The April showers you get this month might just be your tears, as not one but two new movie releases deal with sweet baby animals. There's a doc about the endangered pangolin and a fantasy adventure starring the fictional Ochi, and in the nonbaby animal categories, here come a Minecraft adaptation, a unique spin on the vampire genre and a high-octane spiritual successor to "Speed."
'A Minecraft Movie'
You cannot go wrong with Jack Black's zany, earnest energy at the center of a film. "A Minecraft Movie" is based on "Minecraft," one of the most popular video games of all time, and "seems all but guaranteed to follow in the hugely successful footsteps of something like 'Sonic the Hedgehog' or 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie,'" said IndieWire. The story follows four misfits who are transported to the Overworld, a cubic wonderland where everything has sharp edges and creativity is the key to survival. Also starring Jason Momoa, Jennifer Coolidge, Kate McKinnon and Jemaine Clement. (April 4 in theaters)
'Sinners'
Just when you want to be done with vampire movies, Ryan Coogler pulls you back in. The director of blockbuster hits "Creed" and "Black Panther" "finally gets the chance to play in a studio tentpole sandbox with a wholly original idea," said IndieWire of his new horror project, "Sinners." This period vampire story stars Michael B. Jordan as a set of twins (one actor in two roles, à la "The Parent Trap") living in the 1930s American South. "With each project, [Coogler] doesn't simply depict Black life — he honors it, reframes it and reclaims it," said Essence. (April 18 in theaters)
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'Pangolin: Kulu's Journey'
If action and horror are not your vibes, you are likely to relish a poignant documentary about a cute scaly anteater. "Pangolin: Kulu's Journey" follows Gareth Thomas, a man who rescues and rehabilitates a baby pangolin named Kulu; pangolins are among the most trafficked animals in the world, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
Pangolins are also "deeply sensitive, innocent creatures" who "can't run or bite, and their only defense is to roll up in a ball," said Academy Award-winner Pippa Ehrlich, director of "My Octopus Teacher," to People of her new film. (April 21 on Netflix)
'Bullet Train Explosion'
From "Shin Godzilla" co-director Shinji Higuchi comes a remake of Jun'ya Sato's 1975 action flick "Bullet Train" (which directly inspired the '90s hit "Speed.") "The set-up is simple," said Empire of "Bullet Train Explosion," the latest iteration: "There's a bomb hooked up to a Shinkansen train that'll detonate if its speed drops below 100km/h, and there's a ransom being demanded by the nutter who rigged it." Naturally, the train crew and passengers must work together to prevent disaster and their own demise. The production consulted with the East Japan Railway Company to ensure authenticity, plus used actual bullet trains and railway facilities. (April 23 on Netflix)
'The Legend of Ochi'
The first feature from music video director Isaiah Saxon is a fantasy adventure set on the island of Carpathia, where a farm girl named Yuri (Helena Zengel) has been taught to fear the Ochi, creatures who roam the verdant forests. When Yuri finds a wounded baby Ochi in the woods, she is charmed by its unexpected sweetness — and sets off from the safety of her village to reunite the baby with his family. The film's dazzling visual effects "were largely the result of painstakingly executed puppetry and animatronics, the settings often a combination of Romanian locations and matte paintings, all overseen by the obsessive Saxon," who "spent years working on this," said Vulture. (April 25 in theaters)
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