It’s not a great summer without great movies. Thankfully, this summer’s big box office movies didn’t disappoint. Here are the top 5 movies on my summer movie list:

1. Man of Steel– The heroic tale of a man from a different planet who uses his super-strength to save the world has been told a number of times. And with so many different versions of the movie Superman, it seemed overplayed. Walking into the movie I had low expectations for yet again, another Superman movie. Well, I was wrong. Man of Steel was the best rendition of Superman I have seen in the longest while. The actors were phenomenal, the plot was fantastic and the graphics were just amazing. There was no cheesy Kryptonite, the villain actually had a valid reason for his destruction, and we FINALLY had a love interest who wasn’t a damsel in distress. For someone who isn’t a huge superhero fanatic, much less a Superman one, this movie definitely had me lost for words.

2. The Heat- After watching the trailer for this movie, I knew I had to see it. Special Agent Ashburn (Sandra Bullock), an uptight, play by the rules FBI agent, and Detective Mullins (Melissa McCarthy), a foul-mouthed, unorthodox Boston police officer are paired together to take down an unmerciful and rutheless drug lord. This “good cop- bad cop” duo was perfect in this outrageous comedy, and from beginning to end this movie had me busting out laughing in tears. There was never a dull moment and the chemistry between the two couldn’t have been better. Hats off to not only Sandra Bullock, but to Melissa McCarthy for her performance. Her “sailor’s mouth” and impulsive decisions were the icing on the cake.

3. World War Z– World War Z wasn’t your typical zombie movie- well, maybe just a little. An unknown virus has caused a worldwide pandemic in which people undergo a cannibalistic transformation and thirst for the blood and flesh of others. Retired United Nations employee, Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt), is called upon by the government to travel to different parts of the world to search for a cure. Now, what I liked about this movie was that they weren’t your typical zombies who died and then came back to life dead to the world; they just went through a transformation and turned into ballistic cannibals. It kind of reminded me of the video game that was recently released this year, The Last of Us. The only thing about this movie that threw me off was the ending. It was a weak one and personally, I thought they could have ended it better.

4. The Wolverine- Hugh Jackman is at it again in his latest film, The Wolverine.  Logan Howlett is called to Japan to visit a dying old friend he saved the atomic explosion at Nagasaki in World War II. There, he is presented with a decision that could ultimately change his life forever. I loved this movie mainly for its story, the plot twists, and Hugh Jackman, of course. I did, however, expect more action to come out of this movie, but I wasn’t disappointed. The story made up for it.

5. Elysium- Imagine an overpopulated world in the future filled with disease, disaster, and despair. This is what the wealthy has escaped by creating their own safe haven, free of disease, poverty, and filled with new medical technology that can completely cure any disease or heal any injury.  This safe haven floating up in space is known as Elysium. Max (Matt Damon), a man dying from radiation poisoning, takes it upon himself to  find a way to Elysium and cure himself before time runs out. I absolutely loved this movie. The concept was raw, compelling and so relevant to our world. Matt Damon’s acting was phenomenal and his character development along with a couple of others blew me away. I feel like this movie was very underrated and didn’t receive the accolades it deserved.