The May Prime archive of the original Amazon Prime Video series is a study of literary contrasts. On the one hand, we have Underground railway (May 14), a limited series of prestige produced by Oscar winner Barry Jenkins (Moon’s light), adapting the novel of the same name, winner of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize, a slightly fantastic barnburner of alternative history, who imagines his slaves escaping from captivity through a network of literal underground locomotives. On the other hand, we have Panic! (May 28). Based on the book by YA author Lauren Oliver, this exploitation thriller tries to put attractive teenagers in scary situations while trying to deal with their final fears.
I don’t know about you, but I’ll focus on the first one first. Beyond Jenkins’ involvement, Underground railway it is simply one of the most captivating novels I have read in the last decade, a book that struggles with America’s darkest legacy in a matter that drips from metaphor and meaning. The ingenious trailer certainly promises a lot, both in terms of narration (which follows the troubles of Cora, who runs away from a plantation in Georgia pursued by the ruthless slavecatcher Ridgeway), and sumptuous images. Amazon is clearly fighting for HBO’s prestige here:
Panic!, as its breathless title suggests, is far less daring, mixing a cast of unknown young actors with a deliriously stupid premise: What if you could get rid of your boring, small-town existence by winning a game that demands you to face – and overcome – various situations that cause fear, from entering someone’s house to facing a night in a haunted house. What if, really. There is no trailer for this yet, but it certainly sounds built to be steady.
He is also arriving this month Alone (May 21), a series of anthologies with a goose concept (“The seven-part anthology series explores the strange, beautiful, heartbreaking, hilarious, wonderful truths about what it means to be human,” according to a press release) and a sincere cast, which includes Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathaway, Helen Mirren, Anthony Mackie, Dan Stevens and Constance Wu.
All this and a bunch of old movies: Here’s everything coming to Amazon Prime Video in May 2021.
1st May
- Alien: Resurrection (1997)
- Alien 3 (1992)
- The aliens (1986)
- Almost famous (2000)
- Angels and Demons (2009)
- Betrayed (1988)
- Bound (1996)
- Deuce Bigalow: Male gigolo (1999)
- Dinosaur 13 (2014)
- Charm (2004)
- Flight (2012)
- Flight plan (2005)
- Georgia’s rule (2018)
- Green area (2010)
- Gunsight Ridge (1957)
- Hidalgo (2004)
- How Stella regained her groove (1998)
- Jumping broom (2011)
- Knowing (2009)
- Leather heads (2008)
- Nanny Mcphee (2006)
- Nanny McPhee returns (2010)
- A good day (1996)
- Priest (2011)
- Fire watering (2002)
- Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
- resident Evil (2002)
- Rio (2011)
- Sahara (1983)
- Woman’s scent (1992)
- See Without harm, Do not hear evil (1989)
- kill (1991)
- The time of Adaline (2015)
- Dalton girls (1957)
- Da Vinci’s code (2006)
- French connection (1971)
- Green wasp (2011)
- The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia (2013)
- The Indian in the closet (1995)
- Ladykillers (2004)
- Men watching goats (2009)
- exterior (1980)
- The secret life of bees (2008)
- The sixth Sense (1999)
- The sweetest thing (2002)
- Casting hell (1974)
- Two for the money (2005)
- Unbreakable (2000)
- Point of view (2008)
5th of May
May 7
- The boy from Medellín –Original Amazon Movie (2020)
- Violation (2020)
9th of May
May 13
May 14
- Underground railway—Amazon Original Series: Season 1
May 19
- Red Dawn (2012)
- Trump (2015)
21 May
- P! Nk: Everything I know so far—Original Amazon Movie (2021)
- Alone—Original Amazon series: limited series
May 28
- Panic—Amazon Original Series: Season 1
This post was edited after publication; an earlier version incorrectly identified Barry Jenkins as director of Twelve years a slave.