The best films at the cinema this April

What to see in Beijing cinemas this month

Every month we round up the best films on general release in Beijing cinemas. For all you Marvel fans, there'll be no Avengers: Infinity War in China until May 11. Also be sure to catch our pick of movies released in March before they're out of theatres.

Ready Player One 

On general release March 30

Directed by Steven Spielberg, Ready Player One follows orphaned teenager Wade Watts as he attempts to find Easter eggs left behind by the deceased founder of Oasis, a virtual reality entity. It's a CGI-heavy fantasia that will pop your eyeballs, but giddy as it is, it never quite sells its characters or gets much purchase on your emotions. Still, it's got some great references.

The Commuter

On general release March 30

After years of wage-slave routine as a Wall Street number cruncher, ex-NYPD officer Michael McCauley gets his redundancy package at a moment which spells financial disaster. Still, unlikely salvation may prevail on the Metro-North line's return commute, where a slinky, no-good Vera Farmiga offers him a unique proposal. All he has to do is help her identify an out-of-place passenger among the 6pm regulars and there's a pile of cash waiting for him. Tempting? You bet. Potentially fatal? That too.

Knife in the Clear Water

https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?vid=j0611830zvn&width=500&height=375&auto=0On general release April 4

Knife in the Clear Water (清水里的刀子) is an arthouse film that offers an unvarnished view into Muslim Hui minority life in the arid moonscape of China's Ningxia province. The film, lacking any music, poetically evokes humanity's relationship to religion and the land they inhabit and has won several awards at independent film festivals.

Rampage

On general release April 13

It's been said that giant-monster/kaiju films are a symptom of societal anxiety about nuclear annihilation. And so here's another one starring Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson destroying everything in his path with the help of giant monsters. Rampage, loosely based on the eponymous '90s video game, won't be anything to write home about, but will be one to see with the 4D gimbal chair that blows theatre smells in your face.

Annihilation

On general release April 13

Annihilation is already on Netflix, but here's your chance to see it on the big screen in China. In the film, a team of scientists goes on a secret expedition into a disaster zone that defies the law of nature. Director Alex Garland, hot off his critically-acclaimed film Ex Machina, delivers a trippy sci-fi thriller with meditative and mysterious ambience, starring Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Oscar Isaac and others.

Isle of Dogs

https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?vid=b0563ydhde1&width=500&height=375&auto=0On general release April 20

This film about dogs stars an ensemble cast (Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray and Jeff Goldblum) voicing very good boys (dogs) who help a Japanese boy find his lost good boy. With director Wes Anderson doing his usual auteur thing, this movie will ooze playful wit blurred with straight-faced drama. The stop-motion animation will definitely tip the scales towards the former.

Mary and the Witch's Flower

https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?vid=i0394erpq71&width=500&height=375&auto=0On general release April 28

Fans of Studio Ghibli animated features will enjoy Mary and the Witch's Flower, directed by former Studio Ghibli animator Hirosama Yonebayashi, who worked on Spirited Away and other projects under director Hayao Miyazaki. Mary, based on the novel The Little Broomstick by Mary Stewart, is a fun and imaginative adventure filled with breathtaking animation.

For what's on in Beijing cinemas now, hit 'Read more'.

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