With summer blockbuster season already in full swing (and what a year so far!), July is sure to set the bar even higher! From the Dark Knight to X-Files, there's no shortage of awesome on the big screen this month. We're here to make sure you're spending your cash in the right places with CraveOnline's July Movie Guide, giving you the lowdown on the good, the bad and what could be the great films of this month.

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Hancock



Release Date: July 1
Director: Peter Berg
Starring: Will Smith, Jason Bateman, Charlize Theron
Rating: PG-13

Will Smith plays Hancock, a conflicted superhero with good intentions who always tends to leave a wake of catastrophic damage behind his feats of heroism. The citizens finally get fed up, and Hancock's ready to give it all up - until the day that he saves the life of PR executive Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), and the superhero begins to realize that he may have a vulnerable side after all. His wife (Charlize Theron) on the other hand, thinks he's a lost cause.

CraveOnline's Call: This looks like a new spin on the old super-flick. We love the idea of a comically conflicted superhero, and much as we hate to ask, what has Will Smith been in that hasn't killed at the box office? Count us in.

The Wackness



Release Date: July 3
Director: Jonathan Levine
Starring: Josh Peck, Sir Ben Kingsley, Method Man
Rating: R

Set in New York City in the summer of 1994, Luke (Josh Peck) is a pot dealer just out of high school who befriends a psychiatrist and then falls in love with the shrink's step-daughter, who happens to be a heartbreaker - and maybe more than Luke can handle. Method Mad appears in a comically rastafarian turn as Luke's supplier.

CraveOnline's Call: I was lucky enough to catch a screening of this - it's a fantastic snapshot of life in the summer of 1994 through the eyes of a kid going through the rites of passage into manhood, who's insightful enough to be aware of the fact that this is a cornerstone moment in his life. The lingo, the music, the atmosphere... it all perfectly captures the essence of a moment of innocence in our history. Hard to believe it was almost 15 years ago.

Gonzo



Release Date: July 4 (limited)
Director: Alex Gibney
Starring: Johnny Depp, Jimmy Carter, George McGovern, Hunter S. Thompson
Rating: R

Gonzo is being called "the definitive film biography of a mythic American writer, particularly covering his most provocative and productive period from 1965 to 1975." It's a full portrait of the man whose wonderfully unique style and outrageous, drink-and-drug-fueled maniac personality have cemented him as one of America's most legendary writers. Thompson was a shining beacon in the dark fog of immorality and hideously manipulative spins of modern journalism. He called out the heaviest and most powerful offenders in politics and journalism with the fire of a thousand suns, keeping readers on the path to truth while making us laugh our asses off. There is only one Hunter S. Thompson.

CraveOnline's Call: There have been many Thompson biographies, many of them drawing from the same material, the same pictures, clips and tired quotes. This doesn't appear to be one of those. It has a fresh sense of delivery and features interviews with the people who were closest to the legend. And if Thompson pal and confidant Depp is on board, it's gotta be legit.

Journey to the Center of the Earth



Release Date: July 11
Director: Eric Brevig
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, Anita Briem

Brendan Fraser, his nephew Sean (Josh Hutcherson) and easy-on-the-eyes local guide Hannah (Anita Briem) get trapped in a cave, and the only way they can escape is to... dig through to the other side of the world. On their journey, the group explores unimaginable worlds beneath our own, facing exotic, strange creatures as they try to make their way back home. This contemporary twist on Jules Verne's original novel is the first live-action, narrative motion picture to be shot in digital 3D.

CraveOnline's Call: This is a renter at best.

Hellboy 2



Release Date: July 11
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair Luke Goss, Doug Jones, John Hurt
Rating: Pg-13

After an ancient truce existing between humankind and the "invisible realm of the fantastic" is broken, hell on Earth is about to erupt. An unstoppable army of creatures is unleashed upon the world, and it's up to Hellboy (Ron Perlman) to clean house and, well, save the world with his team in the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Development--pyrokinetic girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair), aquatic empath Abe (Doug Jones) and protoplasmic mystic Johann. Hellboy, a creature of two worlds who's accepted by neither, must choose between the life he knows and an unknown destiny that beckons him.

CraveOnline's Call: Man, the first one sucked, but the characters and effects on the sequel look very promising. Think Lord of the Rings meets The 5th Element. Every trailer I've seen looks absolutely badass... until the red dude shows up and makes some stupid comment.

Meet Dave



Release Date: July 11
Director: Brian Robbins
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Ed Helms, Gabrielle Union, Elizabeth Banks
Rating: PG-13

A crew of tiny, human-looking aliens arrives on earth to save humanity, wearing the perfect disguise - a spaceship shaped like an ordinary man. Hijinks ensue as the aliens try to act human, and keep their secret from being discovered.

CraveOnline's Call: Straight to video for this one. Eddie Murphy's kids need to tell him it's okay to make a grown-up movie now that he's stocked their movie rack with enough shitty titles to last five childhoods.

The Dark Knight



Release Date: July 18
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Rating: PG-13

Christian Bale suits up again for what's already being called the single best Batman film ever made. The late Heath Ledger's Joker is said to be a total reinterpretation of the character, while Aaron Eckhart plays District Attorney-turned-Two Face Harvey Dent and Maggie Gyllenhaal replaces Scientology robot Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes. Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman and Michael Caine return to their respective roles as well in this latest caped crusader installment, which finds Gotham thrust into total anarchy thanks to the Joker, and it's up to Batman, once again, to save the day.

CraveOnline's Call: Set the rest of this month's movies on fire - THIS is the one we've been waiting for. Expect record-smashing sales opening weekend.

Step Brothers



Release Date: July 25
Director: Adam McKay
Starring: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Adam Scott, Mary Steenburgen
Rating: R

Directed by Adam McKay, Step Brothers finds Ferrell playing Brennan Huff, a 39 year-old loser who lives with his mother (Mary Steenburgen), while John C. Reilly one-ups him by playing Dale Doback, a terminally-unemployed 40 year-old who lives with his father. When Brennan's mom marries Dale's dad, the two new step brothers are forced to live with each other. The overgrown children make buffoons out of themselves for a solid hour and a half.

CraveOnline: Semi-Pro was an abomination, a blatant attempt to cash in on the Anchorman brand of cocky humor without committing to an actual Anchorman sequel. It dropped Ferrell's stock considerably, but we'll probably still give this one a shot. He's good good chemistry with Reilly.

X-Files: I Want to Believe



Release Date: July 25
Director: Chris Carter
Starring:David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Amanda Peet
Rating: PG-13

Series creator Chris Carter directs Mulder and Scully as they embark on another adventure of the paranormal, supernatural and inexplicable. There's no aliens this time - the standalone story is more of a monster film, from what we've heard, although details are being kept under very tight wraps. Also starring are Amanda Peet and Xzibit.

CraveOnline's Call: The original made almost $200 miliion - and it was awesome. The case shouldn't be any different for this one.

The Rocker



Release Date: July 30
Director: Peter Cattaneo
Starring: Rainn Wilson, Christina Applegate, Josh Gad, Jane Lynch
Rating: PG-13

Rainn Wilson plays Robert "Fish" Fishman, a failed, over-the-hill drummer who was in eighties hair band Vesuvius, but was booted just before they hit superstardom. Twenty years later, Fishman gets a second chance at fame when his nephew's band needs a percussionist. He revels in his second chance at glory - and nobody's going to get in his way this time.

CraveOnline's Call: The idea is a lot cooler than the real thing. When taking your girlfriend to the movies can easily cost you over fifty bucks, that Netflix queue list is looking mighty friendly. In other words, wait for the DVD and go see Batman again.