Summary
- May brought highly-anticipated films to theaters, such as The Fall Guy and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
- Viewers enjoyed a diverse range of movies in May, from action comedy and horror to biographical dramas and Westerns, catering to all tastes.
- Young Woman and the Sea, The Dead Don’t Hurt, and In a Violent Nature can now be enjoyed in theaters.
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May brought a variety movies, among them some highly-anticipated titles, and some of these, along with some of April’s biggest hits, can be enjoyed in theaters right now. 2023 was a big year for cinema after a couple of tough years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with massive box-office successes like Barbie and Oppenheimer, and critically acclaimed stories like Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. 2024 also has various highly-anticipated movies coming up, of which some can be currently enjoyed in theaters.
May saw a bit of everything for viewers of all ages, with movies like the action comedy The Fall Guy, the horror movies I Saw The TV Glow and Tarot, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and even biographical movies like Back to Black. May is closing with some interesting movies from different genres, such as a biographical drama starring Daisy Riley, a Western by Viggo Mortensen, and a horror movie with a unique style.
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10 Young Woman and the Sea
Young Woman and the Sea will be released on May 31, 2024
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Young Woman and the Sea is a biographical drama directed by Joachim Rønning and based on the 2009 book of the same name by Glenn Stout. Young Woman and the Sea is the story of Getrude “Trudy” Ederle, an American swimming champion who won a gold medal at the 1924 Olympic Games. Two years later, Ederle became the first woman to swim 21 miles across the English Channel, but the journey to success wasn’t an easy one.
You can read Screen Rant’s Young Woman and the Sea review here.
9 The Dead Don’t Hurt
The Dead Don’t Hurt will be released on May 31, 2024
The Dead Don’t Hurt (2023)
R
Director Viggo Mortensen Release Date September 8, 2023 Cast Vicky Krieps , Viggo Mortensen , Solly McLeod , Garret Dillahunt , W. Earl Brown , Danny Huston , Shane Graham , Rafel Plana Runtime 129 Minutes
The Dead Don’t Hurt tells the story of Vivienne Le Coudy, a Franco-Canadian woman who falls in love with Holger Olsen, a Danish immigrant in San Francisco.
The Dead Don’t Hurt is a Western film written and directed by Viggo Mortensen. Set in the 1860s, The Dead Don’t Hurt tells the story of Vivienne Le Coudy, a Franco-Canadian woman who falls in love with Holger Olsen, a Danish immigrant in San Francisco. Unfortunately, they are separated by the Civil War as Olsen decides to fight for the Union, while Vivienne is left to fend for herself in a place controlled by the corrupt Mayor Rudolph Schiller, while his violent, wayward son, Weston, aggressively pursues Vivienne.
8 In A Violent Nature
In A Violent Nature will be released on May 31, 2024
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In a Violent Nature
R
Director Chris Nash Release Date January 22, 2024 Cast Lauren-Marie Taylor , Andrea Pavlovic , Ry Barrett , Reece Presley Runtime 94 Minutes
In A Violent Nature stands out from other slashers as it’s mostly told from the killer’s perspective.
In A Violent Nature is a slasher movie written and directed by Chris Nash. Described as an “ambient slasher”, In A Violent Nature sees the awakening of the rotting corpse of Johnny, a vengeful spirit resulting from a 60-year-old crime, after a locket is removed from a collapsed fire tower in the woods where he was entombed. Johnny goes on a revenge quest to retrieve the locket, leading to a brutal series of murders. What makes In A Violent Nature stand out from other slashers is that it’s mostly told from Johnny’s perspective.
You can read Screen Rant’s In A Violent Nature review here.
7 The Garfield Movie
The Garfield Movie was released on May 24, 2024
The Garfield Movie
PG
Director Mark Dindal Release Date May 24, 2024 Cast Chris Pratt , Samuel L. Jackson , Nicholas Hoult , Cecily Strong , Hannah Waddingham , Brett Goldstein , Bowen Yang , Ving Rhames Runtime 101 minutes
The Garfield Movie will see Garfield reuniting unexpectedly with his long-lost father, Vic, a street cat.
The lazy yet lovable talking cat Garfield is back with another animated movie. Directed by Mark Dindal, The Garfield Movie will see Garfield reuniting unexpectedly with his long-lost father, Vic, a street cat. This sends Garfield and Odie on an adventure as they leave their comfortable life with their owner, Jon Arbuckle, to join Vic in a hilarious high-stakes heist – and, of course, there will be plenty of lasagna. The Garfield Movie is the third theatrically-released movie of the famous cat.
You can read Screen Rant’s The Garfield Movie review here.
6 Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga was released on May 24, 2024
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Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
R
Director George Miller Release Date May 24, 2024 Cast Chris Hemsworth , Anya Taylor-Joy Runtime 148 minutes
It follows a young Furiosa, who is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and into the hands of a Biker Horde led by Warlord Dementus.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is the latest entry in the Mad Max franchise, and it’s both a spinoff and a prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road. Furiosa, then, is set many years before the events of Fury Road and follows a young Furiosa, who is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and into the hands of a Biker Horde led by Warlord Dementus. While two Tyrants fight for dominance over the Citadel, Furiosa comes up with a plan to return home through the Wasteland, but it won’t be an easy journey.
