The best films to see in Beijing cinemas this May

Catch the best flicks this month at theatres near you

This month, more Hollywood blockbusters make their way to China's cinemas. Take a look at our picks of the best ongoing and upcoming releases in May.

Capernaum

On general release now.

A young boy, Zain, stands up in court in Lebanon. He has already done time for stabbing someone. Now he wants to sue his parents for giving him life. No one really knows how old he is, but a medical examiner estimates 12. Nadine Labaki’s drama might first seem like a satire – small children are jailed; others are married. But while there are elements of didactic political fable, there’s a heartbreaking realism at the root of this portrait of Lebanese poverty, which nevertheless thrills with compassion and heart.

See You Up There (Au revoir là-haut)

On general release now.

Winner of five César awards, including Best Director, Best Adaptation and Best Cinematography, See You Up There starts a few days before the Armistice, when artist Édouard Péricourt saves accountant Albert Maillard's life. Condemned to live, the two misfits mount a scheme selling monuments of invented war heroes. Based on Pierre Lemaitre's 2013 novel The Great Swindle, this sumptuous period drama explores a society that wants to honour the dead but ends up forgetting the living.

Danish Movie Month

Chao Hotel. May 4-12. 120RMB.

This May, Chao Hotel hosts Danish Movie Month, showcasing some of the very best in Danish film including everything from the old to the new, to dramas and documentaries. Films include The Day Will Come (Der kommer en dag), A Fortunate Man (Lykke-Per), Silent Heart (Stille hjerte), The Stranger (En fremmed flytter ind) and more. For the full schedule plus tickets, click here.

Roma

On general release from May 10.

If ever there was a grumble over this gorgeous, Oscar-winning epic, it’s that more people couldn’t see it on the big screen, particularly here in China. Now finally in Mainland cinemas, director Alfonso Cuarón's richly textured masterpiece unhurriedly explores the social and political canvas of 1970s Mexico City, where he grew up in a middle-class neighborhood called Roma. A sober and autobiographical elegy about his childhood and the women who raised him (one hardworking live-in maid in particular), Roma is cinema at its purest and most human.

Pokémon Detective Pikachu

On general release from May 10.

When ace detective Harry Goodman mysteriously goes missing, his 21-year-old son decides to go find out what happened. Aiding him is his father's former Pokémon partner, Pikachu (voiced by Ryan Reynolds), who is somehow able to communicate with him and only him. The two join forces on an adventure through the neon-lit streets of Ryme City, where both humans and Pokémon peacefully co-exist. But the duo soon uncovers a plot that plans to destroy this peaceful co-existence between the two species and threaten the Pokémon universe.

Aladdin

On general release from May 24.

Disney brings Aladdin to a whole new world in this live adaptation, with Will Smith attempting to fill the very big shoes left behind by Robin Williams. Aladdin (Mena Massoud) is a scrappy street kid who finds a magical lamp that, thanks to the genie living within it, has the power to grant him his deepest desires. Not so coincidentally, he also happens to fall in love with the lovely Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott). But when the Grand Vizier-slash-evil sorcerer Jafar (Marwan Kenzari) discovers the power of the magical lamp, he decides to try to take it away from Aladdin. For those of you already familiar with the animation, Aladdin should tread some pretty familiar ground (but we'll nevertheless still be catching it in cinemas).

Godzilla: King of the Monsters

On general release from May 31.

If monsters are your thing, then there's quite a few in this upcoming sequel to 2014's Godzilla reboot. A crypto-zoological agency called Monarch faces off with creatures of titanic proportions including the mighty Godzilla and other similar monsters like Mohtra, Rodan and now his ultimate nemesis, a three-headed beast called King Ghidorah. When these ancient supersized monsters start vying for supremacy, humanity's very existence is put under threat.

Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures! The Movie

On general release from May 31.

Nearly a year after screening at English theatres abroad, Thomas and his friends finally chug their way to the Mainland where fans of the beloved show can enjoy watching the trains on their exciting cross-continental adventures as well. This time, Thomas ventures off from his home island Sodor to see the rest of the world. In this film, the locomotive travels through five continents across deserts, through jungles and over dangerous mountains where he also encounters a train engine named Nia, a female locomotive from Kenya who becomes his travelling companion.

For more great films to catch in cinemas now, hit 'Read more' below. 

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