(via Shutterstock)
I love big, sprawling, all-encompassing blockbuster movies.
Movies so epic and vast you can lose yourself in, get your escapism hit for the week/day/month and still feel some deep emotional connection and reaction to the character and stories.
These three films deliver all that and a whole heap more and I honestly can’t wait to be in a dark cinema chomping on a choc top (ice cream) and enjoying worlds so much different from my own.
Bring it on!
(courtesy IMP Awards)
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“You’re the only friend I ever had…” The final chapter of the untold story of the witches of Oz begins with Elphaba and Glinda estranged and living with the consequences of their choices. Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), now demonized as The Wicked Witch of the West, lives in exile, hidden in the Ozian forest while continuing her fight for the freedom of Oz’s silenced Animals and desperately trying to expose the truth she knows about The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum). Glinda, meanwhile, has become the glamorous symbol of Goodness for all of Oz, living at the palace in Emerald City and reveling in the perks of fame and popularity. However, under the instruction of Madame Morrible (Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh), Glinda is then deployed to serve as an effervescent comfort to all of Oz, reassuring the masses that all is well under the rule of The Wizard.Wicked: For Good, also known as Wicked: Part Two, is also directed by talented American filmmaker Jon M. Chu, director of the movies Step Up 2: The Streets, The LXD, Step Up 3D, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Jem and the Holograms, Now You See Me 2, Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights, and the first Wicked movie. The screenplay is written by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox. It’s adapted from Holzman & Stephen Schwartz’s stage musical Wicked, which is based on the 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, inspired by The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Produced by Marc Platt and David Stone (of the Broadway musical). (courtesy First Showing)
Wicked: For Good opens on 20 November in Australia and 21 November in U.S.
STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU
(courtesy IMP Awards)
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We see Grogu with his new Anzellan friends and using a tiny telescope as he works alongside Din Djarin. The Mandalorian’s Zeb Orrelios is back, featured in poster art that also includes Sigourney Weaver’s new character and a pair of Hutts. From toppling Imperial remnant AT-ATs to venturing into a gladiator fight where the creatures from Dejarik have become larger than life, and an impressive Hutt can be glimpsed in silhouette, the Mandalorian and Grogu are on a course for action and adventure. The Mandalorian and Grogu is directed by acclaimed American actor / writer / producer / filmmaker Jon Favreau, director of the movies Made, Elf, Zathura: A Space Adventure, Iron Man 1 & 2, Cowboys & Aliens, Chef, The Jungle Book, and The Lion King previously; creator of The Mandalorian series & director of The Chef Show. The screenplay is again written by Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni; based on “Star Wars” created by George Lucas. Produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Dave Filoni, Jon Favreau, and Ian Bryce. (courtesy First Showing)
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu opens 20 May 2026 in Australia and 22 May 2026 in U.S.
(courtesy IMP Awards)
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The sequel to cosmic disaster movie Greenland (2020). In a continuation of the story, the Garrity family, who survive a near-extinction level event when a comet hits Earth, must leave the safety of the Greenland bunker after five years and embark upon a perilous journey across the decimated frozen wasteland of Europe to find a new home. Greenland 2: Migration, also known as simply Greenland: Migration, is once again directed by the American filmmaker / stuntman Ric Roman Waugh, also director of the movies In the Shadows, Felon, Snitch, Shot Caller, Angel Has Fallen, Greenland, National Champions, and Kandahar previously. The screenplay is written by Chris Sparling and Mitchell LaFortune. Produced by Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, Sébastien Raybaud, John Zois, Gerard Butler, Alan Siegel, Brendon Boyea, & Ric Roman Waugh. Made by STX, Anton, Thunder Road, and G-BASE Film Production. (courtesy First Showing)
Greenland 2: Migration release 9 January 2026 in US; no Australian release date at this time.