You can read Screen Rant’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga review here.
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5 IF
IF was released on May 17, 2024
IF (2024)
PG
Director John Krasinski Release Date May 17, 2024 Cast Ryan Reynolds , John Krasinski , Cailey Fleming , Steve Carell , Matt Damon , Emily Blunt , Phoebe Waller-Bridge , Vince Vaughn , Sam Rockwell , Maya Rudolph , Jon Stewart , Awkwafina Runtime 107 minutes
IF follows Bea, a young girl who unexpectedly gains the ability to see other people’s imaginary friends, referred to as “IFs”.
IF is a fantasy comedy live-action and animation movie written and directed by John Krasinski. IF follows Bea, a young girl who unexpectedly gains the ability to see other people’s imaginary friends, referred to as “IFs”, this after going through a troubling experience. Bea learns that the IFs have been abandoned by the kids they once helped as they have now grown up, and when she discovers that her neighbor, Cal, can also see them, they team up to reunite the IFs with their former kids.
You can read Screen Rant’s IF review here.
4 The Strangers: Chapter 1
The Strangers: Chapter 1 was released on May 17, 2024
The Strangers: Chapter 1
R
Director Renny Harlin Release Date May 17, 2024 Cast Madelaine Petsch , Froy Gutierrez , Rachel Shenton , Gabriel Basso , Ema Horvath Runtime 91 minutes
The Strangers: Chapter 1 is a horror thriller directed by Renny Harlin. The Strangers: Chapter 1 centers on Maya, who, along with her boyfriend, Ryan, drives across the country as they are about to start a new life in the Pacific Northwest. When their car breaks down in Oregon, Maya and Ryan are forced to spend the night in an isolated AirBnB, where they become the target of three dangerous and murderous masked strangers.
You can read Screen Rant’s The Strangers: Chapter 1 review here.
Two sequels, The Strangers: Chapter 2 and Chapter 3, are planned to be released later this year. These new movies are a standalone trilogy in The Strangers film series.
3 Back to Black
Back to Black was released on May 17, 2024
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Back to Black
Director Sam Taylor-Johnson Release Date May 10, 2024 Cast Marisa Abela , Jack O’Connell , Eddie Marsan , Lesley Manville , Juliet Cowan
Back to Black is a biographical drama based on the life and career of Amy Winehouse. Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, Back to Black explores different parts of the life of Amy Winehouse (played by Marisa Abela), from the beginning of her music career to the peak of it and her complex and toxic relationship with her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil.
You can read Screen Rant’s Back to Black review here.
2 Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes was released on May 10, 2024
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Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
PG-13
Director Wes Ball Release Date May 10, 2024 Cast Kevin Durand , Freya Allan , Peter Macon , Owen Teague , Eka Darville , Sara Wiseman , Neil Sandilands Sequel(s) Planet of the Apes , Beneath the Planet of the Apes , Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) , Conquest of the Planet of the Apes , Battle for the Planet of the Apes prequel(s) Rise of the Planet of the Apes , dawn of the Planet of the apes movie , War for the Planet of the Apes
Chimpanzee hunter Noa teams up with feral human girl Mae to determine the future of apes and humans.
Set nearly 300 years after the events of War of the Planet of the Apes, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes sees ape civilizations that emerged from the oasis to which Caesar led the apes – meanwhile, humans have regressed into a primitive, feral state. When ape king Proximus Caesar perverts Caesar’s teachings and enslaves other clans and uses weapons forged from lost human technologies, chimpanzee hunter Noa teams up with feral human girl Mae to determine the future of apes and humans.
You can read Screen Rant’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes review here.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the fourth installment in the Planet of the Apes reboot saga and the tenth movie overall.
1 The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy was released on May 3, 2024
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The Fall Guy
PG-13
Director David Leitch Release Date May 3, 2024 Cast Ryan Gosling , Emily Blunt , Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Stephanie Hsu , Winston Duke , Hannah Waddingham , Teresa Palmer
It’s the story of Colt Seavers, a stunt performer who works as the stunt double for famous action star Tom Ryder.
The Fall Guy is an action comedy directed by David Leitch and loosely based on the 1980s TV series of the same name. It’s the story of Colt Seavers, a stunt performer who works as the stunt double for famous action star Tom Ryder. Colt retires after an injury during a stunt gone wrong, but a year later, he’s contacted by film producer Gail Meyer as Tom has disappeared, and she needs Colt to find him before the movie they’ve been working on is canceled. What follows is an action-packed adventure as Colt finds himself in the middle of a sinister plot.
You can read Screen Rant’s The Fall Guy review here.
David Leitch is known for his work in the action genre, directing movies like AtomicBlonde, Deadpool2, and BulletTrain.