As summer heats up, many seek solace in the cool air of a darkened movie theater. This summer's line-up has something for everyone; comic books turned to movies, cartoons, romance, comedy and the latest installments in the Transformers and Harry Potter series will keep movie fans busy.
The Hangover Part IIStarring: Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms
The trouble making "wolfpack" meets again, this time in the exotic locale of Bangkok, Thailand. The trio is reunited after Stu's (Helms) wedding and engages in another epic escapade. In the pursuit of Stu's fiancée's missing brother, the group encounters a drug-dealing, cigarette-smoking monkey among other hilarity.
Release date: May 26
X-Men First ClassStarring: James McAvoy, January Jones, Kevin Bacon, Michael Fassbender
This prequel to the previous X-Men movies will clear up some details about Professor X (McAvoy) and his mutants. The movie will also show how Xavier became a peace-making revolutionary. Taking audiences back to 1963, First Class shows the budding friendship between Xavier and future archenemy Erik Lehnsherr (Fassbender).
Release date: June 3
Super 8Starring: Riley Griffiths, Joel Courtney
Directors Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams transport audiences back to 1979 in a rural Ohio town. The film follows a group of kids attempting to make a zombie movie with a Super 8 video camera. Amidst filming, the group encounters a derailed train from Area 51 and all sorts of extra terrestrial terror is released.
Release date: June 10
The Green LanternStarring: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard
Sci-fi action explodes in this comic book based movie. Once an average pilot, Hal Jordan (Reynolds) falls into possession of a magical green ring that grants him mystical powers as well as membership in the peacekeeping space police force.
Audiences can expect plenty of special effects as the Green Lantern (Reynolds) battles it with his telekinetic enemy Hector Hammond (Sarsgaard).
Release date: June 17
Cars 2Starring: Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy
Rev up your engines and head to theaters this June for the second installment of Cars. The sequel goes global, taking characters on a tour throughout Tokyo, London and Italy as Lightning McQueen (Wilson) competes in the World Grand Prix and Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) cheers him on.
The plot thickens as Mater gets mistaken for an American spy and becomes involved in a mission with two British agents.
Release date: June 24
Transformers: Dark of the MoonStarring: Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel , Rosie Huntington-Whitely
Transformers goes 3-D for their third movie. The Autobots have gained intelligence of a Cybertronian spaceship and struggle to get to it and learn its secrets before the Decepticons do. Meanwhile, Sam Witwicky (LeBeouf) has found a new love interest in Carly (Huntington-Whitely), who is trapped in Chicago, which the Decepticons have targeted for destruction.
Release date: July 1
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part IIStarring: Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, Ralph Fiennes
The Potter series finally reaches its end with a climatic battle between Harry Potter (Radcliffe) and Voldemort (Fiennes). The extended fight scene includes a chase through Hogwarts. The set also features a glass boathouse, which was not part of the scenery in the book.
Release date: July 15
Captain America: The First Avenger Starring: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Tommy Lee Jones
This Marvel comic based movie shows a superhero ridden side of World War II. After scrawny Steve Jones (Evans) volunteers for a secretive experiment, he becomes a ripped warrior in the fight for Nazi suppression. Watch as Captain America takes on Red Skull (Weaving), a Nazi weapons genius trying to conquer the world.
Release date: July 22
Crazy, Stupid, Love Starring: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling
Super stud Jacob (Gosling) plays mentor to suburban father Cal (Carell). Cal struggles to rebound from losing his wife to adultery. Jacob gives tips to get Cal back in the dating game, while himself vying for the affections of a law student, Hannah (Stone).
Release date: July 29
The Help Starring: Emma Stone, Viola Davis
Based on Kathryn's Stockett's bestseller, this movie portrays relationships in the South during a period of civil unrest. Skeeter (Stone) is an ambitious writer who seeks to expose the truth about the mistreatment of hired help through a book compiled of interviews with maids.
Through it all, Skeeter struggles to maintain her bonds with the society ladies, her former friends.
Release date: August 12