Must-See: Buzz-Worthy Movies of May

After months of watching and re-watching trailers for movies like “Avengers: Age of Ultron” or “Mad Max: Fury Road,” moviegoers can finally experience the grandeur of 2015’s summer movie season.

“Avengers: Age of Ultron“

Release Date: May 1

Directed by: Joss Whedon

Plot: Years after they first worked together to save the world, the Avengers unite once again, this time to defeat the evil, clandestine organization known as HYDRA. Believing that the team alone isn’t enough to save the world, Tony “Iron Man” Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) secretly constructs an artificially-intelligent being dubbed the “Ultron Program” to protect the world in ways that The Avengers never could. Like every other artificial-intelligence ever, “Ultron” (voice and motion-capture provided by James Spader) turns on its creators, and the Avengers get a powerful new enemy.

Buzz: On the off chance that you haven’t been eagerly anticipating what’s already going down in history as one of the biggest events in movie history, consider the following:

1. This is the largest and most expansive project ever undertaken by writer/director Joss Whedon; this is the guy who created shows like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Firefly,” “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” and “The Cabin in the Woods,” just to name a few.

2. Whedon has said from the beginning that this film will be deeper, smarter and darker than the first film.

3. This film will be the grand finale of Marvel’s “Phase 2” of their cinematic universe (which includes every film between 2012’s “The Avengers” and next year’s “Captain America: Civil War”), kicking off “Phase 3,” the next batch of Marvel movies to entertain audiences over the next five years.

“Pitch Perfect 2“

Release Date: May 15

Directed by: Elizabeth Banks

Plot: After a wardrobe malfunction (courtesy of Rebel Wilson‘s character “Fat Amy”) during a live performance disgraces the name of the Barden Bella a cappella group, the gang of girls decide to earn their reputation back by entering an international competition – one that no American team has ever won.

Buzz: Other than 2011’s “Bridesmaids,” very few female-centric mainstream comedies have come close to reaching the levels of both critical success and cult fandom that “Mean Girls” set the benchmark for all those years ago – though 2012’s original “Pitch Perfect” came pretty close. If actress Elizabeth Banks’ first directorial debut can capture the spirit of the first movie, the Barden Bellas should once again make good company.

“Mad Max: Fury Road“

Release Date: May 15

Directed by:  George Miller

Plot: In a post-apocalyptic future world as ravaged by drought and starvation as it is by wandering gangs of tribal-like madmen, a mysterious man named Max (Tom Hardy) teams up with a dangerous and driven woman named Furiosa (Charlize Theron) to survive a horrific trek across the desert.

Buzz: Though “Age of Ultron” has been getting most of the hype as far as this year’s summer season goes, many people may be pleasantly surprised with George Miller’s triumphant return to the sci-fi action franchise that launched his career. Even though some might not think the series could survive without Mel Gibson as the lead, the criminally underrated Tom Hardy is more than worthy to take over the title. There’s no better way to launch a more successful step in his career than to star in what may be both the most artfully crafted and explosively fun action movie of the year.

“Tomorrowland “

Release Date: May 22

Directed by: Brad Bird

Plot: After finding a mysterious artifact that acts as a key to a fantastic new world, a bright young teen (Britt Robertson) seeks the help of a former child genius (George Clooney) to discover the secrets of this strange, futuristic world.

Buzz: Though movies based off of Disney theme park rides have been hit-or-miss in the past, director Brad Bird has been one of the most imaginative minds in Hollywood over the last few years, working with Pixar to give us “Ratatouille,” “The Incredibles” and “Up.” In addition to these, he also introduced his first foray into live-action filmmaking by producing one of this generation’s best summer action movies in the form of “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.” This looks to be the first of hopefully many films that utilizes both Bird’s family-friendly imagination and his skill in filmmaking.

“San Andreas“

Release Date: May 29

Directed by: Brad Peyton

Plot: A search and rescue helicopter pilot (Dwayne Johnson) and his estranged family must reconnect and work together in order to survive when a massive earthquake hits California.

Buzz: While many people may lose interest in this film as soon as they realize it isn’t an adaptation of the video game “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas,” Hollywood disaster movies can always be counted on to deliver just the right mix of glorious special effects-driven destruction and softer, more human moments of drama. Because of this, Dwayne Johnson’s continuing tour to take over Hollywood is sure to be a crowd pleaser.