April is typically the month where movie season really begins to take off, as each week will mainly see the release of bigger ticket blockbusters. And if one’s a comic book fan, this April in particular is definitely the jackpot this year, as it sees the release of not one, not two, but three big comic book movie releases, one of which being what’s easily the most anticipated movies of the year. Comic book movies aside, this month has plenty to offer, ranging from genre fare to some low-key independent films. Here are the movies to be on the lookout for this month:
1) Shazam! (April 5)
Directed by: David F. Sandberg
Starring: Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Djimon Hounsou
When DC released their first few films in the DC Extended Universe, the major complaint about all of them has been that, unlike the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they are all too dark and too depressing, having taken too much of a note out of Christopher Nolan’s book. Their last few efforts have aimed to rectify that issue, with films like Wonder Woman and Aquaman getting praise for having a better sense of fun than Man of Steel and Dawn of Justice. And it seems DC intends to stay on this path with their latest effort, Shazam! Essentially similar to the movie Big, but with superheroes, the film follows a young boy named Billy Batson who gains ancient powers that transforms him into an adult superhero upon uttering the word “Shazam!” The film had a special fan event screening two weeks prior to its proper April 5 release, which led to reviews already released well ahead of time. And the film has received critical acclaim for containing a huge sense of humor while maintaining emotional weight. It seems that despite a rocky start to their film universe, DC is on the path to much more successful franchise than anticipated.
2) Pet Sematary (April 5)
Directed by: Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer
Starring: Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, John Lithgow
The original Pet Sematary has made its way into pop culture thanks to the dialogue uttered by Fred Gwynne's character (including the “dead is better” line), though in terms of quality, it's known as one of the lesser Stephen King adaptations. The remake aims to give the original novel its due justice. Trailers have indicated this is more of an old-school scary effort, with all of its much-quoted dialogue still intact. The cult-like imagery appears absolutely terrifying, even giving off a bit of a vibe similar to last year’s Hereditary. The fact that it’s opening the same weekend as Shazam! and only a couple of weeks after the highly-discussed Us was just released may hurt its chances at the box office slightly, but the reviews are already out and have indicated this is one that should not be missed.
3) High Life (April 5)
Directed by: Claire Denis
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, Andre Benjamin, Mia Goth
The second horror movie seeing release in the first weekend of April, though in a much more limited release. Distributed by A24, the film marks the English-language debut of acclaimed French director Claire Denis and is more of a sci-fi film with horror elements, following a group of criminals who are the subject of an experiment while in space. This seems like it’ll be much more of a slower burn than the recently-released Us (and judging by the trailers, Pet Seminary as well) and like it’ll dive a little more into arthouse territory occasionally, seemingly like it may have some social commentary to go along with its thrills. Reviews are already out for this one and they do indicate it’s a rewarding experience and more for film lovers more so than for horror purists, but this seems like it’ll be a solid, overall effective thriller.
4) Unicorn Store (April 5)
Directed by: Brie Larson
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Joan Cusack, Bradley Whitford
Brie Larson’s directorial debut was finished back in 2017, saw its premiere at TIFF, and never got picked up from there for quite some time, until Netflix stepped in a couple of months ago and announced it would see release during the first weekend of April. The film’s reviews have been mixed though leaning more towards the positive, and it appears that critics enjoyed this more than audiences did. Though due to some of the controversy surrounding Larson’s first movie of the year, Captain Marvel, in which many of the overwhelmingly negative fan reviews turned out to be trolls trying to bring the movie’s score down due to some comments made by Larson in an interview, it’s unsure if they’re doing the same for this movie. The film also marks the second collaboration this year between Larson with Captain Marvel co-star Samuel L. Jackson, who looks like he’s having a little bit of fun with this role. While the trailers seems like this will head down some sappier territory, it also feels laid back and that it just wants its audience to have a good time with it.
5) The Public (April 5)
Directed by: Emilio Estevez
Starring: Emilio Estevez, Alec Baldwin, Jenna Malone, Christian Slater, Taylor Schilling
Also seeing release in the first weekend of April (this sure is a crowded weekend) is Emilio Estevez’s return to the big screen in nine years. The film follows a standoff inside a library when a group of homeless people refuse to leave a library in the midst of some brutally cold weather in Cincinnati. The film boasts an ensemble cast that also includes Michael K Williams, Gabrielle Union, and Jeffrey Wright, all of whom look like they enjoyed themselves making this one. Judging by the subject matter, this one is sure to reach some melodramatic territory, though the trailers do seem like we’ll get some fairly committed performances from the aforementioned enjoyable cast. Early reviews lean more towards the positive here, though this one is sure to come and go in the blink of an eye due to the many other movies it’s up against during this particular weekend. Despite much more critically acclaimed movies also being released around this time, this may be one to keep on the radar, maybe better suited for when it sees release on streaming services down the road.
