10 Must-See Movies of the Summer

Skadoosh! Jack Black once again embodies the portly 'Kung Fu Panda 2' (May 26), with the voices of Angelina Jolie and Jackie Chan by his side. Professor X (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) meet for the first time in the back-to-basics 'X-Men: First Class' (June 3); Jim Carrey inherits a handful of penguins in 'Mr. Popper's Penguins' (June 17); Tom Hanks is a lovable loser who romances Julia Roberts in 'Larry Crowne' (July 1); Kevin James starts talking to the animals in the creature comedy 'Zookeeper' (July 8), featuring the voices of Adam Sandler, Sylvester Stallone and Cher as zoo animals; Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey and Colin Farrell are 'Horrible Bosses' (July 8) to Jason Bateman and Jason Sudeikis; 'Captain America: The First Avenger' (July 22) casts Chris Evans as the classic Marvel Comics character; Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis attempt to be 'Friends with Benefits' (July 22); Steve Carell looks to Ryan Gosling for stud advice when his marriage fails in 'Crazy, Stupid, Love.' (July 29); 'The Smurfs' (July 29) take Manhattan in a live-action/CGI-animated adventure; 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' (August 5) features James Franco as a scientist whose genetic engineering experiments will lead to an apocalyptic future; Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman switch bodies in 'The Change-Up' (Aug. 5); a new set of people must outwit death when they survive a suspension bridge tragedy in 'Final Destination 5' (Aug. 12)."Stargate: Atlantis" star Jason Momoa wields Schwarzenegger's sword as the new 'Conan the Barbarian' (August 19); Colin Farrell sinks his teeth into the vampire-next-door remake 'Fright Night' (Aug. 19), also starring Anton Yelchin and Christopher Mintz-Plasse; and Antonio Banderas and Jessica Alba must prevent a time-stopping villain's evil plan in 'Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World' (Aug. 19).

'The Social Network' star Jesse Eisenberg stars opposite "Parks & Recreation" funnyman Aziz Ansari in this explosive comedy about a pair of fledgling criminals (Danny McBride and Nick Swardson) who kidnap a pizza delivery guy (Eisenberg), strap a bomb to his chest, and inform him that he has mere hours to rob a bank or else... The film reunites Eisenberg with his 'Zombieland' director Ruben Fleischer.

Dust meets stardust as Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford rustle up otherworldly enemies in 'Cowboys & Aliens,' based on the popular graphic novel series. 'Iron Man' director Jon Favreau helms this tale of what goes down when an alien spaceship lands in Arizona in 1873. Believing the aliens to be demons, the residents of a small town called Absolution are forced to enlist the help of an outcast named Jake Lonergan (Craig) to fight off their new enemies from beyond. Olivia Wilde also stars.

The boy wizard Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) finally meets his destiny with Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) in the 3D conclusion to the phenomenal movie franchise. It's been nearly 10 years since the very first 'Harry Potter' film exploded into theaters, and 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2' promises to deliver an exhilarating conclusion. Of course, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson reprise their iconic roles as Ron and Hermione, and the film's ensemble cast also features Helena Bonham Carter, Maggie Smith and Emma Thompson.

The July Fourth weekend explodes with the arrival of 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon,' thrusting Shia LaBeouf back in the middle of more giant robot chaos, courtesy of director Michael Bay. After a 40-year-old secret is revealed, Shia, new onscreen girlfriend Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson face an alien invasion which may mean the end of Earth as we know it. As they wage war on the streets of Chicago, can the Autobots save us from the evil Decepticons? Patrick Dempsey, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand and John Turturro also star.

Disney-Pixar's beloved 'Cars' characters vroom back around the track for their highly anticipated sequel, and this time Lightning McQueen and Mater are in a globetrotting race sparked by a taste of espionage! Owen Wilson and Larry the Cable Guy once again lend their voices to Lightning and Mater as they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine who is the fastest car on the globe. As the competition races through the streets of Europe and Japan, Mater gets caught up in some intriguing international espionage with the help of Finn McMissile (voiced by Michael Caine) and must fend off secret agents, menacing villains and international racing competitors. Once again directed by John Lasseter, 'Cars 2' also features the vocal talents of Michael Keaton, John Turturro, Emily Mortimer, Tony Shalhoub, Joe Mantegna, Cheech Marin, Eddie Izzard, John Ratzenberger, Bonnie Hunt and more.

Ex-couple Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake reunite on the big screen in this raucous comedy from director Jake Kasdan. Elizabeth (Diaz) couldn't care less about her job teaching grammar school and she does little to hide it. But when a rich, handsome substitute (Justin Timberlake) joins the school, Elizabeth sets all of her sights on manipulating him into marriage, going to extremes that cause her to gain a new perspective on herself and the way she's been living her life.

June goes green with the arrival of Ryan Reynolds as 'Green Lantern.' Based on the fan-favorite DC Comics character, Ryan plays Hal Jordan, a cocky test pilot recruited by a mysterious and powerful intergalactic force to keep order in the galaxy. Protectors of peace and justice, each member of the Green Lantern Corps. wears a ring that grants him superpowers. Since Hal is the first human recruited to wield the infinite powers of the ring, he must learn how to master his powers and teach his fellow Lanterns some humanity. With the encouragement of his spirited childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), also a pilot and heir apparent to her father's aviation company, Hal must find the courage to overcome his fears and become the greatest Green Lantern of all. Also starring Peter Sarsgaard, Tim Robbins and Angela Bassett, the film is directed by Martin Campbell ('Casino Royale').

The plot of J.J. Abrams' super-secret 'Super 8' -- about a mysterious, supernatural event -- remains tightly under wraps. The story revolves around a group of friends in a small Ohio town, circa 1979, who witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie. They soon suspect that the catastrophe was no accident, and in short time unusual disappearances and inexplicable events reveal something more terrifying than any of them could have ever imagined. Executive-produced by Steven Spielberg, the film features such stars as Ron Eldard, Noah Emmerich and Elle Fanning.

Get ready for more obscene laughter in 'The Hangover Part II' as Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms and Justin Bartha head to Thailand for more trouble. 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. The wolfpack is once again directed by Todd Phillips.

In the fourth outing of the billion-dollar franchise from uber-producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) teams up with Blackbeard's daughter (Penelope Cruz) in search of the Fountain of Youth. In addition to battling zombies and navigating waters filled with treacherous mermaids, Jack must once again face the nefarious Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) as well as "the pirate all pirates fear," Blackbeard (Ian McShane) himself. This 3D outing is directed by Rob Marshall.

Memorial Day officially kicks off the summer blockbuster season, (but we
all know that some of the biggest movies of the season come out in May, so we'll count that as summer too). Here are 10 must-see movies of
summer 2011 – and a few more thrown in for good measure.