2024 is well underway, and we’ve already been blessed with some cinematic gems on the silver screen. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire has given us the epic monster battles we’ve been craving, Dune: Part Two gave us another chance to immerse ourselves into the Dune universe, and Monkey Man was jam-packed with all the action and thrills needed to keep us on the edge of our seats.
With so many months to go and so many releases lined up in anticipation, what can movie buffs expect next?
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (May)
If you’ve watched any movie in the Mad Max Saga – particularly the 2015 Mad Max: Fury Road – you’ll know that Furiosa will have you in for a wild ride. The prequel and spinoff to Fury Road is all about the origin story of Furiosa (Charlize Theron in Fury Road), played by Anya Taylor Joy.
This sci-fi post-apocalyptic film is set 15 to 20 years before the events of its sequel and starts with the initial kidnapping of young Furiosa from the Green Place of Many Mothers. Captured by Warlord Dementus’ Biker Horde, Furiosa goes through trials and tribulations throughout her journey home through the Wasteland.
Fury Road took over 15 years to make. All the chaos, explosions, madness – 90% of what we saw were practical effects. One of the only critiques of Furiosa’s trailer is the potential excessive use of CGI – but imagine what the combination of CGI and practical effects could do for the type of storytelling we expect from a Mad Max movie!
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (May)
Whether it’s the incredible CGI and visual effects or the emotional journey they’ve taken us on, the reboot Planet of the Apes series has established itself as gripping and unforgettable. The themes of humanity, morality, and empathy throughout the three existing films have genuinely resonated with viewers everywhere, and we’ve journeyed alongside Caesar from his room at the Rodman House to his position as leader of the apes.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is set almost 300 years after the War for the Planet of the Apes in a world where the roles of humans and apes have essentially reversed. Humans live primitively, while many ape civilizations have branched off from Caesar’s oasis. While ape king Proximus Caesar seeks to dominate the human race and abuses everything Caesar stood for, young chimpanzee Noa works with human girl Mae to figure out what the future holds for humans and apes.
Joker: Folie à Deux (October)
When Joker came out, it seemingly changed the world in some way. It sparked conversation around many social issues through a thrilling narrative with an iconic comic villain at the helm. The sequel features Joker’s (Joaquin Phoenix) romantic interest, Harley Quinn, played by Lady Gaga, and their romantic entanglement. Unlike the first movie, this one features numbers and song-and-dance scenes to reflect the pair’s madness.
While we don’t know too much about the contents of the film, its title, folie à deux, is a term that reflects a shared psychosis or delusion. So, we can only expect an in-depth and theatrical exploration of the human mind, Joker and Harley’s warped relationship, and blurred realities.
Deadpool & Wolverine (July)
Deadpool & Wolverine (Deadpool 3) is the 34th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the third film in the Deadpool franchise. The film’s premise revolves around the Time Variance Authority (TVA) putting Deadpool on a mission with Wolverine that is so important that it’s said to change the trajectory of the MCU. If you don’t know about the TVA, the TV series Loki can give you an excellent backstory.
With Wolverine and Deadpool’s lengthy history as reluctant allies and sworn enemies, there’s bound to be hilarious tension and callbacks in this action-packed comedy. Watching Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) and Hugh Jackman (Wolverine) interact on-screen will likely be just as exciting as getting into Diamond Riches casino free play.
Inside Out 2 (June)
The endearing and funny animated film Inside Out is coming out with a second installment, Inside Out 2. With the first movie getting 98% on Rotten Tomatoes and an extremely positive audience reception, the producers decided to bring back Riley and her lovable (and not-so-lovable) emotions. In this new coming-of-age film, Pixar continues to do what they do best – appeal heavily to children and adults through deep storylines and dynamic animations. We’ll see a teenage Riley discover new emotions, such as Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser).
As her initial emotions – Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear – have become used to one another and have gotten used to running headquarters, these new emotions give them a new challenge. On top of that, it seems there are a variety of unnamed emotions with a number of undisclosed roles.
A Quiet Place: Day One (June)
Prequels seem to be the movie to make of choice in the past few years – there was The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Wonka, Saw X, shall we go on? To add to the list, we’ve got A Quiet Place: Day One. If you thought the original A Quiet Place was riveting and nerve-wracking, just wait until you see how New York City, one of Earth’s busiest and noisiest places, will fare with these supersonic-hearing aliens around.
Rather than focusing on a family that naturally wants to stick together, this film follow a bunch of unrelated individuals who have to grapple with selflessness, selfishness, survival, and other factors between potentially polarizing personalities.
