Action Movies

Although summer is the peak action movie period, there are simply too many action flicks to fit into just three months these days. Instead, the high-adrenaline adventures continue through the fall, into winter, right back to spring, and then culminate in another summer.

Regardless of the season, you can expect these movies to have several explosions, a car chase or two, a bunch of guns, and a nearly deafening soundtrack – the better to disguise the crunching of your popcorn as you bask in the actiony goodness.

2012 Action Movies
The major blockbusters of the summer are lined up and ready.

Marvel’s The Avengers – May 4

The Avengers team unites Marvel super heroes like Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), the Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). Relying on their super human abilities, the team has devoted themselves to saving the world and challenging any enemy that instigates evil. See it in 3D!

Battleship – May 18

As an adaption from Milton Bradley’s board game, “Battleship” gets a science-fiction twist and focuses on a naval fleet at Pearl Harbor as they get attacked by an alien army called “the Regents” from outer space. As they want to inhabit the Earth for its power resource, which is located in the ocean, they proceed to go to war with the American military.  The movie stars Taylor Kitsch and Liam Neeson.

Snow White and the Huntsman – June 1

The evil queen (Charlize Theron) sends a huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) out to kill the only person in the land fairer than her, Snow White (Kristen Stewart). However, in this twist on the classic fairy tale, the huntsman befriends the young woman threatening the wicked queen’s reign and trains her in the art of war. Sam Clafin plays the prince who has long been enchanted by Snow White’s beauty and power.

Prometheus – June 8

Directed by Ridley Scott, this science fiction epic takes place in the most dangerous corners of the universe as a team of scientists and explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth. They are stranded on a distant world where they must fight for the future of the human race and solve life’s ultimate mystery. Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba and Guy Pearce lead the cast. Available in 3D!

G.I. Joe: Retaliation – June 29

Following up 2009’s “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra,” the G.I. Joes are framed for crimes against their country and terminated by the President in this sequel. The surviving members of the team must face off against their mortal enemy Zartan, Cobra and the world leaders he has under his influence. Bruce Willis joins the G.I. Joe team made up of Dwayne Johnson, Channing Tatum, Adrianne Palicki, Ray Park and others.

The Amazing Spider-Man – July 3

Focusing on an untold side of the Spider-Man legacy, Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) finds a clue that could help him understand the disappearance of his parents during childhood. It leads Peter to Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), his father’s former partner. Emma Stone plays Parker’s high school crush, Gwen Stacy. She is the daughter of NYPD Captain George Stacy (Dennis Leary), who views Spider-Man as nothing but a masked vigilante. Watch it in 3D!

The Dark Knight Rises – July 20

In the epic conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s trilogy, Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) faces a new terrorist leader named Bane (Tom Hardy) that matches up to his brains and brawn. The film takes place eight years after Batman took the fall for Two Face’s crimes. Though still branded as an enemy by Gotham, Batman resurfaces to protect the city. Anne Hathaway is introduced as Selina Kyle/Catwoman. Joseph Gordon-Levitt also joins the cast as a beat cop that helps Batman bring down Bane.

The Bourne Legacy – August 3

Writer/Director Tony Gilroy expands the “Bourne” series created by Robert Ludlum with an original story about Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner), whose life hangs in the balance as a result of the events triggered by the first three films.  Jason Bourne (played by Matt Damon in the previous “Bourne” films) was just the tip of the iceberg. Cross joins the program as a new outcome CIA operative with deadly consequences.

Total Recall – August 3

In this action thriller about reality and memory, a factory worker named Doug Quaid (Colin Farrell) has a loving wife (Kate Beckinsale) but wants more out of his frustrating life. He goes for a mind-trip for a taste of life as a super-spy but the procedure becomes permanent and Quaid is hunted down by the police, controlled by Chancellor Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston) and leader of the free world. The nation states Euromerica and New Shanghai fight for supremacy and Quaid doesn’t know which side he’s on as a spy. He joins a rebel fighter (Jessica Biel) to locate the head of the underground rebellion (Bill Nighy) and stop Cohaagen.

The Expendables 2 – August 17

Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) reunites The Expendables for a seemingly easy paycheck but things take a turn for the worse and one of their own is viciously murdered. Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) and his band of old-school mercenaries seek revenge deep in enemy territory with the odds stacked against them from an unexpected threat. Liam Hemsworth, Yu Nan join Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture and Terry Crews as the newest Expendables with special appearances by Arnold Schwarzenneger and Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Premium Rush – August 24

Wilee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is among the best of New York’s agile and aggressive bicycle messengers. It takes a special kind of suicidal person to navigate the busy streets of Manhattan on a single-gear bike with no brakes. Wilee is used to putting his life on the line everyday but it gets taken to a whole new level on a routine “premium rush” run for his last envelope of the day. The envelope contains sensitive information about a dirty cop (Michael Shannon) who pursues him throughout the city.