2023 was not the best year in the history of cinema, but some releases will definitely be remembered for a long time. Barbenheimer is forever in our hearts! The last month of the year also has interesting projects, so there will be something to watch.
1. Les trois mousquetaires: Milady
D’Artagnan is forced to join forces with Milady to rescue Constance, who was kidnapped before his eyes. Meanwhile, war is declared, Athos, Porthos and Aramis have already joined the front, and a secret from the past is destroying old alliances.
We have already written about The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan in our review of the main premieres of April, and in mid-December we will see the continuation of the adaptation of the legendary novel by Alexandre Dumas. The first part received generally good reviews from critics and viewers, who recognized it as a good work with a literary source. If you liked this movie, the sequel will not leave you indifferent either.
Ridley Scott has recently been criticized by French audiences for misinterpreting history and the almost complete absence of French actors in the movie Napoleon. Therefore, “The Three Musketeers: My Lady” should be a kind of answer to what a movie about French history should look like.
2. Wonka
Based on the incomparable character from the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the movie tells the amazing story of how the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolatier became the Willy Wonka we know today. This bright and inventive movie performance will introduce the audience to a young Willy Wonka, full of ideas and determined to change the world piece by piece.
Roald Dahl’s iconic novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has been adapted into a movie twice now. The 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is considered an American classic for all time, and in 2005 Tim Burton made his own version of the story, which refreshed it for modern audiences. However, the director was criticized for the fact that in the original, the main character was only a boy named Charlie, and in his interpretation, Willy Wonka, played by Johnny Depp, got a much bigger role and at the end pushed Charlie to the background. But this approach has also found many fans, so the studio decided to create a prequel to the first film adaptation in 1971, in which Timothée Chalamet will play the main role. We are looking forward to a fabulous movie-musical with Oompa Loompa Hugh Grant and definitely a lot of chocolate.
3. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
A few years after the events of the first film, Arthur Curry/Aquaman is forced to protect Atlantis and his loved ones from devastation after Black Manta unleashes an ancient power by obtaining the cursed Black Trident. In order to save the world, Aquaman will have to seek the help of an unlikely ally, his brother Orm.
The obligatory mention of another superhero movie has already become a tradition in this section, so this time we won’t change anything. The old DC cinematic universe is officially dead and this is the last movie to be released before the relaunch from James Gunn.
The big plus of the first part of Aquaman was its picture, which was really impressive, and I hope this time the authors will do no worse. In this case, the movie is perfect for watching with a good company with lots of popcorn.
4. Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire
When the ruthless army of the Mother World begins to threaten a peaceful settlement of farmers on the edge of the galaxy, a mysterious alien becomes the only hope for salvation.
One can have different opinions about Zack Snyder as a director. Some of his works receive unequivocal approval (300 Spartans, Legends of the Night’s Watch, The Guardians), while other projects still cause loud controversy (all DC comic books, Forbidden Method). What no one can argue with is that Zack Snyder has his own unique style, which makes his films truly unique.
Back in the mid-2000s, Zach offered Lucasfilm his “more mature” take on the Star Wars universe, but his project was rejected. Now he has the money from Netflix to create his own space opera and attract adult viewers. If successful, we will have a full-fledged trilogy that can refresh the genre and introduce a new and interesting world that fans will be adding to for years.
The film will premiere on Netflix on December 22.
5. Феррарі / Ferrari
The story takes place in the summer of 1957. Enzo Ferrari is in despair after the death of his son, who was supposed to become the next head of his company. Things are getting worse and worse, and Enzo sees no hope for improvement. The Ferrari team’s participation in the Mille Miglia race in Italy is to put an end to all his despair.
All car lovers, get ready! We are going to watch a biopic about Enzo Ferrari, starring Adam Driver, who will tell us about the most difficult moment of his life. The film is directed by Michael Mann, known to most viewers for the cult film The Confrontation. In 2019, he already produced the wonderful movie The Outsiders, in which the Ferrari team were the antagonists. Now we will have the opportunity to see their story, as well as enjoy the races in which the legendary Ferrari 315 S will participate.
The film about the creator of one of the most recognizable sports cars will premiere on December 28.
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Among the series, we will also see several interesting premieres, including some surprising ones from Asian filmmakers.
1. Blood Coast
While a brutal drug dealer tries to take control of Marseille, a police captain takes on a new recruit with her own agenda.
A French series about the confrontation between the drug mafia and the police in Marseille, the most criminal city in the country. According to the trailers, it looks dynamic and cool, and is definitely recommended for fans of the genre.
The premiere is scheduled for December 6 on Netflix.
2. YuYu Hakusho
A selfless act cost Yusuke Urameshi his life. Now the disobedient teenager works as a detective in the spirit world and investigates cases of rebellious youkai.
Just think about it: a year ago, we would never have included Netflix’s adaptation of Yoshihiro Togashi’s cult manga Spirited Away in our list of series. Previously, all attempts to adapt famous Japanese works ended in failure for Netflix. But everything changed this summer with the release of the life-action version of One Piece, which turned out to be really good because it respected the original source and the fans. “Spirit World Detective” should prove or disprove the claim that Netflix has finally learned how to make decent adaptations of Japanese material.
We can’t say anything about the original manga or anime adaptation, but Spirit World Detective was very popular in the mid-1990s. The original manga sold more than 78 million copies, making it one of the most successful works in its genre before One Piece and Naruto. Netflix’s adaptation should refresh the work for a modern audience.
The premiere on Netflix will take place on December 14.
3. Percy Jackson and The Olympians
The series tells the fantastical story of 12-year-old modern demigod Percy Jackson, who is trying to master his newfound divine powers. The sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing lightning and, with the help of his friends Grover and Annabeth, Percy must embark on the adventure of a lifetime to find the artifact and restore order to Olympus.
This is the second attempt to film Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson pentology. Prior to that, there was a dilogy of films, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, but these projects, despite their commercial success, received mixed reviews from fans. Disney bought 20th Century Fox in 2018, and it was only a matter of time before Percy Jackson’s adventures were restarted. Has the company learned from the mistakes of its predecessors?
The series has an immediate advantage in that it has decent special effects, unlike the movies, where the CGI was rather mediocre. Disney urgently needs a new successful franchise, and Percy Jackson is no worse than its colleagues in the genre in terms of scale, and it is also aimed at a wider audience. Therefore, we can only hope that the original material was adapted properly.
The first two episodes will premiere on December 20 on Disney+.
4. Gyeongseong Creature
Gyeongsong, 1945. In a gloomy colonial Seoul, an entrepreneur and a detective struggle to survive and face a monster created by human greed.
Korean TV series are literally taking the world by storm! If a few years ago it was rather cheap love dramas, now we are getting interesting projects with big budgets. The series will take us back to 1945, when Korea was occupied by Japan, and it will be interesting to know what the situation was like there during the difficult times of World War II. Korean cinema knows how to surprise, so this premiere is definitely worth waiting for.
The series will be released on Netflix on December 22.
5. Berlin
Berlin assembles a team in Paris to pull off one of its most ambitious heists yet – stealing jewelry worth 44 million euros in just one night.
Berlin is a spinoff of the recent Emmy Award-winning Netflix hit Paper House. The character of actor Pedro Alonso with the call sign Berlin has become one of the most beloved characters among fans, and it was decided to create a prequel about his adventures before the events of the main series. We’ll find out how he pulled off one of the most daring heists in history at the end of this month.
The premiere on Netflix will take place on December 29.
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