Now that the Avenging juggernaut of the year is over and we finally know how it ends, we’re free to focus on the rest of the movie slate.
There are tons of great movies this May, as always, since the studios can be counted on to release their biggest movies during the summer holidays between May to August. Though the movies’ summer season has been getting earlier and earlier for the past decade, and studios now release blockbusters all year round, May to August continue to be prime months for the hottest movies of the year because of school being out and the sheer number of families at the cineplex. I can name five movies that I want to watch for sure this month, as compared to only two movies last month.
If you just want to know what movies are opening in May, click here!
But if you want to know *my* thoughts on the upcoming movies and which ones I’m watching, read on.
After you’ve finished, feel free to comment below and talk about which movies you’re watching, and why!
Movies I’m watching for sure
Aladdin (23 May)
I hear that some people didn’t like Will Smith looking so blue as Genie. And also that some people have problems with this live-action remake of Aladdin in general. (I don’t agree with many of the points in this Reddit thread, but it sums up the peeves I’ve read on the Internet.)
But you must know that people on the Internet occasionally jump to conclusions and are quick to hate what they hate — it is what it is and you can’t change their opinions when they band together to form a collective mind.
Personally, I think the movie looks great, and Will Smith’s Genie looks fine. The animated movie is one of my favourites from Disney, and this live-action remake puts a fresh spin on it while keeping all the elements I love — namely, a wisecracking Genie, and the classic songs that I love, sung decently. I’m sure Will Smith will do a great job because he is funny when he plays wisecrackers, even though he’s not Robin Williams.
I just hope they don’t introduce new songs. I hate it whenever musical remakes create new, and worse of all, unmemorable songs just because they feel they should differentiate themselves from the original. Newsflash: they don’t have to! It jars me out of my nostalgia to hear songs I’ve never heard before in the original.
You can read my review of Aladdin here.
POKÉMON Detective Pikachu (9 May)
I’m bemused that Pokemon still garners such a strong fanbase after so many years, and I’m not sure that Ryan Reynolds fits the voice of Pikachu. He sounds too smart-alecky to suit his super adorable character. Nevertheless, the movie looks fun!
Plus, I’ve been following the career of Kathryn Newton — who plays a journalist in the movie (I think) — ever since she appeared on Supernatural. She’s been in a few high-profile projects since then, but this is her first blockbuster, so I’m excited to see her!
You can read my review of POKÉMON Detective Pikachu here.
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (16 May)
I LOVED the first two John Wick movies, which were great comebacks for Keanu Reeves after making a ton of questionable movies after The Matrix. Chapter 3 looks to be the best yet from the reactions of critics who have seen the movie!
John Wick is now on the run after being ex-communicated from the assassin world — because he murdered the villain in the previous movie on sacred ground — and he has no safe refuge left. Now every assassin is hunting him because he has a $14 million bounty on his head. What will he do?
(This may be a small thing to quibble, but frankly, I think $14 million is a small sum considering how rich the people hiring these assassins are, and how many jobs the assassins get sent on. And how expensive all their training, guns and equipment must be. But oh well.)
You can read my review of John Wick: Chapter 3 here.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (30 May)
This mega-monster showdown looks EPIC. I’m not a fan of monster movies usually, but the cast is great, and the film looks too epic to be missed! (But mostly because the cast is great. If I don’t like, or am ambivalent about the cast, I won’t watch it no matter what.)
I thought the Godzilla remake in 2014 was beautifully shot and stunningly atmospheric — despite many people disliking it cause they felt they didn’t see enough of Godzilla — so I hope this movie is the same!
Long Shot (2 May)
Long Shot is a wish-fulfillment rom-com about a dumpy journalist, who just lost his job, meeting his former babysitter and childhood crush who’s now the glamorous Secretary of State (and running for president), getting hired to jazz up her speeches, and falling in love along the way.
I’ve watched it already, and while it seems inconceivable that the public will allow a woman to win the presidency when her partner looks like a slob and espouses a ton of unpopular opinions (unpopular to one side anyway), I think the bigger fantasy in the movie is that people who are honest and have principles win in the end and get to effect the change they want in the world.
But Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron have great comedy chops, and the movie is hilarious, so go watch it, and soon! It has the misfortune of opening one week after Avengers: Endgame, with more blockbusters coming fast and furious after it, so I don’t think the cinemas will have space for this relatively small movie for long. I can almost guarantee that after this week, the movie won’t have good showtimes for people who aren’t retirees, so now’s your best chance to catch it while you can.
Movies I may watch (depends on whether I’m free)
The Hustle (9 May)
Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson star as two con women “who team up to take down the dirty rotten men who have wronged them”. I wasn’t planning to watch this at all, but the trailer made me think twice! Anne Hathaway reminded us — and surprised some — of how funny she could be in Ocean’s 8 last year, so the movie looks promising, even though I’m ambivalent about Rebel Wilson.
Initially though, the movie was described as a female remake of 1988’s Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, which is about two con men trying to “settle their rivalry by betting on who can swindle a young American heiress out of fifty thousand dollars first”.
From what’s shown in the trailer, it seems that the characters do compete to swindle a tech billionaire at some point. But I guess they eventually team up because the filmmakers probably thought there are too many narratives about pitting women against each other to add one more. Good choice.
Movies I definitely won’t be watching
Everything else I didn’t mention, I’m not watching. There are too many movies for me to explain one by one, so I’ll just say that I don’t want to watch them because they’re either horror movies, or their cast and/or plot don’t appeal to me. (Which doesn’t mean they won’t appeal to you.)
But I particularly want to point out The Secret Life of Pets 2, because it’s a big movie, and I usually watch those. The animals do look cute, but I think the movie tries *too hard* to be cute. It’s the reason why I don’t like the Despicable Me and Minions series (also by the same studio) — I can feel the studio trying its very best to appeal to me and make me give them my money. And I don’t want to.
Summary
So Aladdin, Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Long Shot are my choices this month.
What are you watching?