5 Movies Hitting Chinese Theaters in May 2017
By Erica Martin
Superhero blockbusters, reboots and an indie sci-fi horror film have all secured May release dates in China. Catch these five films in theaters around town this month.
May 5: The Guardians of the Galaxy 2
The second installment of Guardians of the Galaxy brings back the motley group of Marvel superheroes for a new adventure. Most of the original cast returns, including Zoe Saldana as alien-assassin Gamora and Bradley Cooper as Rocket the bounty-hunting raccoon. As per the ending of the first movie (which we won’t spoil) Vin Diesel’s humanoid tree character Groot has been replaced by an adorably rambunctious baby version of the superhero.
May 12: Power Rangers
This reboot aimed at fans of the ‘90s TV show tells the story of a group of rebellious teens with the power to morph into masked – or rather, helmeted – avengers. A cast of young and relatively unknown actors comprise the Rangers, while Bryan Cranston plays their mentor Zordon, and Elizabeth Banks recreates the classic Power Rangers villain Rita Repulsa, a former Green Ranger who went rogue 65 million years ago. The film is also the first blockbuster superhero film to feature an LGBTQ+ superhero and an autistic superhero.
May 12: King Arthur: Legend of The Sword
This big-budget adventure film directed by Guy Richie is an origin story for the myth of King Arthur, recasting the classic hero of British folklore as a streetwise youth with an aversion to leadership and an anachronistically trendy haircut. Charlie Hunnam of Sons of Anarchy and Queer as Folk plays the titular role, with Jude Law as his nemesis Vortigern and Djimon Hounsou as his marshal Sir Bedivere. Game of Thrones fans might be tickled to discover that the actors who play Roose Bolton and Petyr Baelish also appear in the movie wearing essentially the exact same costumes and conniving expressions that they sport in GoT.
May 19: Life
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson and Ryan Reynolds, sci-fi horror film Life first premiered at South by Southwest in March before getting a wide release in the US and internationally. With the tagline “We were better off alone,” it tells the story of a group of American astronauts that find evidence of life in a soil sample from Mars. While at first they are thrilled by the discovery, the organism is not exactly friendly, and things quickly escalate.
May 26: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer continue to milk the Pirates franchise for all it’s worth with Dead Men Tell No Tales, the 5th installment of the story, which we should not forget is based on a ride at Disney World. Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightley return to their roles as Will and Elizabeth Turner after passing on the fourth movie, while Javier Bardem plays undead villain Salazar, and Jack Sparrow gets a backstory thanks to a CGI de-aging technique used on Johnny Depp. The film opens in China on the same day as it does it the US. What’s more, Shanghai Disney will play host to the film’s world premiere next week on May 11, and the whole cast will be in town.
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