Summer Movies 2012: 16 Movies To See Or Skip This Season (WATCH)

By Jimmy Loomos

Jimmy is a senior at Maine South. He’s a student reporter for The Mash, a weekly teen publication distributed to Chicagoland high schools.

This summer is filled with a whole slate of big-name movies. From superheroes to Disney princesses, every movie patron will find their niche. We’ll see the return of animated favorites, old-time hits and heralded series. Perhaps the biggest premiere of all is Marvel’s “The Avengers,” which opened overseas last weekend with an impressive $185.1 million debut, according to boxofficemojo.com, in advance of its U.S. opening on Friday.

Overwhelmed already? Don’t worry! Check out the below slideshow for the 'must-see' and 'must-skip' films of this blockbuster season.

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• Must-See: 'Rock of Ages'

  This remake of the broadway musical is sure to be fun and exciting with a ton of music. Plus, it stars Tom Cruise, Russell Brand and Alec Baldwin, making it a great way to kick off the summer. <strong>June 15</strong>

• Must-See: 'The Dark Knight Rises'

  The first movie of the series was arguably the movie of the decade, and this one looks to be bigger than that. Plus, it was filmed in Chicago, and who doesn't want to see their city on the big screen? <strong>July 20</strong>

• Must-See: 'Ted'

  This is Seth MacFarlane's directorial debut, so it's sure to be hilarious, raunchy and slightly weird, making it every teen's ideal motion picture. <strong>July 13</strong>

• Must-See: 'Men in Black III'

  It's "Men in Black." It's been 10 years since the last one. It's a part of history. It's something you've got to see. <strong>May 25</strong>

• Must-See: 'Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted'

  "I like to move it, move it!" What else is there to say? Check this movie out to see the grooving zoo animals take Europe by storm. <strong>June 8</strong>

• Must-See: 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation'

  Bruce Willis and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson join the cast. Any movie with a guy who barely fits through a door and goes by the nickname "The Rock" is sure to be intense. <strong>June 29</strong>

• Must-See: 'The Campaign'

  Forget Romney versus Obama -- Will Ferrell running against Zach Galifianakis will be much more entertaining. This movie is sure to have everyone in stitches, even if it does satirize our political system. <strong>August 10</strong>

• Must-See: 'Brave'

  This is a Pixar movie, therefore, it's expected to be an amazing blend of animation and plot. Do <em>Finding Nemo</em>, <em>Cars</em> and <em>The Incredibles</em> not ring a bell? <strong>June 22</strong>

• Must-Skip: 'What To Expect When You're Expecting'

  You want to know what to expect when you're expecting? Then follow a pregnant woman around for a week. Same experience, but cheaper. <strong>May 18</strong>

• Must-Skip: 'Battleship'

  "Battleship" has never been that fun of a game, so we don't see a movie based on it to be much better. <strong>May 18</strong>

• Must-Skip: 'That's My Boy'

  Maybe it's not as bad as <em>Jack and Jill</em>, but the plot seems too similar to lots of other movies. Adam Sandler's movies have been more stupid than funny lately. <strong>June 15</strong>

• Must-Skip: 'The Dictator'

  We're not even sure what to say about this movie other than it looks like a controversy waiting to happen. Sacha Baron Cohen's bad behavior at the Academy Awards to promote his film by showing up in character and dumping ashes on Ryan Seacrest was just the beginning. Will it offend more people than <em>Borat</em> did? <strong>May 16</strong>

• Must-Skip: 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter'

  The title of this movie alone makes us want to avoid it. 20th Century Fox lists the following as the plot: "President Lincoln's mother was killed by a supernatural creature, which fuels his passion to crush vampires and their slave owning helpers." This definitely sounds like a winner... Not. <strong>June 22</strong>

• Must-Skip: 'The Amazing Spider-Man'

  There are just too many variations and remakes of the Spider-Man story. There's no way this superhero flick can compete against the others hitting theaters this summer. <strong>July 3</strong>

• Must-Skip: 'Ice Age: Continental Drift'

  They're still making "Ice Age" movies? Don't they realize we only care about the squirrel chasing the acorn? Oh, and is it really the best idea to have Nicki Minaj play a character in a children's movie? We don't think so. <strong>July 13</strong>

• Must-Skip: 'The Bourne Legacy'

  No Matt Damon? Well, that's a problem. Seeing as the main character, Jason Bourne (whom the movie is named after), is played by Damon, it could be difficult keeping the series running without him. <strong>August 3</strong>

Comments

[TisKishnsing]

11:57 AM on 05/10/2012

aint watching none of these.

[hopkinscaj]

09:19 AM on 05/08/2012

I literally want to see every movie on this list.... even the must-skip ones, well, minus the adam sandler movie.