Summer is a busy time for college students, and between summer classes and internships, there remains very little time for the important things in life, like watching movies. Even more difficult is wading through the crowded schedule of both massive summer blockbusters and indie films, so we are here to help out. Handpicked below, in order of release, are the eight summer movies that cannot be missed.

“Wonder Woman”

First up is Patty
Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman,” which will release June 2. The DC Entertainment Universe has yet to deliver a strong theatrical release, with “Man of Steel,” “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “Suicide Squad” disappointing both audiences and critics alike.

Now, the Wonder Woman movie has the opportunity to do exactly what she did in “Batman V Superman” — come in, clean up everyone’s mess and save the day. With beautiful trailers and a strong director, this is the most promising DC film yet.

“Spider-Man: Homecoming”

Spider-Man’s great appearance in last year’s “Captain America: Civil War” marked the web-slinger’s debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, after years of Sony (who own the theatrical rights to Spider-Man) separating him from the Avengers.

After being introduced to the new universe, Spider-Man will set out on his own adventure on July 7 in “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” which sees Tom Holland reprise his “Civil War” role, and looks to bring teen drama and increased diversity to the classic superhero film.

“A Ghost Story”

With last summer’s “Pete’s Dragon,” director David Lowery earned filmgoers’ respect. A Disney remake with heart and a legitimate reason to recreate the original film, it was a surprisingly
poignant tale.

Lowery is now making a large pivot from that children’s film to a more adult tale of love and loss, and it couldn’t look better. Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara star in this haunting romance, and tears are almost guaranteed.

“The Big Sick”

Michael Showalter’s “The Big Sick” wraps up the July 14 slate of films. It was co-written by star Kumail Nanjiani and his wife, Emily V. Gordon, about the early stages of their relationship and the ways they were forced to work out their cultural differences.

It looks hilarious and touching in equal parts and won the Festival Favorites award last month at SXSW’s film festival.

“Dunkirk”

Christopher Nolan’s follow-up to the massively-disappointing “Interstellar,” “Dunkirk” opens on July 21. The film is a dramatization of the Dunkirk Evacuation, a miraculous event in World War II that saved the lives of over 338,000 Allied Soldiers.

The most interesting thing about the story is that it is not a victory. The British army does not win any battle, they simply make it out alive. It will be interesting to see how Nolan adapts it into his own, spectacle-heavy style.

“Detroit”

Acclaimed director Katherine Bigelow has not directed a feature film since 2012’s controversial-but-fantastic “Zero Dark Thirty,” but the wait will end on August 4. With “Detroit,” the Academy Award-winning director will attempt to tell the story of the racially-charged Detroit Riots of 1967.

Adapting a topic this sensitive can be a difficult task, but Bigelow’s skillful directorial hand and great cast, including John Boyega and Anthony Mackie, are encouraging.

“It Comes at Night”

“It Comes at Night” is a low-budget horror film with an unsettling trailer, starring Joel Edgerton and directed by Trey Edward Shults, who made the surprisingly-profound “Krisha.” 

That is about all that is known about the movie, but the uncertainty makes the movie even more appealing. It could end up being anything, but it will almost definitely be good.