8 Must-See Movies in Theatres in May 2024, Featuring the Return of Planet of the Apes and Mad Max

Till the end of the world

Viggo Mortensen has a reputation as a demi-God of cinema and that's normal: he's quite simply one of the most gifted actors in history and loves to love it. For “Until the End of the World”, he will make his big return to the front of the stage, but also behind the camera since he is the director. The story is that of Vivienne, an American who falls in love with a Danish immigrant (Viggo Mortensen, therefore) in the 1860s in the Western USA : only then, the Civil War breaks out, her husband enlists and leaves her without protection. Because yes, Vivienne lives in a not very bright area where people are a little dangerous and where the dead are legion, not to mention her husband who comes back a bit changed by the war. In short, a western which promises to be as poignant as it is powerful and which promises big emotions: the month of May is starting very strongly.

• Cinema release : May 1, 2024
• Director : Viggo Mortensen
• With : Vicky Krieps, Viggo Mortensen, Solly McLeod

The Fall Guy

A movie star that needs no introduction, Ryan Gosling is starring in The Fall Guy, in which he plays a stuntman tasked by the director of a film (Emily Blunt) with finding the missing star that he is. responsible for overtaking. Here he is embarked on a dangerous adventure where, this time, no one will be able to cushion the damage for him: this feature film which we have heard about for a while now will navigate between action, comedy and drama with the conductor David Leitch, a man who masters his subject and who we have already seen at work on Deadpool 2, John Wick or Atomic Blonde. A film to watch closely, therefore, because it has all the cards in hand to emerge as a pleasant surprise.

• Cinema release : May 1, 2024
• Director :David Leitch
• With : Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Blue & Company

After Ryan Gosling just above, Ryan Reynolds is also there in May with Blue & Company, undoubtedly the dose of good humor that we all need. This family comedy revolves around a precise concept: imaginary friends, unfortunately forgotten by children when they grow up. An idea that will remind more than one person of Vice-Versa, but this is a live-action film where Bae, a young girl, discovers herself capable of seeing these characters who are more or less zany than she will try to reconnect with each child. The mixture of pure CGI and real shots looks quite sparkling (hello Roget Rabbit), as does the tone of the film which should appeal to both young and old. In short, we all need to decompress and sometimes, cinema is made for that.

• Cinema release : May 8, 2024
• Director : John Krasinski
• With : Ryan Reynolds, Cailey Fleming, Mylène Farmer

Planet of the Apes: The New Kingdom

Attention, big (and we hope big) film approaching. A license which is now starting to date, Planet of the Apes had succeeded in its revival with the trilogy of the 2010s, centered on the ascension of Caesar; this new opus will take place 300 years later, while the latter has almost become a myth within a now well-established simian civilization. We will follow the adventures of a young monkey, Noa, forced to flee his clan enslaved by an opposing group, while another monkey tries to master ancient human technology to unify the different tribes. Moreover, humans are in a very bad situation, having definitely returned to the wild and hunted by the monkeys: this was, however, without counting on a young woman, who will meet Noa and with whom she will maintain a close relationship. In short, a big, strong blockbuster, which is also helmed by Wes Ball, the man behind the Labyrinth trilogy (and who will even direct the Zelda film in the future). We're crossing our fingers that this new arc lives up to expectations and the budget, which promises to be incredible with truly striking special effects.

• Cinema release : May 8, 2024
• Director : Wes Ball
• With : Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Peter Macon

The Second Act

In the family of the most productive directors ever known, we ask Quentin Dupieux: after having been a hit with Yannick last year, the Frenchman is maintaining his incredible pace by already returning with another film, “The Second Act”. For the moment, the project is quite mysterious: the trailer has only just been released and until then we only had one pitch to get our teeth into, which we will obviously cite to you. Florence is very in love with David, whom she wants to introduce to her father. The problem is that it's not mutual and David wants at all costs to throw her into the arms of his friend Willy. And all this, in a restaurant in the middle of the countryside. In short, this joyous boxon (and visibly a new closed session?) translates into a new black comedy that we imagine is characteristic of Dupieux's tone, which will also open the next Cannes Film Festival. Suffice to say that we expect the absurd.

• Cinema release : May 14, 2024
• Director : Quentin Dupieux
• With : Léa Seydoux, Louis Garrel, Vincent Lindon

Roqya

Being accused of witchcraft and hunted for it does not only belong to the events of Salem: this is precisely the theme of Roqya, which nevertheless sets its context… in a perfectly modern setting. So to speak, the story even takes place in a city, in France! When Nour is accused of having indirectly killed a person after a somewhat borderline consultation, she and her son must flee. A somewhat desperate escape, since the whole neighborhood attacks her during a violent and interminable night: this dark thriller notably puts Golshifteh Farahani in the spotlight, an actress that we have already been able to see in Tyler Rake, Pirates of the Caribbean Salazar's Vengeance or Lies of State. If you have your heart set, Roqya has plenty to arouse your curiosity.

• Cinema release : May 15, 2024
• Director : Saïd Belktibia
• With : Golshifteh Farahani, Amine Zariouhi, Jeremy Ferrari

Furiosa

FINALLY. Furiosa is the kind of project that we have been waiting for for ages: we know that it is under development, but its status as an Arlesian is so powerful that we wonder if it is going well come to fruition one day. It will therefore be for May 22 and for information, it is a spin-off of the reboot of Mad Max, a fantastic film by George Miller released in 2015, also orchestrated by this same filmmaker. We will therefore plunge back into a devastated world where big engines and deliberately violent people collide with Furiosa at the center of the intrigue, played by the talented Anya Taylor-Joy. She sees herself kidnapped by a fearsome biker gang and will do everything to return home, while carrying out her revenge. Spread the word : Furiosa has every chance of being one of the most stylized action films of its era, with ultra-slick photography and completely insane stunts, always with realism as a priority. (here, no or few special effects, which changes everything). We stamp our feet with excitement, so can't wait.

• Cinema release : May 22, 2024
• Director :George Miller
• With : Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Alyla Browne

Memory

If action isn't really your thing and you prefer films that will make you cry, perhaps Memory is the film for you. Here, Jessica Chastain slips into the skin of Sylvia, a woman with a well-defined life who will cross paths with Sam (Peter Sarsgaard). An encounter that will awaken countless memories, however well buried, and plunge our two heroes into a nostalgia that is as sweet as it is merciless. A dramatic film that we owe to Michel Franco, a Mexican who has already signed Sundown with Tim Roth in 2022 and who definitely seems interested in Hollywood. In short, we hope that Memory will be remembered, no pun intended.

• Cinema release : May 29, 2024
• Director : Michel Franco
• With : Jessica Chastain, Peter Sarsgaard, Merritt Wever