In a summer full of box office draws and flops, successes and failures, over- and under-rated movies, never would I have imagined that the best films of the season would be shown solely at the local indie theaters like our very own Embassy Cinema. My favorites were the polished and well-realized independent films rather than the financially successful but critically lacking big-budget “experiences.”

When I look back, I would overall label this summer movie season — when the fun, CGI-filled movies ruled — as a disappointment. The only exception that comes to mind is “Captain America: Civil War.” A solid B+ in my book, the film introduced new characters and reflected on old familiars with finesse and swift conflict between the two. While infused with entertaining humor, breathtaking action and an above-average Marvel villain (which isn’t saying much), the plot seems to prioritize moments in film rather than cohering the scenes as a whole to form a fully fleshed-out story. In my opinion, this film was the definitive winner among the other big-budget additions that devalued their respective franchises.

The most surprising film of the summer that exceeded my low expectations was “Sausage Party.” With a final grade of a B-, it reigned over the underwhelming and predictable comedies of the summer. While at times making too much use of its R rating with its crude and immature humor, it was surprisingly satirical with its commentary on the Middle East and the merits of belief in our society. Though the pace seems to slow down in the second act with excessive exposition, it still delivered an absurd look at a Pixar-esque universe that is undoubtedly fun.

To my unfortunate surprise, this summer’s biggest disappointment was “Star Trek Beyond” with a C-. As a loyal fan of the original 60s series, I appreciated the similarities to the structure and character dynamics of the old episodes. That being said, it also recalled one of the many “ok” episodes, of which the original series had quite a number of. The villain had no character development and inexcusably illogical motivation. The clunky, disorienting CGI didn’t help the film, either. Maybe it’s my distaste in “Fast 7” director Justin Lin’s signature of unrealistic physics or the focus on visuals rather than storytelling that has made me sour.

While I will commend the film’s score by Michael Giacchino, make-up and their handling of the passing of Leonard Nimoy and Anton Yelchin, the most praise-worthy aspect of the film is the accurate and spot-on relationship among the main seven crewmembers of the Enterprise that struck sentimental gold.

The definitive closer to the summer, Suicide Squad, was horrible. Plain and simple. I would have put it as the most disappointing, but then again, I had no hope for it to begin with. Failing to be a “dark Guardians of the Galaxy,” it hosts probably the worst comic book movie villain ever with a complete lack of development or general insight into her plan to destroy the world for whatever reason, rushed or no character development and horrendous CGI. It is almost F-worthy, but it will receive a D- for Will Smith’s charisma and Margot Robbie’s accurate portrayal of Harley Quinn.

As for the indies, three stood out. The first was “The Nice Guys,” the Shane Black film that surpasses conventional buddy-cop action-comedies. Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe worked well off each other and had a believable chemistry between them. Throw that in with an enticing mystery and many chuckle-worthy moments, and you will get an A-. “The Lobster,” a beautiful satire of the modern relationship and the social conventions of marriage, is a quirky, surprisingly funny film that peaks in the first act and somewhat dwindles in the second.

Though there were some pacing drawbacks in the second half of the film, they can not outweigh the numerous highs throughout that result in an A-. Finally, the best film of the summer is left to “Hell or High Water,” a drama set in west Texas about two bank-robbing brothers being investigated by an old marshal played by Jeff Bridges. Subtle, yet blunt; poignant, yet comedic, this film was a highly satisfying sitting that was well acted, written, directed and shot. With no immediate identifiable faults in the movie at the moment and a predicted supporting Oscar nod for Ben Foster, I award it an A.