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The 42 Best Movies on Hulu This Week (July 2025)
Gaming Gear

The 42 Best Movies on Hulu This Week (July 2025)

by admin June 25, 2025


In 2017, Hulu made television history by becoming the first streaming network to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, thanks to the phenomenon that was The Handmaid’s Tale (which returned in April for its sixth and final season).

While Netflix has largely cornered the streaming market on original movies—and even managed to persuade A-listers like Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón, and Martin Scorsese to come aboard—Hulu is starting to find its footing in features too, securing the exclusive rights to a large number of Oscar-nominated movies like A Real Pain and Anora. Below are some of our top picks for the best movies (original and otherwise) streaming on Hulu right now.

Still looking for more great titles to add to your queue? Check out WIRED’s guides to the best TV shows on Hulu, best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Disney+, and the best movies on Amazon Prime. Don’t like our picks, or want to offer suggestions of your own? Head to the comments below.

If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more.

28 Weeks Later

Five years after Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s post-apocalyptic triumph with 28 Days Later, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo took the reins to continue telling the saga of the Rage Virus that has overtaken London. In this case, the US military has taken control of the island of Great Britain in an attempt to restore order and keep the survivors safe. The story focuses on a family—parents Don (Robert Carlyle) and Alice (Catherine McCormack) and kids Tammy (Imogen Poots) and Andy (Mackintosh Muggleton)—who might hold the key to a cure. It makes a perfect preshow to a screening of Doyle and Garland’s new 28 Years Later.

Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything

Just over two years after her death, documentarian Jackie Jesko delves into the life of Barbara Walters, the trailblazing journalist who knew exactly which questions to ask someone to elicit an emotional response—and how to get under her interview subjects’ skin, too. Many of the people Walters both inspired and occasionally annoyed (see: Katie Couric and Oprah Winfrey) offer their insights into Walters and the important role she played in breaking down barriers for the female journalists who came after her.

Idiocracy

Like Office Space before it, Mike Judge’s Idiocracy wasn’t an immediate hit upon its release in 2006. But it has gained a much wider and more devoted following since then. A totally average man (Luke Wilson) and woman (Maya Rudolph) agree to take part in a top-secret experiment that will see them sleep for a year then reemerge into a new world. But the duo are forgotten about when the military base where they’re hibernating shuts down. When they’re eventually rediscovered in 2505, the world has degraded in such a way that Wilson’s Joe is now the smartest man in the world—a problem for Joe, and the world at large.

Mission: Impossible—Fallout

Tom Cruise recently returned to theaters as Ethan Hunt for what is presumably his last go-round as the secret agent the government turns to for its most unenviable missions. While Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning was breaking box office records, Hulu went back to the beginning—and then some—by bringing the first six (of eight total) M:I movies into their library. If you want to watch them in order, you’ll kick it off with Brian De Palma’s 1996 original. If you’d rather go straight to the series’ best entry, choose 2018’s Fallout, which marks Christopher McQuarrie’s sophomore outing as director of the franchise. (He has directed all of the films since 2015’s Rogue Nation, including The Final Reckoning.) The sixth film is the first to feature a returning director, who opted to pair the action with more emotion than previous entries had seen. Between that and an extended cast that includes Henry Cavill and Vanessa Kirby—plus the return of Michelle Monaghan—it marks a different kind of Mission for Hunt.

The Order

We previously included The Order in our list of “The 10 Best Movies You Missed in 2024,” and we stand by that claim. Fortunately, the time has come for Hulu subscribers to right that wrong. Justin Kurzel directs this gritty tale of corruption and extremism from the Pacific Northwest to Middle America. Terry Husk (Jude Law) is an FBI agent who believes that a series of daylight robberies he’s investigating are linked to a local white supremacist group that is attempting to fund a war on America. The investigation eventually leads him to Bob Mathews (Nicholas Hoult), the unlikely leader of The Order, a neo-Nazi group. That the film is based on a true story makes it all the more heartbreaking.

Small Things Like These

Eight months after winning the Best Actor Oscar for Oppenheimer, Cillian Murphy delivered just as powerful a performance in this adaptation of Claire Keegan’s 2021 novella. It brings Murphy back to the kind of films he’s best known for—quiet, character-driven indies about working class people. Here, he plays Bill Furlong, a coal merchant, husband, and father of five daughters who witnesses a disturbing scene with a young girl at the local convent and school for girls. When he feels compelled to investigate further, and question the young girl’s treatment, Bill puts a target on his own back—and that of his family—when the convent’s Mother Superior (Emily Watson) believes Bill is asking too many questions. Ultimately, despite veiled threats from the sister, his compassion overwhelms his fear of retribution.

Longlegs

Between It Follows, The Guest, and Watcher, Maika Monroe has become this generation’s scream queen. She adds to that genre resume in this offbeat thriller from Osgood Perkins (son of Psycho star Anthony Perkins) playing Lee Harker, an FBI agent who has a sixth sense when it comes to murder investigations. But something feels eerily familiar when she’s asked to investigate a string of murder-suicides that some of her colleagues believe is the work of a possible serial killer. Monroe delivers yet another great performance as Lee, but it’s Nicolas Cage who delivers the most unhinged (to the point of being unintentionally comical) performance here.

