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What should you see in movie theaters this summer?

The kids will soon flee school for their annual sabbatical, and they're ready to impose their collective will on the box office. Fewer movies will be on more screens. Déjà vu will rule the roost.

Ah, summertime. What's that? Summer doesn't really start until June 21? Please. That's so real world. This is fantasyland. It's time for superheroes (yes, more of them) and dinosaurs (yes, more of them) and even a smattering of what we still quaintly call independent film.

What to see? Where to start? As always, we're here to help with our five burning questions for Hollywood's silly season. In the immortal words of the Black Eyed Peas, let's get it started.

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Chris Pratt stars in the highly-anticipated "Jurassic World," which comes out June 12.
Chris Pratt stars in the highly-anticipated "Jurassic World," which comes out June 12.(Handout / TNS)
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What's with all the sequels and retreads? Need you ask? This is an industry that never met an idea it can't beat into the ground for a few extra bucks. Still, this summer has taken the repetition to new extremes.

We've got another Road Warrior (Mad Max: Fury Road, now in theaters), another Jurassic Park (Jurassic World, June 12), another impossible mission (Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, July 31) and another terminator (Terminator: Genisys on July 1, which apparently lacks the technological advances of a spell-check program). There's Ted 2 (June 26), Pitch Perfect 2 (now in theaters) and Insidious: Chapter 3 (June 5).

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You can go on another Vacation (July 31), check in with The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (Aug. 14) or roll with the boys from Entourage (June 3). An aspiring anthropologist could launch a study of movie theater bachelorette parties with Magic Mike XXL (July 1). The options are plentiful, even if the innovation isn't.

Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation(Bo Bridges)

Where do all the superheroes fit into this? They're leading the charge, of course. The new Avengers movie already broke the bank. Fantastic Four (Aug. 7) gets a reboot, as all superhero franchises inevitably do. Ant-Man (July 17) adds to the Marvel pileup, because who didn't want an Ant-Man franchise? We're in the midst of massive superhero saturation, but if you want true fan frenzy you'll have to wait until next year's Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. It might just break the Internet.

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What about something with a little more ... substance? Sure, you'll find the occasional escape from pure escapism. Summer always sees a trickle of big buzz items from January's Sundance Film Festival. This year's batch includes Dope (June 19), Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (June 19), The Wolfpack (July 10), Z for Zachariah (August) and Ten Thousand Saints (Aug. 14). Soul giant Nina Simone gets the full documentary treatment in What Happened, Miss Simone? (June 24).

Woody Allen pairs Joaquin Phoenix with Emma Stone in Irrational Man (July 17). You can dig into the history of Saturday Night Live with Live From New York! (June 19). Jason Segel plays the late novelist David Foster Wallace in The End of the Tour (July 31). The Tribe (June 17), from Ukraine, unfolds entirely in sign language.

RJ Cyler (left) and Thomas Mann in a scene from "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl"
RJ Cyler (left) and Thomas Mann in a scene from "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl"(Chung Hoon Chung / AP)

What about the kids, man? What about the kids? As always, there's plenty to please the ankle-biters. Pixar's Inside Out (June 19) presents an ambitious premise: The various emotions of a little girl each have personalities, including Amy Poehler's Joy. Despicable Me's minions return in Minions (July 10), and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't kind of excited.

Speaking of Pixar, one of their mainstays, Brad Bird, directs George Clooney in the live-action Tomorrowland (opening Friday). An orphan boy ventures to an adventurous Neverland in Pan (July 24), starring Hugh Jackman. Underdogs (Aug. 14) is an animated soccer story that's already taken off in its native Argentina.

Critic's Choice: What has Chris Vognar already seen that he can recommend, and what is he dying to see? I'm a fan of Love & Mercy (June 5), the new drama starring Paul Dano and John Cusack as Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson; The Wolfpack (July 10), a mesmerizing doc about teen siblings in New York who never go outside but watch a lot of movies; and I'll See You in My Dreams (opening Friday), an autumnal romance starring a gracefully aging Blythe Danner (it opened the Dallas International Film Festival in April). I'm dying to see the new N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton (Aug. 14), because it represents the hell-raising rock 'n' roll spirit of my youth (and it happens to look good).

Now, go watch a movie.