Time to Gather: May 2023’s Top 5 Family Movies –

April 2023 movie season seemed promising, and then turned out to be a mixed bag. Movies like Renfield, Evil Dead Rise and Beau Is Afraid all reaped divisive reactions, and the one strong standout among the April films was the one film that wasn’t a horror film – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. This month certainly has more blockbusters, but with the exception of one movie on this list, everything else isn’t quite a sure deal. Hopefully, most of these movies entertain rather than flop.

Here are the biggest new movies of May 2023.

 

New Movies of May 2023

1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 | May 5th, 2023

There were no dry eyes in the house when the trailer was released, as it’s clear to all that someone will die in James Gunn’s final film with our Marvel heroes. Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Pom Klementieff, Karen Gillan, Sean Gunn, Zoe Saldaña – not forgetting Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper – are all back for this one. Will Poulter also joins the cast as the much-anticipated Adam Warlock.

There isn’t much else known about the plot of the film, but considering the quality of the other Guardians of the Galaxy movies, I’m sure Gunn will deliver an action-packed, poignant end for this trilogy.

 

2. Love Again | May 5th, 2023

To help herself deal with the loss of her fiancé, Mira (Priyanka Chopra) texts his old number as a way to maintain contact, not realising that someone else has taken over the number. Rob (Sam Heughan) is taken by these romantic messages, and when he’s assigned to write a profile on Celine Dion, he enlists the megastar’s help. This is the first film role for Celine Dion.

Obviously, given the title, we know that Mira will love again. This movie’s clearly for the saccharine and sentimental folk, and should not appeal if that’s not your vibe. Oh, and Nick Jonas is in it too.

 

3. The Mother | May 12th, 2023

May is the month of Mother’s day, so there’s bound to be one movie about mother. This year’s offering is The Mother with Jennifer Lopez. J.Lo plays an assassin who comes out of hiding to protect the daughter she was forced to abandon years ago. The film also stars Gael García Bernal, Joseph Fiennes and Omari Hardwick.

The Mother is a bit of a genre departure for J.Lo, who has mainly starred in rom-coms and dramatic roles over the course of her career. But she certainly has the physical chops to play the role, having committed to physically strenuous scenes in movies like Enough and Hustlers. Hopefully the film ends up more on the level of Taken rather than Peppermint.

 

4. Fast X | May 19th, 2023

It’s time for family again in this latest installment of The Fast and the Furious franchise. Lots of familiar faces back on screen, and new faces as well, with the likes of Rita Moreno, Brie Larson and John Cena added to the cast.

Dom (Vin Diesel) and his family are up against a new, terrifying foe. When the team took down Brazilian drug kingpin Hernan Reyes in Fast Five, they didn’t know his son Dante witnessed the entire thing. He’s spent 12 years planning his revenge, and now he’s back to make Dom pay. Will Dom be able to protect everyone in his family, or will they lose someone? Speed your way into the cinema to find out.

 

5. The Little Mermaid | May 26th, 2023

Disney hasn’t had much success with their live-action remakes. The best of the lot is Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella in 2015, and that was 8 years ago. Will Rob Marshall’s attempt at The Little Mermaid be more of a success?

Ariel is played by Halle Bailey, who has a beautiful voice, but somehow, the live-action aesthetic doesn’t have that same magic as its animated counterpart. It looks dull and gray, which might not help its case even if the actors manage to bring something new to the roles they’ve taken on. The performance I’m most interested to see is Melissa McCarthy as Ursula. Ursula is one of the most iconic villains in the Disney canon, and I hope the film doesn’t ruin the character completely.

Check out The Little Mermaid at the end of May, and consider if you’ll let this live-action remake be a part of your world.

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