By ANDY GILCHRIST
Staff Writer
As usual, summer will bring us a new slate of blockbuster sequels, prequels, reboots, and even sequels of reboots. But, it’s important to note that there are also smaller films hitting theaters that are just as exciting and emotional as their big budget brothers and sisters.
Iron Man 3
May 3
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Kingsley
Synopsis: After The Avengers, Tony Stark is a changed man. When international terrorist The Mandarin declares war on America, Stark is forced to put his life back together and stop him.
The Great Gatsby
May 10
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire
Synopsis: Stock broker Nick Carraway moves to New York to be near his cousin Daisy and her husband Tom and finds himself living next to mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby. Nick soon learns of Gatsby’s obsession with Daisy, which leads to a tragic end.
Star Trek Into Darkness
May 17
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch
Synopsis: After a terrorist attack destroys London and decimates Starfleet, the U.S.S. Enterprise is put in charge of tracking down the man responsible. Their mission takes them to the depths of space as Captain James T. Kirk uses the assignment to settle an old score.
Fast & Furious 6
May 24
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson
Synopsis: The Fast team is recruited by a former enemy, DSS agent Luke Hobbs, to take down a group of mercenaries that have been pulling heists throughout Europe. But, the mercenaries have ties to the Fast team that they never expected.
The Hangover Part III
May 24
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms
Synopsis: After Doug is kidnapped, the Wolf Pack is forced to track down Leslie Chow by a man who is owed $21 million. They meet up with several people from their past along the way, including Black Doug, Stu’s stripper ex-wife Jade, and her son Carlos.
After Earth
May 31
Starring: Will Smith, Jaden Smith
Synopsis: A spaceship crash lands on future Earth, forcing a father and son to bond while trying to stay alive.
Much Ado About Nothing
June 7
Starring: Alexis Denisof, Amy Acker, Nathan Fillion
Synopsis: In this new version of the Shakespeare comedy, as seen through the eyes of the director of The Avengers, love and death await those at a lavish party.
Man of Steel
June 14
Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon
Synopsis: Clark Kent leads a double life as Superman, who fights for truth, justice, and the American way. But his powers will be challenged like never before when criminals from Krypton’s past escape to Earth.
Monsters University
June 21
Starring: John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Steve Buscemi
Synopsis: 10 years before Monsters, Inc., Mike and Sulley are in the same fraternity. But instead of being best friends, they are bitters rivals.
World War Z
June 21
Starring: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, James Badge Dale
Synopsis: A United Nations worker travels the globe during a zombie plague, searching for a way to stop it and save the world.
The Lone Ranger
July 3
Starring: Armie Hammer, Johnny Depp, Tom Wilkinson
Synopsis: From the director of the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies, a Texas Ranger is shot and left for dead in the desert, but a Native American saves his life. The two men team up to fight greed and corruption in the Old West.
Despicable Me 2
July 3
Starring: Steve Carell, Miranda Cosgrove, Kristen Wigg
Synopsis: Gru is recruited by a team of heroes to help stop a new supervillain.
Pacific Rim
July 12
Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi
Synopsis: From the director of Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy, when a wormhole opens in the Pacific Ocean and starts releasing giant monsters, humans build giant robots to fight them.
Only God Forgives
July 19
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Kristen Scott Thomas, Vithaya Pansringarm
Synopsis: From the director of Drive, when a man is killed in Bangkok, his drug kingpin mother forces his brother to find the man responsible.
The Wolverine
July 24
Starring: Hugh Jackman
Synopsis: The X-Men’s greatest hero is recruited by a mysterious Japanese businessman with ties to his past and is offered the chance to be human. But just as Wolverine’s greatest desire becomes reality, his greatest enemy emerges from the shadows.
Blue Jasmine
July 26
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin, Louis C.K.
Synopsis: In Woody Allen’s latest film, a New York housewife goes through an emotional and economic crisis, leading her to run away to California.
