13 Summer Movies You Must See

Movie watchers are going ape over some of the most anticipated movies for the summer of 2011 featuring characters from comic books, classic cartoons, fairy tales, current bestsellers, and classic novels involving aliens, cowboys, pirates, mutants, super heroes and wizards . All these characters will be coming to life on the big screen in the summer of 2011.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Release date: May 20

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Director: Rob Marshall

An Adventure Comedy Starring Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane

After crossing paths with a woman from his past (Cruz), Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) is swept aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard (McShane), on an unexpected mission to find the elusive fountain of youth.

The Hangover Part II

Release date: May 26

Warner Bros. Pictures

Director: Todd Phillips

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Justin Bartha

In the follow-up to the record-breaking hit comedy "The Hangover," Phil (Cooper), Stu (Helms), Alan (Galifianakis) and Doug (Bartha) travel to exotic Thailand for Stu's wedding. After the unforgettable bachelor party in Las Vegas, Stu is taking no chances and has opted for a safe, subdued pre-wedding brunch. However, things don't always go as planned. What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what happens in Bangkok can't even be imagined.

X-Men: First Class

Release date: June 3

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Director: Matthew Vaughn

An Action Adventure Starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence

Charles Xavier (aka Professor X) and Erik Lensherr (aka Magneto) are two young men discovering their powers. Banding together with fellow mutants to stop a threat to the world, a rift grows between the two forces, leading to the founding of Professor X's X-MEN and Magneto's Brotherhood, and the beginning of their eternal war.

Super 8

Release date: June 10

Paramount Pictures

Director: J.J. Abrams

An Action Horror Thriller Starring Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, Ryan Lee

Conventional & IMAX

Set in 1979, an alien entity en route from Area 51 to a facility in Ohio breaks free from captivity.

Green Lantern

Release date: June 17

Warner Bros. Pictures

Director: Martin Campbell

An Action Adventure Starring Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard

When he's granted a mystical green ring that bestows him with otherworldly powers, test pilot Hal Jordan (Reynolds) becomes the first human to earn membership into an intergalactic squadron tasked with keeping peace within the universe. His mission: to combat an enemy called Parallax, which threatens to destroy the universe's balance of power.

Cars 2

Release date: June 24

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Directors: John Lasseter, Brad Lewis

An Animated Adventure Comedy Starring the Voices of Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Bonnie Hunt, Cheech Marin, Tony Shalhoub

2D/3D & IMAX

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Release date: June 29

Paramount Pictures

Director: Michael Bay

A Sci-Fi Action Adventure Starring Shia LeBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, JohnTurturro

2D/3D & IMAX

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Release date: July 15

Warner Bros. Pictures

Director: David Yates

A Fantasy Adventure Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson

2D/3D & IMAX 3D

The end begins as Harry, Ron, and Hermione return to Hogwarts to find and destroy the final horcruxes. But when Voldemort finds out about their mission, the battle we've all known has been coming -- Harry vs. Voldemort -- looms large on the horizon. And who will triumph?

Captain America: The First Avenger

Release date: July 22

Paramount Pictures

Director: Joe Johnston

An Action Adventure Starring Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Hugo Weaving, Tommy Lee Jones

After being deemed unfit for military service during WWII, Steve Rogers (Evans) volunteers for a top secret research project that turns him into Captain America, the Sentinel of Liberty -- a superhero dedicated to defending America's ideals. His first mission: to combat the Nazi propaganda effort headed by Johann Schmidt (Weaving), also known as the Red Skull.

Cowboys & Aliens

Release date: July 29

Universal Pictures

Director: Jon Favreau

An Action Thriller Starring Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Keith Carradine

In Silver City, Arizona, Apache Indians and Western settlers must lay their differences aside when an alien spaceship crash lands in their city.

The Smurfs

Release date: July 29

Columbia Pictures

Director: Raja Gosnell

A 2D/3D Family Adventure Comedy starring Neil Patrick Harris, Sofia Vergara, Jonathan Winters, Katy Perry, George Lopez, Paul Reubens, Jeff Foxworthy, Wolfgang Puck.

The little blue creatures of Smurf village move to New York City after the evil wizard Gargamel chases them out of their mushroom-like homes in the forest.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Release date: August 5

20th Century Fox

Director: Rupert Wyatt

A Sci-fi Action Adventure starring James Franco, Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto

In present day San Francisco, a scientist (Franco) looks for a cure for Alzheimer's disease by experimenting on a chimpanzee named Caesar. The development of animal intelligence brings about a war for supremacy between humans and apes.

Fright Night

Release date: August 19

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Director: Craig Gillespie

A 2D/3D Horror Comedy starring Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, David Tennant

Teenager Charley Brewster (Yelchin) guesses that his new neighbor Jerry Dandrige (Farrell) is a vampire responsible for a string of recent deaths. When no one he knows believes him, he enlists Peter Vincent (Tennant), the opportunistic host of his favorite TV show, to help him take down Jerry and his guardian.

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DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION

I have not received any compensation for writing this content and I have no material connection to the brands, topics and/or products that are mentioned herein.

Resources:

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

The Hangover Part II

X-Men: First Class

Super 8

Green Lantern

Cars 2

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Captain America: The First Avenger

Cowboys & Aliens

The Smurfs

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Fright Night