard as any other Mad Max installment, coupled with a villainous turn by Chris Hemsworth and a fantastic story leading back to Fury Road.
Advertisem*nt - Continue Reading Below
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
View full post on Youtube
Acting as the first entry in a new Planet of the Apes trilogy, Kingdom continues where Andy Serkis’s Caesar left off in the simian world. His character’s legacy is long forgotten (and twisted) by the time Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes begins—and it’s up to a new hero (Owen Teague) to decide the planet’s future.
The Fall Guy
View full post on Youtube
Monkey Man
View full post on Youtube
Star (and first-time director!) Dev Patel has created his own John Wick–style hero, who is on a mission for revenge across India. Inspired by the tales of Hanuman, Patel’s bloody and violent action flick is easily one of the best films of the year so far.
Advertisem*nt - Continue Reading Below
Road House
View full post on Youtube
It’s hard to top a masterpiece like Patrick Swayze’s Road House. So Jake Gyllenhaal & Co. didn’t even try to re-create the magic of the eighties original. Instead, the new Road House is a slugfest between a ripped Gyllenhaal and an often butt-naked Conor McGregor. What more could you ask for?
Dune: Part Two
View full post on Youtube
The Beekeeper
View full post on Youtube
The Beekeeper is built on an incredibly odd premise. Jason Statham plays a, yes, beekeeper who is actually part of a clandestine organization called the Beekeepers (though not everyone in the group is a beekeeper like him). The complexities of the film’s world-building fade away the second that Statham threatens to burn a whole building to the ground...and then does exactly that. Plus, he’s surrounded by real bees.
Advertisem*nt - Continue Reading Below
Boy Kills World
View full post on Youtube
Bill Skarsgård sets out on a Deadpool-esque rampage of violence in this action-comedy, which also stars H. Jon Benjamin (Bob’s Burgers) as the internal voice of our deaf-mute hero. Inspired by the art of video games and graphic novels, Boy Kills World will satisfy anyone’s need for fast-paced action.
Badland Hunters
View full post on Youtube
This is a stand-alone sequel to last year’s Concrete Utopia, featuring survivors of a zombie apocalypse as they attempt to escape a post-earthquake Seoul. Produced in Korea, Badland Hunters stars Ma Dong-seok (Train to Busan) performing some of the year’s best fight choreography.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
View full post on Youtube
It’s not a hot take to say that Guy Ritchie movies are very hit-or-miss. Often the problem with his films is that his eccentric characters don’t really have a mission—other than driving each other crazy. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (mouthy title!)fixes all of that. Why? Because Henry Cavill, Reacher’s Alan Ritchson, Henry Golding, and the rest of their ragtag bunch of soldiers are out to kill Nazis. Classic.
