Once you're an adult, summer doesn't quite mean what it used to. Most of us don't get June, July and August off any more, and end up whiling away the majority of the season staring wistfully out the office window at that so-fleeting sunshine.

"Man of Steel," "The Great Gatsby," "World War Z" and "Monsters University" are among our picks for summer must-see movies.

But one of the perks of summer that Americans of all ages and job descriptions get is the summer movie season. Don't expect to see gritty, intense Oscar contenders on these long, hot days -- this is the time for pure popcorn, light and fluffy films with explosions and animation, superheroes and zombies. 

More than 60 movies will open over the course of the summer. Here are 11 you'll want to consider putting on your must-see list.

If you can only see ONE summer blockbuster, see 'Iron Man 3'
It's tough to imagine the "Iron Man" series without cocky, wisecracking Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role. Who else could make Tony Stark/Iron Man the most fascinating superhero onscreen? Stark is super, sure, but he also has battled alcoholism and anxiety attacks, and his super-flubs are as intriguing as his big battles. Downey makes you buy into it for two-plus hours in "Iron Man 3," backed by a superb supporting cast, including Don Cheadle, Jon Favreau, Guy Pearce and Gwyneth Paltrow. Other films have their fans (we hear you, Trekkies!), but "Iron Man 3" might be the biggest summer blockbuster in a summer filled with them. (Opens May 3.)

If you're an English major, see 'The Great Gatsby'
If we made a list of the movies least likely to benefit from 3-D, "The Great Gatsby" would top that list. Hey! Guess what? Hollywood put it in 3-D anyway! It's supposed to give a more immersive experience, but really, can't F. Scott Fitzgerald's legendary characters and story do that on their own? But this latest rendition of "Gatsby" is going all out, with Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby, Tobey Maguire as Nick and Carey Mulligan as Daisy. Aussie director Baz Luhrmann made "Moulin Rouge!" and "Romeo + Juliet," and both those films made waves for their style and panache. Traditionalists who want to see a straightforward march straight to the green light at the end of Daisy's dock may be clutching their knotted pearls when they see this one. (Opens May 10.)

If you're missing your friends from Starfleet Academy, see 'Star Trek Into Darkness'
Give the folks behind "Star Trek: Into Darkness" (and its 2009 predecessor, "Star Trek") huge props. Rebooting a series that was so beloved for so long without alienating devoted fans has to rank right up there with solving the Kobayashi Maru training exercise. And like a young James T. Kirk back in his school days, they somehow pulled it off. The rebooted movie series is a solid new take on Kirk, Spock, Bones and the rest -- we especially love Simon "Shaun of the Dead" Pegg as Scotty. And as much as Trekkies love to dig for info, this film has managed to maintain a certain secrecy about the villain, played by Benedict Cumberbatch and named John Harrison. Is Harrison a version of the legendary baddie Khan? Or Gary Mitchell from the original series? Does it matter? We'll be there faster than a red-shirted ensign can say, "Look out, Capt--" (Opens May 17.)

If you like quirky growing-up tales, see 'The Kings of Summer'
It looks a little like "Stand By Me" with a more modern, sarcastic sensibility. "The Kings of Summer" was a Sundance hit. Three boys whose parents are driving them crazy build a house in the woods -- and a pretty decent one, too -- and leave civilzation behind. Or kind of. They may make occasional forays to a nearby Boston Market. In previews, the boys are charming and likable, and the parents include the fabulous Nick Offerman who reportedly all but steals the movie. We're guessing this will become a cult fave a la "Donnie Darko." (Opens May 31.) 

If you want to see Hollywood stars die horribly yet humorously, see 'This Is the End'
It's maybe the weirdest concept film of the summer. Hollywood stars play themselves having a big party at James Franco's house jut as the apocalypse -- complete with hellfire, crumbling earth, monsters and Rapture-style abductions -- comes to Los Angeles. Stars like Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Michael Cera and Craig Robinson react pretty much as any character they've ever played would react -- by running around like loons, fighting over the lone remaining Milky Way candy bar and getting robbed by Emma Watson. "Hermione stole all our (expletive)," announces Danny McBride. It could be awful, but based on the rapport of the leads, we're declaring it so silly it's might just be great. (Opens June 12.)

