Earlier today the trailer for the new “Mortal Kombat” movie was released and I got quite excited about it. I’ve been a big fan of the franchise since my brother introduced me to the first game in the early 90s. Several games, a mixed set of movies and tv shows later, we’re finally getting a film that shows the franchise in its violent glory.
With cinemas still closed here in the UK and potentially not reopening until May, it’s already looking pretty impossible that I’ll end the year anywhere near 100, something I would normally ease to, but the good thing is that there are plenty of decent movies coming out over the next twelve months, or at least hopefully.
So today I have decided to share with you five movies I am excited about that are scheduled to be released this year. I’m not really going to go into a big description for all of them, but these five have a good chance of being high rankers when I do compile the list at the end of the year.
The below are sorted into nothing more than the scheduled UK release date as of February 18th 2021, but are obviously subject to change.
Sound of Metal – March 26th
Director: Darius Marder
Cast: Riz Ahmed and Olivia Cooke
This has been getting quite a lot of buzz on the indie scene in recent months and it is the second movie in a row in which the normally reliable Riz Ahmed has lost control of his body.
I’m also going to relate a lot more to a story about a heavy metal drummer rather than a rapper, mainly because I grew up on rock music, whereas rap is a genre I have virtually no time for.
My one hope is that it is far less predictable than “Mogul Mowgli”, but either way, Riz Ahmed is one of the most underrated actors within Hollywood today.
Mortal Kombat – April 16th
Director: Simon McQuoid
Cast: Hiroyuki Sanada, Joe Taslim, Josh Lawson, Jessica McNamee and Tadanobu Asano.
I’m not going to go too much into this one as I’ve already discussed it above, but it will hopefully be the movie the franchise deserved.
I enjoy the first one, but admit it has some big problems (such as Lui Kang) having more fights than the other characters combined, and whilst I initially enjoyed the sequel, as time has gone on, it has become, well, a bit of a meme because of how bad it is.
Hopefully, this will be worth the hype.
The Green Knight – July 30th
Director: David Lowery
Cast: Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander and Joel Edgerton
This has been a movie that has probably waited longer than any other for its UK release date as I first saw the trailer in 2019, but it finally gets a cinema release this year.
It looks visually interesting, and David Lowery is an excellent director, capable of telling engaging stories without much dialogue. The only minor reservation I have is that it stars Dev Patel, and his films are usually pretty poor.
A Quiet Place: Part 2
Director: John Krasinski
Cast: Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe.
This was the first big release to really suffer because of the Covid pandemic as it was due for release the day before the first lockdown, and I was genuinely gutted.
“A Quiet Place” was my favourite movie of 2018, and this one adds the brilliance of Cillian Murphy, one of the few actors in Hollywood that doesn’t really do bad films.
Hopefully, this can be as engaging as the original.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Director: Jason Reitman
Cast: Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace and Carrie Coon
Well, it can’t be any worse than the reboot, so that will be a start.
“Ghostbusters” (as in the original one) is one of the few movies I’ve never heard anyone say a bad word about. The original cast returns, minus Harold Ramis (RIP) and Rick Moranis, and the son of the original director is in charge….albeit that doesn’t mean anything given how poor “Possessor” was last year from Cronenberg Jr.
It also has one of the most promising young talents in Hollywood involved, and I don’t mean Finn Wolfhard. Mckenna Grace is a fantastic young actress, and if you get the chance, I can’t recommend “Gifted” enough.
Sorry, never heard of it! 