Alien: Romulus

Alien: Romulus—which is set between the events of Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986)—is about a scenario you’ve probably heard before: a group of people journeying around space find an abandoned space station, which they decide to investigate. This, of course, leads them right into the arms/faces of the Alien franchise’s regular cast of extraterrestrial baddies (see: facehuggers, chestbursters, and Xenomorphs). Writer-director Fede Álvarez, who helmed the 2013 Evil Dead reimagining, manages to bring new life to a decades-old franchise with this sequel.

A Complete Unknown

Timothée Chalamet shines in James Mangold’s Bob Dylan biopic, which earned eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Chalamet. The film follows Dylan’s early career, beginning in January 1961—when he hitchhiked from Minnesota to New York City to meet and perform for his musical idol, Woody Guthrie. That’s also where the then-19-year-old met folk musician Pete Seeger (played by Edward Norton, who snagged a Best Supporting Actor nod), who became one of Dylan’s earliest champions. Seeger was also instrumental in Dylan’s game-changing performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, which is where the movie culminates. Whether you know everything or nothing about Dylan, it’s a fascinating story.

Anora

If you missed Anora in theaters, you can now watch it on Hulu—even if it did mess with your Oscar pool ballot. Anora, who prefers to be called Ani (Best Actress winner Mikey Madison), is an exotic dancer whose services are called upon when Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn), the spoiled son of a Russian oligarch, comes to the club where she works, asking for a dancer who speaks Russian. Their VIP room evening turns into a (paid) sexual encounter outside the club … then another, then another. During a spontaneous trip to Las Vegas, the two get married, with Ani believing she has found her happily-ever-after. Vanya’s parents are less optimistic and make it clear that Vanya has two choices: his marriage or their money. Director Sean Baker, the critically acclaimed filmmaker behind The Florida Project (2017) and Red Rocket (2021), has yet again made a powerful dramedy that highlights the plight of marginalized characters.

Sexy Beast

Gal Dove (Ray Winstone) is a former criminal who, after serving out a prison sentence, has retired to Spain where he lives out his days lounging by the pool and adored by a wife (Amanda Redman) he loves. But his bliss is interrupted by the arrival of Don Logan (Ben Kingsley), a former associate and Gal’s nemesis, who has been sent from London to recruit Gal for a complicated heist. Despite Gal’s insistence that he’s retired, Don isn’t willing to take no for an answer—which leads to a confrontation that could destroy the peaceful existence Gal has created for himself. Winstone and Kingsley offer a masterclass in acting as archenemies each doing their best to get what they want. Though Kingsley earned an Oscar nomination for the role, the movie itself has been largely—and unfortunately—forgotten.

Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)

“If you’re Sly Stone, there’s no blueprint for what comes next.” That’s the basic idea behind Sly Lives!, Questlove’s brilliant follow-up to the equally compelling Summer of Soul—the rockumentary that won the Roots’ drummer an Academy Award in 2022. He could well be headed for Oscar recognition once again with this deep dive into the rise and fall of the groundbreaking band Sly & The Family Stone, and the higher standards to which Black artists have traditionally been held. Questlove knows what he’s talking about, and so he serves as a perfect guide into this side of the music industry. The film was hauntingly timed, too. Stone passed away on June 9.

Alien

Though it arrived in theaters in 1979, Alien has lost none of its potency in the intervening years—which isn’t something most fortysomethings can say. By now you probably know the story by heart: The crew aboard the spacecraft Nostromo, including warrant officer Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), put a presumably slight pause on their trip back to Earth in order to respond to a distress call from a nearby planetoid. But what they discover is a bizarre alien life-form that seems to delight in knocking off crew members in new—and frequently terrifying—ways. Can you say Facehugger? Or Chestburster? Alien is also noteworthy for being the film that kicked off a bona fide, and legendary, sci-fi/horror franchise—and introduced the world to Ridley Scott, who changed the genre game yet again with his next feature, Blade Runner.

Prometheus

Though the fifth film in the Alien franchise was met with mixed reviews upon its initial release in 2012, it’s one of those movies that has grown better with age and each successive viewing. Ridley Scott directs a script cowritten by Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof, which follows a team of scientists (led by Noomi Rapace and Logan Marshall-Green) who are traveling the galaxy in the hopes of unlocking the mysteries of how humankind came to be. But not every creature they encounter is as interested in finding the answers to life’s big mysteries. The (kinda) prequel marks Michael Fassbender’s first appearance in the franchise, playing a jack-of-all-trades android (a role he reprised in 2017’s Alien: Covenant). Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce, and Ben Foster round out the stellar cast.

A Real Pain

Kieran Culkin continues his run as Hollywood’s most lovable scene-stealer in this buddy-ish road trip comedy written, directed, produced by, and costarring Jesse Eisenberg (who earned an Oscar nod for the screenplay). David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Culkin) travel to Poland in honor of their late grandmother, a Holocaust survivor. Despite going down two very different paths in life and their opposing personalities, the two find a way to reconnect and prove that blood is thicker than water. Culkin nabbed his first-ever Oscar for the role, while Eisenberg was gifted Polish citizenship.

