Superheroes, robots, ogres and pirates - This is why we love summer. And the blockbusters are only the beginning.

Zombies have moved up their feeding schedule from fall to terrorize a sunnier climate in "28 Weeks Later" and "Fido," a couple aliens represent the rest of the universe in "The Invasion," and there are sequels aplenty ("Ocean's Thirteen," "Hostel: Part II," "Evan Almighty," "The Bourne Ultimatum," "Rush Hour 3" and "Daddy Day Camp").

Oh, and did we mention two of our favorite characters are back? Say hello (again) to Harry Potter ("Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix") and John McClane ("Live Free or Die Hard").

If the flicks between now and August are any indication, it's gonna be a great summer.

may 11

"28 Weeks Later"

Starring: Jeremy Renner, Rose Byrne

Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo

Summary: Raging zombies rear their ugly heads again in a follow-up to "28 Days Later."

"Georgia Rule"

Starring: Jane Fonda, Lindsay Lohan, Felicity Huffman

Director: Garry Marshall

Summary: An out-of-control teen (Lohan) is sent to live with her stern grandmother (Fonda).

"Delta Farce"

Starring: Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall, Danny Trejo

Director: C.B. Harding

Summary: Three weekend warriors become unlikely heroes for a Mexican town.

"The Flock"

Starring: Richard Gere, Claire Danes

Directors: Wai Keung Lau, Niels Mueller

Summary: A federal agent (Gere) investigates the case of a missing girl while training his replacement (Danes).

may 18

"Shrek the Third"

Starring: Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy

Directors: Chris Miller, Raman Hui

Summary: Shrek (Myers) recruits his friends to help him run Far, Far Away when his father-in-law falls ill.

"Captivity"

Starring: Elisha Cuthbert, Daniel Gillies, Pruitt Taylor Vince

Director: Roland Joffe

Summary: A woman (Cuthbert) is kidnapped by a serial killer, then forced to endure her childhood fears.

may 25

"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"

Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley

Director: Gore Verbinski

Summary: Jack Sparrow's (Depp) friends sail to the Far East to rescue him from Davey Jones's Locker.

"Bug"

Starring: Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon, Harry Connick Jr.

Director: William Friedkin

Summary: A paranoid war veteran (Shannon) who imagines insects everywhere stays with a troubled woman (Judd) in a motel room.

june 1

"Knocked Up"

Starring: Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd

Director: Judd Apatow

Summary: A career woman (Heigl) gets pregnant after a one-night stand with a slacker (Rogen).

"Mr. Brooks"

Starring: Kevin Costner, Demi Moore, William Hurt

Director: Bruce A. Evans

Summary: A normal man (Costner) with a serial-killer alter ego is tracked by a detective (Moore).

"Rise: Blood Hunter"

Starring: Lucy Liu, Michael Chiklis, Carla Gugino

Director: Sebastian Gutierrez

Summary: A reporter (Liu) wakes up in the morgue and realizes she has awakened from the dead, then seeks out the people responsible.

"Gracie"

Starring: Carly Schroeder, Andrew Shue, Elisabeth Shue

Director: Davis Guggenheim

Summary: A teen girl fights to get women into soccer.

june 8

"Ocean's Thirteen"

Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Ellen Barkin

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Summary: After one of his partners is double-crossed by a casino owner, Danny Ocean (Clooney) rounds up the crew for another heist.

"Hostel: Part II"

Starring: Lauren German, Heather Matarazzo, Bijou Phillips

Director: Eli Roth

Summary: Three American women studying in Rome are hurled into terror in the sequel to 2005's horror hit.

"Surf's Up"

Starring: Voices of Shia LaBeouf, Zooey Deschanel, Jon Heder

Directors: Ash Brannon, Chris Buck

Summary: In yet another penguin flick, the feathered creatures compete in a surfing championship.

june 15

"Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer"

Starring: Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans

Director: Tim Story

Summary: The comic-book mutants battle a menace from space.

