December 2024 promises to be an unusual month in terms of cinema. There are very few large-scale projects among feature films, but there are plenty of interesting things in the segment of series and animation. The month is full of premieres that cover a variety of genres - from deep dramas to exciting sci-fi stories. In this article, we've compiled the most anticipated projects to add to your watchlist to spend the winter in an atmosphere of cinematic magic.
New movies
Here
Every place has its own story. And no matter how you slice it, an ordinary house in New England can tell you a lot: from the future to long-gone times, such as the Civil War. Or even plunge into the period when mammoths roamed the local lawns. This is the story of one family and, at the same time, hundreds of other families who lived, loved, lost, and fought for happiness right here in this unremarkable house.
A new film from the legendary director Robert Zemeckis, who gave the world the Back to the Future trilogy, The Exorcist, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and many other cult films. Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, who starred in Forrest Gump by the same author 30 years ago, are reuniting on the set. Throughout the action of Here and Now, the camera will be in a static position, which is a rather unusual way to tell a story.
Hopefully, Robert Zemeckis will be able to tell an interesting story in an unusual format. The film will be released on December 12.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
The story takes place 183 years before the events depicted in the film trilogy. The famous Hornburg fortress, where King Helm the Hammer lives, is attacked by the Danes. Led by Wulf, who wants to avenge his father's death, the ruthless warriors are ready to wipe the fortress off the map. Helm's daughter Hera plays a key role in the battle.
The boom of anime adaptations of cult works continues! The Terminator, Lara Croft, The Witcher, and now The Lord of the Rings! For me, personally, it was a very big surprise that this is a movie and not a TV series, because the project looks quite cheap. And I don't need to tell you that all anime looks like this, because the conventional Demon Slayer and Magic Battle sometimes produce super-high-level animation that is breathtaking, and Roguish War looks like some scenes were made in PowerPoint. I hope the trailers just give the wrong impression, and the movie itself will look better. But the main thing is the plot, and some journalists say that the anime is the perfect prequel to Peter Jackson's trilogy. It's a bold statement, and I want to believe it, because there have been a lot of great anime adaptations in recent years. The same "Terminator: Zero" essentially revived the franchise, and in this case, it may turn out the same way.
You can return to Middle-earth in anime format on December 5.
Morena
In the summer, a couple in love, Anna and Yurko, visit the girl's parents in a small village. A young witch, Ivanka, nicknamed Morena by the villagers, sets her eyes on Yurko on the night of Midsummer and puts him in danger. Through her magic, the witch forces Hanna to tie herself to Ivanka in a mystical bond for the sake of her lover's life. This is the beginning of a series of mysterious murders and transformations that the young lovers will have to confront.
This month, the "next horror movie" section is replenished with a representative of Ukrainian cinema. We don't often make films of this genre that are aware of their "trashiness" and don't try to pass themselves off as a profound work. The creators promise a lot of erotic scenes, a lot of humor and unexpected plot twists, and we hope the film will entertain the audience as much as foreign representatives of the genre.
The premiere in Ukraine took place on December 5.
Mufasa: The Lion King
King Simba has a son. The young lion cub will also become a leader someday, so he needs to know the history of his family. Once upon a time, a small and defenseless orphan lion cub was looking for someone to take him in. A new family was found. A boy named Mufasa was adopted and raised as a native son in the family of the then king. Rafiki the monkey and the eccentrics Timon and Pumba, a meerkat and a wild boar, easily found a common language with the new member of the lion family. The lions' own child, Taka, has long held a grudge against his adopted brother.
Disney was so inspired by the success of the 2019 remake of The Lion King (grossing $1.67 billion) that it decided to make a prequel to this story about Mufasa and Scar's childhood.
The Ukrainian premiere will take place on December 19.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails will reunite against a powerful new enemy, Shadow, a mysterious villain with unparalleled powers. As his powers are incredible from every angle, Sonic's team must seek an alliance with Dr. Robotnik in hopes of stopping Shadow and protecting the planet.
The Sonic the Hedgehog movies have never been perfect, but they have always been great fun and respectfully brought the game's iconic characters to the big screen. Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik was the main highlight of this series. And despite the end of his career, he returns to play this character again.
This time, Sonic's team will face a new villain - Shadow the Hedgehog, whom fans have been waiting for a long time. And he will be voiced by Keanu Reeves himself! The character is a cult one, and I hope the authors will realize his full potential.
If you liked the previous installments of the Hedgehog's adventures or want to take your family to the cinema, this will be a great option.
The Ukrainian premiere will take place on December 26.
The Glassworker
The film is about the life of a young glassblower and his relationship with a girl over the years as his country goes through wars and strife.
Say hello to exoticism as this is Pakistan's first anime-inspired animated film! The movie has already been highly praised for its excellent animation and strong anti-war message, and in general, it is reminiscent of the best works of Studio Ghibli.
If you're interested in a new experience and perspective on animation from Pakistani animators, the premiere will take place on December 26.
