The Must-See Movies Of 2019

Last year, I began my Must-See Movies series , lamenting about the string of lackluster movie duds plaguing Hollywood the previous year.

Thankfully, in this spring’s review, I can say the exact opposite about 2018. Movies like Avengers: Infinity War, A Quiet Place, Hereditary, Deadpool 2, Aquaman, and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom have absolutely dominated the box office, providing hundreds of riveting hours for audiences.

I’m glad to say that 2019’s list of films is looking just as bright as 2018’s.  So as you dust off your shorts and flip flops and prepare for spring, here are some of the movies that I’m most excited to see in the coming months:

1. Pet Sematary – Pet Sematary is another film adaption of one of Stephen King’s oh-so-creepy novels. Louis Creed (Jason Clarke) and his family of Rachel (Amy Seimetz), Elle (Jete Laurence), and Gabe (Hugo Lavoie) move to a small home out in the countryside of Maine. They are introduced to the Pet Sematary, as the title suggests, a place where pets are buried to be born again. But are they prepared for these rebirths? The movie, which comes out on April 9, suggests one simple thing to its viewers: sometimes, dead is better.
2. It: Chapter 2 – Speaking of Stephen King, yet another of his horrific stories is returning to the big screen this year to give viewers more fodder for nightmares and reasons to avoid clowns. It: Chapter 2 is a direct sequel to 2017’s It. While the first film followed the Loser’s Club–a.k.a. some kids in the little town of Derry– It: Chapter 2 has an all- new adult cast of the Loser’s Club returning to Derry 27 years later to finish the demonic clown off once and for all. Although very little has been revealed about It: Chapter 2, the current release date is Sept. 6, just in time to get you freaked out in time for the state fair and all its clowned creatures. 
3. US – After the extraordinary success of 2017’s Get Out, director Jordan Peele has fully established himself as a staple in the horror genre. Us is Peele’s next stab at what happens when normal life meets unexpected evil, with a family going on a beach vacation. The story turns dark when a group of masked people reveal themselves, each being an exact copy of the family. The family must survive as the mystery of Us unravels on March 22.
4. The Curse of La Llorona – The folktale of La Llorona is one told in Latin America to keep kids from wandering out of their beds at night. However, The Curse of La Llorona delves deeper into the scares of this mystical figure. It is said that La Llorona drowned her children and forever searches for them after her death, stealing other’s children in the belief that they are her own. The Curse of La Llorona puts its own twist on the folktale as two children flee from the ghostly creature. It will be in theaters on April 19.
5. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark – In case you aren’t scared enough from the previous movies, a long-awaited set of tales is also arriving to theaters this year. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark adapts famous childhood stories like The Big Toe, The Wendigo, The Hook, and, High Beams, for a new generation. Based on the book series by Alvin Schwartz, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark scared many a child growing up. (But not me; I never even read the stories because of how terrifying the pictures looked.) Now that I’m older, I’m highly anticipating this film to see these stories for the first time on Aug. 9.
6. Captain Marvel – Kicking off Marvel’s 2019 movies (of which there are several), Captain Marvel adds a new character to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Set in the late 1990’s, the film tells the story of maybe-maybe not-human Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), who returns to Earth after a space hiatus and meets up with Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson) to stop an alien civil war that threatens the Earth. Check out this explosive prelude to Avengers: Endgame on March 8.
7. Avengers: Endgame – This sure blockbuster is easily my most-anticipated movie of 2019. Am I biased? Yes. Are there a slew of other amazing movies coming out which might knock it off its pedestal? Yes. Will my opinion change? No. I have been absolutely hooked on the MCU ever since I went to go see Guardians of the Galaxy years ago, and finally, all us fans find ourselves in the series’ endgame. After the events of last year’s Avengers: Infinity War, the Avengers are shattered (in more ways than one–no spoilers here), and Thanos (played by Josh Brolin) reigns over a broken universe. How can the Avengers possibly come back? Find out April 26.
8. Spider-Man: Far From Home is yet another Marvel movie coming out this year, setting up an extremely solid year for Disney. As a direct sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming, Far From Home puts Spider-Man (the ever-amazing Tom Holland) in a world after the events of both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. The teen is heading on a summer school trip across Europe when elemental monsters begin to attack. With Nick Fury requesting his help, Spider-Man must stop this threat and break the mystery of a new “superhero”– Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal). Spider-Man: Far From Home swings into theaters on July 5.
9. Joker – This movie is a bit of a wild card. If you couldn’t tell from the past three movies on this list, I’m a big fan of Marvel movies. So you’re probably thinking, “Wow, a DC movie? That’s weird.” You’d be absolutely right. I really don’t like DC movies. I think that Suicide Squad, Batman vs. Superman, and, Justice League are pretty garbage movies that were supposed to set the stage for the DC cinematic universe, yet utterly failed. However, Joker isn’t technically a DC movie (more specifically, not a DC cinematic universe movie). That gives me hope. The old Batman movies, like The Dark Knight Rises, are actually pretty good. So I’m hoping that Joker decides to take the darker route, and not the edgy trash we’ve been given in the vast majority of the DC cinematic universe movies. Although very little has been revealed about Joker, we do know they movie’s namesake is being played by Joaquin Phoenix, who has a history of intriguing performances. It has a current release date of Oct. 4. 
10. Aladdin – This live-action movie has had quite a bit of controversy surrounding it recently. When the remake was originally announced, people questioned who would take up Robin Williams’ infamous role of Genie. After a long wait, Will Smith was announced to carry the torch, and people had fairly positive reactions. That is, until his first appearance was revealed. Many people mocked and poked fun at the Smurf-like way that Will Smith looks when he’s blue. Other than this, the live-action recreation of the animated classic looks fairly promising. I look forward to this film releasing on May 24. (In the meantime, I’ll enjoy all the blue Will Smith memes.)

Truthfully, 2019 is looking to have some extremely exciting movies coming out. From a wide variety of action, horror, and even remakes and throwbacks, audiences all over the world are in store for a very entertaining year.