The summer blockbusters will soon be hitting the big screen and 2006 is a good year for action, mystery and comedy, although there are hits and misses, there is always plenty of choice.

Mission: Impossible III
Release Date: May 5
Starring Tom Cruise, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Keri Russell and Ving Rhames.
Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is back for the third time protecting the world from evil criminals and avenging his parents' untimely deaths. Expect a lot of conniving twists, futuristic gadgets, intense car chases and death-defying stunts, 99 per cent of which Cruise performed himself. It will be interesting to see how recent Oscar-winner Phillip Seymour Hoffman and past teen sensation Keri Russell will do in a testosterone-filled action film.

Although M:I III is highly anticipated, there is more buzz surrounding Cruise's religion and the birth of his baby with Katie Holmes. Other rumors include the speculation that Scarlett Johanson was originally cast in the film, but pulled out after Cruise pressured her into Scientology.

The Da Vinci Code
Release Date: May 19
Starring Tom Hanks, French actress Audrey Tautou and Paul Bettany.
With over 43 million hard copy novels sold, Ron Howard's film adaptation of Dan Brown's religion-based mystery The Da Vinci Code is expected to be the top grossing film of the season. Set in both Paris and London, cryptographer Robert Langdon (Hanks) is on the lam while solving a 2000-year-old mystery and shaking up the foundation of Christianity. Scenes were actually shot in the famous Louvre museum in Paris, although London's Westminster Abbey refused the crew filming rights, claiming the book was “theologically unsound.”

Superman Returns
Release Date: June 30
Starring Brandon Routh, Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth
Much like last summer's hit Batman Begins; Superman Returns will draw comic book enthusiasts and action seekers to the theatre. Directed by J.J Abrams, the latest superhero installment draws on predecessors Superman: The Movie and Superman II. Clark Kent (Routh), along with his crime fighting alter ego, returns to earth after searching for other Krypton survivors to find his former home of Metropolis unrecognizable. Kevin Spacey plays the recently paroled Lex Luther, who vows to bring an end to Superman and the earth.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Release Date: July 7
Starring Johnny Depp, Keria Knightly and Orlando Bloom
Legendary pirate Jack Sparrow (Depp) and all the big names from the first installment are back to settle a blood-debt with supernatural pirate Davey Jones. Not only does this debt ruin the wedding plans of Will (Bloom) and Elizabeth (Knightly), but if not resolved Sparrow will be doomed to an afterlife of eternal damnation. The original Pirates of the Caribbean almost earned Depp an Oscar, and if he doesn't get one this time around the entire cast will be back for a third next summer.

Miami Vice
Release Date: July 28
Starring Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx and Gong Li
Go back to 1986, when shoulder pads and penny loafers without socks were the height of fashion, and the original Miami Vice television series was at the height of it's popularity.

Twenty years later, Miami Vice returns to the big screen with a simple detective plot set amongst a thriving Florida drug scene. Farrell and Foxx both sport creepy 80's-style mustaches for the film, but that may not be enough to bring back the nostalgia that is best left in the past.

Lady in the Water
Release Date: July 21
Starring Paul Giamatti, written and directed by M Night Shyamalan
Based on a story Shyamalan told his children, Lady in the Water is about an apartment complex worker (Giamatti) who finds a mysterious young lady living amongst the confines of the building. In typical Shyamalan-like style, the film is a balance between thriller, horror and mystery, and with Giamatti in the lead it will draw a lot of attention.

Nacho Libre
Release Date: June 16
Starring Jack Black and directed by Napoleon Dynamite mastermind Jared Hess.
Comedies took over the theatres last summer with Wedding Crashers and 40-year-old Virgin, but unfortunately Nacho Libre probably won't live up to those standards. Black plays a Mexican priest (Nacho) who turns to wrestling to help out his orphanage. Hordes of Black fans will pay just to see him dress up in the ridiculous, yet hilariously revealing, wrestling costume.

Click
Release Date: June 23
Starring Adam Sandler, Kate Beckinsale, and Christopher Walken
Sandler plays a workaholic architect who discovers a remote control that allows him to rewind or fast-forward his life. The comedy gets complicated when the remote starts choosing where Sandler's character goes. Apparently the script was given good reviews and like most Sandler comedies, Click will be a hit.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
Release date: August 4
Starring Will Ferrell, Amy Adams and John C. Reilly
What could be better than Will Ferrell as a NASCAR driver? Mocking the popular American pastime of racecar driving, Ferrell plays driver Ricky Bobby, who along with Reilly's character Cal, make-up the fearless team of “Shake” and “Bake.” There is a plot amongst the over-the-top-fans and hilarious shots at the NASCAR culture; the pair must compete against a French driver who attempts to strip them of their status.

X-Men: The Last Stand
Release Date: May 26th
Starring Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry and Kelsey Grammer
Apparently this is the summer for the trilogy, with Mission Impossible and X-Men both taking the box office by storm for the third time. The entire cast is back for X-Men: The Last Stand and this time the shunned mutants are fighting an immense villain named Juggernaut. It will be hard to picture Dr. Frasier Crane as the Beast, but with make-up and special effects there really isn't anything movie crews cannot do. The first two seemed to be well-received by the comic book crowd, and the third will probably be judged up to par as well.

The Break Up
Release Date: June 2
Starring Jennifer Anniston, Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau
After a bad break up, neither Brooke (Anniston) nor Gary (Vaughn) wants to move out of their condo they share. It becomes a mental war to see which ex can make the other cave under the pressure, only to have the two realize the fighting is keeping them together. Expect a feel good movie because just last week it was announced that the final scenes of the film were re-shot to portray a more uplifting ending.

A standard romantic comedy through and through, The Break Up will probably garner extra attention due to Anniston and Vaughn's real life romance, much like Mr. & Mrs. Smith did when Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt got together in 2005.