It's that time of year again; the clouds are parting, the sun is shining and movie theatres everywhere are filling fast as excitement grows over this year's summer blockbusters!

Written by Rosemary Newton (Vancouver Correspondent - Canada)

June 15, 2008 

It's that time of year again; the clouds are parting, the sun is shining and movie theatres everywhere are filling fast as excitement grows over this year's summer blockbusters. The season is off to a promising start with movies such as Iron Man (released May 2nd) and Speed Racer (released May 9th) are already drawing in crowds and acclaim. 

Summer 2008 has its share of sequels and big screen adaptations of books and TV series as well as more original films. There is something for everyone this summer, from romance, to comedy to (lots of) action; so drag yourself out of your living room recliner, put on some flip flops and head on down to your local theater for any of these sure to be hits.

Below, in chronological order of release, is my list of the top ten summer blockbusters of 2008 

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (May 16th)
Director: Andrea Adamson
This movie continues where the first one left off. The four Pevensie children (played by Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley and Anna Popplewell, as Lucy, Edmund, Peter and Susan) return to Narnia to find that 1000 years have passed in the kingdom they once ruled, and that evil has once again conquered. With Aslan, the creatures of Narnia, and the exiled Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes), the four heroic children attempt to reclaim good back to the mythical land. This movie is set to be an epic adventure, and with its cute talking animals, action packed battle scenes and good vs. evil plot, it's a must see for both children and adults.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (May 22nd)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Harrison Ford returns for the fourth installment of the Indiana Jones series, continuing his role as the much loved professor turned archaeological adventurer. This time we find Indy fighting against the Soviet Union to gain control over the mysterious and powerful Crystal Skull of Akator. The Soviets are attempting to use the ancient crystal skull to conquer the (cold war era) world - but not if Indy can help it (unless snakes get in the way of course). Ford is joined by Shea Labeouf, who plays Mutt, his rebellious new sidekick (what happened to Shorty?). Trailers indicate an exciting adventure full of thrilling scenes, engaging characters and an action packed plot. Enough jokes have been made about the aging Ford so I'll leave those out. Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen and Ray Winstone also join the cast.

Sex and The City: The Movie (May 30th)
Director: Michael Patrick King
This summer Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha (Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kim Cattrall and Kristen Davis) join us on the big screen to fill our lives with shopping, men, light-hearted gossip, and, of course, sex. Their lives progress, as they deal with motherhood, romance and friendship. This movie has already premiered in London to mixed reviews. Critical acclaim or not, however, it is bound to be a box office success as its legions of Manolo Blahnik admiring fans rush to theaters. This movie is destined to be an airy and entertaining guilty pleasure. Jennifer Hudson, Chris Noth and Jason Lewis also star.

The Incredible Hulk (June 13th)
Director: Louis Leterrier
Theaters are preparing to "unleash the beast" this June 13th, in the form of Bruce Banner (Edward Norton), aka the Incredible Hulk. Based on the Marvel comic of the same name, The Incredible Hulk features an all star cast (Liv Tyler, Robert Downey Jr.) and crosses over with Iron man. Bruce Banner, who turns into the giant green fighting machine whenever he gets perturbed ("You wouldn't like me when I'm angry" being his famous catchphrase) must battle it out this time around with the Abomination. This movie should offer hulk sized proportions of action; and if Iron Man is any indication, the continuation of the super hero theme will go down well at the box office.
 

The Love Guru (June 20th)
Director: Marco Schnabel
Mike Myers stars in his first big movie since the Austin Powers franchise left theaters in 2002 (besides Shrek). Myers plays Pitka, a guru (trained in India) trying to find success in America. Verne Troyer and Jessica Alba also star, and all signs point toward an off-the-wall summer comedy. This film is bound to be filled with silly characters, sillier accents and even sillier plot developments. Myers will bring in the crowds, and I must admit, I'm kind of looking forward to this one.

Wall-E (June 27th)
Director: Andrew Stanton (Pixar)
I'm a little iffy about putting down this film, but it's been gaining considerable buzz and Pixar does have an impressive track record (Stanton also directed "Finding Nemo" and "A Bug's Life"). In 2700 the earth is filled with garbage and all the humans have been evacuated; only Wall-E remains; a robot who is programmed to clean up the inhabitable mess the human race has left behind. The film follows his adventures as he meets love interest EVE (a fellow robot) and other friends. This movie looks entertaining and kids should love the quirky robot and cute love story. It also has the added bonus of being a film with a conscious (i.e. It criticizes littering and consumerism).
 

The Dark Knight (July 18th)
Director: Christopher Nolan
Christian Bale returns as Bruce Wayne (aka Batman) in the latest Batman movie. Gotham faces a new threat in the form of the devious, sinister and extremely creepy joker, played by the late Heath Ledger. This movie is sure to be a hit, and has already received a considerable amount of attention, in part due to the untimely death of Heath Ledger, who, reports claim, gives an amazing performance. Batman shares the screen with Gotham's district attorney Harvey Dent (played by Aaron Eckhart) and love interest Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal). I'm looking forward to this film, I love all the Batman movies (and the old TV series), and this looks like not only the darkest and grittiest, but also the most thrilling, to date.

The X-Files: I want To Believe (July 25th)
Director: Chris Carter
Assuming there are still enough X-Files fans around (which I suspect there might be), this should be a popular movie. Mulder and Scully return (David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson), looking like they haven't aged a day. This is a stand-alone story and is not related to the shows ongoing alien mythology. I probably won't be lining up to see this movie, but it should be interesting.

The Mummy: The Tomb of The Dragon Emperor (August 1st)
Director: Rob Cohen
It has been a while since the last Mummy movie came out, and I was beginning to wonder what had happened to Brendan Fraser. He apparently is still a working actor, and returns this summer as the explorer Rick O'Connell. This time around it's a family affair and he is joined by his son (Luke Ford) and wife (Maria Bello) in the quest to stop the Han Emperor (Jet Li) from unleashing supernatural chaos onto the world. This should be thrilling, spooky and epic; as the first two Mummy movies were. However, it will have to fight for box office success against Indiana Jones, a movie somewhat similar in its theme and level of action. I also have to wonder if the Mummy series may have already peaked.

Pineapple Express (August 8th)
Director: David Gordon Green
If you want a break from all the big action movies this summer, and are looking for a little humour, look no further than the Pineapple Express. This comedic thriller is written by Seth Rogan (who also stars), Even Goldberg and Judd Apatow; the same guys who brought Superbad to theaters last year. The guys are on a slacker-comedy success streak, and Pineapple Express, a film about two weed smoking guys on the run from dangerous criminals, will likely be popular (at least with teenage boys).  

If none of those are your cup of iced tea, there are lots of other movies lighting up the big screen this summer, such as...Kung Fu Panda (June 6th), You Don't Mess with the Zohan (June 6th), The Happening (June 13th), Get Smart (June 20th) Wanted (June 27th), Hancock (July 2nd), Hellboy 2 (July 11th), Step Brothers (July 25th),Tropic Thunder, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (August 15th), Bangkok Dangerous (August 22nd) and Babylon A.D. (August 29th). Most of these look promising and feature crowd pleasing A-Listers. 

If 2007 was the summer of the sequel, then 2008 may very well be the year of the hero. Whatever your movie choice is this summer, make sure that you're strapped into your cushioned theater chair, and that your feet are firmly planted on the sticky floor, because it's bound to be a wild ride.