If you like your superheroes polite and clean-cut, see 'Man of Steel'
Iron Man's charming, but his personal problems could fill a therapist's file cabinet. Not so Superman. Sure, he and Lois Lane have issues, but Clark Kent/Superman is still the superhero you could safely bring home to Mom. That can mean he's ... kinda boring, and the trailers don't do much to dispel that, showing a young Clark saving a busload of schoolkids and angstily fretting about his place in the world.  One early review of the new "Man of Steel," however, claims that the trailer misrepresents things and Supes really kicks some butt in the movie. Some fans will always mourn Christopher Reeve, but new star Henry Cavil sure has the look down. We'll soon see if he can leap tall buildings in a single bound. (Opens June 14)

If you can't get enough zombies, see 'World War Z'
"The Walking Dead" is on break, but zombies will be chewing brains all over the big screen in "World War Z." Here's our concern: The film's based on Max Brooks' excellent book, which is told by a UN employee who traveled the world interviewing people of all nationalities about how the zombie uprising affected them. (If you know Studs Terkel's "The Good War," it's that but with the undead.) But the movie's trailer takes Brooks' title and turns it into a we've-seen-this-before action flick as Brad Pitt works to save his children and wife from the zombies. Yes, you can't judge a film by a 2-minute preview, but between the excellence we've become accustomed to on "Walking Dead" and Brooks' fine book, we have high expectations. Someone on this set better have kept their braaaaaaaaaains. (Opens June 21)

If you have a kid, or are a kid at heart, see 'Monsters University'
Not every sequel works, but "Monsters University," Pixar's prequel to its 2001 delight "Monsters Inc.," is positively inspired. Monsters Mike (voice of Billy Crystal) and Sulley (voice of John Goodman) were pals as co-workers in the original film, but when they met back in monster college, that wasn't the case. Bad for them, good for us, as we watch the dormmates fight it out (turns out Sulley sheds in his sleep) amid all the craziness of majoring in scaring. If this one doesn't entertain you, reassess your entertainment genes. (Opens June 21)

If you loved 'Bridesmaids,' see 'The Heat'
"The Heat" is a buddy-cop comedy with a twist -- the cops are women. And not just any women, but Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy. Director Paul Feig not only directed "Bridesmaids," he created the legendary "Freaks and Geeks," which always makes our list of "shows that should never have been canceled." Bullock's best when she's funny (sorry, "Blind Side" fans) and McCarthy is on a roll, so this should be fun.  (June 28)

If you loved the Minions, see 'Despicable Me 2"
It's a great summer for kid movies.  In 2010's "Despicable Me," Steve Carell introduced us to Gru, a supervillain with a passel of little yellow pill-shaped Minions who gabble to each other in gibberish and engage in Three Stooges-style slapstick that's somehow cuter than normal coming from them. Gru seemed tough at first, but his heart quickly melted when he took in three orphan girls. He's back in the sequel, and the Anti-Villain League (with an agent voiced by Kristen Wiig) needs his help to take down another baddie. Thankfully, the Minions and the girls are along for the ride. If you can't get enough of the little yellow guys, another spinoff film, "Minions," is coming in 2014. (Opens July 3.)

If you loved 'Cars,' see 'Planes'
Get ready for "Planes" bedsheets, stuffed toys, video games, phone apps and lunchboxes, because if you thought "Cars" saturated the world of kids, you ain't seen nothin' yet. Disney's "Planes" takes the action to the air with comic Dane Cook voicing Dusty Crophopper, the little cropduster with big dreams. He's no Lightning McQueen, but with a little help from his friends -- and a few zillion kid viewers -- he might just soar high. (Opens Aug. 9.)

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After going way over budget and undergoing script rewrites and re-shoots, "World War Z" is finally coming to the screen -- and it looks to have all the trappings of a thrilling zombie blockbuster.

Just as director Marc Forster (of "Quantum of Solace" fame) has been working against the clock, budget problems, and unhappy producers to finish the film, so, too, Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) must beat the odds. With only 90 days to stop a zombie apocalypse, Lane, a United Nations worker, must leave his family to hunt for clues around the globe, interview survivors, and find out how to stop the zombies.

Paramount Pictures

"I think these things have a weakness," Pitt's character says.

According to the latest trailer, which dropped Monday, something in Russia may hold the key. As Lane says "weakness," the trailer shows a boy crouching as zombies run past him, paying him no attention even while destroying everything else in their path. So what exactly is the secret then? It’s tough to tell, but Lane must leave his family to find it.

Naturally, there are some stunning visual effects, such as when a plane is blown open in flight, à la the "Iron Man 3" trailer. There are mountains of fast zombies, which are nothing like those in "The Walking Dead" or the original "Dawn of the Dead" films. No, the "World War Z" zombies move, climb and destroy with incredible pace. In fact, the newly released poster has a whole swarm (herd? gaggle? army?) of zombies piled atop one another, mercilessly pulling a helicopter out of the sky.

And, of course, lest we forget, there’s also the genre's hallmark: super serious dialogue. "I can’t leave my family," Pitt’s character says. "Don't pretend your family is exempt when we talk about the end of humanity!" a stern officer volleys back.

Over-the-top dialogue aside, the trailer shows that "World War Z," based on Max Brooks' novel of the same name, straddles action and mystery with equal importance. And we can’t wait to follow Brad Pitt and company along for the ride.

The film hits US theaters on June 21.

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The Super Bowl ads weren't just selling physical products, some of them were hyping big movies coming to theaters near you later in the year. Sadly, most of the ads were just teases -- tantalizing the audience with little snippets, some of which had already been seen in previously released teasers. ("World War Z," we're looking at you.)

"The Lone Ranger" ad was one of those that actually revealed never-before-seen footage, focusing on the repartee between the Ranger (Armie Hammer) and sidekick Tonto (Johnny Depp). Not everyone is sold on this film, however. Wrote Moviefone.com, "Eh. How long can we watch Johnny Depp act weird in makeup?"

The ad for "Iron Man 3" showed the superhero saving people who'd been flung out of Air Force One after it's attacked in middair, but then urged viewers to surf to the movie's Facebook page for an extended peek. Star Robert Downey Jr. begins the extended preview by stalking into the camera's eye, striking a number of poses and dramatically whipping off his sunglasses, then admitting, "That might have been more extensive than extended." 

Just two hours after it was posted, the extended trailer had been shared more than 30,000 times on Facebook.

"Oz the Great and Powerful" offers James Franco as the famed man behind the curtain, showing how he arrives in Oz long before Dorothy and her little dog Toto make the twister-led journey there. "The Land You Know -- The Story You Don't," promises the colorful preview, which includes the creepy Wicked Witch, Franco floating in an enormous bubble like one of those State Fair attractions, and some truly nightmare-inducing flying monkeys.

The "Star Trek Into Darkness" trailer features a creepy voiceover from Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays the film's villain, and shows a combination of seen-before and new footage, including a shot of the beloved Enterprise in tatters. "Shall we begin?" Cumberbatch menacingly asks at the end. Yes, please!

The "Fast and Furious" franchise is up to its sixth film now, and if you like the speed and the crash-bang-smash-em-up action of the series, you'll find nothing to dissaude you in the latest installment. Vin Diesel, The Rock, women in bikinis and short skirts, it's the "Citizen Kane" of guy movies.

The "World War Z" trailer, like earlier previews of this Brad Pitt film, was remarkably light on the undead. As The Huffington Post cracked, the film "shows off the zombie apocalypse ("We've lost the East Coast") without actually showing off the zombie apocalypse." In a really odd glimpse, soldiers are seen marching out of a city carrying a framed copy of the U.S. Constitution. We the zombies, in order to form a more perfect brain-eating union...

Movie fans will have to wait a little while, though, to get beyond the trailers. "Oz the Great and Powerful" is the first of the advertised films to open, with a March 8 scheduled release. "Star Trek Into Darkness" opens May 17, "Fast and Furious 6" opens May 24, "World War Z" opens June 21, "The Lone Ranger" opens July 3, 

Which Super Bowl movie ad was your favorite? Vote in our poll, and tell us what you think on Facebook.

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Hey, you know what we don't see enough of in modern entertainment? Zombies. Someone should really resurrect (sorry) that trend. Ha, kidding -- the undead have eaten up more than their share of media dollars thanks to TV's "Walking Dead" and movies like "28 Days Later." But as we all know, they cannot be stopped.

The zombie apocalypse movie "World War Z" was originally planned to hit theaters this December, but has now been delayed till next June. It's based on the much-praised book by Max Brooks, son of moviemaker Mel Brooks and actress Anne Bancroft. But as CinemaBlend points out, and the new trailer backs up, book fans may be disappointed in the film. (Ha, that never happens, right?)

Paramount Pictures

Brad Pitt stars in "World War Z."

"World War Z" the book is a fascinating history of a zombie war, with chapters ricocheting from the viewpoint of different people in different countries, incomes, and levels of involvement in the conflict. But the trailer focuses on Brad Pitt trying to protect his wife (Mireille Enos) and their two kids as the zombie apocalpyse apparently makes itself known through a really bad traffic jam. Lots of kids in peril scenes that will freak out sensitive parents, lots of long-haired Pitt in protective dad mode, not a lot of visible zombies.

