Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard

Spring movies: The Avengers return and Captain Marvel gets into the action

Here are all the movies you need to see this spring

Brie Larson stars in "Captain Marvel." (Chuck Zlotnick

/Marvel Studios/TNS)
Brie Larson stars in "Captain Marvel." (Chuck Zlotnick /Marvel Studios/TNS)Read moreChuck Zlotnick / Marvel Studios

Ah, spring, the season of renewal.

When the daffodils and tulips reappear, to be augmented this year by the return of Pet Sematary (April 5), Hellboy (April 12) , and very probably all of those Avengers apparently atomized in Infinity War.

Groot could be on the bubble.

But I’m cynical enough to believe that Black Panther’s T’Challa will return at some point in Avengers: Endgame, opening April 26, protected by whatever mystical galactic force safeguards characters in movies that win SAG awards for best picture and generate $1.3 billion in box office revenue.

For those Marvel fans who can’t wait even that long, there is Captain Marvel, starring Brie Larson and opening March 8, a week or so after the Oscars, a ceremony that — as Larson can attest — is considered a launching pad for actors who one day hope to be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Here are other highlights of the spring calendar, with dates subject to change.

Alita: Battle Angel (Feb. 14). James Cameron writes and Robert Rodriguez directs this combo live action/motion capture adventure story of a rehabilitated cyborg (Rosa Salazar) who discovers her special powers are the key to righting the wrong in a corrupt society.

Fighting with My Family (Feb. 22). Florence Pugh (Lady MacBeth, Little Drummer Girl) stars as Saraya Jade Bevis, a.k.a. Paige, in the true story of a pro wrestling family. Costarring Dwayne Johnson. Written and directed by Stephen Merchant.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (Feb. 22). The third entry in the ever-popular animated series follows Hiccup as he ventures to dragon utopia.

Climax (March 1). Argentinian director Gaspar Noé (Enter the Void) directed this freaky horror thriller about a troupe of dancers throwing an LSD party that gets out of control.

Captain Marvel (March 8). Brie Larson in the title role as a fighter pilot who acquires special powers that place her in the center of a battle between warring alien races. With Samuel L. Jackson and Annette Bening.

Mustang (March 15). According to my wife, who has seen Far from the Madding Crowd 73 times, Hollywood needs to make more movies starring Matthias Schoenaerts. Here is one, starring Schoenaerts as a convict who takes a job training horses under the guidance of Bruce Dern.

Us (March 22). Jordan Peele’s highly anticipated follow-up after best picture nominee Get Out reunites Black Panther stars Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke as the parents of a family who are terrorized by their own doppelgangers.

Where’d You Go, Bernadette? (March 22). When a woman (Cate Blanchett) turns up missing, her family (including husband Billy Crudup) sets out to find her. Based on the best seller, directed by Richard Linklater.

Dumbo (March 29). Tim Burton, who gave us a live-action version of Alice in Wonderland, here does the same thing with the classic animated tale. Featuring Michael Keaton, Colin Farrell, and Danny DeVito.

Shazam! (April 5). The superhero is reborn — and guess what? He’s in Philly this time. Chuck’s Zach Levi inhabits the super-version of the kid (played by Asher Angel) who can transform into a hero.

Best of Enemies (April 5). Based on the true story of a civil rights activist (Taraji P. Henson) and a Klansman (Sam Rockwell) who were called upon to work together as part of a mandated community summit.

Little (April 12). Three of the best comedic voices today — Insecure’s Issa Rae, Black-ish’s Marsai Martin, and the always great Regina Hall — team up for this take on the body-swap comedy. Just think, Martin is only 14.

High Life (April 12). Space adventure about a father (Robert Pattinson) on a crippled spacecraft trying to protect his daughter. Directed by Claire Denis. With Juliette Binoche.

Disneynature: Penguins (April 17). Part of the continuing documentary series, this time focused on a colony of emperor penguins preparing for nesting season in Antarctica.

Avengers: Endgame (April 26). Just a guess on my part, but the surviving Avengers will attempt to figure out a way to bend time and/or space in order to restore their friends as corporeal beings.

Long Shot (May 5). Once titled Flarsky (we know…), this comedy features Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen — the former is an elegant diplomat who commences an embarrassing affair with a rowdy journalist and tries to keep it quiet.

Detective Pikachu (May 10). When his investigator father goes missing, a young man (Justice Smith) engages a Pokemon detective (voice of Ryan Reynolds) to find him.

John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum (May 17). Keanu Reeves returns as the stylish, ruthless assassin and faces his most serious obstacle yet — the film’s horrific title.