Killer unicorns, reject superheroes and a giant Great Dane arrive in theaters this spring

Spring has sprung, and with it comes a fresh bouquet of offerings at the local cineplex.

Spring has sprung, and with it comes a fresh bouquet of offerings at the local cineplex. While not summer blockbuster season just yet, this spring’s movie lineup includes some big titles. Here’s a roundup of some of the standout cinema arriving in theaters from now through Memorial Day: A sometimes thrilling, often silly genre mashup featuring Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega, this movie trots a path between fantastical mystery, creature feature and gross-out gore flick. With some unmissable easter-egg tributes to films like “Aliens,” “E.T.” and “Jurassic Park,” “Unicorn” looks like a horse of a time at the movies, also thanks to a sidesplitting and scene-stealing Will Poulter. Dealing with a beast of an entirely different nature, “The Friend” stars Naomi Watts as a writer grieving her mentor (Bill Murray) who ends up inheriting his enormous dog. From the trailer alone, the film looks undeniably heartwarming, if you’re into that whole (wo)man’s-best-friend sort of thing. It’s based on the novel by Sigrid Nunez. In the spirit of “Red Eye,” this sleek thriller places an unsuspecting woman (“White Lotus” Season 2 breakout Meghann Fahy) in the crosshairs of a maniac while she’s on a date with a handsome suitor (“It Ends with Us” star Brandon Sklenar). Utilizing today’s sometimes invasive smartphone technology as a major plot device, “Drop” looks like it takes more than a few twists and turns before it hangs up. Written and directed by Iraq War veteran Ray Mendoza along with Alex Garland – filmmaker behind last year’s “Civil War” – “Warfare” is a harrowing true-to-life account of a Navy SEAL platoon as they engage in combat while embedded in an Iraqi home, told in real time. From the trailer alone, this one is not for the faint of heart.