Preparation for the festive season must be getting intense now that we’re in the final stretch of Ramadan. But that is not an excuse to miss all the fabulous movies and TV shows coming out this month, especially when our comprehensive Raya guides and must-haves are there to assist you on your shopping spree. So, take a load off and escape to another reality for a few hours with the best stories the big and small screens have to offer. Here’s a list of what to watch this April.
Monkey Man
Premieres 4th April in Cinemas
Monkey Man, a revenge tale told from the eyes of a systemically oppressed man, is a searing directorial debut by Dev Patel. As a rough-hewn Kid, Patel brings his acting gravitas to the screen as the character scrapes a living being a gorilla-masked punching bag in a secret fight club. The film kicks into high gear when he finds a way to avenge his mother who was murdered by the corrupt leaders.
Watch the trailer here.
Ripley
Premieres 4th April on Netflix
No disrespect to Saltburn’s Oliver Quick but Tom Ripley is still our favourite love-to-hate con artist. Back to disarm us with his charm, Ripley once again takes us to a picturesque coastal town in Italy after taking up an offer to bring Dickie Greenleaf, a wealthy industrialist’s son, home. Emmy nominee Andrew Scott kills it in the titular role in this suspense-filled eight-episode limited series.
Watch the trailer here.
The First Omen
Premieres 4th April in Cinemas
Need a safe space to scream at the top of your lungs? Head over to the theatres and catch up on the latest instalment of The Omen series. Set in 1971 Rome, the prequel to the five-decade-old franchise centres on a young nun Margaret Daino whose faith is challenged following her encounter with a girl at the orphanage named Carlita and the discovery of a conspiracy to birth an evil incarnate.
Watch the trailer here.
Parasyte: The Grey
Premieres 5th April on Netflix
Adapted from the Japanese manga Parasyte, the new sci-fi horror series turns the end-of-the-world trope on its head with its anti-hero Su-in. With the world terrorised by unknown parasites, controlling their human hosts, a task force called the Grey is formed to annihilate the extra-terrestrial creatures. But Su-in somehow manages to retain her consciousness and must fight for her survival.
Watch the trailer here.
Sugar
Premieres 5th April on Apple TV+
This may not be the sugar we have been asking of Colin Farrell but we’ll take it. The action series is put in motion after Olivia Siegel, the granddaughter of Hollywood producer Jonathan Siegel, inexplicably disappeared. Farrell’s John Sugar who is a private investigator soon goes down the rabbit hole to solve the mystery, uncovering the Siegel family’s darkest secrets along the way.
Watch the trailer here.
Scoop
Premieres 5th April on Netflix
She Said, The Post, Bombshell. “Women in journalism defying the system” has become our genre of choice as of late and here to feed our hunger is Scoop. Giving a glimpse at what went down behind Prince Andrew’s scandalous BBC Newsnight interview in 2019, the film highlights the women who made it happen including television producer Sam McAlister and journalist Emily Maitlis.
Watch the trailer here.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Premieres 11th April in Cinemas
An army of ghosts is wreaking havoc in your city, posing a threat of a second Ice Age. Who you gonna call? That’s right: the Ghostbusters. The next chapter in the series sees the Spengler family teaming up with the original Ghostbusters as they return to the iconic firehouse in New York City. There, the family is shown a covert research lab with new gadgets that will help them save the world.
Watch the trailer here.
Fallout
Premieres 11th April on Prime Video
Based on a video game franchise of the same name, Fallout takes place 200 years after the apocalypse when denizens of Vault—a luxury underground shelter—are forced to return to the wasteland above. Lucy’s wide-eyed naiveté and can-do attitude, particularly, will be put to the test as she needs to brave an extremely complex and exceedingly violent universe to rescue her father.
Watch the trailer here.
Challengers
Premieres 25th April in Cinemas
Zendaya is on a hot streak. Fresh off the Dune: Part Two’s success, the actress is headed back to the big screen with the erotic tennis drama Challengers. Playing a kingmaker to her husband Art—a world-famous grand slam champion—Zendaya’s tennis player-turned-coach Tashi makes him play a “Challenger” event where he has to face his former best friend and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend.
Watch the trailer here.
The Veil
Premieres 30th April on Disney+ Hotstar
Two women go against the world and each other in the edge-of-your-seat thriller The Veil. Finding themselves tangled in a deadly game of truth and deception, Veteran MI6 agent Imogen Salter and fugitive Adilah El Idrissi journey from Istanbul to Paris and London in pursuit of the elusive truth. While one woman is unyielding in hiding a dangerous secret, the other will stop at nothing to expose it.
Watch the trailer here.