By Sarah Carlson, Arts Editor

After one of the dullest spring movie seasons in recent memory, this year’s lineup of summer flicks is action-packed and, like last year, filled with sequels. Here are a few highlights:

May

“Kingdom of Heaven”

Starring Orlando Bloom, Liam Neeson, Jeremy Irons, Eva Green, David Thewlis; directed by Ridley Scott

Bloom stars as Balian, a peasant who becomes a knight, falls in love with a forbidden princess, fights for Europe against Jerusalem in a series of battles for the Holy Land shortly before the Third Crusade, and saves the kingdom. (May 6)

“Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith”

Starring Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson; directed by George Lucas

In the sixth and final installment in the Star Wars series, we see Anakin Skywalker (Christensen) descend from mere shadyness to the dark side of the force as he becomes Darth Vader, along with all those crazy clone wars in between. (May 19)

June

“Cinderella Man”

Starring Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, Paul Giamatti; directed by Ron Howard

Crowe brings the story of boxing champion Jim Braddock to the screen, detailing his initial failure and later unexpected rise in the ring during the Great Depression. (June 3)

“Mr. and Mrs. Smith”

Starring Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Vince Vaughn, Adam Brody; directed by Doug Liman

Pitt and Jolie are John and Jane Smith, a seemingly normal suburban couple who are in fact both assassins working for competing organizations without knowing it. (June 10)

“Batman Begins”

Starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, Liam Neeson; directed by Christopher Nolan

No sequel has come close to replicating the original Batman, Michael Keeton, but this installment might come close. Bringing in characters such as The Scarecrow, the fifth “Batman” flick looks at the origins of Batman and Bruce Wayne’s early life. (June 17)

“Bewitched”

Starring Nicole Kidman, Will Ferrell, Shirley MacLaine, Michael Caine, Steve Carell; directed by Nora Ephron

Not your typical adaptation of a classic sitcom. A producer remakes the show, casting Ferrell as husband Darrin and Kidman as his wife Samantha, who is a witch. Unbeknownst to him, Kidman is in fact a witch, now pretending to be a character who is a witch. (June 24)

“Mission Impossible 3”

Starring Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Scarlett Johansson, Carrie-Ann Moss; directed by J.J. Abrams

With J.J. Abrams at the helm (Television’s “Alias” and “Lost”) and Cruise, one of the few true movie stars around, in the lead, the third action film has potential to be as entertaining as the first, which, though hard to believe, was released 10 years ago. (June 25)

“War of the Worlds”

Starring Tom Cruise, Miranda Otto, Tim Robbins, Dakota Fanning; directed by Steven Spielberg

A modern retelling of H.G. Well’s sci-fi classic of how one family fights to survive during the battle for humankind. (June 29)

July

“Fantastic Four”

Starring Chris Evans, Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis; directed by Tim Story

Another comic book brought to life, this time from the longest-running series of all time. (July 8)

“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”

Starring Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, Helena Bonham Carter; directed by Tim Burton

Anything Depp touches turns to gold, especially his collaborations with Burton, a true genius of his time. Don’t expect “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket”-this is a rendition of Rohl Dahl’s book and not the ’70s musical. You can expect wonders, especially with Freddie Highmore (Peter in “Finding Neverland”) as Charlie. (July 15)