With last weekend’s opening of “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” and this weekend’s “Star Trek” reboot, the summer season is hotter than ever. Last year’s writer’s strike may have left the cinema pool a bit thin, but there’s still plenty to look forward to this year. Here’s a rundown of the summer’s 10 buzziest flicks and where they rank on our Excite-O-Meter. (Scores are on a scale of 10)

Public Enemies: 9.5 (July 1)

Johnny Depp as Dillinger? Christian Bale as Melvin Purvis? Michael Mann directing? You couldn’t keep us away with a tommy gun.

Star Trek: 9.5 (May 8)

Takes the franchise from DOA to Warp 9 with a fresh take while nodding to the past.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine: 8.7 (May 1)

Opened big, but has been slammed by critics and fanboys alike. The second weekend numbers will determine if this is a hit or a miss.

Terminator Salvation: 8.5 (May 21)

Between a potential Arnold Schwarzenegger appearance and Bale’s on-set meltdown, this one has as much hype as any film of the year. If only James Cameron had come back.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: 8.2 (July 15)

The Potter films just keep on rolling, but “Prince” promises a step away from the same old same old of past films.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: 8.0 (June 24)

Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox are back, along with cars with a little more than an engine under the hood. Can Michael Bay follow up his box-office juggernaut, or will his franchise transform into a flop?

Up: 7.5 (May 29)

Mum is the word on the plot, involving an octogenarian who flies to South America via balloons tied to his home, but Pixar has yet to see a real miss.

Bruno: 7.0 (July 10)

Sacha Baron Cohen again applies the BORAT theorem, acting flamboyantly European to unsuspecting Americans. Ron Paul was among his victims this time.

Inglorious Basterds: 6.8 (Aug. 21)

Quentin Tarantino has hardly been bankable lately, but Brad Pitt in this WWII-revenge fantasy remake has promise (and buzz).

Funny People: 6.5 (July 31)

Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen join forces in
Judd Apatow’s (“Knocked Up”) latest, about a comic diagnosed with a terminal illness.

THE REST OF THE BEST

(Treadworn but necessary disclaimer: Movie release dates are always subject to change.)

May 8

“Next Day Air” ( R ): A delivery man accidentally drops off cocaine at the wrong address. The sender is not happy. Donald Faison, Mike Epps and Mos Def star.

May 15

“Angels & Demons” ( not yet rated ): Tom Hanks returns as Robert Langdon in the sequel to “The Da Vinci Code.” Ron Howard is also back as director.

May 22

“Dance Flick” ( PG-13 ): The Wayans brothers spoof another genre; this time it’s dance movies.

“Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” ( PG ): Ben Stiller is back as the security guard who knows what happens in the off-hours at museums. Now he’s in Washington, D.C., along with Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Jonah Hill and Amy Adams.

May 29

“Drag Me to Hell” ( not yet rated ): Alison Lohman evicts the wrong old lady. Next thing you know, well, see title. Sam Raimi directs.

June 5

“The Hangover” ( R ): Groomsmen lose the groom after a wild bachelor party; judging from the title, drinking was involved. Bradley Cooper stars.

“Land of the Lost” ( not yet rated ): Will Ferrell stars in a big-screen version of the popular, wigged-out kids’ TV show.

“My Life in Ruins” ( PG-13 ): Nia Vardalos plays a travel guide finding love in Greece. Oh, “those” ruins…

June 12

“Imagine That” ( PG ): Struggling financial executive Eddie Murphy uses his daughter’s fantasy life for inspiration.

“The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3” ( R ): John Travolta and Denzel Washington star in a remake of the 1974 film about the hijacking of a New York City subway car.

June 19

“The Proposal” ( PG-13 ): Sandra Bullock forces Ryan Reynolds to marry her so she won’t be deported to Canada. In real life, Reynolds is married to Scarlett Johansson, !so he’ll be OK.

“Year One” ( R ): Jack Black and Michael Cera star as banished cavemen who venture out on their own.

June 26

“Fireflies in the Garden” ( R ): Ryan Reynolds stars in the semiautobiographical story of a writer attending his mother’s funeral. Also stars Willem Dafoe, Emily Watson and Julia Roberts.

“My Sister’s Keeper” ( PG-13 ): Abigail Breslin stars as a girl whose life has been spent keeping her sister (Sofia Vassilieva) alive in her fight against leukemia, and she begins to question the practice.

“The Stoning of Soraya M.” ( R ): A woman (Shohreh Aghdashloo) persuades a journalist (Jim Caviezel) to report on the shocking mistreatment of a woman in her village. Based on a true story.

July 1

“Ice Ace: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” ( not yet rated ): Ray Romano and his prehistoric friends return for the third in the animated series.

July 10

“I Love You, Beth Cooper” ( not yet rated ): Nerdy Samm Levine uses his valedictorian speech to declare his love for Hayden Panettiere. All that studying was worth it, then.

July 17

“All the Boys Love Mandy Lane” ( R ): Amber Heard plays the title character, who turns into a hot chick, gets invited to a party…and people start dying. Well, now.

July 24

“All Good Things” ( not yet rated ): Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays a detective looking for a missing heiress. Cast includes Ryan Gosling and Frank Langella.

“G-Force” ( not yet rated ): A team of trained guinea pigs save the world. Great, but somebody’s still got to clean their cage.

“Orphan” ( R ): When Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard adopt a creepy kid, no good comes of it.

“The Ugly Truth” ( R ): Gerard Butler and Katherine Heigl in a romantic comedy, one of those opposites-eventually-attract deals.

July 31

“The Cove” ( not yet rated ): Documentary about how a former “Flipper” trainer and others expose animal abuse in Japan.

“They Came From Upstairs” ( not yet rated ): Kids save parents from aliens. Ashley Tisdale stars.

Aug. 7

“G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” ( not yet rated ): Every boy’s favorite solider gets the full-on, live-action treatment. He’s all grown up.

“Julie & Julia” ( PG-13 ): A woman (Amy Adams) cooks her way through Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” Meryl Streep plays Child.

“Shorts” ( PG ): Toe Thompson (Jimmy Bennett) finds a magic, wish-granting rock; jealousy ensues.

“When In Rome” ( not yet rated ): Romantically challenged Kristen Bell travels to Rome, swipes coins from a fountain and then can’t fight ’em off.

Aug. 14

“A Perfect Getaway” ( R ): Two couples on vacation in Hawaii discover that tourists are being murdered. Timothy Olyphant, Milla Jovovich, Steve Zahn and Kiele Sanchez star.

“Bandslam” ( PG ): New kid Gaelan Conell finds acceptance by forming a group and competing in a battle of the bands. Rock on.

“Ponyo” ( not yet rated ): Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Tina Fey and Liam Neeson provide voices for a Japanese animated story inspired by “The Little Mermaid,” only in this case it’s about a goldfish.

“Spread” ( not yet rated ): Ashton Kutcher, Anne Heche and Margarita Levieva star in a comedy about a serial womanizer.

“The Time Traveler’s Wife” ( PG-13 ): Librarian Eric Bana can’t control his time travels, affecting his romance with Rachel McAdams. Well, duh.

Aug. 28

“The Boat That Rocked” ( R ): Underground ’60s radio, with Bill Nighy, Philip Seymour Hoffman and others.

“Final Destination: Death Trip 3-D” ( not yet rated ): Bobby Campo helps people cheat Death; Death is not amused.

“H2: Halloween 2” ( not yet rated ): Rob Zombie’s sequel to his re-imagining of the original.

— Bill Goodykoontz, Gannett News Service