The fifth month of 2015 brings another wave of killer films of all shapes and sizes. It’s especially good if you’re a sci-fi freak – whether you’re looking to be philosophically provoked, taken to a parallel universe or exposed to some maniacs driving cars and blowing stuff up. There are also some laughs, some scares and some earthquakes for this cinema month of May.
Ex Machina – May 7th
Opposing current blockbuster science fiction trends, Ex Machina goes for cerebral small-scale sci-fi – and we’ll gladly breathe it in like fresh country air. Long-time screenwriter Alex Garland (Sunshine, Dredd) makes his directorial debut here, taking hold of his own script that smears the line between man and machine in a way that we have not seen in ages. Well, OK, there was Chappie, but that was more interested in blowing stuff up than provoking any serious thought.
Mad Max: Fury Road – May 14th
Finally it’s almost here – George Miller’s return to the post-apocalyptic Australian Outback setting that kickstarted his career in a cloud of engine fumes, burnt tires, and gunpowder. Tom Hardy takes the reins from Mad Mel as Max in what looks like an exceptionally over-the-top chase across a devastated dustbowl. The action teased in the trailers looks like a stunning mix of practical and CGI carry-on, the acting talent top-notch (with Charlize Theron and Nicholas Hoult also on board), so can we just watch it right now please?
Poltergeist – May 21st
“No one asked for a Poltergeist remake!” we hear purists proclaim. However, we’re more than happy to get a mainstream horror that puts the great Sam Rockwell and Rosemarie DeWitt in leading roles for once. This also gets the producing approval from Sam Raimi (Drag Me to Hell, The Evil Dead), and we’d humbly say that his recommendation far exceeds our own.
Spy – May 21st
Melissa McCarthy reteams with Bridesmaids/The Heat director Paul Feig for this action comedy that will hopefully benefit from placing McCarthy front and centre rather than a foil to other characters as “the loud funny fat one”. Although we have seen her topple off a scooter in this. OK, and it was funny. Like some alternate Fast & Furious universe, McCarthy is in star-studded company – Jason Statham, Jude Law, Rose Byrne, to name a few – as a rookie spy who goes undercover to prevent global disaster. The Interview might have sucked, but let’s not allow that to dilute enthusiasm for another comedic espionage caper please. No one’s hacked this yet, but as we now know, that doesn’t speak to a film’s quality…
Tomorrowland – May 28th
The very idea of doing a movie based on a Disney theme park attraction doesn’t strike us with immediate enthusiasm (see: The Haunted Mansion or any of the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels). But with Brad Bird’s name attached, that scepticism flips right over to pure excitement. Bird has not done us wrong in the past (The Iron Giant, Ratatouille, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol), and while the current mainstream trailers have been vague on plot details, the George Clooney-less Japanese trailer proves there’s something incredibly inspired under the hood.
San Andreas – May 28th
It’s been a while since we received a good natural disaster film on a big scale (don’t you DARE try to contradict us with Into the Storm). We’re putting our faith in Dwayne Johnson, who leads this action-drama as a helicopter pilot who teams with his ex-wife to find their daughter in the midst of a magnitude nine earthquake.
