Looking forward to March
With the first two months of the year behind us, I can report that movies like Black Panther, Maze Runner: The Death Cure and Fifty Shades Freed have raked in more than a US$1-billion at the box office.Given these successes, I have set up a list of movies you can look forward to in the coming month, especially given that March promises to deliver multiple blockbusters. While I honestly don't believe any of these movies will out-gross Black Panther, anything is possible.
• A Wrinkle in Time
Ava DuVernay's blockbuster makes its way to screens on 9 March and features Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Chris Pine and Storm Reid in lead roles. It is based on a 1962 novel and follows a young girl on a quest to find her father, who went missing after discovering a new planet. The plot seems solid, and this will be the first big block buster for the Oscar nominated DuVernay. Hopefully it heralds the beginning of a new franchise for Disney, as it offers something unique.
• Tomb Raider
Lara Croft makes her way back onto the silver screen on 16 March. Alicia Vikander takes over from Angelina Jolie in a film with an original story line. Directed by Roar Uthaug and also starring Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu and Kristin Scott Thomas, the film tells the story of Lara's first expedition, in which she embarks on a journey to her father's last known destination. She hopes to solve the mystery of his disappearance. Movies based on video games have failed in the past, but this might be the redemption the genre needs.
• Pacific Rim Uprising
After defeating the Kaiju, the Jaegers are back. Star Wars star John Boyega takes on the lead role, with Scott Eastwood, Cailee Spaeny, Charlie Day, Jian Tian and Adria rounding of the cast. Director Steven S. DeKnight takes over from Guillermo de Toro. Set ten years after the original, the Kaiju are back and Jaegers are at the ready. One of the Jaegers have gone rogue and it is up to a new team to save humanity from extinction. Let's hope this film does not stumble, hopefully it will be as good as the first.
• Ready Player One
Steven Spielberg makes his way back into the sci-fi world with a film based on a 2011 novel.
The film stars Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Medelsohn, T. J. Miller, Simon Pegg and Mark Rylance.
In a year filled with reboots and sequels, this may be the one original story we need. Set in a near-future dystopian Earth, the population spends most of its time in an interconnected virtual space called OASIS.
When the founder of OASIS dies, he bequeaths the company to the first person who finds the hidden treasure within the VR.
The movie looks like an adventure and I hope it delivers.
Other films to look forward to:
Red Sparrow, Death Wish, Gnome Alone, Gringo, I Can Only Imagine, Love Simon, Paul Apostle of Christ, Isle of Dogs, Sherlock Gnomes and God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness.