By Peter T. Chattaway

GOOD THINGS come in threes – and twos, and fives, and just about any other number you care to mention. That, at least, is the approach Hollywood seems to be taking this summer, as it unleashes its annual flood of sequels and other blockbusters.

If you look closely, you can find a few original films among the year’s most highly anticipated new releases. But for the most part, it will be remakes, sequels and spin-offs at the multiplex – at least some of which have the potential to go beyond the popcorn and to touch our hearts and minds, as well as our spirits.

Three of the biggest franchises – Spider-Man , Shrek and Pirates of the Caribbean  – have already taken up residence at a theatre near you.

Here are some of the other promising or intriguing entries in the box-office sweepstakes. (As always, release dates are subject to change.)

Evan Almighty (June 22): Morgan Freeman is back as God in this unusual follow-up to Bruce Almighty . In that film, he lent his powers to Jim Carrey; in this one, he tells politician Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) to build an ark and to gather the animals two-by-two, just like Noah.

Like its predecessor, this film – rumoured to be the most expensive comedy ever made – is directed by Tom Shadyac, a professing Catholic who has made a point of exploring spiritual themes in his last few films.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (July 13): The kids are growing up fast – and they have to, now that the evil Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) is back and plotting another reign of terror in this, the fifth instalment in the popular Harry Potter  series. Like the other stories, this one sees our titular hero (Daniel Radcliffe), now well into adolescence, coping with death, self-control and moral complexity.

The Simpsons (July 27): Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie have been on TV for 20 years, so it’s about time they had a big-screen movie all their own.

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Little is known about the story, but one of the previews features Homer standing in front of a silo marked ‘Pig Crap,’ and Marge saying, “God spoke to us for a reason.” Hmmm.

The Bourne Ultimatum  (August 3): Matt Damon returns as the assassin afflicted by amnesia. The first film showed how losing his memory gave Jason Bourne the chance to start over – to be born again, as it were – while the second film showed how regaining some of his memories allowed him to atone for at least a few sins. This time, Bourne teams up with a journalist to uncover his true origins once and for all – all while dodging another group of hit-men sent by his former bosses at the CIA.

Other upcoming sequels  include the fourth Die Hard (June 29), the third Rush Hour (August 10), Ocean’s Thirteen (June 8), 28 Weeks Later (May 11) and Fantastic Four 2 (June 15). High-profile remakes will include The Transformers (July 4), a  live-action update of the 1980s cartoon; No Reservations (July 27), based on Mostly Martha, a German film about a chef who is too busy serving others to spend quality time her niece (any relation to the biblical Martha, who was too busy preparing dinner to sit at Jesus’ feet?); and The Invasion (August 17), which is the fourth version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers .

The increasingly tangled nature of modern romantic and sexual relationships, and society’s attitude towards them, will also figure prominently in a few films. Knocked Up (June 1) concerns a one-night stand which results in a pregnancy, and while it’s full of really vulgar humour, it also takes a nice dig at society’s callous acceptance of abortion. License to Wed (July 4) stars Robin Williams as a pastor who refuses to perform a wedding ceremony until the young couple in question (John Krasinski and Mandy Moore) have passed a series of bizarre tests. And I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry  (July 20) stars Adam Sandler and Kevin James as two straight firefighters who pose as a gay married couple to qualify for domestic partnership benefits.

June 2007