“UNIAN has prepared a selection of novelties that will be released in a wide Ukrainian distribution this week.”, — write: www.unian.ua
UNIAN has prepared a selection of novelties that will be released in a wide Ukrainian distribution this week.
Premieres on December 19 in cinemas / UNIAN collage, screenshotsThe main premiere in Ukrainian cinemas this week will be the animated film “Mufasa: The Lion King” – a prequel to the cult cartoon, which is adored by both children and adults.Also opening this week are the Russian-flavored superhero movie Kraven the Hunter, the thriller Black Taxi, several Christmas movies, and retrospective screenings of Martin McDonagh’s dark comedy Seven Psychopaths, starring Colin Farrell and Sam Rockwell.
Read about all the movie news of the week in the UNIAN review.
- Mufasa: The Lion King
- Kraven the Hunter
- Seven psychopaths
- Black taxi
- Christmas in Alaska
- Four days until Christmas
- Ancient Demon: The Last Breath
Mufasa: The Lion KingMufasa: The Lion King (USA, 2024, Adventure/Drama/Animation/Family/Musical)
The cartoon, which is perfect for family viewing, is a continuation and at the same time a prequel to the famous “The Lion King” of 1994 (as well as its 2019 remake). Simba has finally become king and wants his and Nala’s daughter Kiara to eventually take the throne as well. At the same time, Rafiki, Timon and Pumbaa tell the children an incredible story about how the lion Mufasa goes from a lonely orphan to the future king of beasts and Simba’s father. His life changes when he meets a sensitive lion named Taka – the heir to the royal family, who will later become Mufasa’s enemy named Scar.
The cartoon was directed by Barry Jenkins, who previously directed the Oscar-winning film “Moonlight” (2017). His latest work is the drama series “Underground Railway” (2021).
The world premiere of the cartoon took place on December 9, 2025 – and the first reviews about it are positive. Critics praise it for its visual effects, calling it “the perfect prequel” and saying that the story definitely “deserves to be told.”
Read more about the film in our separate review soon.
Kraven the HunterKraven the Hunter (USA, UK, Canada, Iceland, 2024, thriller/action)
The film tells the story of the formation of the supervillain from the Marvel comics, who is considered one of the main enemies of Spider-Man. Russian-born Sergey Kravinov (first appeared in comics in 1964), known as a big-game hunter who made it his mission to hunt down Spider-Man. He spent his youth in Africa, honing his hunting skills. Eventually, he also found a special serum that gave him increased strength, speed, agility, and durability.
Among other things, the film shows his relationship with his father Nikolai, half-brother Dmitry (aka the supervillain Chameleon) and his mistress Calypso, as well as his confrontation with the supervillain Rhino, also of Russian origin.
Let’s be honest, most of the films in Sony’s Spider-Man cinematic universe have received underwhelming reviews. Some of them were downright bad (like Madame Web or Morbius), but the Venom trilogy was actually quite acceptable. So even before the premiere, it was obvious that critics would mercilessly destroy “Kraven the Hunter.” But everything turned out to be even worse. The film has already been dubbed one of the worst releases of the year, and it has every chance of turning out to be a complete box office failure for Sony. The film is criticized for everything from a crude script and uninteresting characters to hackneyed special effects. Rumor has it that after the premiere, the studio finally buried plans to develop the Spider-Man universe.
For Ukrainians, there are additional “red flags” in this film. Well, first of all, there are a lot of Russians in the movie. Yes, they are mostly pagans, but none the less. A film with a Russian protagonist is clearly not what Ukrainians would like to watch now. Yes, the film began to be shot before Russia started a full-scale war in Ukraine, its release was postponed several times, but, as they say, “the sediment remained.”
In addition, the Russian actor Yuriy Kolokolnikov also starred in the film, who, although he has a second Canadian citizenship (his family moved to Canada back in 1985), however, since the 1990s, he has mostly acted in Russian films. His foreign career is not so rich – among the most famous works is a role in the fourth season of “Game of Thrones”, as well as minor roles in the films “Killer’s Bodyguard” and “Six Outlaws”. After the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2024, Kolokolnikov continued to actively act in Russia, while he most likely stopped being invited to American films. Moreover, the actor prefers to remain silent about the war in Ukraine, not criticizing the actions of the terrorist country Russia.
The movie stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson (The Piper, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Express Train, The Stuntman) and, by all accounts, his perfect abs are the only good thing about this movie.
