April seems to be a bit low on the movie release front, with less movies out than perhaps other months will see. However there are one or two highly anticipated movies that are premiering this month that will be sure to see the majority of Aprils’ audiences. There is also quite the range of genres, and a good few kid’s movies to keep them occupied for 90 – 120 minutes during the Easter holidays. Comic/graphic novel-based movies are also a huge feature this month, which you’ll probably know unless you’ve been hiding under a DC and Marvel-free rock for the past year. So what’s going to top the box office this month?
Avengers: Endgame (25th)
Does anything really need to be said about this? If you know, you know. If you don’t, then go and watch these eight Marvel movies (bare minimum) and the Endgame trailer, then we’ll talk.
Shazam! (5th)
It’s no great secret that DC have really struggled when it comes to adapting their comic book characters into movies over the past five years (2013’s Man of Steel gets a pass). Going up against the might of the MCU is also no mean feat, which will explain why Shazam!, the story of a young orphan boy named Billy Batson who finds himself able to turn into a superhero whenever he utters the word ‘shazam’ (Bananaman, anyone?) ,is releasing a couple of weeks before Avengers: Endgame. Of course it’s not going to be anywhere near the level of Avengers, as although Shazam! is, judging by the trailer, perhaps going to be less of a distorted mess than the likes of Justice League or Batman v. Superman, it will be a much more lighthearted offering from DC that won’t take itself so seriously. Then again, Aquaman could have (and should have) very much been produced in a similar vein, but alas, it wasn’t so. Still, Shazam! could be one of the only recent DC movies that’s actually worth a watch (alongside Wonder Woman and Man of Steel).
Eighth Grade (26th)
Looking much like a Lady Bird for slightly younger teenage girls, Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade, his directorial debut, has already met with a lot of critical acclaim, particularly for young Elsie Fisher’s performance. Even just the trailer shows how much Fisher shines. Although the film has a female lead (and therefore hopefully much insight into the female teenage mind), there’s potentially a lot here for people of a teen age and upwards to relate to. It’s interesting for a man to write a movie about a teenage girl’s experiences, but why not? If females can relate and males can understand, and also relate in their own way, then it can only do good things for cinema.
Non-English Language Choice:
Loro 1 (12th)
As a user on IMDb explains it, ‘The title Loro is Italian for “them”, but also a word play on l’oro, meaning “the gold”‘, something that perhaps will be better understood after seeing this movie. The first in a two-part satirical take on the life of Italian politician (including a time as Prime Minister) and media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi, particularly paying attention to his misogynistic and, well, Donald Trump-like ways. In a time when certain world leaders are behaving like children playing with fire, Paolo Sorrentino’s biographical drama could pave the way for many filmmakers from other countries with politicians prime for the portraying. Something along the lines of The Death of Stalin meets Saturday Night Live, perhaps.
Other April releases:
5th
Happy as Lazzaro
The Keeper
Missing Link
Peppa Pig: Festival of Fun
Pet Sematary
The Sisters Brothers
12th
Hellboy
Little
Mid90s
Wild Rose
Wonder Park
18th
Greta
19th
Dragged Across Concrete
Head Full of Honey
Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich
26th
Bel Canto
Dawn of the Tapes 