While April usually contains a few high-ticket movies - and this April contained what will easily be the year’s biggest movie - May is when we begin seeing more of this year’s blockbusters. From here on out, nearly every week will have at least one widely anticipated movie. While due to the success of Avengers: Endgame, it may take some time for some of these films to gain some momentum at the box office (surely people will be making plenty of return trips to the theaters just for Endgame), there are plenty of movies being released in May that you won’t want to miss, ranging from highly anticipated sequels, adaptations, biopics, and even a few notable original releases.
Here’s what you should be on the lookout for this May:
1) Long Shot (May 3)
Directed by: Jonathan Levine
Starring: Seth Rogen, Charlize Theron, O’Shea Jackson Jr, Andy Serkis, June Diane Raphael
While Seth Rogen hasn’t been completely out of the spotlight lately - having produced a number of TV series and films over the last few years, and appearing in minor acting roles in smaller productions - it has been a while since he’s led a project. Long Shot will be his first starring role since Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising in 2016, and it sees him re-teaming with 50/50 and The Night Before director Jonathan Levine. While Rogen is known for his R-rated comedy work and this seems like another film in a long line of said comedies, this seems like it’ll be a much more mature effort for the comedian, especially considering the screenplay was co-written by The Post writer Liz Hannah. From the look of the trailers, it seems much of the film will ride on Rogen and Charlize Theron’s chemistry with one another, which seems like it flows pretty well. Early reviews have indicated that is indeed the case, so this should easily be a nice, light-hearted way to kick off the month.
2) Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (May 3)
Directed by: Joe Berlinger
Starring: Zac Efron, Lily Collins, Kaya Scodelario, Jim Parsons, John Malkovich
The infamous Ted Bundy biopic will finally see the light of day on Netflix the first week of the month, after its divisive premiere at Sundance earlier this year. While Netflix’s trailer indicates this is going to be a mostly dark, sinister movie, the first trailer gave away the fact this will actually be more of a dark comedy, due to the way in which Ted Bundy would fool many of those around him, and this is something that early reviews have confirmed. It’ll be quite interesting seeing an almost light-hearted approach to such touchy subject matter, and this may turn many people off. Though if there’s one thing that all reviews - positive or negative - agree on, it’s the fact that Zac Efron absolutely nails it as Bundy. Efron seems to be laying on the charm that Bundy used to fool many of his victims, and he also highlights the killer’s true sinister side. This will more than likely be one of the most “love it or hate it” movies of the year, and is one of the more ambitious efforts to be released so far this year from Netflix.
3) Pokemon: Detective Pikachu (May 10)
Directed by: Rob Letterman
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Suki Waterhouse, Ken Watanabe
Based on the 2016 video game, this is one of the most bizarre mainstream releases of the year, though it quite frankly has many intrigued. While some early reactions from an advanced screening in Tokyo all yielded positive, there haven’t been any official reviews out yet. So this can go either way. Trailers indicate that Ryan Reynolds is going to go all in with the voice-over, giving us a more toned-down version of his manic delivery in the Deadpool movies. Though what’s going to make or break this movie is if the rest of the film can keep up with the titular character’s peculiar, over-the-top nature. Many live-action/CGI hybrid family films often play it sage, and in order for this to work, it will need to step out of its comfort zone in order to hold people’s attention. If there’s one other thing besides Reynolds’ voice work that trailers do seem to highlight, it’s that the film does seem to nail the Pokemon world very well, and it seems the film did a great job bringing to life many of the creatures audiences have grown to love. If reviews are in line with the early reactions, this may finally be the video game movie to break the streak of bad adaptations.