Also involved in the film are Ariana Debos (“West Side Story”, “Argyle”), Fred Gegginger (“Fear Street” trilogy, “Gladiator 2”), Alessandro Nivola (“Many Saints of Newark”, “Boston Strangler”) and Russell Crowe ( “Gladiator”, “Mind Games”, “Les Miserables”, “Man of Steel”).
The film was directed by American director JC Chandor (“Risk Limit”, “The Cruelest Year”, “Triple Border”).
The film currently has a score of 5.5 out of 10 on IMDb, while on Rotten Tomatoes it only has a 15% approval rating from critics, but a whopping 73% from audiences (themselves in shock). At the same time, on Metacritic, film experts rated it at 35 out of 100 points, and the general audience – at 3.9 out of 10 points, which in both cases corresponds to the characteristic of “generally negative reviews”.
Seven psychopathsSeven Psychopaths (UK, 2012, dark comedy/crime)
If you are not very inspired by the novelties of movie distribution, you can return to time-tested tapes. As part of the winter retrospective from “Arthouse Trafik”, retrospective showings of the black comedy from the living classic, Oscar winner and multiple nominee Martin McDonagh (“Lie Down in Bruges”, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”, ” Banshee Inisheryna”).
In the center of the plot is Marty, a poor writer who has lost his inspiration and cannot cope with the new scenario. By chance, he finds himself involved in the abduction of a dog by his eccentric friends. However, the situation gets out of control when it turns out that the stolen animal is the favorite dog of the main local gangster, who is very easy to calculate and destroy the wretched thieves.
The main roles in the film were played by Colin Farrell (“Lie Down in Bruges”, “Banshee Inishira”, the “Penguin” series) and Sam Rockwell (“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”, “Jojo Rabbit”), with whom McDonagh collaborated repeatedly. Also in “Seven Psychopaths” played Woody Harrelson (“Natural Born Killers”, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”, the TV series “True Detective”), Christopher Walken (“Death va zone”, “Pulp Fiction”, “Dune: Part Two”) and others.
The film currently holds a 7.1 out of 10 on IMDb, while on Rotten Tomatoes it has an 82% approval rating from critics with a “Certified Fresh” rating and a 71% approval rating from audiences. At the same time, on Metacritic, film experts rated it 66 out of 100 points, and the general audience – 7.4 out of 10 points, which in both cases corresponds to the characteristic of “generally positive reviews”.
Black taxiBlack Cab (USA, 2024, Thriller/Horror)
The main characters of the film are a young couple, Ann and Patrick, who recently got engaged. After the party, they get into a taxi. At the wheel is a cute driver who tries to start a conversation, but they are not into it. The couple investigates their relationship until they realize that they are being taken to the wrong address. And the driver of this black taxi has completely different intentions…
The main roles in the film were played by Nick Frost (“Shaun of Zombies”, “The Greatest Pharaohs”, “The End of the World”), Sinneve Carlsen (“Last Night in Soho”, the series “The Bodies”) and Luke Norris (the series “Poldark “).
The film was directed by Bruce Goodison, who mostly worked on British television.
The film currently holds a 4.2 out of 10 rating on IMDb, while it has a 36% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
Christmas in AlaskaChristmas in Alaska (Canada, 2024, comedy/romance)
In the center of the plot are two rival journalists who are competing for a high position in a prestigious publication. Their lives change drastically when the plane with them is forced to make an emergency landing in snowy Alaska. Meanwhile, Megan, the mother of a young son, tries to fulfill his Christmas wish list, while Oliver, trying to overcome family difficulties, decides to help his sister with her hotel. Unexpected circumstances force them to spend time together, and against the background of a fabulous winter nature, an unexpected romantic feeling flares up between them. But will they be able to overcome their ambitions and find true love during the holidays?
The film currently has a rating of 5 out of 10 on IMDb.
Four days until ChristmasSuperKlaus (UK, 2024, Adventure/Animation)
According to the plot, Santa’s wish comes true when he accidentally hits his head and starts thinking of himself as Super Claus. With the help of boy Billy and elf sidekick Leo, the fledgling superhero tries to defeat a toy-obsessed businessman and save Christmas.
The film currently has a rating of 4.6 out of 10 on IMDb.
Ancient Demon: The Last Breath Sang krasue 2 (Thailand, 2023, horror/melodrama)
In the center of the plot – a man with very unusual genetics and a half-demon woman who fall in love with each other. But will their feelings be able to withstand all the tests of fate.
The film currently has a rating of 4.9 out of 10 on IMDb.
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In addition, you can watch movies released in previous weeks, as well as the most interesting TV series of December 2024.
Maryna Grigorenk