Temperatures are rising, movies are packed to the brim with explosions and the biggest names and faces grace the cineplexes for a solid three months. It's summer and that means things are getting hot.

This year's blockbuster slate is no exception to the time honored tradition of featuring the sexiest, young actresses in Hollywood making cinematic magic while barely batting an eyelash. Here are 15 shining starlets who should have no problem keeping your attention in-between car chases and fist fights.

Natalie Portman

Starring in: "Thor" (May 6)

Summer Heat: Portman is an attractive young lady, but it's not all looks -- the girl graduated from Harvard and she has the brains to prove it. So it's no surprise that the "Black Swan" Oscar-winner is making her foray into the world of comic book movies by playing Jane Foster, scientist and norse God skeptic, in Marvel's tentpole "Thor."

Maggie Q

Starring in: "Priest" (May 13)

Summer Heat: The "Nikita" star is no stranger to the summer movie spectrum: she's previously brought her smooth moves and signature brand of leggy ass-kicking to films like "Mission: Impossible 3" and "Live Free or Die Hard," and it never fails to entertain. Now, Maggie Q returns with "Priest," where she'll be preaching the good word (of punching bad guys in the face). Obviously, the "Q" stands for... a "Q" word that means hot lady action hero, which we might be worth making up just for her.

Rose Byrne

Starring in: "Bridesmaids" (May 13), "X-Men: First Class" (June 3)

Summer Heat: Byrne proved she could bring the funny in last summer's "Get Him to the Greek," and now she's part of the the elite team of lady comics assembled for the raunchy "Bridesmaids." Byrne plays the primp and proper Helen, but the movie is anything but -- few actresses could pull off the gros- out humor in "Bridesmaids" and still come out looking good.

Penelope Cruz

Starring in: "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" (May 20)

Summer Heat: Whipping up a fourth installment of "Pirates of the Caribbean" without the main cast is no easy task, but Penelope Cruz shoudn't have a problem filling Keira Knightley's corset. The Spanish actress joins Johnny Depp as Angelica, Jack Sparrow's love interest and partner in his search for the Fountain of Youth. Not that she needs it.

Jamie Chung

Starring in: "The Hangover Part II" (May 26)

Summer Heat: Chung is the latest bride-to-be that will have to deal with the drunken misadventures of Phil, Stu and Alan, The Wolfpack from the original "Hangover." Fresh from her own beat'em-up adventure in Zack Snyder's "Sucker Punch," Chung gets to flex a comedy muscle alongside some of the fastest wordslingers in the West (Hollywood) as Stu's love interest. Hopefully she looks just as adorable when she's screaming at her future hubby to get his butt to the altar.

Jennifer Lawrence

Starring in: "The Beaver" (May 20), "X-Men: First Class" (June 3)

Summer Heat: What a 2011 it's been for Jennifer Lawrence: she was nominated for an Oscar for her work in "Winter's Bone," her movie "Like Crazy" was a hit at Sundance, she's been cast as the lead in "The Hunger Games" and she has not one, but two movies opening this summer! In "X-Men: First Class," Lawrence takes over the role of Mystique, originally played by Rebecca Romijn. We imagine she'll look just as good in blue paint.

January Jones

Starring in: "X-Men: First Class" (June 3)

Summer Heat: In comic books, Emma Frost is a stunning blonde psychic who manipulates and trumps her opponents using her sharp wit and curvy body almost as much as she does her super powers. Fitting then that "Mad Men" star January Jones will bring the character to life on the big screen in "X-Men: First Class," as she's been winning us over with those same powers for years. Can't imagine it's too hard for her to read people's minds either.

Blake Lively

Starring in: "Green Lantern" (June 17)

Summer Heat: With all the space aliens,  intergalactic wars and giant-foreheaded madmen, it can be easy to overlook Blake Lively in "Green Lantern," one of the few characters who isn't decked out in prosthetics or CG bodysuits. It's 100 percent-pure Blake, which is what you want when you have someone as enchanting as the "Gossip Girl" star. But don't count her out of the action -- her character Carol Ferris is a test pilot just like Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) and she'll be keeping up with the speedster every step of the way.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

Starring in: "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" (July 1)

Summer Heat: Other than a few Victoria Secret TV specials, "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" will be Rosie Huntington-Whiteley's first stab at acting -- and you don't need many details on the movie to know it'll be an explosive debut. Michael Bay treats his ladies right (the first two installments made Megan Fox a worldwide sex symbol), but Huntington-Whiteley has her work cut out for her navigating the ongoing war between shape-shifting robots. Hopefully she exchanged her heels for running shoes!

Emma Watson

Starring in: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II" (July 15)

Summer Heat: She's grown from nerdy bookworm to full-fledged starlett, and now we only have one more round of "Potter" with Emma Watson's multifaceted Hermione Granger. Judging from the first glimpses of the film, "Deathly Hallows: Part II" is going to put the wizarding trio through even crazier and more dangerous situations, but as Watson has proved in the past, there's no reason she can't cast deadly spells while looking simply dashing.

Mila Kunis

Starring in: "Friends With Benefits" (July 22)

Summer Heat: Mila Kunis talking dirty and hooking up with Justin Timberlake. Sounds good to us. The "Black Swan" star returns to her roots (don't forget she's a "That '70s Show" vet and "Family Guy" regular) while exploiting her good looks for this sex comedy that doesn't look to skirt around some of the more uncomfortable (read: hilarious) situations that arise when relationships start forming.

Sofia Vergara

Starring in: "The Smurfs" (July 29)

Summer Heat: Easily the breakout star of the Emmy-winning "Modern Family," Sofía Vergara has simultaneously left us chuckling and picking our jaws off the floor from her combo of comedy and allure. She's the complete package and she'll be flaunting it all this summer in the live-action adaptation of the kids cartoon "The Smurfs." Thankfully, she plays a real person in the movie -- rather than being committed to a tiny blue animated creature.

Olivia Wilde

Starring in: "Cowboys and Aliens" (July 29), "The Change-Up" (August 5)

Summer Heat: Wilde escapes the computer world of "TRON: Legacy" for two projects that let her be a little more like herself. That is, not made of pixels and incredibly attractive. "Cowboys and Aliens" sees the "House" actress fighting extraterrestrials alongside Daniel Craig, while "The Change-Up" is a straight-up R-rated comedy with Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds. Two wildly different projects with one Wilde leading lady.

Emma Stone

Starring in: "Crazy, Stupid, Love." (July 29), "Friends With Benefits" (July 22), "The Help" (August 12)

Summer Heat: Emma Stone will be dominating 2012 in the new "Spider-Man" reboot, but this summer she'll bring a little heart to the array of epic visuals and blasting sounds. For fans of the actress who need convincing she's the next great romantic lead, you can catch her (and be subsequently absorbed by her) romancing Ryan Gosling in "Crazy, Stupid, Love.," while her wit will be on full display in the adaptation of the bestseller "The Help." Oh, and she's also in "Friends With Benefits." Amazingly, the world could still use more Emma Stone.

Freida Pinto

Starring in: "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" (August 5)

Summer Heat: The Indian actress has been slipping in to lower-budget, dramatic roles since her debut "Slumdog Millionaire" took home Best Picture at the 2009 Oscars, but this summer she'll charge into the world of blockbusters with "Rise of the Planet of the Apes." A welcome change of pace from the usual monotone talent pool in Hollywood, Pinto should have no problem being the best-looking thing on screen -- forget the monkeys, she's co-starring with James Franco.