School is finally letting out for the summer. And when you've got a houseful of kids when the temperature starts to rise, escaping to the air-conditioned confines of a movie theater starts to sound better and better. Of course, going into a movie there's always a question how appropriate it might be for your child. The MPAA includes descriptions of the content in their ratings, but sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between "brief strong language" and "mild suggestive dialogue."

With that in mind, here are twelve of the big movies coming out this summer that your kids might want to see, along with our recommendations on what age is suitable for seeing the film. Please note that most of these haven't been screened yet, so we're basing our choices on what the MPAA has said, what is shown in the trailer, and what similar movies are like. Naturally, all children are different, so trust your own judgment -- not ours -- on what might be too scary or too offensive for your kid.

Though if your two-year-old starts crying behind us in the middle of "Transformers," we reserve the right to throw popcorn at you.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Release Date: May 22nd
MPAA Rating: PG for mild action and brief language.
Recommended Age: 6+

As the first big family-oriented film of the summer, this sequel was the surprise box-office champ last weekend, nudging ahead of "Terminator Salvation." It has the same sort of slapstick action as the first movie, with little real danger for the characters, and just a few semi-objectionable words.

Up
Release Date: May 29th
MPAA Rating: PG for some peril and action.
Recommended Age: 5-6+

"Up" is Pixar's tenth animated feature, but only their second to carry a PG rating. It definitely has a lot of high-flying action, but less violence overall than "The Incredibles." The story also deals with the loss of a loved one, much like "Finding Nemo," so be prepared to address that with a very young child. Also, it is being shown in 3-D on some screens, which could be too intense for little ones.

Land of the Lost
Release Date: June 5th
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for crude and sexual content, and for language including a drug reference.
Recommended Age: 12+

This new movie version is much more grown-up than the original Saturday morning kids' show. Of course, anyone who remembers that series isn't a kid anymore. The characters here aren't kids like on the show, and the humor is decidedly more adult as well. There are plenty of gross-out gags and raunchy talk, but the computer-animated dinosaurs won't scare anyone.

Imagine That
Release Date: June 12th
MPAA Rating: PG mild language and brief questionable behavior.
Recommended Age: 6-7+

Most of Eddie Murphy's successful movies of the past decade have been aimed at children. In "Imagine That," he doesn't play multiple roles or wear a fat suit, so the bodily-function humor should be kept to a minimum. Murphy shares much of the movie with the adorable 7-year-old actress Yara Shahidi, and if your kids are in her age range, they should be into this one.

Year One
Release Date: June 19th
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for crude and sexual content throughout, brief strong language and comic violence.
Recommended Age: 13+

Jack Black is pretty popular with kids, having hosted the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards twice and voiced the lead character in "Kung Fu Panda." But this comedy set in Biblical times is going to be too obscene for kids twelve and under. Teens, though, should get a kick out of Black and his "Superbad" costar Michael Cera.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Release Date: June 24th
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action violence, language, some crude and sexual material, and brief drug material.
Recommended Age: 12-13+

"It's based on a bunch of toys. How bad could it be?" If you saw the first movie, you know it had rampant destruction, some oddly explicit jokes, and Megan Fox in skimpy clothes. And the sequel looks to have more of the same. The violence is mostly robot-on-robot, but it is very loud, intense, and probably too much for young kids to take.

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Release Date: July 1st
MPAA Rating: Not yet rated (previous movies were PG).
Recommended Age: 5+

The first two "Ice Age" movies were huge hits with kids, thanks to their fuzzy characters, broad laughs, and mild thrills. The third movie appears to continue that winning formula, with the addition of kid-approved -- and scientifically-implausible -- dinosaurs. This one will also be in some theaters in 3-D, so you should consider if your kids will be all right with a T. Rex popping out of the screen at them.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Release Date: July 15th
MPAA Rating: PG for scary images, some violence, language and mild sensuality.
Recommended Age: 9-10+

The trailers make "Half-Blood Prince" look like the darkest Potter film to date, but it is rated PG and not PG-13 like the last two installments. Still, if you're familiar with the book you know about the tragic event towards the end that might be difficult for some children to watch. Also, love is in the air at Hogwarts, so there is a bit of kissing going on. But if your kids have read the books they already know what they're in for.

G-Force
Release Date: July 24th
MPAA Rating: PG for some mild action and rude humor.
Recommended Age: 6+

Genetically-altered guinea pigs become talking, fighting secret agents. Hey, it could happen. If your kids were into the computer-enhanced smart-mouthed critters of "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" and "Alvin and the Chipmunks," they will probably go for these little furballs. It will have more action that those, though, so there will be car chases, explosions, and fighting -- all in 3-D.

Aliens in the Attic
Release Date: July 31st
MPAA Rating: Not yet rated (PG is likely).
Recommended Age: 8-9+

The kids at their family's vacation home discover a group of knee-high space invaders with the power to control humans. Naturally, this leads to a lot of jokey fighting and grandmother abuse. The aliens look too cartoonish to be scary, but it appears that the story is focused on the older kids -- including "High School Musical" star Ashley Tisdale -- so the littler ones might not be interested.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Release Date: August 7th
MPAA Rating: Not yet rated (PG-13 seems assured).
Recommended Age: 12+

Another toy line, another big-budget action extravaganza. This is based on the '80s action figures (not the earlier ones with the "kung fu grip"), so there are obviously a lot of gunfights, car crashes, and explosions. And while they do shoot bullets and not lasers like in the cartoon show, the action still looks pretty cartoonish. There are also a few women in skin-tight outfits, and some scary-looking bad guys.

Bandslam
Release Date: August 14th
MPAA Rating: PG for some thematic elements and mild language.
Recommended Age: 10+

Are you sick of listening to the "High School Musical" soundtrack yet? If so, there might soon be a new CD on permanent repeat in the car. Vanessa Hudgens from "HSM" and Alyson Michalka of "Aly and A.J." join a rock group to compete in a "Battle of the Bands." There is a dash of bad language and a smattering of old-fashioned rock rebellion, but overall this should be fine for the little Guitar Heroes in your family.

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