"Nancy Drew"

Starring: Emma Roberts, Tate Donovan, Max Thieriot

Director: Andrew Fleming

Summary: The teen detective (Roberts) investigates a movie star's death.

"I Could Never Be Your Woman"

Starring: Michelle Pfeiffer, Paul Rudd, Saoirse Ronan

Director: Amy Heckerling

Summary: Mother Nature meddles in the affairs of a mother (Pfeiffer), who falls for a younger man (Rudd), and her daughter (Ronan), who has her first romance.

"Fido"

Starring: K'Sun Ray, Billy Connolly, Carrie-Anne Moss

Director: Andrew Currie

Summary: A boy tries to keep his pet zombie, Fido, as part of the family after he devours the neighbor's dog.

june 22

"Evan Almighty"

Starring: Steve Carell, Lauren Graham, Morgan Freeman

Director: Tom Shadyac

Summary: God (Freeman) orders a congressman (Carell) to build an Ark.

"DOA: Dead or Alive"

Starring: Jamie Pressly, Devon Aoki, Sarah Carter

Director: Corey Yuen

Summary: In this video game adaptation, four women in a martial-arts competition battle dark forces.

"A Mighty Heart"

Starring: Angelina Jolie, Dan Futterman, Irfan Khan

Director: Michael Winterbottom

Summary: Based on the true events of Mariane Pearl (Jolie), who tried to find her husband Daniel (Futterman) after he was kidnapped in Pakistan.

june 27

"Live Free or Die Hard"

Starring: Bruce Willis, Justin Long,

Director: Len Wiseman

Summary: Willis returns for another "Die Hard" duel against Fourth of July terrorists.

"You Kill Me"

Starring: Ben Kingsley, Tea Leoni

Director: John Dahl

Summary: A hit man (Kingsley) with a drinking problem cleans up his act and finds love.

june 29

"Ratatouille"

Starring: Voices of Patton Oswalt, Brad Garrett, Janeane Garofalo

Director: Brad Bird

Summary: A rat dreams of becoming a French chef in an upscale restaurant.

"Death at a Funeral"

Starring: Matthew Macfayden, Peter Dinklage, Ewen Bremner

Director: Frank Oz

Summary: Chaos takes over as a British family tries to give dear old dad a dignified send-off.

july 4

"Transformers"

Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Michael Clarke Duncan

Director: Michael Bay

Summary: Warring aliens bring their battle to Earth in a sci-fi saga based on the transforming action figures.

"License to Wed"

Starring: Mandy Moore, John Krasinski, Robin Williams

Director: Ken Kwapis

Summary: A minister (Williams) puts a couple (Moore and Krasinki) through marriage boot camp.

july 13

"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint

Director: David Yates

Summary: The boy wizard (Radcliffe) rallies school mates for the coming battle against evil.

"The Strangers"

Starring: Scott Speedman, Liv Tyler, Gemma Ward

Director: Bryan Bertino

Summary: Three masked assailants terrorize a couple (Tyler and Speedman).

"1408"

Starring: John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Mary McCormack

Director: Mikael Hafstrom

Summary: A paranormal debunker (Cusack) finds terror when he spends a night in a haunted hotel room.

july 20

"I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry"

Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James

Director: Dennis Dugan

Summary: Firefighting pals (Sandler and James) pose as gay newlyweds to receive domestic partner benefits.

"Hairspray"

Starring: John Travolta, Queen Latifah, Nikki Blonsky

Director: Adam Shankman

Summary: John Travolta plays an overweight housewife in the adaptation of the stage musical about a 1960s TV dance show.

july 27

"Skinwalkers"

Starring: Jason Behr, Elias Koteas, Rhona Mitra

Director: James Isaac

Summary: The mother (Mitra) of a young boy must figure out why two packs of warring werewolves are after her son.

"The Simpsons Movie"

Starring: Voices of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright

Director: David Silverman

Summary: Homer causes havoc as the cartoon goofs of Springfield hit the big-screen.

