Entertainment

Summer's Starting Early With 'Captain America' & 6 More Must-See Movies

Spring may be taking its time, but summer is already here — at least in terms of movies. Although typically, the blockbuster movie season wouldn't start for another couple of weeks, many of this year's bound-to-be-hit movies are coming to theaters as soon as... today. With the release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier , summer movie season is officially underway, for better or for worse.

That said, not every big movie is automatically a must-see, as anyone who sat through Man of Steel last summer is all too aware. Thankfully, the majority of this year's lineup looks promising, especially the movies out before the summer even officially begins. From The Amazing Spider-Man 2 to Maleficent, here are the 7 must-see "summer" movies to check out this April and May

Image: Walt Disney

by Rachel Simon

'Captain America: The Winter Soldier'

About: Captain America’s (Chris Evans) attempts to assimilate into the modern world, all while teaming up with Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) to battle the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), an mysterious assassin.

Why See It: The first movie was pretty good, and reviews for the sequel have been equally positive. All the critics complimented its low dependence on CGI and snappy dialogue, but it was one reviewer’s favorable comparison of America to The Dark Knight that got us on board.

Released: April 4.

Image: Disney

'Transcendence'

About: An artificial intelligence researcher (Johnny Depp) uploads his mind to a computer in an ever-growing quest for power and knowledge.

Why See It: It’s Inception plus Johnny Depp. With a plot, cast (Depp, Kate Mara, Morgan Freeman) and director (Oscar-winning cinematographer Wally Pfister) as good as Transcendence’s, this could be the sci-fi movie of the year.

Released: April 18.

Image: Warner Bros.

'The Amazing Spider-Man 2'

About: The continued adventures of Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield), whose new foes include the Green Goblin (Dane DeHaan) and Electro (Jamie Foxx).

Why See It: No one really needed a Spider-Man reboot, but after the first one turned out to be great, we all stopped complaining. The second film is gearing up to be just as exciting, with more action, new villains, and a love story between Peter and Gwen (Emma Stone) that just might end in disaster.

Released: May 2.

Image: Columbia.

'Neighbors'

About: A frat bro (Zac Efron) who moves next door to a new dad (Seth Rogen) and his family.

Why See It: That picture over on your left. Also, you know, comedy and stuff.

Released: May 9.

Image: Universal.

'Godzilla'

About: Gozilla’s origin story, contemporary times version.

Why See It: The cast, because the plot’s certainly not anything to brag about. The film stars Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Juliette Binoche, Kan Watanabe, and Sally Hawkins. With actors like that, the movie can’t suck that badly, right?

Released: May 16.

Image: Warner Bros.

'X-Men: Days of Future Past'

About: The fight of the X-Men, along with their younger selves, to win a war ensuring their species’ survival.

Why See It: The movie brings together the cast of the original trilogy with the 20-something ensemble from the newer movies, so that means Days of Future Past will see Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, and more all on-screen together. Also, Peter Dinklage as an anti-mutant antagonist is a role we can’t wait to see.

Released: May 23.

Image: 20th Century Fox

'Maleficent'

About: The iconic Sleeping Beauty villain (Angelina Jolie), who places an unbreakable curse over Aurora (Elle Fanning) in a quest for revenge.

Why See It: Um, Angelina Jolie. Choosing the actress for Maleficent might be the best casting decision of all time. Plus, every trailer for the movie looks creepily great.

Released: May 30.

Image: Walt Disney

'A Million Ways to Die in a West'

About: A shy sheep farmer (Seth MacFarlane) who discovers his bravery when forced to fight for the love of a woman (Charlize Theron) while living in 1880s Arizona.

Why See It: Love him or hate him, MacFarlane knows comedy. The film’s take on Westerns, plus its all-star cast (Neil Patrick Harris, Amanda Seyfried, Liam Neeson…), makes it not to be missed.

Released: May 30.

Image: Universal

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