In the previous part of this article, I listed a few very interesting films to be released in 2024. However, these are not the only productions that deserve our attention this year. That is why I had the idea to add a few more titles to this list. These premieres may be intriguing for various reasons. Some of the movies presented here promise to be great, of course. But there are also some that raise doubts about their quality, and where audiences even expect a spectacular disaster. So I decided to combine them “with the good ones” in this article and tell about interesting and sometimes even amusing currents and trends in cinematography.
In one case or another, their upcoming releases create excitement and arouse huge interest.

Rebel Moon – Part II: The Scargiver

We will start with a film that belongs to the second category. The story follows the fate of a group that decides to prepare a village before the invaders attack. The world depicted is very reminiscent of Star Wars. Not without a reason, since the script was originally created as an idea for a tale in that universe. The film is a sequel to Rebel Moon – Part I: A Child of Fire. Actually, it is simply the second part of the film, as the filmmaker split it into two parts after filming.

And this filmmaker is the reason why the film is generating such an interest. Zack Snyder, for he is the one in question, has been making films that fail critically for several years. Often his stories lack sense, characters behave illogically, and the directorial surface itself is filled with a mass of reprehensible mistakes in favor of looking “cool.” Despite this, his work shows an approach to film as a work of art. It is this duality of his creations that continues to attract people. His films provoke debates about what is more important in productions and generate enormous controversy.

What cannot be taken away from him is that he is an artist. An artist who does not make compromises, who sticks to his style and who, possibly, has inflated his ego a little bit too much.

Drive-Away Dolls

We will now, in contrast, touch on the work of artists who usually do not disappoint. The Coen brothers, are some of the best directors creating today. Their No Country for Old Man is, after all, one of the best films of recent years, winning 4 Oscars, including Best Picture. In addition, they are responsible for, for example, A Serious Man or the True Grit reboot. However, only one of them – Ethan – is working on this production. He is on his own in charge of directing. He wrote the script together with his wife – Tricia Cook.

The story is about two female friends. The first is going through a breakup with her girlfriend, the second needs to seriously rethink her life. They decide to go on a trip to Tallahassee together. An unfortunate sequence of events causes them to cross their paths with a group of incompetent criminals. All this in a comedic format.

How will Ethan cope on his own? Well, the trailer looks very original. It is full of interesting visual treatments or plays with lighting and colors. It features bold transitions between shots or cartoonishly stylized character behavior. All this is enriched by a talented cast, which includes Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan, Colman Domingo, Matt Damon and Pedro Pascal, among others.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

Newest production in the Monster Universe from Warner Bros. After a rough start, it seems that the project has gained momentum and found a way not to bore the viewer. The introduction of King Kong breathed new life into the franchise. The Monarch TV series, created in cooperation with Apple, is also enjoying triumphs.
Adam Wingard was responsible for the previous production – Godzilla vs Kong. With this production he returns to the director’s stool.

The director did a great job in its predecessor keeping the film under two hours and leaving an enjoyable, but also undemanding entertainment. The filmmaker himself has interesting thrillers in his filmography. In them he touches on the evil side of the human psyche. In addition, he is associated with interesting lighting and the use of “neon lights”.

In the upcoming production it is hard to find psychological aspects of his work. Visual ones, on the other hand, absolutely. Wingard knows well how to illuminate monsters and how to portray them so that we feel their enormity.

Deadpool 3

The only MCU movie next year. The rest have been postponed to future years due to reshoots. These are due to a drop in quality in the studio’s productions.

This one, however, is different from the rest of the creations in the universe. It takes characters from Fox’s X-Men films and weaves them into Marvel’s cinematic universe. The film is announced as a parody of fan service, references popping up all over the place or the recently popular Multiverse theme.

This creates concern, of course. The story and character development could easily suffer in favor of the joke.
The main character will be accompanied by Wolverine in this production. This situation is a major cinematic event, as Hugh Jackman returns to the legendary role. This one, despite his multiple impersonations of the anti-hero, will receive his yellow and blue comic book costume for the first time. The contrast between the characters promises to be interesting, and, handled well, could be a solid foundation for the film.

Shawn Levy, known for his family-oriented productions, will be behind the camera. The director has already worked with Ryan Reynolds ( who plays the lead role) on Free Guy and Project Adam, and with Jackman on Real Steel. Most of his filmography received a positive reception, but presented a rather safe, sometimes even generic, approach to blockbusters. Despite the filmmaker’s past, the production will receive an R-rated age category, just like the previous installments.

