Movies to Watch

Syracuse.com

A full theater of viewers gather to watch a movie pre-covid.

Anvi Bhagavatula, Photojournalist

The smell of popcorn, the soft, dim lights of through the doorway, the complete focus and silence; movie theaters are fun to be at. People of every age go to theaters to watch everything from Spongebob to Avengers, exiting the theater feeling like they’re returning from another world. Ever since their creation in the early 20th century, they’ve been open just about every day for most hours. Covid-19 stopped that for the last year and a half. Now that they’re opened up again, everyone is eager to fall back into that few hours of fantasy. So, for each movie genre, what should people watch? 

For sci-fi lovers, Dune is the movie to watch. Starring Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet, and Jason Momoa, among other world-renowned actors, the cast is sure to put on an amazing depiction of the Nebula award-winning book of the same name. The book and movie take place 20,000 years in the future, following nobleman Paul Atreides of the planet Candala as he takes on his planet’s goal of taking over a neighboring planet of Arrakis. All technology as people now know is eradicated, replaced with genetically modified magic and no-chambers. War and assassinations begin on Paul and people of his planet as well as robots thought to be legends of Arrakis begin fighting back. The movie stretches along fifty years, but in its detail and plot development, no information ends up going missing. The movie is deep and metaphorical, representing the untouched intelligence and potential of mankind. For anybody watching, especially sci-fi lovers, it’s sure to make them think. 

The second movie, No Time to Die, is a well-liked recommendation for spy and thriller movie lovers. Unlike Dune, the movie is set on earth, specifically in England. It follows the fifth and last James Bond movie starring Daniel Craig and Lea Sedeoux. Bond is living an escapist life in Jamaica after retiring from his career in the Service and as OO7. This is until his old CIA friend, Felix Leiter, familiar to viewers from Casino Royale, asks for Bond’s help in rescuing a kidnapped scientist. Bond is then thrown into a fast paced fight that ends in a shocking conclusion viewers are sure to be surprised by. 

For history buffs, The Last Duel is sure to catch their eye. Starring Matt Damon, Jodie Comer, Ben Affleck, and Adam Driver, the main cast holds seven Oscars altogether, along with two Emmys. The movie follows a knight in the fourteenth century, vengeful over an assault against his wife, as he declares a duel against the suspect of the assault. During the 1300s, duels were infamous for their danger, so this duel between Jean de Carrouges and Jacques Le Gris is known as the “last duel” of France. The set design and costumes allow for the audience, both history lovers and not, to live in medieval France for the three-hour duration of the movie. 

“I’m really happy that movie theaters are back to normal… I really missed going to them with my friends and family. After months of virtually no new movies, theaters are coming back with new ones every day,” Sarah Bennani (10) says after being asked about her opinions on movie theaters. So, no matter what movie someone is in the mood for, these past couple of months, along with this next month, are producing some of the best movies of the decade. So, now is definitely a great time to take this list, grab some popcorn, and watch a movie.