We recommend: The best new movies and TV
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story: ‘Bridgerton’ fans rejoice! Shonda Rhimes is giving us a completely original prequel to the fan favourite series—meaning, it isn’t part of Julia Quinn’s ‘Bridgerton’ books. The limited show has two timelines where the past focuses on young Queen Charlotte’s (India Ria Amarteifio) courtship with King George III (Corey Mylchreest) and the present focuses on female friendships. It is Bridgerton, so we are expecting lavish balls and beautiful costumes sprinkled with scandalous racy moments between the lead characters.
Variety deems it the “best ‘Bridgerton’ yet” and strongly says, “‘Queen Charlotte’ feels organic rather than cynical.” The Guardian loved the show and called it “a rare exception to the rule of prequels” which will “set many of its younger stars on the road to success.” Our take: The ‘Bridgerton’ series is a guilty pleasure watch for sure but we are all here for Shonda Rhimes’s attempt to make historical fiction diverse in terms of representation. All six episodes dropped on Netflix on May 4.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ is the finale of the trilogy that began in 2014. The Guardians have set up shop in Knowhere—the skull of a Celestial god—with Peter Quill (Christ Pratt) still trying to get over the loss of Gamora. They’re disrupted by Adam Warlock, who abducts Rocket (Bradley Cooper) setting the Guardians on a hunt across the universe to track their friend down, and learn more about his past and save the universe from evil in the process. Fun fact: This is the 32nd movie in the overall Marvel Cinematic Universe.
BBC notes that the movie “may be the most unruly and excessive of the trilogy, but it is as sweetly touching as any film”. IGN says that the film offers something rare from the MCU “a satisfying ending to a trilogy”. Our take: This will be director James Gunn’s final movie with the MCU, and we are definitely going to be watching it, if only to say goodbye to this series. The movie released in theatres yesterday.
Silo: This is a dystopian thriller based on Hugh Howey’s book series of the same name. The story has familiar sci-fi tropes—residents live underground, there is hierarchy and deception and the outside world is a big secret. In this ten episode show, protagonist Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson)—an engineer who helps the sanctuary named Silo run, gets closer to finding the truth.
Vanity Fair says “Silo is sufficiently tailored to count itself as high-TV while still maintaining its pleasant notes of retro quaintness.” Collider praised the “spectacularly stoic” Rebecca Ferguson and concludes: “For all the ways Silo can begin to get lost in itself, both it and Ferguson still manage to stumble upon something more fascinating, finding a way to march on despite all that is holding it back.” Our take: The sci-fi tropes may be familiar but the promise of satisfactory big reveals is pulling us in to watch this thriller. ‘Silo’ dropped on Apple TV+ yesterday.
2018: Based on true events, this Malayalam feature film recalls the devastating 2018 Kerala floods which killed more than 400 people and displaced almost a million. The film is written and directed by Jude Anthany Joseph—known for ‘Ohm Shanthi Oshaana’ (2014) and ‘Minnal Murali’ (2021). The movie features an ensemble cast—veteran actor Kunchako Boban, ‘Minnal Murali’ star Tovino Thomas, and Asif Ali, among others.
The movie has good reviews. The Hindu praises the movie for its storytelling and says that many scenes "leave an emotional impact". Film Companion says it's simplistic but a "moving reminder about hope and humanity". Our take: The Malayalam film industry has been on a roll of late, and much of the cast of this film also featured in ‘Virus’, another compelling flick based on real-life events. We’re hoping this one recreates some of that magic. You can watch the film in theatres.
