“Guardians of the Galaxy” | Aug. 1

Matt Sueper | Seeds Entertainment

“Guardians of the Galaxy,” the next installment of the Marvel franchise, will be in theaters Aug. 1. If you like your superhero movies dark and gritty, don’t bother seeing “Guardians” because it will be nothing of that sort. It has a machine gun-wielding raccoon and a giant tree fighting bad guys next to Andy from Parks and Rec. It’ll be fun and lighthearted, but you can also be sure this movie will be wildly entertaining and action-packed. Guardians will also move along the Marvel storyline and help set things up for the second Avengers flick out next year.

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“The Amazing Spiderman 2” | May 2

Patrick Wright | Seeds Entertainment

If only having The Lizard in 2012’s “The Amazing Spider-Man” wasn’t enough, more villains are on the way. Continuing after the events of The Amazing Spider-Man, the sequel sees Rhino, Electro, and the Green Goblin all trying to take down Spider-Man as he learns more about his father’s past and what was going on at Oscorp. Initial reviews for this film are positive so far, with tons of energy and a solid cast, so expect to see lines forming around the block at your local movie theater May 2 for the return of Spidey.

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“Maleficent” | May 30

Allison Lee | Seeds Entertainment

A spin-off of the old classic, Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent turns the story to the villain, played by Angelina Jolie. The film rewinds a bit from the original storyline, and tells the tale of how Maleficent became so messed up. In my opinion, even the cartoon Maleficent was super freaky, so I can’t wait to see what they do with her character now. The first trailer I saw for the film looked rather dark; more like the style of the Snow White remake with Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron. However, both of the trailers I watched from IMBD and Rotten Tomatoes portray it more as a kids movie, with only a slightly nightmare-ish villain. Regardless, I think the film with be worth seeing, even if it is just to hear Angelina Jolie give a knockout evil cackle.

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“Godzilla” | May 16

Claire Wiebe | Seeds Entertainment

 Godzilla, directed by Gareth Edwards (the relatively unknown director of 2010’s Monsters), is one of the most anticipated movies for summer 2014. It has everything that you look for in a summer movie: monsters, tons of action, sexy military men, and amazing special effects. Bryan Cranston has a starring role in the film, which is great for people who miss Breaking Bad more than they miss Grandma’s home cooking. The last remake of Godzilla in 1998 was a critical and financial flop (and nominated for five Razzies), so let’s hope that the “world’s most famous monster” will do better this time around.

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“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” | May 23

Claire Wiebe | Seeds Entertainment

Though I’m actually terrified of apes, I’ll still go to see the next prequel to 1968’s Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. It’s set in a post-apocalyptic world in which humans have been fighting both the virus seen in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, as well as the band of monkeys, led by Caesar. According to star Andy Serkis, who plays Caesar, this movie focuses on the apes and the planet they are creating, rather than putting the focus on the fall of humans. If the trailer has anything to do with the movie, it looks like a better follow up to Rise—better effects, better direction, and, hopefully, a better plot.

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“The Giver” | Aug. 16

Allison Lee | Seeds Entertainment

If you weren’t forced to read this in grade school, then you will never understand the total tragedy of this film not being in black and white. That aside, the novel was a bestseller and classic for good reason, and I, for one, have very high expectations for this film. With a plot like-minded with that of Gattaca and The Hunger Games, The Giver looks into the idea of what life could be like in a carefully controlled future universe. The trailers all look fantastic, and the book itself had so much intrigue that this movie would be pretty difficult to screw up. Also, Meryll Streep is in the movie as the Head Elder; it’s only a matter of time before it’s nominated for something.

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Other movies coming out this summer include:

• X-Men: Days of Future Past | May 23

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | August 8

• The Expendables 3 | Aug 15

• The Fault in Our Stars