From the initial footage I saw, “Lightyear” delivers on its promise of exciting sci-fi adventure. Why we’re pumped: Some people were puzzled when it was announced that Chris Evans would be voicing Buzz Lightyear instead of Tim Allen in this animated flick directed by Angus MacLane (co-director of “Finding Dory”), but the casting makes perfect sense since we’re talking about the character rather than the toy Andy loved. Voices: Chris Evans, Keke Palmer, Taika Waititi, James Brolin Chris Pratt is still tangling with dinos in “Jurassic Park Dominion.” (Universal ‘Lightyear’ What makes it sound even more fun is that the old gang - Laura Dern, Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum - are back together. This one sports a fun premise, as dinos venture out of the park. Why we’re pumped: Although the first two films in this three-pack reboot – box-office sensations that earned a collective critical meh – left us wondering when franchise extinction might come about, we’re holding out hope that Bay Area native Colin Trevorrow rights the wrongs and gets back into the spirit of the original series. Stars: Chris Pratt, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Neill To bone up on all those past grudges, turn to Netflix and watch the original. The big question here is whether younger audiences will show up to see Maverick (Tom Cruise) and Iceman (Val Kilmer) tussle, while Maverick meets up with Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of Maverick’s copilot Goose, who was killed in the 1986 original. Why we’re pumped: Long delayed because - well, obviously - this sequel, directed by Joseph Kosinski, lands some 35 years after the original jetted off, took our breath away and made us want to check out some beach volleyball. Stars: Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, Val Kilmer, Jon Hamm But is that stalker all in her mind? Cue the Vincent Price laugh. She gets none of that from the moment she checks in. What we do know is that versatile Jessie Buckley (“The Lost Daughter”) plays a recovering trauma victim needing some R&R in the English countryside. That vagueness is no surprise, given that the director of “Ex Machina” and “Annihilation” loves to mess with our minds. Why we’re pumped: The trailer to Alex Garland’s latest oddity freaked us out, but it also left us hankering for more clues. Stars: Jessie Buckley, Rory Kinnear, Paapa Essiedu Penelope Wilton and Maggie Smith return for “Downton Abbey: A New Era.” (Focus Features) ‘Men’ Expect “Abbey” devotees who might have been wary about returning to theaters to show up as if it was time for afternoon tea. The divine and wonderfully snide matriarch of the Crawley clan returns to outwit everyone else in this outing where half the fam heads to France (doesn’t that sound ducky right now?) while the other half stays home in this Simon Curtis-helmed movie. Why we’re pumped: Two words: Maggie Smith. Stars: Michelle Dockery, Maggie Smith, Dominic West, Hugh Dancy, Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern Enter veteran director Sam Raimi, with a proven track record - OK, except for “Spider-Man 3.” That was horrible. What gives us pause is that original director/co-screenwriter Scott Dickerson dropped out, reportedly because he wanted to make it super scary, and that didn’t fly.
(Uh oh.) “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” unofficially kicks off the summer movie season with Xochitl Gomez playing America Chavez, Benedict Wong as Wong and Benedict Cumberbatch as Strange. In this add on to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Strange accidentally triggers a nasty bit of business from the multiverse. Stephen Strange – the ultimate magician – instills confidence that this sequel might match the success of the 2016 Marvel hit.
Why we’re pumped: Any film starring Benedict Cumberbatch gets us all fired up, and his return as the brilliant Dr. Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong