What it’s about?: After Robert Langdon cracked the Church’s most controversial code in the last film, what could possibly make the Vatican come begging for his services again? Using Dan Brown’s lesser-known bestseller Angels & Demons as the basis, director Ron Howard and star Tom Hanks return with this crackerjack story revolving around the reemergence of the Illuminati, an ancient, secret and wickedly powerful brotherhood. Determined to make the Church pay for its sins against science, they’ve planted a deadly ticking time bomb somewhere in the heart of the Vatican – just as a new pope is set to be elected. Langdon joins up with beautiful Italian scientist Vittoria Vetra in a race against time through crypts, catacombs, cathedrals and hidden vaults as they follow the “Path of Illumination” to save Catholicism’s venerable headquarters from certain destruction.

Who’s in it?: With a thankfully restrained hairstyle, Hanks returns as celebrated Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon. He might as well have worn running shoes, because the action is ramped up to the max in Angels & Demons, turning this colorful drama into something that could have been called The Pope Ultimatum. It’s THAT intense. This is Hanks’ most vivid turn as an action star, and he delivers, proving movies don’t get much more exciting than this. As his pretty cohort Vetra, Ayelet Zurer is every bit his equal, a much more effective female lead than the miscast Audrey Tautou was in the critically reviled 2006 blockbuster Da Vinci Code. Ewan McGregor offers a complex turn as the Camerlengo, the Pope’s number two and acting head of the Vatican during this period, while Stellan Skarsgard brings authority to his role as head of the Swiss Guard. And veteran Armin Mueller-Stahl is simply terrific as a wise and dignified Cardinal at the center of the papal conflict.

What’s good?: If the slow-moving and overlong Da Vinci Code was more cerebral and Hitchcockian in tone, Angels & Demons is just the opposite: an exhilarating, heart-stopping thriller that doesn’t let up for a minute. Howard’s entire production is a first-rate example of Hollywood craftsmanship, delivering a summertime diversion that cooks on all burners. The backdrop of the mysteries and machinations behind the fiercely-guarded veil of the Catholic Church adds a layer of intrigue to the proceedings, keeping us hooked throughout with cool twists and turns.

What’s bad?: Brown’s novel is basically pulp fiction, filled with expository dialogue which has been transferred in a clunky fashion to David Koepp and Akiva Goldsman’s otherwise tight screenplay. Hanks and Zurer come close to Hardy Boys-style delivery as they attempt to awkwardly lay out “clues” and mounds of technical mumbo-jumbo in a believable fashion – not an easy task for the best of actors. You’ll also have to suspend belief, as the story is largely implausible. But hey, this is a summer movie – the cinematic equivalent of a good beach read – and the filmmakers know exactly how to play it.

Favorite scene: A sequence where one of the hostages is being burned at the stake in a cathedral will keep you on edge as director Howard’s experience with setting movie fires (Backdraft, anyone?) really comes in handy. The big denouement is one for the ages as well, but we won’t reveal anything more about it except to say that a helicopter is involved.

Netflix or multiplex?: The ‘cardinal’ rule with blockbuster mysteries like this is to see it in a theater before someone tells you how it ends.

Bottom line: Hollywood.com rated this film 3 1/2 stars.

What it’s about?: In this fourth installment of the durable Terminator series, the year is 2018, and a nuclear holocaust has effectively ended civilization as we knew it. With Terminators snapping up what little remains of the human race, a small group of survivors have gone underground in an effort to battle the controlling organization Skynet, which shocked the world by triggering the apocalypse. Standing up against all odds is John Connor, the one man who knew this was going to happen, and Marcus Wright, a death-row inmate who’s about to be executed when he’s given a new lease on life by Dr. Serena Kogan, a scientist with big plans for this dead man walking. Though Connor is highly suspicious of Kogan’s creation, he forms a precarious bond with the resuscitated Marcus as the two search for a way to infiltrate and conquer a very imposing enemy.

Who’s in it?: Let’s start by stating who isn’t in Terminator Salvation: Arnold Schwarzenegger, star of the three previous installments, is busy in Sacramento, so except for his brief reappearance via the miracle of CGI, this is a whole new ballgame. Taking on a beloved movie franchise – just as he did in 2005’s Batman Begins – Christian Bale steps into the adult shoes of John Connor, who was previously portrayed in T2 and T3 by Edward Furlong and Nick Stahl, respectively. As the one key link to the entire series, Bale’s Connor is intensely serious and dedicated to the task at hand – even though he’s vastly outnumbered. As Marcus Wright, Sam Worthington gets to play both sides of the coin as a hybrid of human and machine, delivering the most unique and convincing performance yet seen in the series. Both Bale and Worthington carry on this legendary series in style, but it’s Worthington who gets the big scenes, bringing an ironic element of humanity to the whole enterprise. Also noteworthy: Helena Bonham Carter as the doctor who creates a modern version of Frankenstein’s Monster; Anton Yelchin as future time-traveler Kyle Reese, Moon Bloodgood as Resistance warrior Blair Williams; and rapper Common as Connor’s second-in-command.

What’s good?: Director McG (Charlie’s Angels) tackles the daunting task of carrying on this series without its signature star and pulls it off with first-rate action set pieces, flawless production values and a fascinating new wrinkle in Marcus Wright, a character at odds with himself as well as John Connor. In the time-honored tradition of a classic cinematic showdown, these are no ordinary heroes. They’re conflicted warriors faced with a task that is truly overwhelming in its scope.

What’s bad?: With such a strong story, the filmmakers probably didn’t have to resort to so many motorcycle flips, explosions, and truck and plane chases – not to mention a pulsating soundtrack that’s amped up so high you may need earplugs. But with so much excitement on the screen, it doesn’t really matter. Action fans will be wetting their pants.

Memories of The Governator: Arnold appears briefly (in the nude, no less) in what appears to be a CGI pastiche of his classic character. But don’t blink, or you’ll miss him.

Favorite dialogue: Terminators won’t die, and neither will its signature line. When Blair asks Connor what she should tell his men after he’s gone, he replies in earnest: “I’ll be back!”

Netflix or multiplex?: It will be movie theaters’ OWN salvation this summer.

Bottom line: Hollywood.com rated this film 3 1/2 stars.