Movies are back, and so are movie theatres. We’ve all suffered through a dearth of entertainment during the past twelve months as one movie after another was cancelled because nobody was able to go to the movie theatre to see them, but 2021 is righting 2020’s wrongs. Many of the films that were delayed last year are finally coming to us this year, and they’re being joined by films that were always on the cards for 2021. After twelve months of frustration and inactivity, 2021 promises to be one of the biggest years for cinema on record.
Almost every month for the rest of the year is packed full of eye-catching releases and potential blockbusters, but May looks particularly exciting. There’s something for fans of every genre and films that star some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Get your popcorn ready because we think you’ll be planning a trip to your local theatre in the very near future once you’re done reading this article. Here’s what you’ve got to look forward to!
The Woman In The Window (May 14th)
“The Woman In The Window” should be out by the time you read this article, so perhaps you’ve been to see it already. If you have, we imagine you loved it even though its subject matter is a little grim. This is a loose remake of a 1944 movie that’s also based on a novel and may be available to stream on Netflix depending on where in the world you live. Amy Adams stars as a child psychologist who finds her work a little challenging on account of the fact she’s agoraphobic. Her agoraphobia also makes it difficult to deal with the fact she’s seen something horrific happen through the window of her apartment in New York and can’t do anything about it. Expect “Rear Window” vibes and excellent performances from a supporting cast that includes Gary Oldman and Julianne Moore.
Army of the Dead (May 21st)
We’d say that “Army of the Dead” is the film that’s going to make zombies cool again, but zombies have never stopped being cool. One of the most popular online slots at Rose Slots New Zealand last year was a slot called “Zombie Hoard,” and the latest version of “Resident Evil” is currently the biggest selling video game in the world. In fact, there’s even an online slots game based on “Resident Evil” doing good business at some online slots websites, which tells you everything you need to know about the popularity of both zombies and online slots! There are no casino thrills to be had with this Zack Snyder film, but there should be plenty of bodily horror and terrifying jump scares to keep you on the edge of your seat. Any zombie film with a title that ends “of the Dead” has a lot to live up to, but Snyder’s track record suggests he won’t disappoint anyone.
Spiral (May 21st)
Just when you thought the “Saw” franchise had finally died a death, it comes back to haunt you yet again. Jigsaw, the killer at the heart of the “Saw” franchise, died a very long time ago, but that didn’t stop him from appearing in some form or another in the previous eight films. This, the ninth “Saw” movie, sees a copycat killer emerge to pick up where he left off. The producers of the film hope that this will serve as a reboot for the whole franchise, so this might be the start of another cycle of eight ultra-gory horror films. What we find especially interesting about it is that it stars Chris Rock in a completely serious role. We’re hard-wired to laugh every time we see Chris Rock, so we have no idea how we’re going to react to this. Samuel L. Jackson is also involved, so it’s the most star-studded “Saw” movie to date by quite some distance. Will that be enough to make it a box office success? Based on the wild popularity of the previous films in the franchise, we expect so.
A Quiet Place II (May 28th)
We don’t think we’re speaking out of turn when we say the first “A Quiet Place” film wasn’t to everybody’s tastes, but enough people enjoyed the post-apocalyptic tale to justify making a sequel. Emily Blunt and Cillian Murphy are on hand to lend the project enough gravitas to ensure it doesn’t become outright silly. This is a film that should have come out last year but was pushed back barely a week ahead of its proposed released date and landed in May this year instead. Watching a film in absolute silence in a movie theatre is always a strange experience and can be an annoying one if the person next to you is noisily crunching their way through a stack of nachos, but it all helps to add to the tension. If you loved the first one, you should enjoy this second serving.
Cruella (May 28th)
Disney fans have been waiting for this one for a very long time. Let’s hope it doesn’t disappoint them. Not all of Disney’s live-action adaptations of classic animations have been a roaring success, with “Mulan” turning out to be a spectacular flop, but “Mulan” was never as big a deal as “101 Dalmations” is. Everybody knows who Cruella De Vil is, but this film aims to show us how she became Cruela de Vil. It’s the Disney version of “The Joker” – a film that shows us the backstory of a celebrated movie villain. The role would probably be too big for some performers, but “Cruella” has the advantage of having Emma Stone. Stone almost never puts a foot wrong when she steps in front of the camera, and the previews suggest she’s had the time of her life making this film. If you can’t find an open movie theatre near you to watch it, you’ll be able to stream it on Disney Plus.
That’s everything you have to look forward to in May when it comes to high-profile releases. They serve as a fine introduction to the rest of the year, during which we’ll finally see the long-awaited sequels to “Top Gun,” and “Ghostbusters,” and the next “James Bond” film. Buckle yourselves in, movie lovers – it’s going to be a wild ride for the rest of 2021!