Worst2First: My Most Anticipated Films of Spring 2019

Worst2First: 

My Most Anticipated Films of Spring 2019

Usually the months of March and April are times where films are released that will be easily forgotten during the heightened summer season, but this year there's a decent crop of films that have been highly anticipated, and looks to be two exciting months at the theater.

Here are my personal top ten most anticipated films of spring 2019, worst2first...

**THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS**

**DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE**

#10

 The Curse of La Llorona

April 19

The legend of La Llorona comes from Latin American folklore, and focuses on a woman who lost her children and became a weeping spirit, who continually searches for her lost children and takes living children as her own.  Unfortunately, the legend sounds more intriguing than what this film will deliver, but I'm always up for a good ghost story.

#9

 Missing Link

April 12

Laika has always been known for releasing quality animated films that children will love as will adults due to their very thoughtful qualities - "Kubo and the Two Strings" is one of their finest - and "Missing Link" looks to be another rousing hit for the company.  An investigator goes in search of the elusive Missing Link, and finds a Bigfoot-like creature who thinks he's all alone in the world, until he discovers there's Yeti that could be his cousins, and the two embark on a journey to find a new home.  Featuring the voice talents of Zach Galifianakis, Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana and Timothy Olyphant, this looks to be a dazzling animated comedy adventure that old and young will enjoy.

#8

 Shazam!

April 5

The DCEU has had its share of misfires ("Batman v. Superman," "Justice League") and successes ("Wonder Woman," "Aquaman"), and "Shazam!" looks to fall on the former category.  What looks like a rejected pilot for the CW, this film focuses on teenager Billy Batson, who becomes the adult superhero Shazam by saying his name, as he sets out to find his powers and stop the evil Thaddeus Sivana. 

#7

 Captive State

March 15

Ten years after an alien race invades and takes over Earth, a band of Chicago natives rise up to combat them, even though they seem to promote unity, peace, and prosperity - at the cost of free will.  This reminds me of "District 9" with the strong political undertones, and with the inclusion of the ever-amazing John Goodman, looks to be a great sci-fi drama action adventure with deep, meaningful social commentary.

#6

 Hellboy

April 12

The original two "Hellboy" films were terrific anti-hero movies due to Guillermo del Toro's direction and Ron Perlman's acting, so when it was announced they were rebooting the franchise without these two men, results were mixed to say the least.  After the trailer, it seemed that it would be an alright reboot, nothing on the quality of the previous, with a decent performance by the new Hellboy David Harbour.  Time will tell if this will be as good as the originals, but I doubt it.

#5

 Dumbo

March 29

Disney has been turning their animated classics into live action films, and one of their most beloved films - "Dumbo" - will finally get the treatment.  This looks to be a family friendly film with as much emotion, heart, and empowerment as the original had (with the obvious exception of the racist crows), and the CGI looks as beautiful as ever - not to mention a strong cast including Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Eva Green, Alan Arkin and featuring Tim Burton in the director's chair.

#4

 Pet Sematary

April 5

"Sometimes dead is better."  One of the most famous quotes in horror history comes from one of horror's most iconic authors, and once again Stephen King's "Pet Sematary" is getting the cinematic treatment.  When their child is killed, a grieving father takes her body to the pet cemetery in his backyard that was built over a burial ground, in hopes of his child coming back to life - which does, but as a demon.  There's some differences to this film than the source material, and we'll see if it actually works, but I'm very excited to see how this remake turns out.

#3

 Us

March 22

Jordan Peele re-vitalized the horror industry with his masterpiece "Get Out," which earned the comedian an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay last year.  Now he returns with "Us," and looks just as terrifying as his previous work, a film that will focus on a family who goes on vacation and finds themselves terrorized by a family of strangers - who look exactly like them.  Undoubtedly the film will focus on some serious current issues (much like "Get Out" did), and with the strong talents of Lupita Nyong'o and Winston Duke, looks to be a terrifying film.

#2

 Captain Marvel

March 8

Behold the new face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Carol Danvers (a.k.a. Captain Marvel), who will be the most powerful superhero in the MCU.  Her origin story takes place in the 1990s, and will feature Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Agent Coulson who discover Danvers (played by Oscar winner Brie Larson) on Earth trying to stop an alien race known as the Skrulls from using their shapeshifting powers to disguise themselves as humans to take over the planet.  Easily this will be filled with action packed adventures, with a strong female superhero at the lead that will shape the next phase of the MCU.

#1

 Avengers: Endgame

April 26

It's all come down to this.  After the decimation of "Infinity War," the Avengers find themselves more separated than ever, suffering from the massive defeat at the hands (or fingers) of the Mad Titan Thanos, and lost to despair.  They must find a way to reverse Thanos's effects, or else half the universe will be gone forever.  This is the culmination of ten years of the MCU, and to say I'm more than excited to see this is an extreme understatement.