The first month of spring will delight fans of science fiction. Perhaps the second part of “Dune” by Denis Villeneuve will appear online, the continuation of the cult animated series of the 90s – “X-Men ’97” is definitely coming, and one of the most anticipated series of the year will be shown – an adaptation of the bestseller “The Three-Body Problem”. Let’s go through everything in order.
Movies
We’ve selected five potentially interesting movie premieres. At least one of them we’ll see in theaters, three will be available online. As for the fate of “Dune”, not much is known yet, but we’re also looking forward to its appearance online.
“Spaceman” (from March 1 on Netflix)
An adaptation of the 2017 science fiction novel by Jaroslav Kalfar, “Spaceman of Bohemia”. The main character embarks on a research mission to the edge of the solar system. At some point aboard his ship, he encounters an ancient alien. The alien must help the astronaut deal with a range of mainly psychological problems.
The Czech astronaut is played by Adam Sandler, and his alien companion is portrayed by Paul Dano (or rather, he voices a spider-like entity). The film is directed by Johan Renck, who contributed to the creation of TV series like “Chernobyl”, “Vikings”, and “The Walking Dead”.
Initial reviews from specialized publications have been mixed. Some praise the film as very interesting, while others insist that it’s quite boring. Don’t expect any lively action-packed sci-fi for sure.
“Poor Things” (from March 7 on Hulu)
One of the most unusual, acclaimed, and talked-about films of 2023 will finally reach the internet. The film won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Now many are confident that “Poor Things” will grab statues during the Oscars ceremony.
It’s not easy to define the genre of the film. We’d call it a 2.5-hour steampunk melodrama. In an alternative 19th-century London, a surgeon resembling Frankenstein’s monster retrieves the body of a pregnant woman from the river, who has just jumped off a bridge. While the drowned woman cannot be saved, her unborn child is fine. The doctor embarks on a wild experiment: transplanting the brain of the woman’s own baby into her head. At first, the heroine will resemble a broken doll, then she will swiftly embark on exploring the world – including in a sexual sense.
The screen is bursting with colors and imagination, Emma Stone’s role is called the best in her already rich career. The other characters turned out to be bright as well, including Willem Dafoe as the mad scientist. Highest ratings, enthusiastic reviews, recognition as an instant classic. Can’t wait.
“The Maiden and the Dragon” (from March 8 on Netflix)
A compliant girl agrees to marry a handsome prince. However, living happily ever after is not in their cards. It turns out the marriage was a trap to sacrifice Princess Elodie to a fire-breathing dragon to settle an ancient debt. The girl is thrown into a cave with the creature, but the main heroine is not going to simply accept her fate. She begins a fierce battle for her life.
Dark fantasy from Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, co-author of “Wednesday” and director of “28 Weeks Later”. The role of Elodie went to rising star Millie Bobby Brown, whom you probably know from her role as Eleven in “Stranger Things”.
“The Maiden and the Dragon” is a fantasy film with a budget of no less than $70 million, not counting marketing expenses. The film was supposed to be released last year, but due to a screenwriters’ strike, the release was delayed until spring 2024.
“Dune: Part Two” (hopefully sometime in March)
The continuation of Denis Villeneuve’s stunning saga. Plot-wise, it will be a direct sequel to the previous “Dune” and an adaptation of the second half of the first book in the eponymous Frank Herbert series. Young Paul Atreides teams up with the Fremen to avenge his father’s killers. It’s promised that the second part will be even more grand, epic, and emotional than the first.
Recently, the film was shown to American film critics. Most of them were thrilled, comparing the film’s epicness to “The Lord of the Rings”, calling it Denis Villeneuve’s best work and an extremely rich spectacle that surpasses the first part and is generally a masterpiece.
“Dune: Part Two” has already set a record on IMDb, receiving a score of 9.4 out of 10. On Metacritic, the premiere has an 80 out of 100 rating based on 44 critic reviews. Regular viewers will be able to cast their votes after the start of wide release, which begins today in international theaters.
Series
There are four potentially interesting series. Only one will be released on Disney’s streaming service, while all the others will be shown by the giant Netflix.
“The Signal” (from March 7 on Netflix)
A family of a missing astronaut puts all their efforts into desperate searches. But with each answer they find, the threat grows—not just for them, but for the entire world. It turns out that the vanished woman left her husband a message about an unusual and extremely important scientific discovery that will change the course of human civilization.
This German series has a plot that closely resembles the currently airing Apple TV+ project “Constellation”. Another astronaut, another ISS, more peculiarities, another fateful scientific discovery, and a husband with a daughter. Well, it will be interesting to compare both pictures.
“Chicken Nugget” (from March 15 on Netflix)
A woman enters a strange device hoping to relieve fatigue, but ends up turning into a chicken nugget. Now her father and lover must embark on an exciting journey to bring her back.
Korean comedy is a specific genre. Either you get into it, and you laugh like crazy throughout the whole movie. Or you don’t get into it, and you don’t understand what nonsense is happening on the screen.
“X-Men ’97” (from March 20 on Disney+)
A direct continuation of the cult animated series from 1992. The story begins right after the original ends and tells about the adventures of mutants after the death of their leader, Professor X. Even some actors from the old cartoon will voice their characters in “X-Men ’97”.
The idea of shooting a sequel to the animated series in Disney was first considered in 2019. Eventually, they decided that “X-Men” is a foundational franchise for Marvel in many ways. The series was announced in 2021, at that time not yet revealing its concept and style.
In the end, “X-Men ’97” relies on the ideas and visuals of the original series. It seems that the creators truly pay homage to the source material. Although the visual style has been updated with modern technologies. They also promise allusions to contemporary societal issues.
“The Three-Body Problem” (from March 21 on Netflix)
An adaptation of the novel of the same name by Chinese writer Liu Cixin. In the 1960s, a scientist sends a signal into space hoping to receive a response from extraterrestrial civilizations. The response will come, but half a century later, and many won’t like it. Because someone, it seems, wants to stop Earth’s technological progress at any cost.
“The Three-Body Problem” is a large-scale adaptation undertaken by David Benioff, the creator and showrunner of “Game of Thrones”. They say no expense was spared on the project. This is despite the absence of A-list stars. Hopefully, all the resources went into developing the story and special effects.
The series has made it onto various lists and rankings of the most anticipated projects of the year. The task for the creators is not an easy one, but they have already proven that they can make grand shows. If all goes well, there will be enough material from the books for several more seasons.