Arcadian

Nicolas Cage does what Nicolas Cage does best (read: chew quite a bit of scenery) in this postapocalyptic thriller in which a father, Paul (Cage), and his twin sons Thomas (Jaeden Martell) and Joseph (Maxwell Jenkins) are three of the only people remaining on earth. Making this scenario even more challenging is the fact that they are terrorized at night by homicidal creatures dead-set on ridding the planet of all humans. When Thomas goes missing, Paul must venture out into the night to find him—an ill-advised adventure that ultimately leaves Paul wounded, fighting for his life, and relying on his sons to keep them all alive.

Nightbitch

Marielle Heller writes and directs this adaptation of Rachel Yoder’s 2018 novel—a bitingly dark horror-comedy about the challenges of motherhood. Amy Adams reveals a ferocity rarely seen in the six-time Oscar nominee’s previous performances. Here, she’s a stay-at-home mom simply known as Mother who begins to resent her husband (Scoot McNairy) and even her young son for stripping her of her previous identity as an artist. And at the same time, she begins to think that maybe she’s turning into a dog. Which all makes a lot more sense in the context of the movie.

Thelma

June Squibb is the action hero you didn’t know you needed. In the decade since her Oscar-nominated turn in Alexander Payne’s Nebraska, the 95-year-old actress has become one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actors. Here, she plays the eponymous grandma who is swindled out of $10,000 by a phone scammer targeting elderly citizens. When the authorities seem reluctant to take any real action, Thelma grabs a gun and her motorized scooter and takes the law into her own hands. Best of all? This vigilante comedy is based on writer-director Josh Margolin’s own grandmother.

Ad Astra

At an unspecified date in the near future, US Space Command Major Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) learns that mysterious power surges originating from an old space station are posing a threat to Earth. When he finds out that the activity can be traced back to the Lima Project—a search for extraterrestrial life led by his father, H. Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones), who has been lost in space for 30 years—Roy journeys into the unknown. When cowriter/director James Gray announced the project, he very boldly stated that he was hoping to create “the most realistic depiction of space travel that’s been put in a movie.” Did he succeed? Watch and make your own determination.

Late Night With the Devil

In the 1970s, Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian) is a late-night talk show host who is constantly chasing Johnny Carson’s ratings but simply cannot compete. He scores the highest ratings of his career when he sits down for an interview with his beloved wife, Madeleine (Georgina Haig), who is dying of cancer. When she passes away shortly afterward, Jack halts production on his show entirely. When he’s eventually ready to come back to work he’s even more determined to compete with Carson, so he decides to throw an occult-themed Halloween show for the ages, complete with a psychic (Fayssal Bazzi), a parapsychologist (Laura Gordon), and a possessed teen (Ingrid Torelli) who seems to know more about Jack and Madeleine’s relationship than he bargained for. Many critics have deemed Late Night With the Devil the best horror movie of 2024—and with good reason.

Babes

Pamela Adlon’s directorial debut does for motherhood what Bridesmaids did for marriage. New Yorkers Eden (Ilana Glazer) and Dawn (Michelle Buteau) are lifelong best friends with decades of history and traditions but now find themselves facing very different chapters in their lives. Dawn, who is struggling with postpartum depression, is trying hard to balance the demands of being a working mom and partner to her husband, while Eden has never been burdened by such demands. But when she discovers she’s pregnant after a one-night stand and determines that she is ready to be a single mom, their friendship begins to fracture in ways they never would have imagined. Glazer and Buteau’s chemistry as BFFs is undeniable in this brash comedy that isn’t always pretty, in part because of its brutal honesty.

Kinds of Kindness

Just three months after Poor Things scored four Oscar wins in 2024, Yorgos Lanthimos got much of the gang back together—including Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Margaret Qualley—for Kinds of Kindness, which debuted at Cannes. Unlike his previous works, this one is an anthology film, or what came to be marketed as a “triptych fable.” Just like the writer-director’s other movies, it is born from a place of absurdist comedy and over-the-top performances from its stars. Sex cults, reanimation, sandwiches, murder-happy bosses, and John McEnroe’s smashed tennis racket all play a part in the wildly fun festivities.

Little Women

Greta Gerwig is far (far) from the first writer-director to adapt Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women for the big screen. And she’s certainly not the first person to do an admirable job of it. (Gillian Armstrong’s 1994 version starring Winona Ryder and Christian Bale is still a much beloved interpretation.) Yet Gerwig made the 19th century tale seem practically modern-day, and different from all the rest, with seemingly small decisions like playing with the novel’s timelines. It also doesn’t hurt that it just happens to star some of the most impressive actors working today, including Saoirse Ronan, Timothée Chalamet, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, James Norton, Laura Dern, Chris Cooper, Tracy Letts, Meryl Streep, and Bob Odenkirk.

Immaculate

Sydney Sweeney produced this religious horror flick and also stars as Cecilia, a young nun (yep, you read that right) whose traumatic brush with death has convinced her that God saved her for a higher purpose. When she is invited to join a convent in the remote Italian countryside that assists older nuns at the end of their life, she happily accepts—then quickly comes to realize that all may not be what it seems.

Ferrari

Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver) is a man who should have it all: the one-time race car driver and founder of the Ferrari car company oozes charm, wealth, and excitement. But behind the scenes, the walls are closing in on him. Set during the summer of 1957, Michael Mann’s biopic finds Ferrari (the man) on the verge of bankruptcy, mourning the death of his son, and desperately trying to hide his past indiscretions from his estranged wife—who helped build the car company and who holds the key to his financial future. Though the film earned mixed reviews, it does a solid job of telling the complex story of a complicated man. But its biggest selling point is Penélope Cruz’s bravura performance.