"No Reservations"

Starring: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, Abigail Breslin

Director: Scott Hicks

Summary: The tidy life of a chef (Zeta-Jones) unravels after she becomes guardian for her young niece (Breslin).

"I Know Who Killed Me"

Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Julia Ormond, Neal McDonough

Director: Chris Sivertson

Summary: A young woman (Lohan) suffers from dual personalities after escaping a serial killer.

august 3

"Underdog"

Starring: Peter Dinklage, Jason Lee, Amy Adams

Director: Frederik Du Chau

Summary: A lab accident turns a humble beagle (voiced by Lee) into a superdog who speaks in rhyme and vows to protect his true love, Polly Purebred (Adams), from a mad scientist (Dinklage).

"The Bourne Ultimatum"

Starring: Matt Damon, Edgar Ramirez, Joan Allen

Director: Paul Greengrass

Summary: Amnesiac super-agent Jason Bourne (Damon) tries to sort out his origins.

"Hot Rod"

Starring: Andy Samberg, Ian McShane, Sissy Spacek

Director: Akiva Schaffer

Summary: A nerdy teen (Samberg) plans to jump 15 school buses on his motor scooter.

"Charlie Bartlett"

Starring: Anton Yelchin, Robert Downey Jr., Hope Davis

Director: Jon Poll

Summary: A teenage pill peddler (Yelchin) duels with his school principal (Downey).

"Becoming Jane"

Starring: Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, Julie Walters

Director: Julian Jarrold

Summary: Hathaway plays Jane Austen in a romantic drama about the author's early years.

"Resurrecting the Champ"

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Josh Hartnett

Director: Rod Lurie

Summary: A newspaper reporter (Hartnett) finds a homeless man (Jackson) who he believes is a former champion boxer believed to be dead.

"Introducing the Dwights"

Starring: Brenda Blethyn, Khan Chittenden, Emma Booth

Director: Cherie Nowlan

Summary: The son (Chittenden) of a washed-up comedienne (Blethyn) balances his relationship with his mother's attempt at a comeback.

august 10

"Rush Hour 3"

Starring: Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker

Director: Brett Ratner

Summary: Chan and Tucker partner up again to take on a Chinese crime family in Paris.

"Rocket Science"

Starring: Reece Thompson, Anna Kendrick

Director: Jeffrey Blitz

Summary: A stuttering teen (Thompson) makes an unlikely stab at competing on his school's debate team.

"Daddy Day Camp"

Starring: Cuba Gooding Jr., Tamala Jones

Director: Fred Savage

Summary: Gooding takes over for Eddie Murphy in a sequel to "Daddy Day Care."

"Stardust"

Starring: Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes, Robert DeNiro

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Summary: A witch (Pfeiffer) chases a fallen star that has taken human form (Danes).

"Bratz: The Movie"

Starring: Paula Abdul, Skyler Shaye, Janel Parrish

Director: Sean McNamara

Summary: The big-headed dolls find their way to the big screen.

august 17

"The Invasion"

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Jeremy Northam

Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel

Summary: Humans face an extraterrestrial epidemic that alters human behavior.

"Superbad"

Starring: Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen

Director: Greg Mottola

Summary: Teen buddies embark on a crazy night to finally score with women.

"Fanboys"

Starring: Dan Fogler, Jay Baruchel, Kristen Bell

Director: Kyle Newman

Summary: A group of friends plan a cross-country trip to steal a copy of "Star Wars: Episode I" from Skywalker Ranch so their dying friend can see the film before it premieres.

"Wedding Daze"

Starring: Jason Biggs, Isla Fisher, Michael Weston

Director: Michael Ian Black

Summary: After scaring his girlfriend to death, a man (Biggs) impulsively proposes to a waitress (Fisher).

"An American Crime"

Starring: Catherine Keener, Hayley McFarland, Bradley Whitford

Director: Tommy O'Haver

Summary: Keener stars in the true story of a '60s housewife responsible for the terrible abuse of a teenager left in her care.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Contact Kelsey Holm at (319) 291-1464 or kelsey.holm@wcfcourier.com.