Which of these are you going to watch?

While the first rays of summer are slowly coming, the summer blockbusters are not waiting to fully blast over the release schedule of May.

May starts off with some expected high budget action pieces to put you in your seat, but also has a fine selection that is not just about mindless CGI explosions and set pieces.

So with fewer excuses on why you shouldn't be at the cinemas, here are the movies not to miss this May!

American Pastoral

What had started out as an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by director Phillip Noyce since 2003, "American Pastoral" had survived a rather turbulent pre-production run before it finally landed its main cast and director. Ewan McGregor stars as a former star athlete who is searching for his missing anti-Vietnam War daughter, after she is accused of planting a bomb that killed 4 people in a post office. With Jennifer Connelly as McGregor's wife and Dakota Fanning as the errant daughter, there is a certain heavy drama in trying to reconcile different ideological beliefs during a divided America, which will be a big task for McGregor's directorial debut.

General Release Date: 4 May

Kuroko's Basketball: Last Game

After suffering from a crushing defeat at the hands of an American team, the Jabberwock, five members from the Generation of Miracles are assembled together to form the Vorpal Swords; a team to get revenge from the Jabberwock. A sequel film to the famed anime series and adaptation of the Extra Game manga, Shunsuke Tada directs the returning cast for a blood-boiling match for the fan(girl)s, with most of the talent from Production I.G expanding from their episodic run to a feature length.

General Release Date: 4 May

You Mean the World to Me

After returning to his family home in Penang, Sunny begins shooting a film about them without their knowledge. As funds slowly dry up and his secret shoots are found out by the family, it brings Sunny to a confrontation that leads to an inspiration. Director Saw Teong Hin's latest outing is set to be an ambitious production for the Malaysian-Chinese cinema. Not only will it be the first feature to be fully in Penang Hokkien, "You Mean the World to Me" is also fronted by some serious talents from around the world. Starting with Golden Horse winning actress Yeo Yann Yann of "Ilo Ilo" fame, "You Mean the World to Me" is also shot by renowned cinematographer Christoper Doyle, most famously known as Wong Kar Wai's frequent collaborator behind the lens. This could well be 2017's "The Journey", or "Ola Bola", if not possibly the best Malaysian movie of the year.

General Release Date: 4 May

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

After spinning a fairly successful franchise out from the most famous Victorian detective, director Guy Ritchie is going all the way back to medieval times to start a new one. Starting with an origin story of Charlie Hunnam as England's legendary king, "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword" is set to start a series that could run up to 6 films. That being said, this is Guy Ritchie we are talking about and the trailers have shown that he has added his own strange sensibilities to an otherwise medieval setting, which has been described as King Arthur meets "Snatch". So whether we would want to see more of that will depend on how much we would like to see a devilishly devious Jude Law getting kicked off his throne.

General Release Date: 10 May

Alien: Covenant

After some ups and down since "Prometheus", Ridley Scott is ready to bring us once again into the prequel series of the revered Alien franchise. This time the fate of a colony crew onboard a ship called the Covenant would be the ones to discover a new breed of the Xenomorph. Echoing the tradition of "Prometheus", the cast of the crew is a lineup of fine actors starting with returning stars Noomi Rapace, Guy Pearce and Michael Fassbender (now pulling double duty), as well new entrants James Franco, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, and Katherine Waterson. If you felt "Life" was a little lackluster, then it's time to enter into the "Alien: Covenant" to restore your faith in the sci-fi horror genre.

General Release Date: 11 May

Mad World

Briefly shown here during the inaugural Malaysia Golden Globe Awards, "Mad World" returns for a general release after winning a few more accolades from the Hong Kong Film Awards. Directed by Wong Chun for his directorial debut, "Mad World" is a heart-rending drama of an unemployed financial analyst with bipolar disorder, who is being placed under the custody of his estranged father. Expect some powerful performances to carry the weighty drama, especially in a mold breaking form from comedian and variety king Eric Tsang, who also won the Best Supporting Actor award from the Hong Kong Film Awards and also from the Malaysia Golden Globe Awards.

General Release Date: 11 May

The Circle

Tom Hanks and Emma Watson have not been able to light up the box office with their last individual appearances, so perhaps by putting them together it would do them some favours. Based on the novel by Dave Eggers who adapted his own work for the screenplay, "The Circle" is set in an almost utopian and connected world that sounds too perfect to be true, but one that is also relevant in our world today. Set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival shortly before its wide release, "The Circle" would sadly be the last film appearance of the late Bill Paxton.

General Release Date: 18 May

Colossal

It hasn't been long since we last saw giant monsters tearing through jungles in "Kong: Skull Island", but now it's time to see a kaiju tear through heartbreak and emotions. Anne Hathaway plays an alcoholic writer who finds out about a kaiju ripping Seoul apart to be under her control. Jason Sudeikis plays a childhood friend who helps put her back on her feet by letting her work at the bar he owns. Confusing but ultimately well received at the Toronto Film Festival, director and writer Nacho Vigalondo puts an interesting and emotional twist to the kaiju genre that reminds us that our handling of broken relationships can be a destructive force to ourselves and those around us, if not literally.

General Release Date: 18 May

Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge

After making little progress with his other ventures, Johnny Depp is back for another of his biggest adventures on the high seas that had set his career sailing in the first place. No one was expecting there to be a fifth installment of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" since 2011's "On Stranger Tides" was announced to be the last of the franchise, but it looks like Disney is willing to spend more expenses to make this franchise (and hopefully Depp's career) work again. This time bringing in the director duo of the Oscar-nominated "Kon-Tiki" from Norway, Jack Sparrow is hunted by a Spanish mariner, played by Javier Bardem, who was tricked into the Devil's Triangle when Sparrow was a younger sailor. Only with the Trident of Poseidon can Sparrow put an end to Salazar's pursuits. Apart from the new faces (and Depp's young face) that will be in "Salazar's Revenge", it would also be a major reunion of characters from past films in the series, including Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbossa, Orlando Bloom's Will Turner and Keira Knightley's Elizabeth Swann, who hasn't been seen since the first "Pirates of the Caribbean".

General Release Date: 25 May