Perfect Days

Nearly 60 years into his career as a filmmaker, Wim Wenders managed to make one of his best films yet with Perfect Days—which is saying a lot when you consider that this is the same director who made Paris, Texas (1984) and Wings of Desire (1987). Hirayama (Kōji Yakusho) is a toilet cleaner in Tokyo who is blissfully content with the simplicity of his life, as it allows him the time to indulge his more personal passions: music (he’s an avid collector of cassette tapes and allows his favorite music to set the soundtrack to his life), books, and nature. The movie is not punctuated by any overly dramatic storylines; just the quiet interactions that Hirayama has with those around him—family, coworkers, total strangers—and the way those interludes impact him. It’s that poetic simplicity, and Yakusho’s wonderful performance, that gives the film its heart.

Origin

Writer-director Ava DuVernay finds a way to yet again change the language of cinema with what is both a biopic and a historical document. The movie is based on the life of Isabel Wilkerson (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), the first Black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in journalism for her work at The New York Times. It follows Wilkerson’s journey to write her 2020 book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents—a project that took her from the US to Germany to India to research the troubling history of each country’s caste system and the parallels that exist between them.

The Contestant

On January 11, 1998, 22-year-old comedian Tomoaki Hamatsu entered an apartment in Japan where he lived, nude and with no human contact, for 15 months as part of an understandably controversial game show titled Susunu! Denpa Shōnen. Hamatsu had no idea his life was being broadcast. This riveting documentary delves into not just how anyone ever allowed this experiment to happen, but the real-world effects—cultural, psychological, and beyond—it had on both Hamatsu and the tens of millions of viewers who were somehow drawn into witnessing his on-camera abuse.

Anatomy of a Fall

Between her starring roles in The Zone of Interest and Anatomy of a Fall, German actress Sandra Hüller made it clear that when it comes to scripts, she knows how to pick ’em. In this compelling courtroom drama, Hüller plays a successful writer turned murder suspect when her husband (Samuel Theis) is found dead outside their home on a snowy day. Ultimately, it might be her son (Milo Machado-Graner) and/or his guide dog (Messi, the movie’s real star) who ultimately seal Sandra’s fate. It’s a smart, twisty, and well-acted mystery that will keep you guessing.

BlackBerry

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Glenn Howerton is practically unrecognizable in this immensely entertaining recounting of the rise and fall of BlackBerry—the must-have cell phone that had the world entranced before the iPhone came along. Howerton costars as Jim Balsillie, the very real negotiator who, alongside Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel), gave the world its first smartphone. Which is a lot more dramatic (and darkly humorous) than it sounds.

The Royal Hotel

Ozark star Julia Garner reunites with director Kitty Green (The Assistant) for this taut psychological thriller in which BFFs Hanna (Garner) and Liv (Jessica Henwick) decide to backpack their way through the Australian outback. When they’re offered the chance to live and work at a remote hotel in order to replenish their dwindling bank accounts, they jump at the chance—despite Hanna feeling that something isn’t quite right with their place of employment or its clientele. She’s on to something. Garner has played one badass character after the next, and The Royal Hotel is no exception.

Self Reliance

New Girl’s Jake Johnson makes his feature directorial debut with this wonderfully weird and occasionally dark meta comedy, which he also wrote and stars in. Tommy Walcott (Johnson) is living a pretty ordinary existence until he’s approached by Andy Samberg (as Andy Samberg), who offers him the chance of a lifetime: the opportunity to win $1 million as part of a massive reality competition. The only thing Tommy needs to do is not get murdered for 30 days, despite being hunted by dozens of contract killers whose job is to ensure that no contestant walks away with the big prize. The catch? Contestants can only be killed when they’re entirely alone. So Tommy takes it upon himself to partner up with another contestant, which is where Maddy (Anna Kendrick) comes in. Since they both have a cool mil to gain and a lot to lose (aka their lives) if they don’t triumph, they make a pact to spend every waking moment of the next 30 days together. Just when you think you know where Self Reliance is headed, it goes ahead and surprises—and in the best ways possible.

No One Will Save You

Home invasion thrillers are never in short supply, but the really effective ones are hard to come by. Kaitlyn Dever shines—and proves yet again that she can shoulder the weight of an entire film—as Brynn Adams, a seamstress living a solitary existence in her childhood home and mourning the loss of her mother and closest friend. When she wakes up one night to discover that someone is in her house, that someone turns out to be something. A home invasion thriller with extraterrestrials might not have been on your must-watch Bingo card, but No One Will Save You is 93 minutes well spent.

Miguel Wants to Fight

Miguel (Tyler Dean Flores) is 17 years old and has never been in a fight. So when he learns that he’ll be moving away from the place and people he has known all his life, he enlists his pals to help him get into his first fistfight. It’s probably not the first coming-of-age ritual to spring to mind, but it’s certainly among them. A talented cast of young actors make this comedy—cowritten by Shea Serrano and Jason Concepcion—immensely watchable.

