Summer blockbuster movies are just around the corner. “The Avengers” will play in crowded theaters nationwide starting May 4. Multiplexes will soon be inundated, either with action movies that do nothing but kill brain cells, or with the so-called popcorn movie. A popcorn movie is one that doesn’t require you to think too much, but is fun to watch. I like to call it the Fiddle Faddle movie because Fiddle Faddle gives you a sugar rush for about two hours before the sugar crash kicks in.

The era of the action hero seems to have tapered off. “The Expendables 2,” which will be released later this year, is like a roll call of action stars from previous decades. There’s Jason Statham, who got his start in the ‘90s, and Chuck Norris, who started back in the ‘70s. Then, there’s a slew of action stars who started in the ’80s: Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Bruce Willis, Jean-Claude van Damme and perhaps the ultimate action hero, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Practically the only ‘80s action stars not in the film are Harrison Ford (who technically got his start in the ‘70s) and direct-to-DVD action star Steven Segal.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s acting career peaked in 1991 with “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” He hasn’t had a meaningful piece of dialogue since he yelled, “You want collateral damage? I’ll give you collateral damage!” “Collateral Damage” wasn’t a very good movie either. But it was fun to watch Schwarzenegger survive a fall down a waterfall that no ordinary human could possibly live to tell about, much less walk away from with only the most minor of injuries. It’s also fun to see him give a villain the Mike Tyson treatment.

Schwarzenegger first hit box office gold in 1984, with James Cameron’s “The Terminator.” He excelled in the role of the villain in that film, although the same can’t be said for his turn as Mr. Freeze in “Batman and Robin.” Everyone has surely by now heard Schwarzenegger’s most famous line that he delivered in “The Terminator.” When the police tell Arnold to get lost at the police station, Arnold replies, “I’ll be back.” He comes back by driving a car right through the police station entrance. Maybe that’s what makes Schwarzenegger so compelling: His flair for the dramatic in the form of action.

While “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” is probably Arnold’s best overall movie, his best singular role came with “Total Recall.” Schwarzenegger’s thick Austrian accent is part of his entertainment value. It’s even better in “Total Recall” because Arnold throws out swear words like he throws around puny weaklings who get in his way. Like the “Terminator” movies, “Total Recall” involves time travel. Why do Schwarzenegger’s best movies involve time travel? No one can say for sure, but it probably has something to do with his hulking figure and the aforementioned accent.

In “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” Schwarzenegger goes from playing the villain to playing the protagonist. The very first line of the movie, delivered by Schwarzenegger, would be comical in the hands of another actor. “I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle,” Schwarzenegger declares. It helps that the biker quips, “You forgot to say ‘please.’” After “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” Schwarzenegger still made a few quality movies — a reunion with James Cameron in 1994’s “True Lies” stands out, in particular — but within a few years, he experienced a steep decline.

Now that Schwarzenegger has completed his political career as The Governator, the 64-year-old is inexplicably back with a whole slate of action movies on the horizon. Hopefully, they’ll be what he does best: Good popcorn movies.