The Summer of 2023 came with a multitude of films ranging from action-packed vigilante adventures to Disney princess sing-alongs. Legacy students were asked to rate a list of 16 relatively popular movies, released between May and August of this year, between one and five. The five highest-ranking films from the poll are listed below.

Barbie
Released July 21, “Barbie” follows the lives of Barbie and Ken in the seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when the protagonists are presented with the opportunity to visit the real world, they discover the hardships faced by humanity. “Barbie” takes first place among Legacy students with 64.5% of students rating it five stars. Despite its reviews, heavy discourse amongst viewers about the message behind “Barbie” occurred, with some believing it to be an accurate representation of modern feminism and others saying it only scratches the surface. Barbie can be described in two words: perfectly pink!

Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse
With over 50% of students rating “Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse” five stars, it takes second place. The film, the second movie in the trilogy of the Spider-Verse series, was released on June 2. “Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse” accumulated over nine million moviegoers the weekend of its release. In this film, Miles Morales reunites with Gwen Stacy and is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he meets spider-men from every timeline joined together to protect their existence as a whole. The movie’s ending has three different versions played at every theater at different times, so viewers receive a unique experience that, at the time, they were completely oblivious to. “Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse” left its audience on quite the cliffhanger, so the adventures of our favorite fictional web-slinger are on a break until next year, when “Spiderman: Beyond the Spider-Verse” makes its on-screen debut. 

Oppenheimer
Snagging 39% of students upvotes, “Oppenheimer,” released July 21, earns third place. While the historical accuracy of “Oppenheimer” is still under scrutiny, it’s fair to say that the collaboration of some of Hollywood’s most famous child actors was a sight to behold with the appearance of characters like Rodrick from Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Josh from Drake and Josh. The film follows the events of J. Robert Oppenheimer, a physicist, and a team of scientists as they develop an atomic bomb during World War II. In case you hadn’t noticed yet, “Oppenheimer” and Barbie were released on the same day, which sparked the iconic Barbenheimer meme in which the cinematic universes of the two films collide. 

The Little Mermaid
Prior to its release on May 26, the live-action recreation of Disney’s classic “tale”, “The Little Mermaid”, received quite a bit of backlash for its choice of protagonist. Halle Bailey, the actress who plays Princess Ariel, did not gain public favor for her role until people watched the movie and realized what a perfect fit she was. According to 26% of Legacy students who participated in the poll, “The Little Mermaid” is deserving of five stars. According to Disney, the producers of the remake wanted to keep the movie as close to the original animated version as possible. However, the songs ‘Daughters of Triton’ and ‘Les Poissons’ were cut, causing an uproar. Thankfully, a week or so after “The Little Mermaid” was viewed in theaters, controversy dissolved and all was right in the kingdom of Disney.  

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Following the action-packed adventures of the heroes in half-shells, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” received five stars from 16% of Legacy respondents. Released Aug. 2, the movie has a unique animation style, which is explained by the director to be “sketchy and imperfect” in order to be “reminiscent of the way you draw when you’re a child or a teenager.” In spite of its wholesome background and childish demographic, the lean, green ninja team is not without its naysayers. A handful of viewers consider the movie to be too “woke” with its gender-swapped villains and portrayal of April, a previously fair-skinned and red-haired character, as a woman of color. Turtle Power paves the way, though, because “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” prevailed with widespread positive opinion.