Spring is just around the corner, and with it, the promise to leave behind a bleak start to the 2024 movie season. Dune: Part Two saved the entire industry earlier this month, and hopefully, that film’s momentum will inspire more moviegoers to check out the exciting releases in store for the new season.
But what’s there to watch? Time and budgets are limited these days, and no one can afford to waste either on a bad movie. Digital Trends has selected three movies set to release in spring 2024 that are sure to entertain, inspire, and maybe educate. OK, maybe not the last one, but hey, not every movie can be the Oscar-winning Oppenheimer.
3. Late Night with the Devil (March 22)
Fall is usually the time for horror movies, but I’ve always said that any time is the right time to get scared. Last year, Skinamarink did the trick, and in 2024, Late Night with the Devil promises more devilish fun. The film takes place on Halloween in 1977 at a live taping of a late-night talk show hosted by Jack Delroy (Dastmalchian). To boost sagging ratings, Jack has invited a controversial parapsychologist to talk about her patient, a teenage girl who was the only survivor of a Satanic cult. Jack wants to hypnotize the girl and get her to confess what really happened to her and her deceased cult members. You can guess what happens … or can you?
Presented as a rediscovery of that lost program, Late Night with the Devil combines the devil possession shlock of the ’70s with the found-footage craze of the late ’90s. Yet what makes the movie worth seeing is lead actor David Dastmalchian, an unsung talent who has popped up for years in small roles in big pictures like The Dark Knight and The Suicide Squad. Stephen King has been singing the horror film’s praises for almost a year now, so Late Night with the Devil promises to be the next great midnight movie of the decade after Barbarian and Where Evil Lurks.
2. Monkey Man (April 5)
The story behind Monkey Man is almost as interesting as its plot, which, trust me, is very, very good. Dev Patel, the actor known for his roles in Slumdog Millionaire, Lion, and The Green Knight, wanted Monkey Man to be his directorial debut. After finishing it, Monkey Man was acquired by Netflix, who have a habit of releasing its films with little publicity. Jordan Peele saw a rough cut, shook his head, and said, “Nah, this is too cool for streaming.” He bought the film and, with the help of Universal Pictures, is now shepherding it into movie theaters nationwide on April 5. Turns out the director of Nope is even cooler than you’d think.
The plot of Monkey Man is a classic action movie revenge tale: after he witnesses his mother’s death as a child, Kid (Patel) nurses his bloodthirst by practicing as an underground fighter who wears a monkey mask in the ring. (Hench, the title Monkey Man.) Once he locates his mother’s killers, Kid will stop at nothing to gain justice, even if he has to tear apart India, where the film is set, to do it. Featuring brutal fight choreography and a unique visual flair, Monkey Man is ideal for John Wick fans needing that next crazy action film fix. The film just premiered at SXSW, where it received a standing ovation.
1. Boy Kills World (April 26)
And speaking of weird revenge tales focusing on a damaged yet jacked young male, Boy Kills World and lead star Bill Skarsgård promise even more gratuitous violence and blood-stained flesh, albeit with a more comedic edge. After a young boy witnesses his family get brutally slaughtered, he barely escapes with his life into the jungle. Rendered mute by his trauma, the boy teaches himself to become an expert fighter to exact revenge years later on the people who wiped out his family.
While it has an almost identical plot to Monkey Man, not to mention very similar lead characters (in this one, the protagonist is simply named Boy), Boy Kills World plays its bloody revenge tale for laughs, and that’s no more apparent than enlisting H. Jon Benjamin, the voice of Bob from Bob’s Burgers, to narrate Boy’s inner thoughts. Skarsgård supplies the body, and, like his brother Alexander in The Northman, seems to have gone all-in on physically transforming himself into a ruthless war machine. If abs were lethal, these brothers could start World War III.
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