(From left) From 'No Time To Die' and 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' to 'Matrix Resurrections', don't miss out on these blockbusters films coming to cinemas this year. Photos: Handout
It seems like an eternity since we last walked down the dimly lit carpeted walkways, looking for which cinema hall to enter for our chosen movie.
With a bucket of popcorn in one hand and a large drink in the other, the excitement to watch a movie is a reality once again for most of us.
It may have been over half a year since the pandemic shut cinemas across the nation, but fear not fellow moviegoers, for the shows will once again go on.
There is a catch though: only Malaysians who have been fully vaccinated are permitted entry. So, if you haven’t been inoculated, here’s yet another reason to do so.
For those who have already been fully vaccinated, you’re in luck as there are enough movies lined up from now till the end of the year to get you excited.
From horror and comedy to superhero and suave spy, here are 15 movies for your consideration.
Catch up with Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) in this movie set between the events of Avengers: Civil War and Infinity War.
Being one of the final Avengers to receive her own solo movie, our heroine finds herself at war against an enemy she thought she’d escaped from. With help from some unlikely comrades, the Black Widow looks to take down her past enemies once and for all.
What happens when you place a handful of incarcerated super-villains in a team to try and stop a big bad deemed worse than all of them put together?
Catch some familiar characters from the DC Comics universe and many new faces as they embark on a mission that they might not return from. Well, it’s all in the movie title isn’t it?
Among the new characters introduced is Peacemaker (John Cena). On Good Morning America, Cena said that his character genuinely thinks he is one of the good guys and will fight for peace no matter the cost, which includes killing.
“Peacemaker’s biggest flaw is that he’s just really, really confused,” shared Cena.
The film also stars Idris Elba, Margot Robbie and Joel Kinnaman.
Tony Leung in his first Hollywood outing. Photo: Handout
Arguably the most anticipated Marvel movie of the year, witness as Shang-Chi faces off against his father and the mysterious Ten Rings organisation for ownership of the mystical Ten Rings, an artefact that grants the user immortality and powerful abilities.
Shang-Chi has already topped the international box office, earning US$350mil (RM1.5bil) worldwide.
This action packed martial arts film stars an all-Asian cast that includes Simu Liu, Michelle Yeoh, Tony Leung and Awkwafina.
Fancy a little sci-fi? Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) travels to the dangerous desert planet, Dune, alongside his father. Watch him discover his destiny as foes fight for the ownership of Dune’s precious substance, a drug that prolongs human life and grants superhuman intelligence.
In an interview with US talk show host Stephen Colbert, director Denis Villeneuve explained what made Chalamet the perfect actor to portray the main character: “There’s deep, deep intelligence in his eyes and he has an old soul. When talking to him, I get the impression of someone who has lived many lives and that touched me.”
This, Villenueve said, is similar to the character of Paul Atreides.
Dune also stars Zendaya, Jason Momoa and Oscar Isaac.
Ryan Reynolds brings his familiar quirky and charismatic personality to Free Guy, where he stars as a background NPC (non-player character) of an open-world video game who decides to rewrite himself as the hero of his own story.
Be sure to pay attention to the details when watching Free Guy as Reynolds told Collider.com that people would be “shocked to know just how many utterly crazy Easter eggs and cameos there are in this movie”. That and Mariah Carey’s hit song Fantasy on a loop.
A film that’s perfect for the spooky season, Halloween Kills picks right up from where 2018’s Halloween left off with protagonist Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her family once again fending off the notorious masked killer Michael Myers.
With the help of the town, Laurie tries to end his reign of terror once and for all. Will she succeed?
The film also aims to shift the focus on Laurie’s granddaughter, Allyson Nelson (Andi Matichak).
Judy Greer – who plays Laurie’s daughter Karen – shared with Total Film that the audience will see the psychological and emotional effects of Michael Myer’s terror on her character, and that Allyson’s personality will completely change, much like her own grandmother.
It’s all about family, fast cars and big explosions with this franchise. Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) is forced out of his quiet life with Letty and his son, to confront his past mistakes.
Dom reunites with his crew to stop a highly skilled assassin. Things get personal when the crew finds out who exactly they’re up against – Dom’s little brother (John Cena).
In this instalment, fan favourite Han played by Sung Kang is back with the team. The Korean American actor told Geek Culture in an interview that the emotions that were caught on film during their reunion scene was genuine.
