Hi everyone, and welcome to this week’s film roundup! Every week we take you through the upcoming cinema releases and why you should be excited for them, to help you decide what to spend your hard-earned time and money watching. This week we have devil babies, fish boys and monkey men…
Usual disclaimer: unless otherwise stated, I haven’t seen these films. All of my opinions are based on trailers, early reviews and other rumours and buzz.
The First Omen
The first (as in, original) Omen film is a true horror classic. Its story of an ambassador and his wife gradually learning that the son they adopted might be the antichrist is the foundation of some compelling moral wrangling – what would you do if the best thing you could do for humanity is to kill your child? The case for Damian being the figurehead of evil is steadily built through angry animals and foreshadowing photographs, culminating in a bleak ending that leaves the door wide open for the story to continue. It did spawn a few sequels and a remake, but compared to other horrors from the same period, such as Halloween and Friday the 13th, its franchise potential remains relatively untapped.
Seeking to address that, The First Omen (as in, the latest Omen film) is a prequel to the original film, and the first to expand the story since 1991. It appears to be the story of Damian’s birth in a church in Rome, or perhaps an earlier attempt by the same group of devil-worshippers to bring about his birth. The cast list includes the characters of Father Brennan and Father Spiletto, who both appear in the original film and were said to be present at the birth, so there is some connectivity. Leading the cast is Nell Tiger Free, best known for playing Myrcella Baratheon in the later seasons of Game of Thrones, and joining her are fellow Thrones alumni Ralph Ineson and Charles Dance, as well as Bill Nighy and Sonia Braga.
Judging by the trailer, this looks to be a much less subtle horror than the original Omen but should still be a creepy and compelling watch. If you can find somewhere playing both of them, it would make a great double-bill with the similar evil nun horror Immaculate.
- The First Omen on IMDB
- The First Omen on Rotten Tomatoes
Monkey Man
Directed by and starring Dev Patel, Monkey Man tells the story of a nameless man taking revenge for his mother’s death by fighting institutional corruption and the criminal underworld in India.
I went to a preview screening of this over Easter weekend and can testify that it is an excellent, exciting and brutal action movie. Dev Patel is always a sign of a good film, but he proves here that he is more than capable behind the camera too – the fight scenes are slick, but there is enough emotion behind them to make you really root for the hero. It is drawing lots of obvious comparisons with John Wick, which are clearly intentional (that film is directly referenced, and at one point Patel even makes a cute dog friend), but this feels a lot scrappier than John Wick – there are no bulletproof suits or assassin hotels here. The closest Patel gets to a sports car is a souped-up auto rickshaw.
The motivation for this campaign of violence is not as simple as “they killed my dog”, but it does feel a lot more worthy. Patel’s character comes from a community that has been violently displaced by a popular politician claiming to be a peaceful man of the people, and the police force that are in his pocket. His mother was killed in the process. So this is personal, but at the same time there are bigger issues at stake. Flashback scenes of his mother telling him the story of Hanuman being punished by the other Hindu gods and going to war with a demon king give the story a mythical scale. Essentially, this is more than just a blood-soaked revenge thriller – this film has a lot to say about corruption in Indian politics and the effect it has on the country’s most vulnerable communities.
That said, if you are looking for a blood-soaked revenge thriller, this is very much that too. There are some incredible action sequences, which range from rough and desperate at the start of the film to immaculately choreographed by the end. The transition between those two styles is heralded by one of the funkiest training montages you’re ever likely to see. It’s not the most original plot, and it doesn’t concern itself too much with moral grey areas – the good guys are immediately likeable and the bad guys are demonstrably awful people.
If you’re OK with a bit of violence and you want something that will get your adrenaline pumping, I thoroughly recommend this film.
- Monkey Man on IMDB
- Monkey Man on Rotten Tomatoes
Seize Them!
Seize Them! stars Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education) as Queen Dagan, who is deposed in a revolution led by Humble Joan (Nicola Coughlan, Derry Girls) and forced to live like common people while she lies low and prepares to try and take back her throne. I hadn’t heard too much about it until a couple of weeks ago but it suddenly seems to be advertised everywhere, which isn’t always a good sign but I’m willing to reserve judgement.