Sanctuary

Hal Porterfield (Christopher Abbott) has just been handed the keys to the castle following the death of his hotel magnate father. Rebecca Marin (Margaret Qualley) is a dominatrix who believes she deserves some of the credit—and half the cash—that comes with Hal’s new CEO position. Sexual politics have rarely played out as twisted, or darkly funny, as they do in this mesmerizing, and often claustrophobic, thriller from Zachary Wigon.

Corsage

Vicky Krieps delivers yet another top-notch performance as Empress Elisabeth of Austria, who—following her 40th birthday—longs to recapture the freedom of her youth. Marie Kreutzer writes and directs this fictional biopic (Empress Elisabeth is real, though the story told within takes plenty of creative liberties), which sees the royal rebelling against her lack of power to affect any real change, despite her title. Even more so, it’s about a woman who is desperate to hold on to the power that youth and beauty entitle her to—regardless of the consequences.

How to Blow Up a Pipeline

Environmentalism meets heist movie in director Daniel Goldhaber’s thriller about a group of young people who try to—as the title implies—expose the fragility of the oil industry. It’s not often that a movie examining the fight against the climate crisis is also an edge-of-your-seat adventure, but here those elements come together beautifully. (You can give cinematographer Tehillah de Castro a bit of credit for that.) Smart, prescient, and nearly unprecedented, How to Blow Up a Pipeline is more than worth the stream.

Rye Lane

Raine Allen-Miller’s directorial debut offers a playful twist on the typical rom-com. Yas (Vivian Oparah) and Dom (David Jonsson) are both twentysomethings reeling from recent break-ups. After a chance—and rather awkward—first meeting, the pair spend a day wandering around South London, bonding over their shared experience, finding cheeky ways to get over the mourning of their previous relationships, and maybe discovering that romance is not dead after all.

Triangle of Sadness

Think of it like Gilligan’s Island, but with more class commentary and vomit. When a bunch of rich people head out to sea on a luxury yacht, their plans are thwarted when a terrible storm leaves many of them stranded on a beach where none of their money or power can help them survive. That already gives away too much, but suffice to say, if you like The Menu-esque critiques of the excesses of wealth with just as many dark-comedy twists, this Oscar-nominated film is right for you.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

OK, so this might be the movie that turned the idea of “lesbian period drama” into a trope, but it’s also one of the best modern queer romance films around, alongside Moonlight and Carol. Set on an isolated French coast in the late-1700s, writer-director Céline Sciamma’s film centers on a young aristocrat woman, Héloïse (Adèle Haenel), who is betrothed to a wealthy Milanese man. When Héloïse’s mother hires Marianne (Noémie Merlant) to paint a portrait of her daughter, the two women fall in love and have the kind of heartbreaking affair that made lesbian period dramas so undeniable in the first place. You’ll be transfixed.

Fresh

Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is a single woman who is on the lookout for a partner but tired of the online dating scene. When she meets Steve (Sebastian Stan), a quirky, handsome stranger, she decides to give him her number. The two hit it off on the first date and eventually find themselves making plans to spend a weekend away—which is when Noa realizes that Steve has been hiding a few disturbing details about himself. Ultimately, Fresh stands as a lesson in the horrors of dating in the digital age (both real and imagined).

Palm Springs

Given the existence of Harold Ramis’ near-perfect Groundhog Day, it takes a whole lot of chutzpah for a filmmaker to add another picture to the infinite-time-loop rom-com canon. But writer-director Max Barbakow did it anyway with Palm Springs, and audiences are thankful he did. Building upon the rules originally established in Groundhog Day, Palm Springs offers its own unique twist on the story. Instead of showing one person (Bill Murray’s Phil Conners) slowly being pushed to the brink of insanity because he’s the only one who seems to be experiencing the phenomenon, Palm Springs has three wedding guests—Nyles (Andy Samberg), Sarah (Cristin Milioti), and Roy (J. K. Simmons)—living the same day again and again and working together to find a way out of it.



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The 48 Best Movies on Netflix Right Now (June 2025)
Gaming Gear

The 48 Best Movies on Netflix Right Now (June 2025)

by admin June 22, 2025


Netflix has plenty of movies to watch. Maybe too many. Sometimes finding the right film at the right time can seem like an impossible task. Let us help you. Below is a list of some of our favorites currently on the streaming service—from dramas to comedies to thrillers.

If you decide you’re in more of a TV mood, head over to our collection of the best TV series on Netflix. Want more? Check out our lists of the best sci-fi movies, best movies on Amazon Prime, and the best flicks on Disney+.

If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more.

Our Times

In 1966, husband and wife physicists Nora (Lucero) and Héctor (Benny Ibarra) are equal partners at the University of Mexico, even though their colleagues see Nora as little more than Héctor’s lab assistant. Then they crack the secret of time travel, catapulting themselves forward to 2025—and strand themselves here. While both marvel at the leaps humanity has made in half a century, Nora is delighted to be reunited with her former protégé Julia (Ofelia Medina), now dean of the university. But as Héctor finds himself desperate to return to the comfort and prestige he enjoyed in the past, the pair’s relationship begins to fall apart. More rom-com than sci-fi, this is time-travel with a bittersweet touch.

Barbarian

When Tess (Georgina Campbell) finds her Airbnb in a sketchy neighborhood double-booked with Keith (Bill Skarsgård), you will probably think you know where Barbarian is headed. You don’t—and you should brace yourself for everything that follows. Written and directed by Zach Cregger (in a seismic departure from his comedy background), Barbarian constantly shifts, playing with—and regularly subverting—viewer expectations of horror movie clichés at every turn. Smartly written, brilliantly shot, and psychologically disturbing on multiple levels, Barbarian is a genuinely terrifying entry in the modern horror canon.

