If you will, Jonas Akerlund’s Polar is the over-the-top version of John Wick. Just as brutal and stylish as Keanu Reeves’ professional killer, Mads Mikkelsen takes action as “Black Kaiser” and turns hordes of opponents into pieces. The whole thing is staged in garish, overexposed images and, in addition to all the bloody violence, is also enriched with humor that is often quite vulgar to cynical, which can certainly (and perhaps should) alienate viewers.

The fact that “Polar” is getting a sequel is not so surprising at this point, because the crazy action thriller has been a real success on Netflix. As has been confirmed by various industry magazines, the next part awaits us with The Black Kaiser. However, the project causes confusion even before its release, because the film is said to be neither a sequel nor a prequel…

Like Polar, The Black Kaiser will be based on Victor Santos’ graphic novel Polar. Jonas Akerlund will direct the film again, while Mads Mikkelsen returns to the lead role. As with Polar, Constantin Film and JB Pictures are responsible for the production. It remains to be seen whether The Black Kaiser will then be returned to the Netflix streaming service in the same way or whether it will actually be shown in the cinema this time.

Mads Mikkelsen, who plays the world’s deadliest hitman with Duncan Vizla aka “The Black Kaiser”, uncovers a conspiracy with serious consequences that is protected by a powerful syndicate – which Duncan wants to get rid of as quickly as possible. One can assume that this is a kind of reboot that doesn’t refer to “Polar”, but tells its own story – with the exception that we have just met the black emperor.

Mikkelsen himself co-wrote the screenplay for The Black Kaiser with Polar writer Jayson Rothwell. Commenting on the project, Jeremy Bolt, one of the film’s co-producers, said: “We are thrilled to be working with the brilliant Mads Mikkelsen and visionary Jonas Akerlund on this explosive, action-packed, funny, surprising and slightly wacky emotional journey.”

Attention witch horror fans! Netflix has a new and an expiring film on this topic this weekend – and you should definitely watch the expiring one, because Robert Eggers’ The Witch, available on Netflix through May 15, is an abysmal disturbing horror film with an extra dose of pretense and probably the best witch horror in recent years.

Judging by the trailer, the horror film Curse Of The Witching Tree – The Evil Never Dies, which was released on DVD in 2016 and will now find its way to Netflix on May 14, 2022, seems rather undemanding. Especially compared to the critically acclaimed and beautifully photographed The Witch, Curse Of The Witching Tree feels like cheap trash about the centuries-old curse of an executed witch. Also the 4.10 out of 10 points in the IMDB-User ratings do not suggest anything good – if you like, you can at least take a look at the trailer.

Curse Of The Witching Tree – Evil Never Dies Trailer OV

But since “Curse Of The Witching Tree” definitely seems like the worse alternative when it comes to witch horror, we want to put our focus on “The Witch” again and strongly recommend you to use the narrow window of time and the horror drama to watch until Sunday evening. In order to be able to appreciate the film sufficiently, however, expectations are also important – otherwise disappointment sets in quickly. Anyone who expects classic horror with jump scares, lots of special effects and liters of blood will be left in the dark. Because “The Witch” is kept in grey-brown, gloomy images and unfolds its terror mainly through the increasingly unpleasant atmosphere.

Why grey-brown? Because the world of the Christian settlers in New England around 1630, in which “The Witch” takes place, was not exactly colorful – in the literal as well as in the figurative sense. The deeply religious couple William (Ralph Ineson) and Katherine (Kate Dickie) live with their five children on the edge of a forest, everyday life is characterized by fear of God and austerity. But then strange events unfold, leading to daughter Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy) being accused of witchcraft, and the family spiraling into a whirlwind of accusations and superstition.

The Witch Trailer DF

Visually, the no-frills, atmospheric film is a real feast, says our FILMSTARTS review, and offers horror with an extra pinch of sophistication. And even without blatant shock effects, “The Witch” is not harmless at all, but abysmal disturbing – for that it gets a strong four out of five stars.

By the way, if you like director Robert Eggers’ very own visual language, you can currently also watch his Viking epic “The Northman” with Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman and “The Witch” star Anya Taylor-Joy in the cinema. At the latest after “The Witch” you should be warned: Things are sometimes a bit different with Eggers, and so “The Northman” isn’t just the cinema version of pleasing Viking hits like “Vikings”, but a raw, blood-soaked, visually stunning epic that will offend some people.

The Northman Trailer (2) DF

“The Sopranos” was awarded 21 (!) Emmys and countless other awards, in 2013 the Writers Guild Of America voted the undisputed masterpiece the best-written series of all time and TV Guide named it the best series ever anyway. And we too have fallen for the TV mafia epic, as the saga about gangster boss Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) takes second place in the official FILMSTARTS ranking of the best series of all time. Of course, the expectations of The Many Saints Of Newark were correspondingly astronomical, which the prequel could never really live up to. In fact.

The “Sopranos” prequel is not only a really well-rounded thing, but for us it is even one of the best films of 2021. So if you may have missed the film in the cinema and have not made up for it since then, there is nothing wrong with catching up on it now: “The Many Saints Of Newark” is now available as a subscription to Sky and Sky Ticket. And that fits perfectly, because that’s where you get the HBO mafia complete package. Because all “Sopranos” seasons are currently available as a stream.

» “The Many Saints Of Newark” on Sky Ticket*
» “The Sopranos” on Sky Ticket*

Newark in the 1960s: The New Jersey city is rocked by race riots. It comes to an argument between Italian-American and Afro-American criminals who leave a bloody trail through the country not far from New York. Right in the middle: gangster boss Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola), who runs the affairs of the mafia and with Tony Soprano (Michael Gandolfini), takes an aspiring criminal genius under his wing.

The Many Saints Of Newark Trailer DF

Fascinated by his Uncle Dickie and the power he enjoys, Tony quickly adapts to the ways of life in the underworld. And Moltisanti knows exactly how to use that respect for its dirty business. But what he doesn’t know: Tony is at least as unscrupulous as he is…

“A feast for ‘Soprano’ fans”, writes author Nikolas Masin, among other things, in the official FILMSTARTS review of “The Many Saints Of Newark”, in which the prequel to the cult series with 4.5 out of 5 possible stars is only a hair’s breadth missed the top rating.

The film, for which “Sopranos” director Alan Taylor (“Thor”, “Game Of Thrones”) and author Lawrence Konner are returning, expands the series universe “in a masterfully organic way”. The film is full of cross-references without becoming a meaningless Easter egg scavenger hunt, skilfully brings well-known scenes and characters (in the form of new actors) to life and also scores with a framework story that brings a breath of fresh air into the “Sopranos” concept. In the conclusion to the prehistory, in which you also mafia film legend Ray Liotta (“GoodFellas”), Vera Farmiga (Conjuring”), Leslie Odom Jr. (“Hamilton”) and the Marvel stars Jon Bernthal (“The Punisher”) ) and Corey Stoll (“Ant-Man”) expect, it also says:

The expectations for a “Sopranos” movie on the big screen were obviously huge, although the chances of failure were great. But now the prequel really clears up every line. “The Many Saints Of Newark’“ is a nostalgia-soaked love letter to the fans – and at the same time quite on par with the best gangster films of recent years such as Martin Scorsese “The Irishman“.

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