It's May 1, and that can only mean one thing — that's right, summer movies! Although summer isn't until June 21. And Memorial Day is still 24 days away.

But we're talking Hollywood Standard Time here, and the first big summer movie opens today: "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."

Wait a minute, "X-Men"? Didn't they already do that?

And if it's "Origins," does that mean we're starting over? So instead of "X-Men 4" this is actually "X-Men 1"? Or maybe, "X-Men Minus 1"?

Then comes "Star Trek."

"Star Trek"? What is this, 2009 or 1979?

And this one is also an origins story. So is it "Star Trek 1" or "Star Trek 11" or "Star Trek Minus 1"?

But there were only six "Star Treks" with the original crew before the "Next Generation" cast took over. So was the seventh film, in which the baton was passed from the original crew to the "Next Generations" cast — you know, "Star Trek: Generations" — was that really "Star Trek 1"? No, that can't be right because William Shatner was in it, too. Maybe it was "Star Trek 61/2."

"Halloween 2" is also on the way — the second in the do-over series (or, in Hollywood parlance, a "reboot" or a "reimagining"). Or is it really "Halloween 10"? When a series starts over, is it really a remake or a merely a spruced-up continuation?

No, because that would mean "The Pink Panther 2," which opened last February, was actually "The Pink Panther 9" — that's seven Inspector Clouseau pictures with Peter Sellers and two with Steve Martin.

Unless we count the one with Alan Arkin. And the one with Roberto Benigni. So the one in February was actually "The Pink Panther 11"?

I'm beginning to think that sequels have gotten out of hand.

Especially when you factor in the others we've already had this year: "Underworld 3," "Fast & Furious 4," "Crank 2."

And all the sequels that are coming in the months ahead: "Terminator 4," "Night at the Museum 2" "The Da Vinci Code 2," "Transformers 2," "Ice Age 3," "Harry Potter 6," "Final Destination 4," "Saw 6."…

Then there are the remakes. So far this year: "My Bloody Valentine," "Friday the 13th," "Last House on the Left," "Race to Witch Mountain."

Or are those actually sequels?

And still on the way this year: "Land of the Lost," "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3," "Fame," "The Crazies," "The Stepfather," "Sorority Row," "Nine," "The Wolf Man."

If that's not enough, rumor has it that in various stages of development are new versions of "Footloose," "The Karate Kid," "Hellraiser," "Escape From New York," "Conan the Barbarian," "Death Wish," "Logan's Run," "Fahrenheit 451," "Back to School," "Clash of the Titans," "TRON," "The Birds," "Westworld," "A Nightmare on Elm Street," "Meatballs," "Metropolis," "Straw Dogs," "Short Circuit," "The Thing," "1984," "The Dirty Dozen." …

And you'll notice that some of these are remakes of remakes. That is, they were movies once and then were remade years later — or sequeled to death.

Are there no new ideas from the minds of show-biz writers? Aren't there enough novels and nonfiction books and stage plays out there that have not yet been made into movies?

Couldn't some of those be adapted instead of just doing franchise follow-ups or remaking old movies?

Is it possible for avid moviegoers to suffer from remake fatigue?

E-mail: hicks@desnews.com