4) Wine Country (May 10)
Directed by: Amy Poehler
Starring: Rachel Dratch, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Paula Pell, Tina Fey
It’s the best of Saturday Night Live’s funniest women all together in one movie (sans a few notable names like Kristen Wiig and Molly Shannon). The film seems to be an excuse for all these women - all being friends - to just get together, drink wine, and have some fun, but that’s perfectly okay. Trailers seem to indicate this may tread familiar territory, and there’s this underlying feel that makes it seem almost extremely similar to Bridesmaids (also featuring Rudolph). Although, it’s not enough to write the movie off yet, given the talents of all the cast and crew involved. The chemistry between all the actresses can’t be denied, and hopefully Netflix is holding back many of its better jokes. At the very least, this should be a little of fun, seeing so many talented individuals together on screen.
5) John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (May 17)
Directed by: Chad Stahelski
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne, Lance Reddick, Ian McShane
John Wick is back! Listed on my Most Anticipated Movies of the Year earlier, the third chapter in the titular film series picks up not too long after the second movie, where a global contract was put out on the hitman following the events of the latter. Each subsequent John Wick film ups the stakes, and if either the plot summary or the trailers have indicated, this appears to be the franchise’s bloodiest ride yet (and that’s saying something). What has always made these movies so engaging is not just their stylish action, but the fact that they do have a coherent, engaging story hidden behind all the violence, complete with likable characters in Wick and any other supporting protagonist. We’re still a ways away from this one, so no early reviews yet, but if anything, this should be one of the wildest movies of the year so far.
6) Aladdin (May 24)
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Will Smith, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzari, Alan Tudyk
I almost didn’t include this one, but it’s all over the place, so it’s hard to discuss movies of the month and not mention this at all. The live-action remake of Aladdin already has quite a reputation for itself, thanks to the jarring CGI used for Will Smith when he’s in his Blue Genie form (he spends a considerable amount of time without the iconic blue look). Though it looks like Smith is legitimately trying, and while he’s going to viciously get compared non-stop to the late Robin Williams, it’s his charm that may keep this movie afloat. And it’ll be needed, because quite simply, the rest of this movie doesn’t look that great. Many of the trailers highlight characters spouting cliched dialogue that was even present in the original film, and it’s more difficult to hear the voice of a not-so-menacing Jafar. While it certainly doesn’t look like it’ll be the worst of the Disney live-action adaptations (that honor goes to Dumbo), this may be a middle of the road effort that looks like it may be saved by just enough charm for it to skate by.
7) Booksmart (May 24)
Directed by: Olivia Wilde
Starring: Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Jessica Williams, Lisa Kudrow, Jason Sudeikis
One part Superbad, one part Lady Bird - linked by the fact that it co-stars Beanie Feldstein, who appeared in the latter, and is also the sister of Jonah Hill, who starred in the former - Booksmart marks the directorial debut of Olivia Wilde. Plot-wise, it seems from the trailers that this hits a lot of familiar notes. However, it will be quite interesting how the movie will blend two different styles. It feels very much like the coming-of-age dramedies that we’ve been getting in the last few years, such as the aforementioned Lady Bird, as well as Mid90s and Eighth Grade. However, there are plenty of scenes that seem like they go completely over-the-top in the vein of Superbad, American Pie, or last year’s Blockers. Either way, the trailers make it very clear that rising stars Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein have fantastic chemistry together, and much of this movie’s success rides on just how funny the two are together. This could potentially be another modern classic to add to the line of recent great coming-of-age comedies.
8) Brightburn (May 24)
Directed by: David Yarovesky
Starring: Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, Jackson A. Dunn, Matt Jones
What if Superman was reimagined as a horror movie and the titular character was evil? That’s essentially the premise of Brightburn, a movie that takes a Clark Kent-esque character and has him channel the energy of Damien from The Omen. While it’s directed by unknown, second-time director David Yarovesky, it’s produced by James Gunn, who - before his Marvel and DC days - made a name for himself directing twisted horror (Slither) and superhero (Super) films, while the film was co-written by his brother Brian and cousin Mark. Judging by the trailers, it seems like some of the dialogue may be a bit cliched here and there, hitting some familiar notes as it shows newcomer Jackson A. Dunn’s character being bullied, tormented, and casted out by others that partially add to his evil turn. But on the horror side of things, it looks fairly terrifying, and doesn’t seem to really rely on jump scares. The film can go either way as of now, but it seems like this may wind up to being one of the year’s bigger cult movies.