Lost in Starlight

Dr. Nan-young Joo is desperate to follow in her late astronaut mother’s footsteps and make it all the way to Mars. Jay is a slacker part-timer, loosely aspiring to be a musician. In this Korean animated movie from director Han Ji-won, they become a pair of literally star-crossed lovers, linked by a love of music. While the sci-fi aspect of it all makes for some spectacular visuals, from the futuristic-but-plausible view of Seoul in 2051, to truly cosmic, almost psychedelic, sequences as Nan-young ventures into space, the story’s heart lies in the quieter, meaningful moments between its leads. Absolutely exquisite.

Kill Boksoon

To her friends, Gil Bok-soon (Jeon Do-yeon) is a successful events executive and dedicated single mother to her daughter Jae-yeong (Kim Si-a). In reality, she’s the star performer at MK Ent—an assassination bureau, where her almost superhuman ability to predict every step in a critical situation has earned her a 100 percent success rate and a legendary reputation. The only problem: She’s considering retiring at the end of her contract, a decision that opens her to threats from disgruntled enemies and ambitious colleagues alike. While its title and premise not-so-subtly evokes Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, director Byun Sung-hyun takes this Korean action epic to giddy heights with some of the most impressive fights committed to screen since, well, Kill Bill.

Mary and the Witch’s Flower

When Mary Smith moves to her great aunt’s estate in rural England, she finds herself unspeakably bored—until she finds a rare flower that blooms only once every seven years, coveted by witches for its magical properties. Soon, she’s transported to Endor College, an academy for witches hidden in the clouds—but the warm welcome she receives from the fanciful faculty hides sinister secrets, and a dark ambition on the part of headmistress Madam Mumblechook that puts Mary’s only friend, Peter, in danger. Adapted from Mary Stewart’s novel The Little Broomstick and directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi (Arrietty, When Marnie Was There), Mary and the Witch’s Flower is a wonderful piece of family viewing, thrilling for kids with enough complexity for older viewers, and gorgeously animated from start to finish.

The Old Guard

Netflix’s The Old Guard—based on the comics by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernández—broke records on release and remains one of the streaming service’s most watched original films ever, reaching a whopping 72 million households in its first four weeks. With the long-awaited sequel set to arrive in July 2025, now’s the perfect time to reacquaint yourself with Charlize Theron’s immortal soldier Andromache of Scythia—Andy to her friends—and her group of similarly unkillable mercenaries, who use their powers to help those in need. The Old Guard’s action scenes are its strongest, with Theron and new recruit KiKi Layne having some serious fun dishing out and taking their fair share of hits. It may not be especially original in its plot, but The Old Guard delivers exactly what it promises.

Bullet Train Explosion

Kazuya Takaichi (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi) is conductor of the Hayabusa 60 shinkansen, zooming from Shin-Aomori to Tokyo. A perfectly normal job—until a terrorist reveals a bomb onboard, which will explode if the train slows below 100 kmph. As authorities race to stop the attacker and rescue the passengers, Kazuya is forced to keep everyone onboard safe. What’s that? It’s just Speed on a Japanese train? Nah, Speed was just the original 1975 The Bullet Train on an American bus—and this modern-day version is equal parts remake and sequel to that Sonny Chiba-starring classic. It’s more than an entertaining action thriller, though—director Shinji Higuchi relishes the opportunity to poke fun at point-scoring politicians crippled by bureaucratic process in responding to the crisis (no surprise to anyone who’s seen 2016’s Shin Godzilla, which he codirected with Hideaki Anno). High-speed, literally explosive action, with a satirical edge, Bullet Train Explosion is a blast (sorry).

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

You either “get” the Eurovision Song Contest or you don’t—and chances are, if you’re outside of Europe, you don’t. But whether you can list every winner back to 1956 or have only maybe-sorta heard of ABBA, this Will Ferrell passion project (his wife, Swedish actress Viveca Paulin, hooked him on the contest) will entertain you. Following Icelandic singer-songwriter duo Fire Saga—Ferrell as Lars Erickssong and Rachel McAdams as his besotted bandmate Sigrit Ericksdóttir—as they aim for superstardom, Song Contest is a loving nod to the long-running Eurovision music competition, packed with gleefully camp in-jokes and scene-stealing cameos. To the uninitiated, it’s a wild, weird comedy with plenty of hilariously farcical turns and enough catchy tunes to convert newcomers into Eurovision acolytes. Bonus: You’ll finally understand the “shut up and play ‘Ja Ja Ding Dong’!” meme.

The Two Popes

At first glance, The Two Popes is not a gripping proposition: a film where two very old men in dresses talk a lot, walk around a little bit, and then talk some more. But two top-notch performances from Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins and a stellar script from Anthony McCarten turn this prosaic premise into a film worth watching. Set in the wake of the Vatican leaks scandal and loosely inspired by true events, it follows Cardinal Bergoglio as he tries to convince Pope Benedict XVI to accept his resignation. The two men couldn’t be more different—Benedict is an archconservative desperate to cling to tradition while Bergoglio is seen as a dangerous liberalizer who might erode the Church’s authority. While the two men battle out their differences, the future of Catholicism hangs in the balance. If you enjoyed the recent Conclave, this is worth your time too.

