2018 gave us some pretty incredible gifts. Hollywood churned out some extremely good quality films that kept the audience at the edge of their seats and made them flock to the movie theatres. This year was the year of the superheroes ruling the Box Office. Black Panther, Aquaman, Infinity War, and Venom rocked the world with their fresh storylines and incredible action sequences. But as 2018 nears its end, can the next year hold as much promise? Let’s see what it has to offer on its very first month. Presenting – 11 Highly Anticipated movies releasing in January 2019 that will blow your mind!!!!
1. Escape Room
Escape Room is a typical run-off-the-mill blink-and-chase movie that is another by-product of a trend that was originally started by Saw back in the early 2000s. But it is more than just that. Six Strangers are lured into a room by using elaborate gifts and they are locked in. The only way to escape the room is by going through some elaborate traps that are deadly and ingenious. No one knows who built the room and no one knows who invited them. It is a slow-burning psychological thriller. Hope fans will enjoy that in the theatres.
2. Uri
The only non-Hollywood movie on this list, Uri is a movie based on an event that could be considered a landmark in international geopolitics. For decades, India had assumed a passive-aggressive stance on the highly disputed Pakistan Occupied Kashmir territory and this had significantly shaped its international posture in the world. All that changed when the Indian Government carried out a surgical strike on Pakistani soil to flush out terrorist camps that the terrorist state had been harbouring without any fear of consequences. Uri is a movie based on how this landmark order to carry out these surgical strikes came into fruition.
3. A Dog’s Way Home
A family drama movie based on a dog is something the audience can never get enough of. A Dog’s Way Home is the story of how a Dog manages to embark on a more than 400-mile journey to reach his master after getting separated from him. It is directed by Charles Martin Smith and is coming under the joint banner of Colombia Pictures as well as Polybana Films. A Dog’s Way Home could turn out to be the next Marley and Me as it has all the right ingredients to be a sleeper hit like the latter did.
4. Replicas
Replicas is a movie that follows the story of a gifted neuroscientist and his research to replicate the most complicated object in the planet – the human brain. Even after years of extensive research, there happens to be no machine that is powerful enough to emulate the human mind which is an interesting subject that the movie has picked up. The story of the movie follows the lead character played by Keanu Reeves as he tries to use his research to replicate the minds of his entire family after they meet with a fatal accident.
5. The Upside
The Upside is the American remake of the French blockbuster movie The Intouchables. A wealthy quadriplegic played by Bryan Cranston with extreme attachment issues finds solace in the company of an ex-con played by Kevin Hart. They both eventually become friends and go on a comic adventure together in their day to day lives. The essence of the French movie that it is a remake of will be hard to bring again to the big screens. But with heavyweights like Hart and Cranston on board, we are sure it will be a ride worth the wait and hype.
6. The Aspern Papers
Julien Landais brings us this epic period drama which centres around lust, obsession, and hopeless dreams. The story revolves around a person falling in love with a famous poet and romantic by the name of Jeffrey Aspern. They both encounter their deepest and darkest secrets with their eventual encounters and realize the true meaning of their relationship in the due process.
The Aspern Papers is only having a limited release in select theatres but it is one of the most anticipated period drama movies of 2019. We suggest you either book a ticket or wait for it to hit the digital stores if it is not in a theatre near you as you do not want to miss this if you love slow dramatic thrillers. Trust us on this one!!
7. The Heiresses
What would you do if you had everything and lost in a heartbeat? Chela and Chiquita were descendants of wealthy Paraguayans who then eventually lost their entire fortune. They both start selling off their property to stay afloat but Chiquita is later imprisoned on Fraud charges.
Chiquita then starts a taxi service for the rich, elderly women and meets Angy – a young, hot-headed woman with a flair for life. Chela then realizes that life is more than just money as she comes out of her social cocoon to experience it first-hand. What follows next is a story of a life given new meaning as Chela comes to know what it takes to be really alive with the help of Angy.
8. Glass
Director M. Night Shyamalan brings us the third and final installment in the Unbreakable trilogy. The way Unbreakable and Split managed to make superheroes and their powers look so realistic is something that no Director in the history of Hollywood has managed to do. Shyamalan created a masterpiece with Unbreakable, which was about the Superhero. He then went on to create a blockbuster with Split, which was about the villain.
Glass will show us the eventual faceoff between the good guy and the bad guy and will be about the mastermind that started it all. Here comes Mr. Glass!!! Who will win this time? Can the Horde trump David Dunn? Or will the forces of light reign supreme after Dunn kills the Beast? All good things come to an end and Shyamalan will do the same for the Unbreakable trilogy with Mr. Glass.
9. An Acceptable Loss
Jamie Lee Curtis stars in this intense political thriller about a whistle-blower who decides to reveal America’s dirtiest secrets to the whole world. After the West ravaged the middle-east and Africa under the pretence of War on Terror, Libby Lamm, played by Curtis, realizes that it was all a lie perpetrated to ensure the protection of American interests. The downside of the lie – thousands of innocents have died in the process. Libby then goes on to be the tattletale and tell on the entire scam conducted under the banner of the United States Government. This is one movie you need to watch if you want to have a reality check on the world.
10. The Kid Who Would Be King
The movie follows a young boy who discovers the mythical sword of Excalibur in the woods. What transpires next is all the forces of evil are hard on his tail. Morgana leads the hunt for the boy who is now prophesied to end the reign of evil by killing her. The boy is helped in his quest to vanquish the dark by a group of talented knights and aided by the legendary wizard Merlin himself.
The Kid who would be King has immense promise and is one of the few movies that have successfully combined children’s tales and old-school magic with the modern times. The writer and the Director of the movie are also well renowned and we suggest you give this movie a try.
11. King of Thieves
Anything that has Michael Caine in it is worth a watch. The movie follows a crew of senior bank robbers who manage to pull off one of the biggest jewellery heists in the history of the world. But what follows next is a tale of greed and betrayal that soon overtakes the crew members, leading to an eventual and inevitable nightmare. James Marsh returns after a long time to direct another crime thriller and this time, he has chosen a British premise. The last time Marsh dabbled in the British underworld, he gave us The Bank Job. So we have our fingers crossed for this one as well.
