An Abundance of Enchantment and Thrills – Hot

January is always a bit meh for new movies, February is too romance-focused, while March may have a tentpole or two. But April? April’s when things start heating up, and we start getting some really exciting movie releases. No, I’m not talking about Morbius. That film made our January list before getting delayed to April, so it’s not going to take up space on our list, but just know that it’s coming out this month if you’re invested in the Sonyverse.

Most of the movies on the list this month are big cinema releases, which is a clear sign that things are changing and the tide is shifting. We’re slowly moving back to the cinemas, and if you haven’t been back yet, maybe one of the films on this list will spur a travel down to your local cinema.

Here are the biggest new movies of April 2022.

 

New Movies of April 2022

1. The Bubble | April 1st, 2022

The Bubble is the only film on the list that will be released on a streaming platform. It’s a Judd Apatow film, with a talented cast comprising of Karen Gillan, Pedro Pascal, Fred Armisen, David Duchovny, Leslie Mann, Keegan-Michael Key and so many more.

The Bubble is a meta comedy about a group of film stars holed up in Cliveden House hotel, Berkshire, in late 2020 – the height of the pandemic – to make a dinosaur franchise flick. While there have been films that were filmed during the pandemic, like Ben Wheatley’s In The Earth, there haven’t been many attempts to capture what life was like during that time. In an interview with The Guardian, Apatow explained: “It just ruins everything with storytelling! No one wants to watch Idris Elba do a new season of Luther wearing a mask. This is our nightmare as consumers.”

But still, the man thought he would try, so now we have this film. It’s definitely very different from what Apatow’s done thus far, but it will be interesting to see if the film manages to be more than just an extensive sketch. The film will be released on Netflix this week.

 

2. Ambulance | April 8th, 2022

Ambulance is a Michael Bay movie, so you pretty much know what to expect in some ways. What intrigues me is the cast. We’ve got Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Eiza González. Based on the description, this feels like an amalgamation of The Italian Job and Speed.

In the movie, Will Sharp (Abdul-Mateen II), desperate for money to cover his wife’s medical bills, asks his adoptive brother Danny (Gyllenhaal) for help. Danny instead offers him a role in the biggest bank heist in Los Angeles history, with a score of $32 million. With his wife’s survival on the line, Will can’t say no. But when things go spectacularly wrong, the brothers hijack an ambulance with a wounded cop clinging to life and an EMT Cam Thompson (González) onboard.

Early reviews are mostly complimentary, and it does seem to be reminiscent of the older Michael Bay movies: entertaining popcorn flicks that would get the job done.

 

3. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore | April 15th, 2022

It’s not been the most smooth-sailing of journeys for this movie. After the controversy that plagued Johnny Depp last year, he was recast in his role as Grindelwald. Because of this recasting, as well as the ongoing pandemic, the film was delayed to November 2021, before Warner Bros. pushed its release to July 2022, and then deciding to movie it up to April. The first film in the franchise performed well, but the second film was a bit of mess. Will this film return the franchise to its former glory?

In this particular installment, the focus is on Professor Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law). The man knows the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) is moving to seize control of the wizarding world. Unable to stop him alone, he entrusts Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) to lead a team of wizards, witches and one brave Muggle baker on a dangerous mission.

The trailer is pretty good, with impressive use of effects, as well as a fantastic (pun intended) cast of actors onboard. It remains to be seen if this film can revitalise the franchise and keep it going.

 

4. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent | April 22nd, 2022

April seems to be a month for meta comedies and Pedro Pascal. In this movie, Nicolas Cage stars as himself in the action-comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.

Creatively unfulfilled and facing financial ruin, the fictionalized version of Cage must accept a $1 million offer to attend the birthday of a unhinged superfan (Pascal). Things take an unexpected turn when Cage is recruited by a CIA operative (Tiffany Haddish) and forced to live up to his own legend, channeling his most iconic and beloved on-screen characters in order to save himself and his loved ones.

So far, the early reviews are in praise of the film, with film critic Scott Menzel calling the movie “the ultimate Nicolas Cage experience”. If you enjoy Cage’s body of work and performances, this might just be the film for you.

 

5. The Northman | April 22nd, 2022

Ever since Robert Eggers’ directorial debut The Witch, every time the man releases a movie, the internet just goes wild. There’s an authenticity to his filmmaking, with every period brought to life with fantastic detail and riveting imagery. His third film is an epic revenge thriller, that explores how far a Viking prince will go to seek justice for his murdered father – very Hamlet.

We have a few familiar faces in this one, like Anya Taylor-Joy, who starred in The Witch, as well as Willem Dafoe, who was in Eggers’ sophomore film The Lighthouse. The film also has heavyweights like Nicole Kidman, Alexander Skarsgård and Ethan Hawke. Watching the trailer alone is such a treat for the senses, the cinematography and the sound design are incredible, and I can’t wait to get the full, cinematic experience.

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