Now maybe that's just how the trailer was cut. Pitt plays a UN employee who travels the world to interview survivors, which gets at more of the book's style. Still, it's easy to envision a trailer cutting between Pitt interviewing and various people the world over telling snippets of their zombie story. We've seen the dad-protecting-kids thing many times before. (Tom Cruise in "War of the Worlds," anyone?)

Watch the trailer and judge for yourself. "World War Z" hits theaters June 21.

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Photo: Stephen Vaughan / 20th Century Fox

Benjamin Walker plays Abraham Lincoln who moonlights as a vampire hunter in "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter."

Vampires and zombies will be forever pitted against one another. Between HBO’s “True Blood” and AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” this summer’s “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” and next year’s Brad Pitt-vehicle “World War Z,” the dichotomy is only becoming clearer.

In the Tim Burton-produced film, Honest Abe is reimagined as a nighttime vampire hunter, taking down blood-sucking evildoers. He’s the country’s finest leader during the day and the nation’s greatest assassin come nightfall.

Yet Lincoln himself may fall into the category of "vampire."

Video: Anthony Mackie as Abe Lincoln's sidekick

Like the blood-sucking creatures, he’s smart and charismatic, debonair and independent. He leads with adroit aplomb and destroys evil beings with sexy smoothness -- his well-worn top hat earns him fashion points while the axe he so gracefully wields creates macabre destruction that’s pleasing to the aesthetically-discriminating eye.

If Lincoln were a zombie, he wouldn’t be able to create the beautiful chaos that Seth Grahame-Smith, author of the book on which the film is based, claims he brought about. He would be a myopic plodder, seeing blurry visions of incoming assailants, unable to retaliate with cunning or with any thought at all. 

This is not to underestimate the zombies of our society. While our presidents and philanthropists are more vampire than zombie, the world's movers and shakers are often groups with a common mission: take Occupy Wall Street, for example, or that group of angry moms who want yet another stop sign in the neighborhood. These "zombies" achieve their missions in large groups, taking down mere individuals who stand in their way.  

In Marc Forster’s upcoming movie “World War Z,” the task of stopping a zombie pandemic falls to Gerry Lane, a United Nations worker played by Brad Pitt. While the movie has been having its fair share of budget-related troubles as of late, a zombie apocalypse could spell out even greater trouble. Zombies, with their undead arms extended, wreak havoc en masse, easily collecting a nearly unstoppable group hell-bent on mindless destruction -- a feat that eludes the self-absorbed, hedonistic vampires.

Lincoln may be a vampire but perhaps the real power lies in the masses -- groups that have a common goal, a common faith or a common enemy.

Director of “Quantum of Solace,” Forster takes on this zombie idea from Max Brooks’ novel of the same name with a sense of seriousness, telling the Los Angeles Times that the film has “the grounded, gun metal realism of, say, Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne series tethered to the unsettling end-times vibe of AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead’.” In fact, “World War Z” achieved such a serious realism that the Hungarian Anti-Terrorism Unit raided a warehouse that housed the film’s prop weapons during shooting in Budapest, thinking they were smuggled weapons.

Clearly, zombies are serious business. So who would come out on top if zombies and vampires faced off?

Initially, zombies would seem to be at a great disadvantage. Their lumbering, soulless bodies are often too slow and their lack of intelligence or rational thought makes them prone to falling for tricks and cleverness. However, while vampires are fast, seductive and smart, their egos can easily be exploited. They are obsessed with their own desires, putting their wants above any sense of morals or principle goodness; they're easily corrupted and unable to control themselves.

Indeed, it’s extremely difficult to pick a winner between the two (but that hasn't stopped some from trying). “World War Z” has an A-list actor and a budget nearly twice that of “Vampire Hunter,” but that doesn’t mean “Vampire Hunter” won’t be able to better market its witty concept to outdo “World War Z” at the box office.

Who, then, is superior? Heroic individuals like Lincoln? Or the inspired masses? 

That's for you to decide, but both films hold the vampire characteristics of sleek, seductive and funny. They'll just need to channel their inner zombie if they want to attract the necessary hordes of excited theatergoers.

"Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter" opens June 22. "World War Z" was recently postponed until 2013.

Who do you think has the upper hand: vampires or zombies? Will you see "Vampire Hunter" and/or "World War Z"? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

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