Sony Marvel Movies

Another interesting phenomenon is that DC Studios and Marvel Studios are releasing only one production each this year (Joker: Folie a deux from the previous article and Deadpool 3). In contrast, Sony, which represents lower quality in this genre is releasing as many as 3. These films represent a truly strange trend. In quality and style they resemble the disastrous comic book adaptations of the early 21st century. The stories are bland, the characters are one-dimensional and the visual aspects are mostly of a lower sort. Top actors are thrown into this B-movie environment, playing characters from the pages of the comic books. Characters who are part of the second or third plan in the original. They are often forgotten and, well, one-dimensional and uninteresting.

Of course, such situation provides an opportunity to expand the complexity of these personalities, but productions from Sony tend not to take advantage of this. So far, the series has actually been commercially successful with the Venom character, but Morbius has been a financial flop. In terms of reviews, all productions have flopped.

Moving on to this year’s premieres. First on this list is Madame Web. The film will tell the story of a clairvoyant who tries to save the lives of several spider-girls. The lead role is played by Dakota Johnson, who carries the biggest star-power. In the roles of teenage girls we will see Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced and Caleste O’Connor. All three are rising stars of cinema who are picking up exciting new roles time after time.
S.J. Clarkson, known for directing episodes of TV productions such as Dexter, Doctor House and medical procedural series, will be behind the camera. The trailer has generated a rather negative response. It feels more “TV” than cinematic. The loudest opinions are that it looks like a fan-made production

The second production is Kraven. Here the main roles will be taken by Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Russel Crowe playing father and son. The film will focus on the conflict between the two. The trailer itself was also received rather negatively. The production looks dated and without flair. In addition, the changes from the original cause confusion. Instead of a hunter who lost himself in obsession we get… a lion-superpowered man. One might think that the creators finished studying the source material after seeing the cover. Director J.C Chandor has already created several solid and well-received dramas with a serious tone maintained in a realistic style. The upcoming film thus stands out from that group

The last film is Venom 3. About this production we know the least. Only the return of the brilliant Tom Hardy to the lead role is certain. The first part the actor carried fully on his shoulders and if it were not for him watiching it would be almost impossible. The second part was much more expressive thanks to the directing of Andy Serkis, for whom it was a debut in this function. In the third production, Kelly Marcel, that is, the screenwriter of the series and 50 Shades of Grey, will be behind the camera. An unexpected choice, to say the least.
As with Serkis, this will also be a directorial debut for her. So the series is revealing itself as a kind of testing ground for new directors, where they don’t have to worry about the quality of the production.

Back to Black

Biography of Rock legend Amy Winehouse. Through the story of the protagonist, the film will focus on the theme of growing up and the life of a young adult woman who very quickly came into contact with enormous fame. In addition, the artist’s relationship with her work and what it meant to the musician will be covered.

This is another major release in recent years that is a biography of one of the legendary singers. Some were really original and creative. Movies like Elvis and Rocketman were great at capturing the musician’s style and transferring it to film. Others, such as Bohemian Rhapsody, were generic safe products cutting coupons from well-known names. Which group will this film belong to?

The main role will be played by Marisa Abela. Sam Taylor-Johnson, who in the past was responsible for, for example, Fifty Shades of Grey or Nowhere Boy (a John Lennon biopic), is in charge of directing. Most of her films have received a cold reception, which cools enthusiasm for the production. This, however, might make the director feel she may have something to prove.

Road House

A reboot of the iconic production starring Patrick Swayze from 1987, this time with Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead role, The character he plays is a former UFC fighter who gets hired as a bouncer in one of Florida’s bars. Over time, he discovers that the place is not as ideal as it seems, and the local population is harassed by gangs.

Doug Liman, who has eaten his teeth on thrillers, is in charge of directing. His filmography includes The Bourne Identity, American Made or the extremely positively reviewed Edge of Tomorrow. The filmmaker is very skillful at maintaining relentless tension and brilliantly building the stakes. All this while creating characters we immediately root for and empathize with.

The director calls Road House his best film to date. It has caused friction between him and the studio. He was initially assured by MGM that his picture would be released in theaters. Later, however, the studio was purchased by Amazon, and they decided to immediately head the production to their streaming platform. Liman made no secret of his disgust and, in protest, announced that he would not attend the premiere.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

The Planet of the Apes trilogy after the 2011 reboot are, in my opinion, some of the best blockbuster productions of recent years. Especially the 2nd and 3rd part directed by Matt Reeves. They achieved overwhelmingly positive reviews among critics and audiences and instantly became modern classics. The films were praised for their mature approach to war issues and the complex psychological portrait of the main character Caesar.

