2023 was notably one of the best years for film recently. The most obvious hits are of course films like Oppenheimer (2023, Christopher Nolan), Barbie (2023, Greta Gerwig), Poor Things (2023, Yorgos Lanthimos), and the incredible Past Lives (2023, Celine Song). After such an incredible year, it feels hard to beat. While news on films to be released this year is still limited, there are two highly anticipated films to be released this year.
To start off strong, Furiousa: A Mad Max Saga (2024, George Miller) comes out on May 24th. When Mad Max: Fury Road (2015, George Miller) was released in 2015, it took the world by storm. With the incredible visuals, insane color palette consisting of vibrant blues and oranges, apocalyptic setting, unimaginably cool characters and incredible action, it was bound to be a success. While it focuses on the lead Max Rockatansky, played by Tom Hardy, one of the most notable characters was the powerful Imperator Furiosa. Charlize Theron’s performance as this strong and willful character was not something to take lightly. After producing such an epic tale, with an incredible supporting character, a sequel film focusing on Furiosa’s character was inevitable. In the upcoming film, the amazing Anya Taylor-Joy plays a younger Furiosa alongside Chris Hemsworth who portrays a new character, Dementus.
Another highly anticipated film coming out this year is Joker: Folie à Deux (2024, Todd Philips). The first film, Joker (2019, Todd Philips) received mixed reviews. The movie was centered around the infamous Joker’s backstory, and while everyone was eager to know how he got those scars, the story seemed almost unnecessary. While a majority of audience members loved the film, many were left displeased with this particular adaptation of Joker. Some people believed this backstory took away from the characters mysteriousness and what makes the character so threatening. Another large complaint was that the movie dragged on. Many complained it was too long, while others considered it to be just right. Despite its not so positive reviews, a sequel has been made, and the clown prince of crime will be joined with the notorious Harley Quinn, played by Lady Gaga. Many anticipate the same response to the sequel as its prequel, but only time will tell how “Mista J” and “Puddin” adapt on the screen.
While there are many other anticipated films to be coming out this year, these two have seemed to be receiving the biggest buzz. After an amazing year for film, cheers to another one in the making.
