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28 years since the Rage virus struck the earth, the UK has since been quarantined as infected, yet, just off the coast, a small island of survivors have persevered. Now, with a mission in mind, a contingency must leave the island only to discover what the virus has done to the mainland and its inhabitants. Written by Alex Garland and Directed by Danny Boyle the post Rage virus apocalyptic exploration of the world continues with an all new ensemble that includes, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Alfie Williams, and Ralph Fiennes. A world where the zombies are just as fast as ever, perhaps stronger than ever, and in a strange turn of events possibly more sentient than ever? Naturally Boyle continues to bring his cinematic flair in photography and editing along with his sentiments of scoring via pop/punk selections and traditional composition, the trifecta of the Boyle panache, always a treat. And Garland, no stranger to apocalyptical sci-fi themes seems well versed to take on the material, but buyer beware, without spoiling anything, please realize this piece is only the first of a trilogy and not a fully told narrative, rather instead it serves as once again a world builder for the larger story overall, and, this time beyond a zombie horror and subtext, the heavy importance and philosophy of Memento Mori is present, in that to understand death you must acknowledge that at some point you too will die, a somber reminder of mortality. That said, if you’re looking for a self contained, standalone zombie horror, you’ll have to search elsewhere, 28 Years Later on the other hand is laying the groundwork for something much larger. With this installment running an hour and fifty five minutes, the break point seems like the proper end to a chapter, just in time to cue up for some more zany fun. 28 Years Later is rated R.

Lucy (Dakota Johnson) is failed actress turned matchmaker working in New York, and, as it turns out she’s very good at her job, matching women seeking partners based on materialistic characteristics with equally materialistic partners. But coming from her own failed relationship with starving artist, John (Chris Evans), and now meeting her own Unicorn, Harry (Pedro Pascal), the age old tale of love or money is set. Written and Directed by Celine Song this romantic romp is set to give it the ol’ college try with material the ensemble all handle aptly. Unfortunately in terms of story complexity or originality the script falls short of the mark, specifically when it comes to any lessons learned or transcendence to advance the plot in an interesting way; the end result is a relatively flat outcome.That said, you want the feel-good romance, you got it, but keep those expectations low, the film runs just as shallow as its characters. Running an hour and 56 minutes Materialists is rated R.

Trained by the Ruska Roma, a lethal ballet troupe and the home of John Wick (Keanu Reeves), young Eve (Ana De Armas) finds herself torn between serving as a ward to various subjects as her Director (Angelica Huston) instructs, or, hunting down her father’s killers who stem from a cult of equally lethal killers. Choices will have to be made. Written by Shay Hatten and Derek Kolstad and Directed by Len Wiseman this dive back into the ultra violent cloak and dagger world of assassins thieves hits the ground running at a slightly more metered pace in terms of action frenzy, but takes an abrupt turn mid-plot to accelerate into hyper-violent space successfully achieving a rightful place in the John Wick universe. Albeit, thinly plotted and obnoxiously telegraphed plot points do draw eye rolls amongst several big “reveals.” But beyond that, De Armas has clearly put in the work, physically and training wise to pull off some of the more interesting pulp action smash sequences of the year. After all, we’re here for the chaos and carnage in a Wick based film, not the wit, prose, or thoughtful discourse. To that end, the sheer number of adversaries reduced to pink dust is high as this tiny dancer slings grenades and flamethrowers like peanuts at a baseball game. Running two hours and five minutes, audiences definitely get their dollar’s worth and a bit more, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is rated R.