Superhero blockbusters, reboots and an indie sci-fi horror film have all secured May release dates in China. Catch these five films in theaters around town this month.
May 5: The Guardians of the Galaxy 2
The second installment of Guardians of the Galaxy brings back the motley
group of Marvel superheroes for a new adventure. Most of the original
cast returns, including Zoe Saldana as alien-assassin Gamora and Bradley
Cooper as Rocket the bounty-hunting raccoon. As per the ending of the
first movie (which we won’t spoil) Vin Diesel’s humanoid tree character Groot has been
replaced by an adorably rambunctious baby version of the superhero.
May 12: Power Rangers
This reboot aimed at fans of the ‘90s TV
show tells the story of a group of rebellious teens with the power to
morph into masked – or rather, helmeted – avengers. A cast of young and
relatively unknown actors comprise the Rangers, while Bryan Cranston
plays their mentor Zordon, and Elizabeth Banks recreates the classic Power
Rangers villain Rita Repulsa, a former Green Ranger who went rogue 65
million years ago. The film is also the first blockbuster superhero film
to feature an LGBTQ+ superhero and an autistic superhero.
May 12: King Arthur: Legend of The Sword
This
big-budget adventure film directed by Guy Richie is an origin story for
the myth of King Arthur, recasting the classic hero of British folklore
as a streetwise youth with an aversion to leadership and an
anachronistically trendy haircut. Charlie Hunnam of Sons of Anarchy and
Queer as Folk plays the titular role, with Jude Law as his nemesis
Vortigern and Djimon Hounsou as his marshal Sir Bedivere. Game of
Thrones fans might be tickled to discover that the actors who play Roose
Bolton and Petyr Baelish also appear in the movie wearing essentially
the exact same costumes and conniving expressions that they sport in
GoT.
May 19: Life
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal,
Rebecca Ferguson and Ryan Reynolds, sci-fi horror film Life first
premiered at South by Southwest in March before getting a wide release
in the US and internationally. With the tagline “We were better off
alone,” it tells the story of a group of American astronauts that find
evidence of life in a soil sample from Mars. While at first they are
thrilled by the discovery, the organism is not exactly friendly, and
things quickly escalate.
May 26: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer continue to milk the Pirates franchise for
all it’s worth with Dead Men Tell No Tales, the 5th installment of the
story, which we should not forget is based on a ride at Disney World.
Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightley return to their roles as Will and
Elizabeth Turner after passing on the fourth movie, while Javier Bardem
plays undead villain Salazar, and Jack Sparrow gets a backstory thanks
to a CGI de-aging technique used on Johnny Depp. The film opens in China
on the same day as it does it the US. What’s more,
Shanghai Disney will play host to the film’s world premiere next week
on May 11, and the whole cast will be in town.
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