An Oscar favorite and lots of sequels – that’s how March on the screen can be summed up. It starts at the beginning of the month with the third “Creed” part, in which the main actor Michael B. Jordan (36) also took over the direction for the first time. Steven Spielberg (76) tells his career in the semi-autobiographical coming-of-age drama “The Fabelmans”, with “Scream 6” the sixth but probably not the last craze in the cinema starts. Keanu Reeves (58) then distributed completely different headshots than Adonis Creed in his fourth coup as master killer John Wick.
Since dominating the boxing world, Adonis Creed (Jordan)’s career and family life have both thrived. But then Adonis’ childhood friend Damian (Jonathan Majors, 33), a former boxing prodigy, reappears after a long prison sentence. Damian is dying to show off his skills in the ring. The meeting of the former friends is more than just a fight. To settle matters once and for all, Adonis must jeopardize his future and face off against Damian – a fighter with nothing to lose.
Assessment:
The cinematic head protection in the person of Sylvester Stallone (76) aka Rocky Balboa is now finally off. The fact that resourceful PR people still managed to put “Rocky” in the German title of the film shouldn’t hide that fact. Stallone himself had repeatedly emphasized that it was his decision not to want to play a role in part three – he only appears as a producer. It is therefore up to Jordan to steer the fortunes of the Boxer series in two respects. In the cinema ring he has already proven twice that he has what it takes. Can he also hit the audience as a “Creed 3” director or is there a risk of an early knockout?
Sam Fabelman’s (Gabriel LaBelle, 20) passion is filmmaking – an interest his art-loving mother Mitzi (Michelle Williams, 42) values and encourages. Meanwhile, Sam’s father, Burt (Paul Dano, 38), a successful engineer, approves of Sam’s work but considers it no more than a hobby. But young Sam’s fascination with moving images just won’t let go. The up-and-coming director stages his sisters and friends in increasingly complex film productions. But when the Fabelmans move and there is turmoil within the family, Sam must reflect more than ever on his love of cinema and the power of films in order not to lose sight of his dreams.
Assessment:
The magic of cinema viewed with childlike fascination: Spielberg seems to have retained this perspective even at the age of 76. Children and their adventures play a crucial role in many of his works. Now he has devoted himself to a youth that shaped him like no other – his own. Seven Oscar nominations and the award for “Best Film” at the Golden Globes should already prove that the spark jumps over to the audience once again.
New town, new rules: In the latest installment of the legendary horror franchise, the four survivors of the notorious Ghostface killer’s latest murder spree leave their hometown of Woodsboro behind to start a new chapter in New York. But to her horror, there is no escaping the past. Ghostface is determined to carve a particularly gory chunk of the Big Apple.
Assessment:
The “Scream” series is no longer the latest craze. Especially not when parts three and four introduced overly outrageous twists and killers. The 2022 franchise also only reinvented the fifth coup to a limited extent – new blood for old show values, if you will. And yet “Scream 6” could be worth a look, especially for young horror fans – thanks to the scream queen in training Jenna Ortega (20), who is currently surfing the wave of fame with her “Wednesday” series. The crowd of stars from the old strips is meanwhile clearly decimated for different reasons – a big disadvantage for fans of the first hour.
John Wick (Reeves) discovers a way to defeat the High Chamber. But before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy who has powerful alliances and the power to turn old friends into foes. His fight takes him around the world – from New York to Paris and Osaka to Berlin.
Assessment:
Headshot ballet, the fourth: Once again, John Wick remains true to his gait, but in part four he does so for the first time as internationally as only a certain martini lover usually does. But that should have been it with the Bond comparisons. If the over-stylized action annoys you, but is still up to date after three parts, you can’t complain anymore. Because where John Wick is written on it, John Wick is also inside – that should be clear to everyone by now.
