Each week on Atom Insider, we’re giving you the heads up on the biggest and most talked about films arriving in theaters. This week has something for just about everyone, including an animated family film, an action thriller, a fantasy rom-com, and even a horror movie.

Chris Pratt Is Back For Another Block Party

 

In 2014, The Lego Movie surprised just about everyone. We thought it was just going to be just another generic kids film trying to sell kids toys, but instead, we got a hilarious, heartfelt love letter about growing up that was meaningful to parents, kids, and everyone in between.

The question over a sequel was practically a given, and even though we’ve gotten two spinoffs in the meantime with The Lego Batman Movie and The Lego Ninjago Movie, Warner Bros. has finally come out with The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, which continues the adventures of Emmet (Chris Pratt), Lucy (Elizabeth Banks), and all their friends in and around Bricksburg.

The first film’s directors were Phil Lord & Chris Miller, who are only co-writers this time around along with Matt Fogel. The director for The Second Part is Mike Mitchell, whose filmography ranges from Deuce Bigalow (definitely not a film you’d think of when it comes to this genre) to the fourth Shrek, Sky High, and even Trolls. It’s also been reported that Trisha Gum, an art department coordinator who worked on The Lego Batman Movie, also helped direct, though she’s not officially credited. Regardless, The Second Part is already getting universal acclaim from critics, as well as audiences attending early screenings. If you’re a fan of the first film’s wacky humor and self-satirical writing, you’ll probably want to get the whole family to see what the “second part” is all about.

Liam Neeson Is In ‘Cold Pursuit’ Of Revenge

 

Ever since Taken was a surprise hit at the box office over a decade ago, Liam Neeson has gotten plenty of roles as an action star in tense, low-budget thrillers. But for the first time in a while, his latest film Cold Pursuit is getting uniquely positive buzz from critics, mainly because on top of good action, it might actually have some tonally consistent humor.

The new film from Lionsgate centers around Nels Coxman (Neeson), a snow plower who goes on a vengeance-fueled rampage against the drug lords connected to his son’s untimely death. Hailed as an “ice-cold” vigilante in the film, Neeson is joined by an incredible cast: Laura Dern, Tom Bateman, Emmy Rossum, William Forsythe, Julia Jones, and Raoul Max Trujillo.

Originally titled Hard Powder, Cold Pursuit is a remake of a Norwegian film called In Order of Disappearance. And fittingly enough, it’s directed by Hans Petter Moland, the same director of the original film. That definitely doesn’t happen all that often. Based on what we’re hearing from early reviews, Cold Pursuit looks like a creatively vicious good time at the movies if you’re in the mood for something a bit more mature.

Taraji P. Henson Discovers ‘What Men Want’

 

Remember that early 2000s Nancy Meyers film where Mel Gibson mysteriously obtains the power to read minds, but only women’s minds? Yeah, us too, unfortunately. But as a spiritual successor to a film that has probably aged…poorly, Paramount’s What Men Want reverses the rules into a comedy that might just be worth your time.

Taraji P. Henson stars as Ali, a sports agent who is sick and tired of being excluded from the “boys club” at her workplace. Through the aid of a rare kind of tea (and unexpected head trauma), she’s able to read the mind of any man she comes into contact with and uses this mysterious ability to get ahead in her career and relationships.

What Men Want has quite a few things going for it. The cast, including Henson, is pretty strong and includes Aldis Hodge, Richard Roundtree, Max Greenfield, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and Tracy Morgan, along with some fun cameos. It’s also directed by Adam Shankman, who’s known for some great ’90s and ’00s comedies like The Wedding Planner, The Pacifier, and Hairspray. Check out the trailer and decide for yourself if you’re ready to find out just what makes men tick.

Being A Kid Is Seriously Scary In ‘The Prodigy’

 

We actually don’t know all that much about this new child-possession horror film from Orion except that it’s a new child-possession horror film from Orion. We do know, of course, that The Prodigy is directed by Nicholas McCarthy (The Pact, At the Devil’s Door) and written by Jeff Buhler. It’s about a mother (Taylor Schilling) who tries to save her young kid (Jackson Robert Scott) from an evil spirit possessing him. If you’re in the mood for a jump-scare horror film about the supernatural, then you’re in luck this weekend.

 

Stay tuned next week for our recap of how these movies fared at the box office. To get tickets to these movies and more, head to the Atom Tickets homepage.

 

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