New Movies to Watch in April

Lachin Kerbabaeva – Online Editor

The prequel Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore hits theaters on April 15. It is a British-American spin-off of the Harry Potter film series directed by David Yates and written by JK Rowling and Steve Clovis. 

The film takes place in the 1930s—the magic world on the edge of World War II. Gellert Grindelwald assembles a team of dark wizards to take over the wizarding world and repress the Muggles. 

On his side is the hero of Ezra Miller, The Obscurus orphan Credence Barebone, and the sorceress Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudol). Muggle baker Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), who is in love with Queenie, remains on Newt Scamander’s team. 

At the request of Albus Dumbledore, the zoologist magician, is trying to interfere with the plans of Grindelwald, who, with the help of an unusual animal, can see the future. 

Dumbledore cannot participate in the fight since, many years ago, he and Grindelwald made a promise that they could not harm each other. 

In the film, the leading role, Newt Scamander, as in the previous two parts of the series, was played by British actor, Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne. 

This film received a significant replacement for one of the lead roles. In November 2020, Johnny Depp, who played Grindelwald, was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen. The music composer of the film is talented James Newton Howard.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 came out on April 8. Directed by Jeff Fowler and written by Patrick Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington, it is an action-adventure comedy film based on the Sega video game series. 

The film is the sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) and the second film in the Sonic Cinematic Universe. 

The plot is about Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) and Tails (voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessey) as they try to stop Doctor Eggman (Jim Carrey) and Knuckles (voiced by Idris Elba) from getting Master Emerald. 

Settling in Green Hills, Sonic seeks to prove that he can be a real hero. In the center of the plot, the villainous Doctor Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik and the mysterious partner Knuckles the Echidna look for a priceless emerald, which contains forces capable of destroying entire civilizations. 

Sonic teams up with Miles ‘Tails’ Prower to travel worldwide and find the emerald before it falls into the wrong hands. 

The film will also feature such actors as James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, and Natasha Rothwell. The director of the first part, Jeff Fowler, also directed the second one.

On April 22, The Northman, a big-budget film about the Vikings by Robert Eggers (The Lighthouse, 2019), starring Alexander Skarsgård, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Nicole Kidman, and Björk, is released worldwide. 

The Northman is described as a historical epic based on medieval Scandinavian legends about Prince Amleth, who became the prototype of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. 

Most of the events take place in 914, during the early settlement of Iceland. In the center of the plot is Prince Amleth, who takes revenge on the murderers of his father and wants to return the kingdom that belongs to him by right. 

Film critics note that the film can become a hit in 2022 and that this is an example of a great blockbuster created during a pandemic and an abundance of comic films. 

The film is worth watching for the great action, the cast, and the dark atmosphere in the director’s usual style.

Images courtesy of IMDB

kerbl@mail.broward.edu

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