However, Caesar’s story ended in the trilogy. The continuation will show us the fate of his descendants. The new main character will embark on a journey through the kingdom of the apes. The things he discovers will make him begin to question everything he has been taught, and his decisions will affect the future of his world.

Young filmmaker Wes Ball will be responsible for directing. He is best known for the Maze Runner trilogy, which received a rather mixed reception. So the director faces a big challenge, as audience expectations after previous productions are very high. Whether he will live up to them we will see in the cinema. However, what cannot be taken away from him is that he speaks about the production with great passion.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

Guy Ritchie is considered one of the best British directors of the current generation. After the well-received drama The Covenant, he is returning to the more humorous style of storytelling characteristic of his filmography. Already after the trailer, the production suggests something along the lines of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. or The Gentleman. You can see the distinct style and the comedic arrangement of many scenes. This, combined with the expressive, sometimes over-the-top creation of the world and characters reminiscent of the pages of comic books, makes for a very attractive effect. The approach to the subject matter of Nazis is also more reminiscent of the satire we saw, for example, in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds.

This is a screen adaptation of the book of the same name, which tells the story of a secret unit formed by Churchill. The star-studded cast, headed by Henry Cavill, plays mentally unstable soldiers who would have been out of place in a traditional army convention. The group was dropped behind enemy lines and tasked with diversionary attacks and creating chaos.

The aforementioned Henry Cavill, unlike his previous roles, finally has a chance to go a little crazy in acting. His character, Gus March-Phillips, already stands out on a visual level thanks to his distinctive beard with a twisted mustache. Besides, the entire cast looks like they had a great time portraying characters from the pages of the book for the screen.

Monkey Man

The film is produced by Jordan Peele. A filmmaker who addresses social and racial inequality in his films, and in the films he produces. He also often promotes stories that are strongly connected to a particular culture or cultural circle. This is the case here, as the vibe of India oozes from the film’s promotional materials.

The trailer has been received very positively, and the production has been nicknamed “John Wick from India”. It is filled with beautiful shots. All the frames are wonderfully lit. The costumes look stunning. The action scenes catch the eye with their intensity, you can see very good choreography, creativity and a good sense of space. The whole thing balances brilliantly between exaggerated stylization and realism.

Dev Patel is responsible for directing, this will be his debut in this function. He also plays the lead role. The plot itself is a tale of revenge. It tells the story of a son who seeks vengeance on his father for the death of his mother and for the kind of life to which that man condemned him. This and the strong representation of a particular culture bring to mind comparisons to 2023’s best production, Blue Eye Samurai. Let’s hope that this film will also represent this high level of quality.

Megalopolis

The last mentioned project is perhaps the most exciting. We are talking about the return from retirement of Francis Ford Copolla – one of the greatest directors in history. The creator of Apocalypse Now, Dracula or The Godfather series was mentioning the idea for this film back in the 1970s. We are talking about the filmmaker’s magnum opus. A passion project that is the ultimate triumph of the artistic process over the corporate machinery of the studios.

The director carries out this project independently, without the supervision of any of the major studios. In doing so, he finances the entire production from his own pocket, spending more than $100 million on it. This gives him creative freedom over the project, at a level not seen in the film industry.
The star-filled cast involved in the production speaks of the creative process in nothing but superlatives. The shooting process is described as the purest observation of an artist fully absorbed in his work, not having to worry about visits from producers.

What is also worth noticing is the name of the production designer. Beth Mickle is one of the most exciting people in this field today. She has already worked with Nicolas Winding Refn. In recent years, she teamed up with James Gunn on his The Suicide Squad and GotG vol.3, creating some of the best set designs in Hollywood history. The director praised the screenwriter highly and they have already announced further collaboration on Superman: Legacy. James Gunn himself may have had an influence on her involvement in the Megalopolis production, as he is friends with Copolla.

As for the story, it will be an epic science fiction drama. The production will take place in New York City, which has been hit by a devastating disaster. Julia Cicero will be torn between loyalty to her father, who has a classical view of society, and her architect lover, who is more progressive in his view of the world. The latter will try to rebuild New York as a Utopia.