May 2024 will see the release of some of this year’s most anticipated movies, such as Ryan Gosling’s latest project, the return to the Planet of the Apes franchise, a Mad Max prequel, and different horror movies. After a couple of rough years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2023 was a big year for cinema, and 2024 has a long list of highly-anticipated movies to continue this good streak. 2024 started on the right foot with its theatrical releases, and May is bringing some big titles to cinemas.
April 2024 brought an interesting variety of movies to theaters, as were Dev Patel’s directorial debut Monkey Man, the horror prequel The First Omen, Alex Garland’s Civil War, Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, the horror movie Abigail, and Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers. May is also seeing a variety of titles for different tastes and for viewers of all ages, most notably an action comedy movie starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, a new Planet of the Apes movie, the origins of Furiosa, and a good dose of horror.
The Fall Guy is an action comedy film directed by David Leitch and loosely based on the 1980s TV series of the same name. The Fall Guy follows stunt performer Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) who works as the stunt double for action star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and who retires after an injury during a stunt gone wrong. Over a year later, Colt is contacted by film producer Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham) as Tom has disappeared and she needs Colt to find him before the movie they’re making is canceled – and Colt soon finds himself in an action-packed sinister plot.
I Saw The TV Glow is a horror-thriller directed by Jane Schoenbrun. I Saw The TV Glow follows Owen (Justice Smith), who is introduced by his classmate, Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine), to a mysterious late-night TV show called “The Pink Opaque”, a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. Soon, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack, and strange events begin to happen around and to him and Maddy. Also starring in I Saw The TV Glow are Helena Howard, Fred Durst, Danielle Deadwyler, Lindsey Jordan, and Amber Benson.
Tarot is a supernatural horror movie directed by Spenser Cohen and based on the 1992 novel Horrorscope, by Nicholas Adams. Tarot follows a group of college friends who break the sacred rule of tarot readings: never use someone else’s deck. As a result, they unleash an unspeakable evil that was trapped in the cursed cards they dared use. As they start dying in ways related to the fortunes in their tarot readings, the survivors find themselves in a race against the clock to uncover the mystery and save themselves. Starring in Tarot are Harriet Slater, Jacob Batallon, Avantika Vandanapu, and Larsen Thompson.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the sequel to War of the Planet of the Apes, and it’s directed by Wes Ball. Set nearly 300 years after the events of its predecessor, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes sees ape civilizations emerging from the oasis to which Caesar led the apes, while humans regressed into a primitive state. When ape king Proximus Caesar perverts Caesar’s teachings to enslave other clans and uses weapons forged from lost human technologies, chimpanzee hunter Noa (Owen Teague) goes on a journey alongside (feral) human girl Mae (Freya Allan) to determine the future for apes and humans.
IF is a fantasy comedy that combines live-action and animation. Written and directed by John Krasinski, IF follows Bea (Cailey Fleming), a young girl who, after going through a troubling experience, gains the ability to see people’s imaginary friends (referred to as “IFs”), who have been abandoned by the kids they once helped. Bea learns that her neighbor Cal (Ryan Reynolds) can also see the IFs, and they team up to reunite them with their former kids – and these adults surely need their IFs back.
Also starring in IF are Fiona Shaw, Alan Kim, Liza Colón-Zayas, and Bobby Moynihan. The voice cast of IF is formed by well-known talents, such as Steve Carell, Emily Blunt, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Matt Damon, Maya Rudolph, Sam Rockwell, Awkwafina, Blake Lively, Bradley Cooper, and many more.
The Strangers: Chapter 1 is a horror thriller directed by Renny Harlin, and though it’s part of The Strangers film series, it’s the first installment in a new trilogy of standalone stories. The Strangers: Chapter 1, then, centers on Maya (Madelaine Petsch), who along with her boyfriend, Ryan (Froy Gutierrez), drives across the country to start a new life in the Pacific Northwest. When their car breaks down in Oregon, they are forced to spend the night in an isolated Airbnb, where, through the night, they are terrorized by three murderous masked strangers.
Back to Black is a biographical drama based on the life of Amy Winehouse and directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson. As such, Back to Black explores parts of the life and career of British singer and songwriter Amy Winehouse (played by Marisa Abela), from the beginnings of her career to the peak of her success and her relationship with her husband Blake Fielder-Civil. Also starring in Back to Black are Jack O’Connell, Eddie Marsan, Juliet Cowan, and Lesley Manville.
The Garfield Movie is an animated comedy adventure film directed by Mark Dindal and based on Jim Davis’ famous comic strip Garfield. The beloved lasagna-loving cat Garfield (voiced by Chris Pratt) returns to the big screen in an adventure triggered by an unexpected reunion with his long-lost father, Vic (Samuel L. Jackson). Garfield and Odie are forced to leave their comfortable life with Jon Arbuckle (Nicholas Hoult) to join Vic in a hilarious high-stakes heist. Also part of The Garfield Movie’s voice cast are Hannah Waddingham, Ving Rhames, Harvey Guillén, and Brett Goldstein.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is a post-apocalyptic action-adventure movie directed by George Miller. A spin-off and prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa is set 15 to 20 years before Fury Road and sees a young Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) being snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and into the hands of a Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth). While two Tyrants fight for dominance over the Citadel, Furiosa plots a way to return home through the Wasteland. Also starring in Furiosa are Tom Burke, Lachy Hulme, Nathan Jones, John Howard, Angus Sampson, and Charlee Fraser.
In a Violent Nature is a slasher movie directed by Chris Nash. In a Violent Nature follows a mysterious masked killer who goes after a group of teenagers in the Ontario wilderness. Although it has clear influences from slasher classics, mostly Friday the 13th, In a Violent Nature stands out as it’s told through the killer’s perspective.