9) The Perfection (May 24)
Directed by: Richard Shepard
Starring: Allison Williams, Logan Browning, Steven Weber
While Brightburn is released in theaters on the 24th, Netflix is releasing a horror movie of their own that same day, that being the twisted-looking The Perfection. Starring Get Out’s Allison Williams, who’s already very comfortable in the horror world, the film premiered at Fantastic Fest last year to positive reviews, so this looks like it’ll be a big treat for horror fans. The trailers do a great job of not really giving anything away, mostly just cutting to random shots of all the gruesome imagery that we’re in for throughout the movie. Early reviews - while, as mentioned, are mostly positive - indicate that while the film is creepy and well-acted, the story can be a bit messy. At the very least, like Brightburn, this may have potential to be one of the year’s bigger cult movies, and probably one of the higher quality movies to reach Netflix this year so far.
10) Godzilla: King of the Monsters (May 31)
Directed by: Michael Dougherty
Starring: Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Bradley Whitford, Sally Hawkins
If there was one big complaint from fans about 2014’s Godzilla, it was the fact that Godzilla himself was barely in the movie, with the movie’s “Bryan Cranston vs. Godzilla” marketing really masking a totally different story revolving around Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen, with Godzilla feeling more in the backdrop. And it seems producers listened to fans’ complaints and are making up for that, plus more. Whereas the first film was a slow build-up to Godzilla’s appearance, this appears to be moving quickly right from the get-go. It looks like the film will deliver on monster-on-monster action as it faces the titular character against King Ghidorah, Mothra, and Rodan and keep that as the focus of the film, while the humans - despite a stacked cast that also includes Charles Dance, O’Shea Jackson Jr, and Ken Watanabe - will be more in the backdrop this time around. With Trick r’ Treat and Krampus cult director Michael Dougherty on board this time, this looks like it’ll make audiences quickly forget about the film that preceded this one.
11) Ma (May 31)
Directed by: Tate Taylor
Starring: Octavia Spencer, Juliette Lewis, Diana Silvers, Luke Evans, McKaley Miller
I don’t know if I’d necessarily call Ma creepy. In fact, I’m not entirely sure what to completely make of this movie. Produced by Blumhouse Productions, which cranks out plenty of horror movies year-after-year like there’s no tomorrow, this seems like it’ll go into some whacky, over-the-top territory. The trailers revolve heavily around the fact that Octavia Spencer’s title character is a lot more sinister than she first appears to be, so hopefully this will get set up pretty quickly in the film. It seems like this can be a lot of fun, depending on how out there they get, and hopefully forgoes many horror cliches. At the very least, it seems like Octavia Spencer’s performance is going to be what mostly makes this, and from what the trailers indicate, it seems like she had a lot of fun with this role. Like the other horror releases this year, don’t be surprised if this lands more in cult territory and seems like it’ll be appreciated more by just horror fans than anything.
12) Rocketman (May 31)
Directed by: Dexter Fletcher
Starring: Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, Bryce Dallas Howard
The music biopic seems like it’s making a comeback. Last year, we had the smash hit Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, while Netflix released the popular, if critically derided, Motley Crue biopic The Dirt. Now, Elton John is up, with this film seemingly sticking mostly to the legendary musician’s earlier days. The film is directed by Dexter Fletcher, who previously directed Taron Egerton in the decent Eddie the Eagle. Although Fletcher’s involvement is more notable for the fact that he took over for Bohemian Rhapsody when director Bryan Singer was fired from the set midway through production (though he remained uncredited as co-director). Rocketman appears to evoke a very similar feel to Rhapsody, and will surely hit a lot of the same dramatic beats, so this will surely be another smash hit for the director. It’ll have some competition at the box office, going up against Godzilla, and coming a week after the Aladdin remake, but this will surely build up a following in the weeks to come, even if it gets off to a slow start.
Comments