By Ray Kirsch

In tradition with last year's summer watch recap, my Letterboxd is pulled up, and I am ready to rank every single film I watched this summer from least favorite to favorite. Starting from May 18 to August 21, this list is lengthy, but I will be as positively judgmental as I can be. This year, I also added what my watch dates were—I unfortunately am obsessed with rewatching movies, so it may be a little embarrassing for me. If you look closely enough, you'll see what days I was laying in bed all day, watching movies. 

Find a new movie to watch, or see how much you disagree with me below. 

There will likely be spoilers throughout this list. The opinions expressed in this article do not reflect the views of WSUM, UW–Madison or its Board of Regents. 

36. Descendants: The Rise of Red (2024) | July 26

Sorry, Descendants fans. This film had a lot of potential in the first half, but they totally lost the plot in the second half. The music was good, but there were a lot of plot holes that simply did not get filled by the end of the movie. Also, I just don't feel particularly drawn to watching any new Descendants films, as they don't have Cameron Boyce in them (and he was the main reason I originally watched them). 

35. Cabaret (1972) | July 10

Had I watched this earlier in my life, perhaps I would've liked it more. But, I unfortunately just didn't get it. I was so confused why the two characters became lovers, especially when the man was so obviously queer to me. Maybe if I rewatched it, I'd like it more… 

34. Shark Tale (2004) | May 24

Now that I think about it, I'm not actually sure if I ever finished this movie… It was certainly about sharks. As far as animated films go, I have different ones that I enjoy much more. 

33. Benjamin (2018) | May 26

I watched this for the gay storyline and stayed for Colin Morgan. It was good, but as far as movies about queer relationships go, I wish it would've done more. Also, the love interest's music wasn't even that good…

32. The Princess Bride (1987) | May 18

Don't judge me; this was the first time I watched this movie. I actually enjoyed it a fair amount. Although I found moments cringey, I think it was fun for its time. I get it. I just liked other movies more. 

31. Red, White & Royal Blue (2023) | June 20

Honestly, this one probably deserved to be this low last summer, too. As a fan of the novel, the film adaptation kind of flopped, but I unfortunately fell for Nicholas Galitizine's charm… Some of the shots are really weird to me (for example, the one scene when they two are being interviewed, and it's a weird shot of Nicholas that makes his neck look super long), but those scenes were made up to me further on. Yes, it's a silly movie, but I think it's just a sweet little love story.

30. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) | July 28

Now, let me start off by saying that I strongly disagree with J.K. Rowling and all of her opinions. I was raised on Harry Potter, and it has (for better or for worse) became a comfort watch series with a pinch of dislike sprinkled on top. Because, the author of this series could've done so much more. It could've been like the Percy Jackson franchise, which has evolved beautifully and lives on with Rick Rordian's creativity, but I personally believe Harry Potter wasn't planned enough to live on like that. Yeah, Harry Potter is incredibly alive right now fandom-wise, but it certainly isn't because of the original books. 

This is by far my least favorite movie of the series because I just cannot stand the storyline of it. That's all. 

29. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) | July 7 

This is my second least favorite film. Yeah, it's a classic… It started the whole series… But, I just find other ones from the series more compelling. 

28. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) | July 20

Every time I watch this, I just think about how weird Tom Riddle is. 

27. Oppenheimer (2023) | June 22

I totally love the cinematography and the sounds of this film—and I love Cillian Murphy—but after watching it once, I spent a lot of time on my phone rather than actually watching what was going on. I'd argue that the film wouldn't be popular without Cillian… oh, well. 

26. Titanic (1997) | June 19

This deserves to be exactly here on this list. I grew up watching Titanic; I could sing ‘My Heart Will Go On' from an early age. This film always makes me sad and angry—like, Rose, move over on the massive door you're floating on—but, it's a classic… 

25. Pearl (2022) | June 28

This is only low on the list because I don't do well with gore. I totally love all of Pearl's catchphrases and think this film was really funny, but I didn't get the whole picture because I never watched the prequel, X (2022). 

24. Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) | August 3

Same as the previous, I'm not good with gore. I didn't realize that this film was where the “you're the murderer” TikTok audio trend came from, but I totally loved it. Whenever I watch films like these, I get annoyed about their lack of preservation and lack of thinking logically, but this one had a fun twist to make it an enjoyable watch. I appreciated how female-centric the characters were, but I also thought there were some plot points that never were addressed. 

23. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) | July 21

I always find this one pretty boring because they're just running around for most of it. I totally respect it—go get the materials to kill the big bad guy—but also, it just bored me. 

22. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) | July 6

A fun fact about me… I love this series. I do think the films are painfully long, but really, you can't complain with this classic! I'll say something controversial… The Hobbit > Lord of the Rings.

21. How to Train Your Dragon (2010) | August 11

My friends and I watched this as a background movie as we played the Pandemic board game. I actually love this film, but I wasn't really paying attention to this watch. 

20. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) | July 21

Okay, hear me out. Snape dies, Voldemort dies, and the war ends. The downside? They give a weird “20 years later” bit, in which suddenly everyone's trauma is gone and Harry names his kids after a teacher who was weirdly obsessed with his mom and his headmaster who literally used him as a war weapon. Good job, I guess. 

19. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) | July 16

This is my favorite film of The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings franchise. Honestly, it's just because I like dragons and used to be obsessed with Kili… Yes, did they add a female character just to be a love interest for Kili? Absolutely. My younger self loved Tauriel. The best thing about only watching this film is you don't get to see what happens to Kili later on in the series… Also, pretty, gold, scary dragon! 

18. Top Gun: Maverick (2022) | August 21

Now, no judgment… I like this one over the original Top Gun. Controversial, I know. Happy endings all around… Rooster… Need I say more? 

17. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015) | May 27

I had a difficult time choosing the order for The Hunger Games series because I really do enjoy the entire franchise. With that being said, this one gets the lowest because of what they did to Finnick. Yeah, I took it personally. 

16. Beautiful Boy (2018) | May 18

I hate and love this movie for how incredibly sad it is. I have to be in a certain mood to watch this, because I will most likely cry during the movie. Say what you want about Timothée Chalamet; he was amazing in this film. 

15. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) | May 26, July 17

Honestly, I found the victory tour a little boring. I know what the point of it was, but it was a little painfully awkward to watch. However, all of the awkwardness turns into sadness when the 75th Annual Games gets announced. 

14. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) | June 14, July 20

I mostly hate this movie, to be honest. When I was younger, the only reasons I was obsessed with it were because I loved the grown-out hair in the guys, the ‘Dance Like a Hippogriff' song and Hermione's dress for the Yule Ball. I think this is the first one where people start really hating Dumbledore; me too! 

13. Wonka (2023) | June 13

There's chocolate… Call it cringey; I call it Timothée Chalamet finally being free.

12. Nimona (2023) | August 10

This is one of my all-time favorite animated films. There's never a bad time to rewatch Nimona. With that being said, I watched it as a background movie to playing board games, so I wasn't as locked in as I usually am. 

11. All of Us Strangers (2023) | June 7 

While I was utterly confused the first time I watched this film, I think it's really fun to watch as a writer watching a writer. I think it gives a whole new perspective that isn't really intended in the film. Also, the cast list is pretty stacked. 

10. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) | May 27

Sorry, Peeta. I do really like this one. Finnick revealing his secret… I had a good laugh when they were filming the ‘propos'. 

9. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) | July 20

This has always been my favorite movie of the series—surprise, surprise, it's because of Sirius. The fact that this is a fan favorite kind of just shows how the series took off past what the original author even attended in the first place. 

8. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023) | May 27, June 1, July 28, August 5

Don't judge me for how much I watched this… Listen. I read the book this summer, and the book provides so much context on the brain of Coriolanus Snow that I had to watch the film again to see if it came through at all from page to screen. Also, I'm a massive fan of the music in this film, so I have to give it credit. 

7. I Saw the TV Glow (2024) | June 26

To be honest, I'm not sure if I even know what this film is about, to this day. I think it's been interesting to see how differently people think of the movie—some people become deep in thought and existential from it, some hate it, some are just confused by it. But, I think that's the entire point of the film. When it's on streaming and I have time to focus, I'll definitely be rewatching it. 

6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) | June 15, July 24, July 26

This usually is one of my favorite movies from the series because Dumbledore dies, but I had a lot of fun rewatching it just to analyze the ‘Golden Trio''s vibes through it all. 

5. Little Women (2019) | June 7

I always watch this when I'm in a writer's block. 

4. The Hunger Games (2012) | May 26

She's classic, she can't go wrong, she's the original Hunger Games movie. All I can say is that Jennifer Lawrence must have had bills to pay when she filmed. 

3. Bottoms (2023) | August 19

This will always be a fun watch for me because of how light-hearted and silly it is. Like, it's everything I want in a lesbian rom-com. Josie kicking a can on the street to the sound of ‘Complicated' by Avril Lavigne… that's real cinema. 

2. Ponyo (2008) | July 7, July 19

Perhaps one of my new favorite Studio Ghibli films, I totally love this film. Ponyo is absolutely adorable. More importantly, the theme song is so fun and catchy. 

1. Kill Your Darlings (2013) | July 29, July 30

I really think this is along the lines of what Saltburn (2023) was trying to do. You put Danielle Radcliffe in brown contacts, and I'm sat. Honestly, I had a great time watching this movie and then researching Allen Ginsberg and Lucien Carr afterward. As an English major, it was just so interesting to watch. While it isn't the exact true story of Allen Ginsberg (as it was stretched a little to make it more appealing), I think it does a great job of highlighting how quitting your first college doesn't mean you won't be successful. 

Also, the murder plotline just made me upset, honestly. David Kammerer was much older than Lucien Carr and Allen Ginsberg in real life (he was 31 when he died, while the two were around 19), and in the movie, I felt like viewers were almost supposed to sympathize with Lucien for killing David. Also, I was just heartbroken and upset that he pleaded guilty with an honor slaying, as in real life, there was then an increase in heterosexual men being violent toward homosexual men on a basis of showing their masculinity.