CNN - Here comes the summer blockbuster


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Danger, moviegoers!

Here come the summer blockbusters
April 28, 1998
Web posted at: 4:13 p.m. EDT (1613 GMT)
(CNN) -- If Chicken Little were around today, he'd have his plate full with more than just a falling sky. The summer blockbuster season is just around the corner, with story lines revolving around a plethora of dangerous circumstances. Danger from above, danger from the unknown, danger from the king of all monsters: summer cinema has it all.

The season kicks off with a roar from "Godzilla," starring Matthew Broderick. The beast stomps into theaters in May, threatening to take a giant bite out of the Big Apple, unless Broderick and company can save the day. If you want to actually see Godzilla, famous from the days when he ravaged Japan, you'll have to see the flick. So far, the trailers have refused a full peak at the computer-generated dinosaur that dwarfs those "Jurassic Park" lizards.

Coming soon: Earth-bound space debris

Sick of dinosaurs? Other Hollywood studios are capitalizing on Chicken Little's nightmare. Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures team up in "Deep Impact," the disaster flick depicting the pandemonium that ensues when scientists discover a comet on a collision course with Earth. It hits theaters on May 8.

For those who miss "Deep Impact," there's always "Armageddon," starring Bruce Willis and indie king Ben Affleck. Willis and Affleck play a couple of space heroes on a team trying to deflect an Earth-bound asteroid the size of Texas. The film is being released by Touchstone Pictures on July 1.

The truth is out there, and it's heading to movie theaters. "The X-Files," the big screen version of the popular Fox TV show, opens at theaters this summer. Mulder and Scully stumble across a lethal virus from outer space while investigating the bombing of a Dallas building.

Tales of love and courage

Tom Hanks returns to the big screen with "Saving Private Ryan," the World War II story of U.S. soldiers who set out to rescue a comrade trapped behind enemy lines. The movie also stars Matt Damon of "Good Will Hunting" fame.

The screen adaptation of "The Horse Whisperer" opens May 15. The film was created by Robert Redford, who plays the title role in the story about recuperation and love following a tragic accident involving a little girl and her horse.

Jim Carrey returns in "The Truman Show," the story of a man who lives inside a TV show, but doesn't know it. The Paramount Pictures release will hit theaters on June 5.

Kid flicks

And for kids, Disney releases the animated "Mulan" in June. The story revolves around a young Chinese maiden who disguises herself to replace her weakened father in the army to fight invading Mongols.

Warner Brothers counters with "The Quest for Camelot," an animated tale about a teen-age girl and her goal to become a knight. It opens May 15.