LOGAN – (MUST-SEE)
The end of an era. In Hugh Jackman’s final outing as Wolverine, Fox appears to have pulled out all the stops. Following on from Deadpool’s R-rated success, this conclusion of an epic character arc promises to be full of gore and expletives. The story follows an ageing Logan/Wolverine caring for an ailing Professor X (Patrick Stewart in also his final outing as the character), and the emergence of mutant X-23. Logan also explores the dwindling number of mutants and their struggles to survive and adapt to the world and it appears to be a more gritty and grounded take on the superhero genre than previous iterations. All the trailers for this film have demonstrated some of the brutality we’ve wanted to see from this character for a long time, and the dedication to making this a perfect final film for Jackman’s Wolverine by director James Mangold seems to have paid off. It is simply the must see film of the month for any comic book fan, and for those who appreciate truly climactic cinema full of guts and gore.
Release Date: 1st March
Beauty and the Beast
When it was announced that they would be making a live-action Beauty and the Beast, I amongst many was sceptical. Following the trailers these reservations have not changed, not that it looks to be awful, it just seems wholly unnecessary. The casting seems to be fantastic, Dan Stevens as the Beast, Luke Evans as Gaston, with further voice support from Ewan McGregor, Emma Thompson and Ian McKellen. Emma Watson’s casting as Belle doesn’t resonate personally, trailers make her seem like she’s talking in autotune as opposed to actually singing. I’m absolutely certain that people will go in their hordes to see this film, but only because it is a classic and well-loved tale, the CGI doesn’t appear very convincing and the original was so good it seems pointless to even try to match it. Hopefully, the film will surprise me and many other sceptics but have no doubt this is absolutely one of the biggest releases of the month and perhaps of the year given its historical importance.
Release Date: 17th March
Life
When you combine the consistently excellent Jake Gyllenhaal, the brilliant Ryan Reynolds and rising star Rebecca Ferguson; you’ve got a film that seems destined to do well. Inspired by Alien, Life follows an international space crew that discovers Life on Mars, only for it to prove deadly as it picks off members of the crew one by one. Whilst the casting alone is one factor that should draw you to the cinema to watch it, the premise is intriguing and from the trailers it appears to be an exciting blend of humour, sci-fi and horror so I feel like this could prove one of the years subtly brilliant films, for it’s not had the widespread publicity of other films this month like Beauty and the Beast or Kong: Skull Island. This is a definite must-see for those who appreciate a great cast, and those who loved the original Alien films and that brilliant mixture of horror and sci-fi, expect not to be disappointed by this release for its premise seems so solid and the trailers leave much to the imagination.
Release Date: 24th March
Ghost In The Shell – (UNDER THE RADAR)
The original Ghost In The Shell is an anime film from the 90’s, I guarantee it’ll appear on just about every single list of ‘Must Watch anime/animated films of all time’, not only that, it’ll probably be somewhere in the top ten or top five. Now there’s some context, this studio live-action American remake has a lot to live up to. With Scarlett Johansson playing the lead, a character called ‘The Major’ an advanced cyborg that works for the government. Ghost In Shell is known for being a quiet and ominous look at what it means to be human, in that way it’s very much an art film supplied with incredibly creative action sequences. If you’re looking to experiment with some interesting, strange and hopefully thought provoking, Ghost In The Shell could be the film for you this March.
Release Date: 31st March
KONG: Skull Island
Yes, the iconic King Kong is back and he’s literally bigger than ever. From the studio that brought back Godzilla in the most interesting way possible, comes Kong: Skull Island, set to be in the same universe as Godzilla. All gearing up for Godzilla vs. Kong in 2020. Much like Godzilla, Kong: Skull Island has brought on a young talented director to bring stellar cinematography and gravitas to a character that’s been around for decades. Not to mention an all-star cast which includes Brie Larson, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman and John C. Reilly. Watch out for this one, I think with it’s humour and epic visuals this is exactly the kind of popcorn flick we want from our blockbuster movies.
Release Date: 9th March
Words by Elliot Jones and Levi Eddie Aluede