It’s the weekend again, and that means Film Focus. Here’s Mike Laidman with what’s new in local theaters.



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This week things are looking a little less interesting, with only one new wide release, and a pretty poor one at that.

It’s next week that we should see the box office take a pretty strong upwards turn as Marvel Studios releases it’s latest work, which we are lucky enough to get a little early here in Korea.

But enough talk, it’s time to watch. Here are Inferno and Doctor Strange.

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Mike Laidman

Welcome to another edition of Film Focus. I’m Mike Laidman.

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Inferno (2016, Ron Howard)
Robert Langdon tries to foil a deadly global plot.

It’s been 10 years since The DaVinci Code, and 6 since Angels and Demons, the film adaptations of Dan Brown’s popular novels following symbologist Robert Langdon, hit the screen.

Now director Ron Howard is back with the third adaption in this same series with Langdon.

Inferno finds the famous symbologist on a trail of clues tied to Dante himself. When Langdon wakes up in an Italian hospital with amnesia, he teams up with Sienna Brooks, a doctor he hopes will help him recover his memories. Together, they race across Europe and against the clock to stop a madman from unleashing a global virus that would wipe out half of the world's population.

While there’s nothing really wrong with these movies, they just don’t push very hard or ask very much of their audience. They’re popcorn fodder, following Tom Hanks around as he pops in and out of museums, expounding upon history. Perfectly watchable, but nothing more.

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Doctor Strange (2016, Scott Derrickson)
A neurosurgeon is drawn into the world of the mystic arts.

Arriving next week is the hotly anticipated Doctor Strange.

The latest entry into the Marvel Universe follows the story of the talented neurosurgeon Doctor Stephen Strange who, after a tragic car accident, must put ego aside and learn the secrets of a hidden world of mysticism and alternate dimensions. Based in New York City's Greenwich Village, Doctor Strange must act as an intermediary between the real world and what lies beyond, utilising a vast array of metaphysical abilities and artifacts to protect the world.

Despite the concern that has been raised over some casting choices, all signs are pointing towards this being a very solid entry for Marvel. While it likely won’t have the box office clout of something like The Avengers, with a talented cast that features Benedict Cumberbatch and a story that is much more mystical that what we’re used to seeing from Marvel, this has the potential to be that rare movie that is both a blockbuster and, well, good.

Definitely check this one out.