Behind the Curtain: Stranger Things the First Shadow

If there’s a Stranger Things–shaped hole in your life thanks to the approximate 4,738-year wait between seasons, this behind-the-scenes documentary focused on production of the West End stage show The First Shadow might go some way to filling it. While the film doesn’t give the whole production away—itself a prequel, set in 1959 and exploring how the sleepy town of Hawkins became ground zero for all things spooky—it’s a fascinating look at the technical wizardry that went into bringing the show to life and how director Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliott, Netflix’s The Crown) and legendary theater producer Sonia Friedman worked with the Duffer Brothers to root everything in the lore and history of the series.

The Imaginary

This gorgeously animated take on the concept of imaginary friends is a whimsical fable full of stunning visuals and big ideas. Adapted from the book by A. F. Harrold, The Imaginary follows young Amanda and her best friend Rudger—brought into being by her own mind—as they share countless adventures. But as Amanda ages, Rudger faces the fate of all Imaginaries: fading away as their humans forget them. The latest film from director Yoshiyuki Momose (Mary and the Witch’s Flower) and Studio Ponoc—spiritual successor to the mighty Studio Ghibli—this is a stunning ode to the power of imagination and friendship.

Dead Talents Society

When keeping the living terrified is the economy of the afterlife, death becomes a literal capitalist hellhole. Dead Talents Society sees warring “ghostresses” Catherine (Sandrine Pinna) and her former protégé Jessica (Eleven Yao) battling for glamour and prestige in the great beyond by innovating new ways of scaring mortals, while a newcomer known only as Rookie (Gingle Wang) struggles to make her mark with any scares at all—and risks fading away entirely if she can’t earn her undead keep. A sharply satirical horror comedy poking fun at everything from reality TV to hustle culture, this Taiwanese outing from writer-director John Hsu beats Beetlejuice at its own game.

Leave the World Behind

A weekend getaway at a luxury vacation rental property for Amanda and Clay and their kids, Archie and Rose, takes a sinister turn in the wake of an inexplicable blackout. When the house’s owner, George, and his daughter Ruth return early, suspicions mount—but a growing herd of deer lurking outside the house, failing vehicles, and scattered reports of attacks across the US force the two families to rely on each other in the face of what may be the end of the world. Adapted from the novel of same name by Rumaan Alam, and with a star-studded cast including Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha’la, and Kevin Bacon, this relishes in keeping the audiences as uncertain as its characters, explaining little, and leaving questions you’ll be mulling for days.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Miles Morales’ (Shameik Moore) growth as Spider-Man continues in this phenomenal sequel to the Academy Award–winning Into the Spider-Verse—but this time, the web-slinger’s neighborhood is a lot bigger and a lot less friendly. Introduced to a multiversal “Spider Society” led by the imposing Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac), Miles finds he’s the only Spider-Man not invited—and that an unavoidable tragedy lies in his future. Even more visually ambitious than its predecessor, with each alternate reality—and the heroes that call them home, including Gwen Stacey Spider-Woman (Hailee Steinfeld), Spider-Man India (Karan Soni), and Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya)—brought to life with distinctive design and animation styles, Across the Spider-Verse is an almost unspeakably ambitious outing. It’s also one that balances sheer spectacle with darker, more emotional conflicts for Miles, offering neither him nor viewers any easy answers. A film so brilliant that the wait for the upcoming third installment, Beyond the Spider-Verse, becomes increasingly painful with every passing day.

Troll

This gleefully entertaining giant monster movie abandons tearing up Tokyo or New York in favor of director Roar Uthaug’s (2018’s Tomb Raider) native Norway, with a titanic troll stomping its way toward Oslo after being roused by a drilling operation. Although the plot and characters will be familiar to any fan of kaiju cinema, the striking Nordic visuals and the titular menace’s ability to blend in with the landscape, allows for some impressively original twists along the way. Although Troll could have easily descended into near-parody, Uthaug steers clear of smug self-awareness and instead delivers, and with a sequel arriving later in 2025, now is the perfect time to revisit one of the freshest takes on the genre in years.

Plankton: The Movie

Would-be evil overlord Plankton finally steals the spotlight in his self-titled SpongeBob spinoff movie—only to immediately lose it to his robot wife Karen when she enacts her own plan to take over the world. Teaming with archnemesis SpongeBob, the diminutive despot soon faces a challenge bigger than stealing the Krabby Patty recipe: learning to listen to his wife. While the SpongeBob movies have been hit or miss, this one is a charming and genuinely funny outing, building on and paying off 25 years (!) worth of SpongeBob in-jokes and online memes. Plankton balances the fine line between being accessible family viewing and fourth-wall-breaking self-referentialism for older fans. Its use of multiple animation styles and live-action sequences makes it visually impressive to boot.

