The reel deal: April movie releases

Movies hitting theaters around San Diego this month are Pet Sematary, Shazam!, Hellboy and Avengers: End Game.

Pet Samatary

They don’t come back the same.

Thriller | Horror

Directed by Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer

Starring Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz and John Lithgow

In theaters: 4.5

After a family of four discovers an ominous burial ground deep within the nearby woods, a sudden loss leads an inconsolable father down a dark path to bring back his dead daughter.

The Best of Enemies

Change is worth fighting for.

Drama | History

Directed by Robin Bissell

Starring Taraji P. Henson, Sam Rockwell and Wes Bentley

In theaters: 4.5

Tempers flare when an outspoken civil rights activist and a local Ku Klux Klan leader co-chair a community summit about school desegregation in this film based on events that transpired in Durham, N.C., during 1971.

Shazam!

Just say the word.

Fantasy | Adventure

Directed by David Sandberg

Starring Zachary Levi, Djimon Hounsou and Mark Strong

In theaters: 4.5

When a scrawny, street-smart teen inherits the ability to transform into a brawny superhero simply by uttering a single word, he must adjust to temporary adulthood while also learning to protect his city.

Peterloo

Drama | History

Directed by Mike Leigh

Starring Nico Mirallegro, Maxine Peake and Rory Kinnear

In theaters: 4.5

Set in Manchester in 1819, British forces burst into a crowd of 60,000 peaceful, pro-democracy protesters, resulting in the Peterloo Massacre — one of the bloodiest chapters in England’s history.

Hellboy

Give evil hell.

Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Directed by Neil Marshall

Starring David Harbour, Milla Jovovich and Sasha Lane

In theaters: 4.12

In this cinematic reboot of the comic book-based franchise, a half-demon caught between the supernatural and human realms confronts a vengeful sorceress threatening Earth’s existence.

After

Nothing will be the same.

Drama | Thriller

Directed by Jenny Gage

Starring Hero Fiennes-Tiffin, Josephine Langford and Pia Mia

In theaters: 4.12

During her first semester of college, an inexperienced student begins a romantic and rocky relationship with a magnetic rebel who hides a troubled past.

Little

She woke up like this.

Comedy | Fantasy

Directed by Tina Gordon

Starring Regina Hall, Issa Rae and Marsai Martin

In theaters: 4.12

An agonizing executive wakes up as her 13-year-old self and must enroll in high school and allow her former assistant to become her guardian while figuring out how to get back into her adult body.

Breakthrough

Biography | Drama

Directed by Grant Nieporte

Starring Chrissy Metz, Josh Lucas and Topher Grace

In theaters: 4.17

Just in time for Easter, this Christian flick tells the true story of a 14-year-old Missouri boy who fell through the ice atop a frozen lake and was declared dead for nearly an hour before his faithful mother used the power of prayer to resurrect him.

Penguins

For Steve, his adventure isn’t all black and white.

Documentary

Directed by Alastair Fothergill and Jeff Wilson

Narrated by Ed Helms

In theaters: 4.17

An Adélie penguin embarks on a mission to find love and start a family in this Disneynature documentary set amid Antarctica’s unforgiving climate.

Avengers: End Game

Part of the journey is the end.

Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo

Starring Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Hemsworth

In theaters: 4.26

In the wake of the Infinity War, the surviving Avengers unite to bring back their fallen allies for one final showdown with the demigod who wreaked havoc across the universe.