New series
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
Four children find themselves on an adventure to return home after being lost in the galaxy following a discovery they made on their home planet.
Another Star Wars series, but this time for a younger audience. I was definitely bribed to watch this project by one of the main characters, who resembles an elephant. This franchise really knows how to generate cute characters. The project was produced by Jon Favreau, who previously created The Mandalorian, so there are certain expectations for quality.
The series was released on December 2 on Disney+ and the first episodes received good reviews from viewers, but they warn not to take the project too seriously, as it is aimed more at family and children's audiences.
Churchill at War
This fascinating documentary series tells the story of Winston Churchill's decisive role in World War II and the events that made him the ideal leader of that era.
It is quite difficult to describe documentary series because you can learn everything you need from the description. If you are interested in the period of the Second World War and in the personality of Winston Churchill in particular, it is recommended to watch!
All four episodes of the documentary have already been released on December 4 on the Netflix platform.
Creature Commandos
It tells the story of a group of military superhumans, including a human leader, a werewolf, a vampire, a Frankenstein's monster, and a gorgon.
A new superhero animated series for adults from James Gunn, which will be the first in the updated first chapter of DC Universe: Gods and Monsters". It's very easy to get confused because on the one hand, it's a sequel to 2021's Suicide Squad and The Peacekeeper, which are about the old DC Universe, now closed. But then, how did the same characters move on to the new adaptations by James Gunn? If we abstract from all the backstage bickering, we'll find a team of unconventional characters, a lot of thrash and humor. The author proved while working on Guardians of the Galaxy that he is very good at revealing such concepts. The series has already been released and received positive reviews from critics, so all superhero fans should definitely watch it.
The premiere took place on December 5, and the series is mostly praised and criticized for the same elements as the director's previous projects.
Secret Level
An anthology series, each episode of which takes place in a different game universe. It's a kind of Love, Death, Robots, but about video games. Such popular series as: Armored Core, Crossfire, Mega Man, Pac-Man, Sifu, The Outer Worlds, Unreal Tournament, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, and others. Of particular interest to gamers will be a series about a game called Concord, as this project was closed forever less than 2 weeks after its release. The 1.5 fans of this game who played it and were outraged by its closure will definitely be happy!
The roles were voiced by: Arnold Schwarzenegger and his son Patrick, Kevin Hart, Keanu Reeves, Ariana Greenblatt, and many more star actors. In general, the series looks very cool and we hope it will be successful so that in the future more and more cult video game series will be adapted into a small episode of the show.
The series will debut on Amazon Prime Video on December 10.
One Hundred Years of Solitude
In the eternal city of Macondo, seven generations of the Buendia family discover love, oblivion, and the inevitability of their past and destiny.
A film adaptation of the novel by the prominent Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Surprisingly, this is the first attempt to adapt this monumental novel in almost 70 years. The creators have stated that there will be two seasons that should fully cover the book. "One Hundred Years of Solitude has become the most expensive Netflix series created in Latin America, and expectations for this project are quite high.
We will see whether the legendary novel will be adapted into a movie on Netflix on December 11.
Dream Productions
Riley is growing up and when her memories need more processing, Joy and the rest of the emotions send them to the Dream Studio. Famous dream director Paula Persimmon is facing a nightmare of her own as she tries to create the next hit dream for Riley and teams up with Xeno, a smug director who wants to enter the big leagues of movie dreams.
A spinoff of the popular Pixar cartoon series Inside Out. This time, the viewer will be able to learn more about the power of dreams and how they affect our waking life. The series was created by Mike Jones, who was the screenwriter of Soul and worked on most of the studio's current projects. This is his debut project as a director, so let's hope the experience he has gained over the years will help create a cool continuation of the "live emotions" concept that the audience has come to love.
The premiere will take place on December 11 on Disney+.
Dexter: Original Sin
It tells the story of young Dexter Morgan, who turns into a serial killer-vigilante.
A prequel to the popular 2000s series Dexter. If you missed the flashbacks that showed the protagonist's early life during the original project, Original Sin will expand your knowledge of the serial killer's childhood. If you haven't watched 8 seasons of the old series, it's better to skip this release, but fans should definitely take a closer look.
The premiere will take place on December 15 on Showtime.
Continuation of the series
Strike (Season 6)
The new season of the detective series based on the books by J.K. Rowling will be released on December 16 on BBC One.
The Dragon Prince (Season 7) December 19
The second saga of the popular animated series Dragons Prince is coming to an end with the seventh season. However, this is not the end of the project, as three more seasons are being developed for the third saga. The premiere will take place on December 19 on Netflix.
What If…? (Season 3)
This will be the last season of the series "What If...?" and this is surprising, because the plot potential of the work was endless. Besides, this is the only Marvel project that fully reveals the concept of the multiverse. The premiere will take place on December 22 on Disney+.
Squid Game (Season 2)
The premiere of the second season of one of the most popular TV shows on the planet will take place on December 26! This season promises to raise the stakes and surprise the audience no less than 3 years ago, when the series was first launched.