If first acts counted for everything, then Iron Man 3 would be a flawless five-star extravaganza of comic book fun: A sequel that starts off by accentuating its franchise's ruthlessly charming star, a fleet-footed action flick that drives the viewer around the world and sets up the stakes before the first 10 minutes have elapsed, and a tightly scripted, quip-laden techno-farce with loads of physical comedy, no shortage of off-handedly funny pop culture references, and even a little thought-provoking subtext in the bargain.

We've been taught to temper our expectations when it comes to seeing Wolverine on the big screen, but Fox really wants you to get excited about James Mangold's The Wolverine, and they've just unleashed the Comic-Con footage that's supposed to make it happen.

One of Thor's unexpected pleasures was just how disarmingly funny it managed to be, while still making plenty of room for the straight-faced epic adventure the comic is known for. Given its title, we've been expecting something a bit grimmer from the upcoming sequel, Thor: The Dark World -- and those expectations have been confirmed by the movie's first trailer.

He's a brilliant visual stylist, but the knock on Zack Snyder as a director is that he too often neglects real storytelling in favor of pretty pictures. The latest Man of Steel trailer, however, suggests he may have made a quantum leap as a filmmaker.

Warner Bros. is entering the home stretch between now and Man of Steel -- with just a few weeks standing between filmgoers and Superman's long-planned return on June 14, it's time to make or break blockbuster-level interest in the big guy's latest reboot.