As far as I can tell from the trailer, this is basically a quintessential British comedy. It’s set in a fictionalised period of medieval Britain full of fancy castles and muddy peasants that will be instantly familiar to anyone who had a history lesson in primary school. The cast has a wealth of British comedy talent, including Lolly Adefope (Ghosts), James Acaster (Ghostbusters: Frozen Kingdom), Nick Frost, Jessica Hynes (Spaced), and Paul Kaye (Game of Thrones). The humour is that careful blend of witty and silly that we Brits do well.
I enjoy witty and silly humour so I think this looks like it could be fun, but I don’t expect it will appeal to anyone looking for something more mature and substantial. You will probably be able to tell quite clearly from the trailer and posters whether you’re going to like this or not.
- Seize Them! on IMDB
- Seize Them! on Rotten Tomatoes
Evil Does Not Exist
This is another one that I haven’t heard too much about, but unlike Seize Them! I think that is down to a deliberate air of mystery. The film is set in a small woodland community in Japan whose lives are interrupted by some businessmen seeking to build a glamping site nearby. The community pushes back as they are concerned about the effect the added infrastructure and increased human activity will have on the local ecosystem that they have come to rely on.
Although that synopsis sounds like a drama, the trailer and early reviews paint this as a tense mystery thriller with a dark and shocking final act. Whatever the tone, it clearly has some gorgeous cinematography, taking full advantage of the natural beauty of Japan’s forests. It sounds like it has a lot to say about the importance of protecting that environment.
This is a very intriguing movie and should definitely warrant a watch.
- Evil Does Not Exist on IMDB (not since they got rid of the message boards…)
- Evil Does Not Exist on Rotten Tomatoes
Io Capitano
Io Capitano tells the story of two young Senegalese men who leave Dakar to seek a better life in Europe. Their journey takes them through Libyan detention centres and across the sea in a crowded migrant boat. This was nominated for Best International Film at the Oscars this year, and it looks pretty beautiful – the African landscape is vast and bright, and there is some lovely use of light and colour showcased in the trailer.
The approach the filmmakers seem to be going for is to portray the struggles of African migrants using Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey as a template. Expect a long and arduous journey with a series of episodic encounters and trials, with a bit of magical realism thrown in to give it the tone of a modern fairytale. The relationship between Seydou (Seydou Sarr in his acting debut) and the mother he leaves behind should wrench at the heartstrings too. I think this has a lot of promise and will be worth tracking down while it’s in the cinema – those sweeping desert shots deserve to be seen on a big screen.
- Io Capitano on IMDB
- Io Capitano on Rotten Tomatoes
Luca
The last of Pixar’s monthly run of cinema releases for its films that debuted on Disney+ during the pandemic, Luca is a real gem of a film. Luca (Jacob Tremblay) and Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer) are two mer-people living in the seas near Italy, who have been raised to believe that there is nothing more dangerous than going to the surface world. When they do, they learn that they become human when they’re out of the water, so they decide to explore and discover what the human world has to offer.
Like many Pixar films of this era, the character design is quite cartoonish but the setting is almost photo-realistic. I defy anyone to get to the end of this film without wanting to book a holiday riding a Vespa round the Italian countryside. The characters might look cartoony but they are incredibly well written. A local moustachioed fisherman (and his similarly moustachioed cat) who becomes an unlikely father figure to the boys is a particular favourite – his gruff macho exterior clearly hiding something much softer underneath. There are also some nice messages about stepping out of your comfort zone and embracing life.
Like any Pixar film, this is essential viewing for anyone with children but will also be a fine way to spend a couple of hours as adults too.
- Luca on IMDB
- Luca on Rotten Tomatoes
If you only see one film this week…
With Dev Patel cutting his teeth as a director and knocking out everyone else’s as an action hero, my film of the week is Monkey Man.
Still in cinemas and worth a watch
- Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire
- Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
- Dune: Part Two
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