6) Hellboy (April 12)
Directed by: Neil Marshall
Starring: David Harbour, Milla Jovovich, Ian McShane, Sasha Lane, Daniel Dae Kim, Thomas Haden Church
While there were plenty who were fairly upset when Guillermo Del Toro and Ron Perlman would not return for another Hellboy feature after two critically acclaimed films, they should be satisfied with something that may potentially be even better. Starring Stranger Things’ David Harbour in his first starring role since joining the wildly popular show, this version of Hellboy is a total reboot, and a much darker one at that. Unlike the Del Toro-Perlman movies, this film is rated R, and judging by the trailers, it’s going to relish in that rating as much as possible. The trailers seem like the film plays up the dark, demon-like supernatural imagery every chance it can get, and may even border on horror territory. Which would make sense, given the film is directed by Neil Marshall, most famous for his acclaimed survival-horror film The Descent. This film should be a refreshing comic book movie from neither Marvel nor DC, and seems like it can be one of the more fun, albeit darkest, movies of the year.
7) Missing Link (April 12)
Directed by: Chris Butler
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana, Emma Thompson, Timothy Olyphant, Zach Galfianakis
Any film from Laika is automatically one that should be highly anticipated, as each one of their films is always a real treat. Their humor is typically extremely fast-paced, visually astounding, and have a giant heart. And Missing Link appears to be no different. The film focuses around a monster investigator who finds a Bigfoot-like creature named Mr. Link, and ultimately helps the titular missing link to find his family as he attempts to figure out the secrets of humanity through him. The film boasts a great voice cast who seem like they had a great time with this material. While it doesn’t seem like this one will be as strange as some of Laika’s other outings like ParaNorman and Coraline, it looks like it still has plenty to offer, with trailers that boast plenty of visual gags and solid animation. This one may not break new grounds like some of the company’s previous efforts, but it should be just as much of a good time as their other films.
8) Her Smell (April 12)
Directed by: Alex Ross Perry
Starring: Elisabeth Moss, Cara Delevingne, Dan Stevens, Amber Heard
A punk rock drama directed by the guy who wrote the live-action Winnie the Pooh movie. If that doesn’t sound like an intriguing enough elevator pitch, then I don’t know what does. The film feels like it’ll be a mix of an explosive look into the music scene along with a quiet melodrama that would make for an effective character piece. This may make the tone for a movie like this a bit uneven but when it takes off, it looks like it’ll be quite a ride. This one will mainly center around Elisabeth Moss’ performance, in a role that already has been endlessly compared to Courtney Love (and to be fair, the resemblance is there). And early reviews indicate that she is the driving force behind why this movie ends up working. This will certainly be a rare treat - while Moss dominates television in The Handmaid’s Tale and formerly in Mad Men - she is borderline criminally underused in films, having most recently appeared in a small supporting role in this year’s Us. So it’ll be great to see her more on the big screen this year getting to carry a movie on her own.
9) Stockholm (April 12)
Directed by: Robert Budreau
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Noomi Rapace, Mark Strong
Based on the true story of the 1973 bank heist in Stockholm, this one has a Dog Day Afternoon vibe, as it follows Ethan Hawke as a bank robber who winds up befriending his hostages. The film is Hawke's second collaboration with director Robert Budreau, after 2015’s Born to Be Blue. While their first collaboration was a much more serious affair, looks like it’ll lean more towards comedy, with the trailer providing some good laughs, despite the film constantly labeled as a crime-drama. While it seems like the sort of movie that's bound to come and go in the blink of an eye, reviews have indicated it’s a fun time, and that Hawke gives a great performance. This potentially looks like it’ll be one of the year’s more underrated releases.
10) Under the Silver Lake (April 19)
Directed by: David Robert Mitchell
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough
In 2015, David Robert Mitchell released the horror gem It Follows to critical acclaim, and since then, his follow up has been widely anticipated. That follow up, the noir drama Under the Silver Lake, was completed last year and saw its debut at Cannes, though has been repeatedly delayed for a worldwide release since. Though it’ll finally see the light of day on April 19, thanks to distribution company A24. Reviews for this one have been much more mixed than Mitchell’s debut, with many stating it’s too confusing and too cryptic, though praising the direction and cinematography, as well as Andrew Garfield’s performance. While trailers do seem interesting and highly stylistic, this is sure to be one of the biggest “love it or hate it” movies of the year.
11) Avengers: Endgame (April 26)
Directed by: Anthony and Joe Russo
Starring: Too many names to list
Is there a better way to end this month? As I stated when I mentioned this movie in my Most Anticipated of the Year list, I try not to over-hype many of Marvel’s movies, as many of them do follow a very distinct formula and - as fun as they are - tend to sometimes be more of the same. However, if there’s one Marvel movie that is surely an event, it’s this one. The culmination of twenty movies and eleven years of storytelling, this direct sequel to Infinity War not only wraps up the storylines first set up in Iron Man back in 2008, but as rumors have indicated, may find us saying goodbye to many of the heroes that we’ve grown used to seeing on the big screen from around that time. If there’s one superhero movie I would recommend seeing over any others this year, it’s Endgame.
Comments