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Published April 24th 2017
Pirates fighting snatched aliens in a zoo with excalibur?
Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (image by Walt Disney Studios)
While the leaves change colour during the autumn month of May, escape into the cinema to see the colours from deep space, a tropical jungle, the high seas, a zoo and the English countryside. There are films for all ages and tastes premiering in Australian theatres this month. From drama and comedy to epic legends and comic book blockbusters, start with these top 5 movies in May.
Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales – May 25
Classification Pending
After Johnny Depp (Alice in Wonderland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) thwarted Barnaby Joyce's dastardly plans to snatch his dogs, Captain Jack Sparrow returns to the high seas to battle an equally dangerous threat, Captain Calazar and his legion of ghost sailors. While lawyers helped Johnny, Captain Jack is joined by Kaya Scodelario (Maze Runner) as an astute astronomer and Brenton Thwaites (The Giver) as a strong-willed rookie in an adventure to find the lost Trident of Poseidon and rule the oceans. Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales also sees Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush all returning with their best pirate accents.
Classification Pending After 15 years, Goldie Hawn (Private Benjamin, The First Wives Club) returns to the cinema, playing her best character - herself - with on-screen daughter, Amy Schumer (Trainwreck, Inside Amy Schumer), vacationing in a tropical paradise...Colombia. While smart travellers would avoid a cocaine capital for a holiday, Goldie and Amy seek the exotic on a trip to repair their relationship. The pair soon begin bonding during an exotic...kidnapping. Despite their clashing personalities, they attempt an outlandish escape, fleeing into the jungle can causing chaos of all kinds in a tale certain to top the stories of survivors from I Shouldn't Be Alive. Snatched also stars Ike Barinholtz (MADtv, Neighbors), Joan Cusack (Working Girl) and Christopher Meloni (Law and Order: SVU).
Classification Pending After George Miller realised his vision of a 4th Mad Max film with Fury Road last year, Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Gladiator) follows suit, bringing one of the most successful horror sci-fi franchises, Alien, back to theatres. Katherine Waterston (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Inherent Vice, Steve Jobs) and James Franco (127 Hours, Rise of the Planet of the Apes) star as crew members on a colony ship in deep space, destined for a paradise world (not Colombia). Inevitably, instead of finding sandy beaches and rolling hills, they're plunged into dark corridors dripping with acid blood, and another creepy android (Michael Fassbender - X-Men, 12 Years a Slave) before battling waves of face-hugging aliens in a desperate struggle to survive and star in a sequel. Alien: Covenant also stars Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Prometheus) and Guy Pearce (Prometheus, L.A. Confidential).
The Zookeeper's Wife (image by Focus Features)
The Zookeeper's Wife – May 4
Rated M for mature themes and violence Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain (The Help, Zero Dark Thirty, A Most Violent Year, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby) stars as the title character in a drama set during World War II. The crimes against humanity, committed by the Nazis during in the invasion of Poland, are well documented. But there were also cultural a cultural war, as museums, galleries, libraries and homes were looted for priceless art. One of the country's most popular public institutions was Warsaw Zoo, the sanctuary in the Polish capital for a diverse array of wildlife.
The Zookeeper's Wife depicts the brave resistance of staff and civilians as they tried to save hundreds of people and animals from displacement or death. The Zookeeper's Wife also stars Daniel Brühl (Rush, Woman in Gold, A Most Wanted Man), Iddo Goldberg (Defiance) and Michael McElhatton (Game of Thrones).
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (image by Warner Bros. Pictures)
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword – May 11
Rated M - Fantasy themes, violence and coarse language The classic British legend of a medieval hero receives the Guy Ritchie (Snatch, Sherlock Holmes) treatment with a cast worthy of Excalibur, the magical sword. Starring Charlie Hunnam (Nicholas Nickleby, Sons of Anarchy) as Arthur in the title role, the origin story begins with his on-screen uncle (Jude Law - Sherlock Holmes, Cold Mountain, The Talented Mr. Ripley) snatching the crown to rule Britain, banishing Arthur from the castle and his birthright. After marrying Guinevere (Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey - Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), his romantic ideals are shaped and a resistance movement erupts to reclaim the throne and defeat the evil tyrant. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword also stars Eric Bana (The Other Boleyn Girl, Star Trek) as Arthur's father, Djimon Hounsou (Gladiator, Blood Diamond) as Sir Bedivere, one of Arthur's closest allies on the round table and David Beckham (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.).
Which movie tops your list for May? Please let us know with a comment.