10 Surprisingly Great Movies From Summer 2016

What We Expected: An immensely belated sequel few actually asked for, milking its fanbase dry for every drop it's worth while likely recycling prior gags and attempting to thrive off the modest success of the two prior films. Plus, there aren't enough movies aimed at the "black demographic", so they'll take whatever trash studios vomit at them and filmmakers don't need to put any effort in, right?

What We Got: It may be arguably earnest to a fault, but the third Barbershop movie is, against the odds, arguably the best entry into the franchise. The laughs come thick and fast and the performances are solid across the board, but what really takes this to an unexpected dimension is the deep-seated engagement with real-world issues.

Gang violence and institutional racism are taken to task without subtlety but with plenty of heart, and so what could have been unbearably corny is instead a rare second sequel that really works (and an even rarer second sequel that improves upon both prior movies).

Which movies caught you off-guard with their surprising quality this summer? Shout them out in the comments!