“You realise that after all those years together and all those films together, there is a bond,” he said.
“We are family and it’s just hard to describe in words.”
Check back in with the Abbott family as they now leave home to face the terrors that lurk in the outside world.
Watch them fight for their survival once again – in silence – against the alien creatures who hunt by sound.
When asked how this film differs from the first, actress Emily Blunt, who reprises her role as mother Evelyn, told ET Canada that it was much more physical.
“There’s a lot of running, there’s so much running. I’m still getting physical therapy on my knee for this film,” she said, explaining that she injured herself while filming a chase sequence.
With the film taking place in the open, it would be safe to assume that the family will be on the run most of the time from the monstrous creatures.
Next in line for Marvel’s Phase Four is Eternals, a film that introduces a new perspective to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
With the Avengers still recovering from the outcome of their last big battle, a new group will take the spotlight – the Eternals, a race of immortals who have lived on Earth since the beginning of time.
Each one has a different set of superhuman abilities, and they reunite to defend the Earth against the Deviants.
Helmed by Oscar winner Chloe Zhao, this movie features an all-star cast including Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kit Harington, Gemma Chan, Richard Madden and Ma Dong-seok.
In an interview with D23 magazine, Jolie shared the reason she signed on to this project: “It was to be part of such a diverse family, and it really didn’t matter to me what the size of the role would be.”
The 46-year-old actress said to prepare for her role as Thena, she had to train to handle weapons like swords, spears, and staffs.
Investigative reporter Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and his alien symbiote now have some sort of understanding.
This is especially crucial as they must once again face off against an evil variation of the symbiote, Carnage, who has found a host body in serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson).
It was previously revealed that this sequel would have a runtime of 90 minutes only.
When asked about this by IGN, director Andy Serkis replied: “We always wanted this film to be a real thrill ride... not hanging around too much with exposition.”
He promised the film will get right to the point and action without dragging out the plot.
Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger can step aside for a minute as the Candyman returns to terrorise Chicago’s Cabrini-Green homes.
A sequel to the 1992 film of the same name, an artist looking for inspiration (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) discovers the urban legend of Candyman and accidentally summons him, unleashing death across town.
With a small budget of US$25mil (RM104mil), Candyman has already grossed US$68mil (RM284mil) worldwide.
Daniel Craig puts on his suit and sips on his martini – shaken not stirred, of course – one last time as James Bond.
Bond is approached by an old friend seeking help with a rescue mission. The spy soon finds himself on the hunt for a mysterious villain with world-ending new technology. The film also stars Rami Malek as the new big bad, Ana De Armas and Jeffrey Wright.
Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, Craig’s final film as Bond is also be the longest 007 film to date, with a total runtime of two hours and 43 minutes.
Though fans have to wait awhile before seeing Venom cross paths with the web-slinger, they can check out Spider-Man (Tom Holland) encountering other familiar characters here.
After his identity was revealed to the world, Peter Parker struggles to deal with the consequences. He turns to Dr Strange for help. When a spell Strange casts goes horribly wrong, Peter finds himself in a problem much worse than before.
Villains like Dr Octopus (Alfred Molina) and Electro (Jamie Foxx) who fought Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man are transported into the MCU thanks to the spell messing with space and time.
The trailer also teased the return of Green Goblin and Sandman, two characters featured in Sam Raimi’s films, starring Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man.
We have waited almost 18 years for a continuation to the original Matrix trilogy, and that wait is finally over. Keanu Reeves reprises his role as Neo, who now lives a seemingly normal life in San Francisco.
Having no memory of past events, Morpheus returns to offer Neo the Red Pill, reminding him who he was and about the Matrix.
Original cast members Carrie-Anne Moss, Jada Pinkett Smith and Lambert Wilson also star in this movie directed by Lana Wachowski.
Reeves described the story as “a beautiful script that is a love story” and that the experience was “inspiring” in an interview with BBC’s The One Show.
With both him and Moss returning as Neo and Trinity, could he be referencing a happy ever after for the duo?
This sequel to the 2016 animated film is perfect for a family day out!
Koala Buster Moon and his line-up of animal performers are reminded of the true meaning of music when they move to the city for a new theatrical show.
Actors Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Taron Egerton and Scarlett Johansson all return to voice their respective characters. Emily Blunt, Zac Efron, Tove Lo and Ed Sheeran join in the fun as part of the new voice talents.
