From gothic bloodsuckers and pop-star apes to an incarnation of Harrison Ford so red he looks in need of ointment, here’s what’s headed to your local cinema this quarter.
While I love the convenience (if not the mounting monthly charges) of having multiple streaming services available from the comfort of my living room, watching a movie in the cinema is still the experience to beat. Yes, the popcorn is overpriced, the seats are sticky, and the person in the row ahead of you may have neglected to wear deodorant, but once the lights go down, there’s no more immersive way to discover your new favourite movie.
With that, welcome to the first instalment of Man of Many’s The Cinematic Seven. With every issue of our quarterly Digital Edition, you’ll find a guide to seven of the most (or perhaps least) promising releases about to arrive in cinemas in order of release. This month we’ll be tackling the horror of Nosferatu and Presence, the charm of Paddington in Peru, and Marvel Studios’ latest effort to turn its ailing fortunes around with the release of Captain America: Brave New World.
Remember, this is a streaming-free zone. Get your arse to the movies.
1. Kraven the Hunter
After the critical and commercial triumphs that were Morbius and Madame Web, Sony’s Marvel-Adjacent Cinematic Kiosk (SMACK) trundles along with another Spider-Man side character, Kraven the Hunter. While the odds of this outing actually being a quality film are slim, there’s every chance it will fall into the so-bad-it’s-good category.
Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson (potentially the next James Bond) as the title character and boasting a performance from Russell Crowe in which he attempts a horrific Russian accent, this film promises more brutality than your average comic book movie fare — both in terms of the considerable violence on screen and the cringe factor that comes with watching it unfold. If I was a betting man, I’d say Kraven the Hunter will be entirely inconsequential and yet surprisingly fun.
In cinemas: 12 December 2024
2. Better Man
Was anyone asking for a Robbie Williams bio pic? I don’t think so, but this looks more interesting than it has any right to. While I’ve never been a fan of Williams’ music, he’s always had a certain likeability as a personality. There’s a cheekiness to him paired with an insatiable need to be loved that means the decision to have his role taken over by a CGI chimpanzee makes some kind of weird sense.
Williams still lends his voice to the film—despite his shortcomings as a vocalist, his speaking and singing voices are undeniably distinct—allowing it to have an authenticity that matches its gimmickry. The result is that a movie I never would have considered checking out is now on my radar.
In cinemas: 26 December 2024
3. Nosferatu
Having already seen this flick at a very advanced screening, I can wholeheartedly endorse it, although it won’t be for everyone. Director Robert Eggers’ previous efforts (The Witch, The Lighthouse, and The Northman) have all been exercises in atmosphere and that’s equally the case for his take on this classic vampire tale.
While it’s not as scary as I would have liked (curse whatever trauma left me so desensitised), it will probably do the job for many. Outstanding performances, incredible production and sound design, and beautiful cinematography mean that Nosferatu is arguably one of the best vampire movies ever made, at least from a technical point of view. Here’s hoping it will prove more effective at getting under my skin on a second viewing.
In cinemas: 1 January 2025
4. Paddington in Peru
Paddington 2 is one of the greatest films ever made (just ask Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal), and the franchise’s first film is also an exercise in pure charm. If this third instalment manages to stick the landing, we’ll be looking at one of the greatest trilogies of all time, up there with the original Star Wars movies and Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings triumph. No, I’m not kidding.
Sadly, the chances of that happening are significantly reduced by the absence of original writer/director Paul King, who elected to make Wonka rather than embark on a third Paddington adventure. Pity. Nevertheless, I remain hopeful that this will be a solid enough outing to bring the trilogy to a satisfying close à la Return of the Jedi — not as good as the first two, but gets the job done.
In cinemas: 1 January 2025
5. A Complete Unknown
I’m calling it now, there will be a startling number of people who watch this film and become completely insufferable as a result. There’s just no way Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan doesn’t spawn a host of copycats, all of whom will start to imitate freewheelin’ Bob’s aesthetic and affectations, as interpreted by Chalamet.
Saying that, I’m surprised it’s taken this long for us to get a relatively straightforward Dylan bio pic. While we had 2007’s I’m Not There, that film was an abstract exercise in which actors like Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger, and Ben Wishaw all tackled a different aspect of Dylan’s life and music. This more direct approach has been a long time coming, but it could go either way.
In cinemas: 23 January 2025
6. Presence
I only became aware of this release recently and all I can say is that I hope it’s as terrifying as the early reviews say. While this list has already burned me in that regard (Nosferatu, it’s not you, it’s me), the tone of dread captured in Presence’s trailer gives me hope.
When they’re executed with subtlety and just allow a mounting sense of anxiety to do the heavy lifting, few things are as unnerving as a haunted house film. And so this effort from director Steven Soderbergh has landed near the top of my rankings for most highly anticipated films of 2025.
In cinemas: 6 February 2025
7. Captain America: Brave New World
Will this fourth Captain America instalment be enough to stop Marvel’s steady decline? I wouldn’t bet on it. While Harrison Ford’s presence will always be welcome (unless it comes in the form of yet another deflating Indiana Jones sequel) and the idea of him turning into a red version of the Hulk is certainly a fun hook, I’m just so sick of watching near-invulnerable people bash into one another until their plot armour suddenly fails so the story can move forward.
I’d love to be wrong, but it’s looking more and more like we’re stuck in the MCU’s long tail and the days when it was in any way engaging will just continue to become an ever more distant memory.
In cinemas: 13 February 2025
