RELATED POSTS

• Iron Man

Morgan Freeman as Sloan in the fantasy-thriller "Wanted."

Rainn Wilson is "The Rocker", aka Robert �Fish� Fishman, the former drummer for an eighties hair band. He's living the rock n' roll dream until he is kicked out of the group. (Photo credit: George Kraychyk)

In this image released by 20th Century Fox, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson reprise their roles as FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully in the X-Files sequel. (AP Photo/Fox, Diyah Pera)

Emile Hirsch stars as Speed Racer in a scene from the action adventure "Speed Racer." (AP Photo/Warner Bros.)

Anne Hathaway stars as Agent 99 and Steve Carell stars as Maxwell Smart in the action comedy "Get Smart." (Photo distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures)

Will Smith (left) and Jason Bateman star in Columbia Pictures' action comedy Hancock. (Columbia Pictures)

Film lovers are the world's greatest romantics. They continually have their hearts broken, but they still approach the ticket booth ready to fall in love.

The resilience of their ardor was tested last summer, when a series of sequels stank up the theaters. "Shrek the Third," "Spider-Man 3" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" all scored at the box office, but left audiences underwhelmed. And don't even get me started on the muddled mess that was "Transformers."

Luckily, another spate of cinematic suitors arrives starting today with the much-anticipated "Iron Man." Summer '08 is again heavy on sequels and movies based on comic books -- though there's plenty of original fare, too.

Here's a rundown of the season's highlights. Please note, release dates are subject to change.

May

Speed Racer (May 9) -- The classic cartoon show that introduced much of America to Japanese anime arrives on the big screen in a vibrant blend of live-action and computer animation from the Wachowski Brothers ("The Matrix"). Single-minded Speed (Emile Hirsch) drives the Mach 5 in a death-defying race controlled by evil corporate moguls.

What Happens in Vegas (May 9) -- We've had theme-park rides turned into movies; now we've come to tourism marketing slogans. Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher play accidental newlyweds trapped by trouble in Sin City.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (May 16) -- The global blockbuster based on the books by C.S. Lewis is back for the second adventure. The Pevensie siblings return to the magical land of Narnia to find that 1,300 years have passed and a dark cloud has enveloped the land.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (May 22) -- This summer's 800-pound gorilla puts sexagenarian Harrison Ford back in the fedora as the iconic adventuring archaeologist. He takes on Cate Blanchett as a conniving Commie.

Sex and the City: The Movie (May 30) -- The big screen picks up where the hit HBO series left off four years ago, with the fashionable foursome still juggling love, careers, family and credit-card bills. This film may launch an entire new genre; I've already copyrighted the term Shoe Porn.

June

Kung Fu Panda (June 6) -- Jack Black voices a boisterous panda looking to become a martial-arts warrior in this animated comedy. Dustin 8Hoffman(!) does the voice for the demanding kung fu master.

You Don't Mess with the Zohan (June 6) -- A newly buff Adam Sandler plays an Israeli secret agent who gives up soldiering so he can pursue his dream of being a hair stylist in New York.

The Happening (June 13) -- Creepmeister M. Night Shyamalan, who's stumbled of late, returns with this thriller about an apocalyptic crisis that threatens all humanity. Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel star.

The Incredible Hulk (June 13) -- Just when memories of the god-awful first "Hulk" movie have started to fade, Edward Norton stars in what is essentially a do-over. He plays Bruce Banner, a scientist who transforms into a raging green behemoth. Early peeks at the CGI have not been encouraging.

Get Smart (June 20) -- If there's one actor today suited to follow in the stumbling footsteps of Don Adams, it's Steve Carell. He takes on the role of Agent 86, Maxwell Smart, in this spy spoof.

The Love Guru (June 20) - This comedy, starring Mike Myers, has already netted controversy from groups upset over its portrayal of Indian culture. Myers plays an American, raised by gurus, who comes home to launch a self-help business.

Wall.E (June 27) -- The wizards at Pixar Animation ("Finding Nemo") spin a tale about a robot who's spent 700 years alone on Earth after all the humans departed. Some new arrivals help him find purpose in his (manufactured) life.

Wanted (June 27) -- James McAvoy ("Atonement") goes for the mainstream jugular as a regular bloke training to become an assassin under the tutelage of Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie.

July

Hancock (July 2) -- It's summertime, and that means it's Will Smith time. The global superstar plays a hard-living, down-on-his-luck superhero given a PR makeover. Charlize Theron co-stars.

Meet Dave (July 11) -- Eddie Murphy plays a newcomer to New York who seems a little out of place -- because he's actually a spaceship piloted by extraterrestrials!

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (July 11) -- The red-skinned, demon-spawned antihero (Ron Perlman) must lead his ragtag group of mutant soldiers against an army of fantasy creatures.

The Dark Knight (July 18) -- Three years ago, "Batman Begins" relaunched the saga of the caped crusader, which had collapsed into self-parody. Christian Bale again tackles the tortured comic-book hero, but all eyes will be on the performance of the late Heath Ledger as maniacal killer Joker.

Mamma Mia! (July 18) -- The movie, like the smash stage musical, follows a young bride's quest to find her father, told through the music of Swedish '70s pop supergroup ABBA.

X-Files movie (July 25) - "The X-Files: I Want to Believe" comes 10 years after the first big-screen version of the television series about FBI agents trying to solve cosmic riddles. Before "Lost," this was the franchise that parlayed baffling audiences into piling up profits.

August

The Rocker (Aug. 1) -- Stellar supporting funnyman Rainn Wilson ("The Office," "Juno") takes the lead in this comedy about an '80s hair-band washout given a second chance to be a rock god.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (Aug. 1) -- Another long-dormant, moderately successful film franchise is revived with Brendan Fraser as an adventurer who accidentally releases an ancient shape-shifter (Jet Li). No sign of Rachel Weisz, now an Oscar winner and above this sort of thing.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (Aug. 8) -- The original cast returns as a foursome of young women who pass around a pair of mysterious secondhand jeans that fits each of them perfectly, bringing life-changing events to whoever has them in her possession.

Fly Me to the Moon (Aug. 8) -- This 3-D animated flick is about three flies who want to hitch a ride aboard the Apollo 11 space flight and become the first insects on the moon. Voices include Buzz Aldrin and Christopher Lloyd (the actor, not me).

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Aug. 15) -- George Lucas' sci-fi franchise enters its fourth decade with this animated feature that further details the adventures of Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padme Amidala.

Babylon A.D. (Aug. 29) -- Vin Diesel, in likely his last crack at A-list action superstardom, plays a mercenary in a post-apocalyptic world who's hired to guard a woman who carries a secret.

Best of the Box Office

Top-grossing summer flicks:

2007: Spider-Man 3

2006: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

2005: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

2004: Shrek 2 www.summerblockbusters.com