From The Matrix Resurrections to Spider-Man No Way Home: Must-see holiday movie guide

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and with everything from The Matrix Resurrections to Spider-Man: No Way Home set for the big screen, it’s certainly true when it comes to holiday movies. Whether you’re in the mood for musicals, superheroes or inspirational true stories, plan your festive season around some of the most-anticipated releases of the year.

Wolf

Starring: Lily-Rose Depp, George MacKay, Paddy Considine, Martin McCann, Terry Notary  
Director: Nathalie Biancheri 
Release Date: December 3, 2021 

Nothing kicks off the holiday season like a film about a man who believes he’s a wolf. Diagnosed with species dysphoria, Jacob (George MacKay) admits himself to a treatment clinic (called a zoo) with others who believe they’re animals to undergo radical therapy. Here he meets a wildcat (played by Lily-Rose Depp), who is normally an enemy of the wolf. But as he grows closer to Depp’s wildcat, Jacob will need to figure out which part of himself he really wants to be. The sophomore film by Nathalie Biancheri, known for 2019’s Nocturnal, had its world premiere at TIFF earlier this year. 

West Side Story

Starring: Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Rita Moreno  
Director: Steven Spielberg 
Release Date: December 10, 2021 

There have been many incarnations of West Side Story since its 1957 Broadway premiere, including a 1961 film adaptation and multiple stage productions along with pop culture references in everything from Toy Story 3 to The Office. The classic tale of forbidden love set amidst the rivalry of the Sharks and the Jets in 1950s New York City will be brought back to the big screen by Steven Spielberg with his first-ever musical in a colourful and extravagant reimagining. It stars Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler as leads Tony and Maria and also features the return of Rita Moreno, who won an Oscar for her role in the original film and plays a new character in this adaptation. She is also an executive producer on the film.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Starring: Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zendaya, Willem Dafoe, J.K. Simmons    
Director: Jon Watts
Release Date: December 17, 2021 

Spider-Man: No Way Home is one of the most highly anticipated films of the holiday season. With Peter Parker’s identity being revealed in Far From Home and rumours that previous Spiderman actors like Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire may appear, it’s not hard to see why. In the latest adaptation, Tom Holland reprises his role as Parker, who enlists the help of Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to help reclaim his secret identity. In doing so they accidently open up the Multiverse inviting a number of enemies and allies to their reality. The film will also feature the return of some classic villains such as Alfred Molina as Dr. Octopus, William Dafoe’s Green Goblin, Jamie Foxx’s Electro and J.K. Simmons’ Jameson.

Nightmare Alley

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Release Date: December 17, 2021 

Not all holiday dreams have to be made of sugar plums. Some can be nightmares — at least when they include a film with a stacked cast like Nightmare Alley. Guillermo del Toro’s latest psychological thriller stars Bradley Cooper as Stanton Carlisle, a carny turned medium who attempts to swindle a psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett) but gets more than he bargained for when she is not what she seems. Filming for the movie began in January 2020 in Toronto, where the city was transformed into the 1940s, as well as in Buffalo, NY. Shooting briefly shut down for the pandemic but resumed in September 2020. 

The film is an adaptation of the 1946 novel of the same name (not a remake of the 1947 film that starred Tyrone Power and Joan Blondell) and del Toro has made it clear this is not a horror movie but instead his take on classic film noir. Nightmare Alley also features Toni Collette, Rooney Mara, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Mary Steenburgen and David Strathairn. 

The Matrix Resurrections

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Christina Ricci, Priyanka Chopra, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Director: Lana Wachowski 
Release Date: December 22, 2021

It’s time to re-enter the Matrix. Eighteen years after the third and then final movie The Matrix Revolutions, Keanu Reeves reprises his role as Thomas/Neo for The Matrix Resurrections. The trailer opens with Thomas seeing a therapist about his strange dreams and an encounter with Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) where neither seem to remember each other. The fate of both characters was in question at the end of the last film so it will be interesting to see how that is addressed here. The trailer also shows Neo dumping a bottle of blue pills down the drain, implying he’s ready to learn the truth about the Matrix once again. 

Joining the cast are Neil Patrick Harris, Priyanka Chopra and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Morpheus but it’s unclear if he’s playing the same character Laurence Fishburne made popular in the trilogy. Lana Wachowski (who directed the first three movies with her sister Lilly) returns to helm the highly anticipated fourth installment fans have waited all these years for. And after the strange past couple of years everyone’s had, we can’t think of a more perfect time to go back down the rabbit hole.

Sing 2

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Taron Egerton, Tori Kelly, Reese Witherspoon, Bono 
Director: Garth Jennings 
Release Date: December 22, 2021 

Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) and the gang are back, and this time they must convince a reclusive rock star Clay Calloway (none other than Bono) to be part of a massive new show in the entertainment capital of the world, Redshore City. Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson and Taron Egerton are amongst the all-star cast that reprise their animated roles. The sequel also features new characters voiced by Halsey, Pharrell Williams and Black Panther’s Letitia Wright.

The King’s Man

Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Harris Dickinson, Gemma Arterton, Djimon Hounsou, Stanley Tucci  
Director: Matthew Vaughn 
Release Date: December 22, 2021 

If you’re in the mood for a period action spy flick this holiday season look no further than The King’s Man. The third movie in the Kingsman series is a prequel to the previous two films and an origin story of the independent intelligence agency set in the early 20th century. Ralph Fiennes leads the all-star cast that also includes Harris Dickinson, Gemma Arterton, Djimon Hounsou and Stanley Tucci. The King’s Man (that has Fiennes’s Oxford trying to stop criminals from starting a war that could threaten humanity), is the perfect movie to tide us over until the final film in the original trilogy that will feature the return of Taron Egerton and Colin Firth as Eggsy and Harry Hart.

A Journal for Jordan

Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Robert Wisdom, Tamara Tunie, Chanté Adams, Vanessa Aspillaga 
Director: Denzel Washington 
Release Date: December 22, 2021

From director Denzel Washington comes the inspiring film A Journal for Jordan, based on the true story of Sgt. Charles Monroe King (played by Michael B. Jordan) who wrote letters to his newborn son while being stationed in Iraq. Chanté Adams plays King’s wife Dana Canedy, who released the memoir A Journal for Jordan: A Story of Love and Honor about the life-altering events in 2008.

American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story

Starring: Zachary Levi, Anna Paquin, Dennis Quaid, Adam Baldwin, Bruce McGill  
Director: Andrew Erwin, Jon Erwin 
Release Date: December 25, 2021 

Another inspirational true story set for Christmas Day is American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story. Zachary Levi plays the title character who overcomes numerous obstacles to go from a grocery store clerk to a two-time NFL MVP, Super Bowl champion and Hall of Fame quarterback. Anna Paquin plays Warner’s wife Brenda and Dennis Quaid stars as coach Dick Vermeil. 

Cyrano

Starring: Haley Bennett, Ben Mendelsohn, Peter Dinklage, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Bashir Salahuddin  
Director: Joe Wright 
Release Date: December 31, 2021 

The classic story of Cyrano will get a fresh adaptation this holiday season with Peter Dinklage in the lead role. Based on the French play Cyrano de Bergerac, Cyrano is a poet too self conscious to pursue the object of his affection Roxanne (Haley Bennett) himself but writes love letters for another man Christian (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) to give to her. With a Dec. 31 release, the romantic musical is the perfect way to close off 2021.