Heroes and villains of Hollywood’s hot summer

Studios are currently clambering over each other to pull in family audiences with their big-budget movies, but with a glut of blockbusters about to hit the big screen, which will be the ones to remember and which will be forgotten?

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Release date: May 18.

Key cast: Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane as Blackbeard.

In a nutshell: Eight years after we first met them, Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) and Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) are on a mission to find the fountain of youth, but so too are Blackbeard and his daughter.

Verdict: The fourth instalment comes after the third completely ran aground. Johnny Depp always delivers as Captain Jack, so there is some hope, but I suspect it will be the big disappointment of the summer.

Prediction: 4/10

X-Men: First Class

Release date: May 30.

Key cast: James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender.

In a nutshell: This reboot of the X-Men franchise goes back to 1963 when Professor Xavier (McAvoy) sets up a school for superhumans with his friend and eventual arch-enemy Magneto.

Verdict: There’s a huge amount riding on this movie, as 2006’s The Last Stand brought the original series to a close with a whimper. It stars two heavyweight actors, but there’s a danger they could be overhsadowed by too many special effects.

Prediction: 8/10

Transformers: Dark Of the Moon

Release date: July 1.

Key cast: Shia LaBoeuf and newcomer Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley replacing Megan Fox.

In a nutshell: In their third big screen outing, the Autobots race against the Decepticons to reach a Cybertronian spacecraft hidden on the Moon.

Verdict: The fate of Transformers rests entirely on this film as the second one didn’t do as well as they were hoping. Fortunately, they’ve got rid of the walking lipstick: you need more than hot pants and lip gloss to make a movie.

Prediction: 6/10

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Release date: July 15.

Key cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, plus a who’s who of British talent.

In a nutshell: Harry, Ron and Hermione go back to Hogwarts to find the final Horcruxes to bring down the evil Lord Voldemort in one last bloody battle.

Verdict: Harry Potter is going to be the biggest film of the summer by far and, of course, it’s also in 3D. The only problem is that Daniel Radcliffe can’t act. But even if they had replaced him with a broomstick, box office success would be guaranteed and this should be the most successful of the Harry Potters.

Prediction: 8/10

Cars 2

Release date: July 22.

Key cast: Owen Wilson and Michael Caine.

In a nutshell: Racecar Lightning McQueen (Wilson) teams up with his best friend, tow truck Mater, as they head overseas to compete in the World Grand Prix and get tangled up in international espionage.

Verdict: I’m a huge Pixar fan and there’s a huge amount riding on Cars 2 because Pixar haven’t had a single dud film and Toy Story 3 was the first animated film ever to break a billion dollars at the box office. The original Cars made a lot of money, but it’s still many people’s least favourite from the studio. That said, director John Lasseter seems to have a touch of magic, so I’m hoping it’s going to be a winner.

Prediction: 8/10

Cowboys and Aliens

Release date: August 19.

Key cast: Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford.

In a nutshell: James Bond and Indiana Jones team up for the first time on screen as a criminal and a colonel in 1873 Arizona, joining forces to take on invading aliens.

Verdict: The idea of this film is really peculiar – aliens with their technology versus cowboys with little pistols. How can the cowboys win? Daniel Craig doesn’t have to act, he just has to swagger through the Wild West and blast a few things, which anyone could do. If the movie’s too big, he and Harrison will just become window dressing. On paper it sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, but stranger things have been hits. It might just work.

Prediction: 6/10