Y Tu Mamá También

It’s uncommon to find much in the way of classic films on Netflix—the algorithm must ever be fed by the churn of the new—so the availability of Alfonso Cuarón’s brilliant 2001 coming-of-age movie is a real delight. Set in Mexico in 1999, Y Tu Mamá También (“And your mother, too”) follows rich kid Tenoch (Diego Luna) and his working-class friend Julio (Gael García Bernal) on a road trip with Luisa (Maribel Verdú), the wife of Tenoch’s cousin. It’s a journey that sees the young men—still boys, really—competing for attention from the beautiful older woman, trapping themselves in lies and trying to get by on unearned confidence, all while claiming to be heading to a picture-perfect beach that they made up. As for why the much more mature and experienced Luisa would go along with them in the first place? Pack tissues. While the film courted controversy for its frank depiction of sex and drugs (it’s not one for family film night), it remains a masterpiece; a raucous and all-too-real examination of young friendships and fragile masculinity.

Parasite

Director Bong Joon-ho’s searing 2019 thriller is the first non-English film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, and it’s abundantly clear why. Its bleak exploration of economic disparity and condemnation of capitalistic excess is focused on its South Korea setting, but it resonates with global audiences. Parasite follows the struggling Kim family as they each infiltrate the lives of the wealthy Parks, posing as household servants to live a life of proximate luxury before their deception spirals wildly out of control. Somehow, it’s also darkly comedic, mocking the obliviousness of the rich classes, both to their own privileges and to the desperation of the poor. Throughout, it’s exquisitely shot and expertly paced, with Bong deftly increasing the tension with every scene until everything approaches a seemingly inevitable conclusion—and then still manages to twist and subvert audience expectations. A spectacular piece of filmmaking that deserves the hype, this examination of class and inequality feels more relevant than ever.

Carry-On

Is a movie set at Christmas in itself a Christmas movie? That debate has surged around Die Hard for decades. Now Carry-On asks the same question. A zippy thriller from House of Wax and Black Adam director Jaume Collet-Serra, this sees TSA agent Ethan Kopek (Taron Egerton) caught in the Christmas Eve shift from hell when he’s blackmailed by a mercenary known only as the Traveler (Jason Bateman) into allowing a deadly package through security. Cue a lethal game of cat-and-mouse as Ethan tries to stop the Traveler—all with the life of Ethan’s girlfriend Nora (Sofia Carson) in the balance. It’s pulpy and schlocky in places, but this throwback action outing can’t help but entertain.

Joy

In vitro fertilization may seem like a relatively mundane medical procedure nowadays, one that’s brought hope and family to countless people struggling to conceive, but when the procedure was developed by a trio of British scientists and medics in the 1960s and ’70s, it was hugely controversial. That makes for powerful material for this dramatization, charting the work of nurse and embryologist Jean Purdy (Thomasin McKenzie), scientist Robert Edwards (James Norton), and surgeon Patrick Steptoe (Bill Nighy), even as they’re demonized by the public, the UK government, and even—perhaps especially—the church. McKenzie in particular is brilliant as Purdy, torn by her own conflict of faith at being involved in the life-changing work, which also involved providing safe abortion care to women who needed it, and struggling to deal with the ostracizing she faces from her family and community as a result. A powerful and provocative drama, even now.

Woman of the Hour

A serial killer is cast as a bachelor on a dating game show, allowing him to size up his next potential victim right in front of the audience watching at home. That’d be a twisted setup for a slasher flick—but what’s horrifying about Woman of the Hour is that it’s based on the real-life case of Rodney Alcala, who was a contestant on The Dating Game in 1978 while in the midst of a string of murders. This dramatization isn’t centered on the killer, though. In her directorial debut, Anna Kendrick focuses instead on Sheryl (played by Kendrick, based on the real life Cheryl Bradshaw), the one unfortunate enough to be matched with Alcala (Daniel Zovatto), and the women who reported or suspected the killer, only to be routinely ignored by authorities. A taut thriller that makes clear the real horror lies in how easily Acala eluded attention for so long.

Don’t Move

Single-handedly reopening the “man or bear” debate, Don’t Move follows a grieving young mother named Iris (Kelsey Asbille, Yellowstone) who is hunted through the wilderness after being injected with a paralytic agent by a stranger. With her body slowly shutting down, Iris has 20 minutes to escape or find help, all as her assailant, Richard (Finn Wittrock), coldly, implacably tracks her down. Directed by Adam Schindler and Brian Netto, and produced by Sam Raimi, this expertly paced game of cat-and-mouse rarely lets up, and Asbille gives an incredible performance as the increasingly immobile Iris. If you go down to the woods today … choose the bear.

Will & Harper

Will Ferrell likely needs no introduction, but as former head writer of Saturday Night Live, Harper Steele is more accustomed to life behind the camera. Joining the hit show in the same week back in 1995, the pair struck up a decades-long friendship—so when Harper wrote to tell Ferrell she was transitioning to live as a woman, it was a big change for them both. It also formed the basis for this beautiful, heartwarming, and often laugh-out-loud funny road trip documentary following the duo as they cross the US in an old Jeep Grand Wagoneer, reconnecting and learning what their friendship looks like now. It’s awkward viewing at times—some of Ferrell’s questions blur the line between bawdy and simply rude—but it’s a raw and authentic journey for them both. Beyond the personal touches, Will & Harper is a timely view of what America looks like for a trans person right now, making it possibly one of the most important documentaries Netflix has produced.

His Three Daughters

As their father approaches the end of his life, sisters Rachel (Natasha Lyonne), Katie (Carrie Coon), and Christina (Elizabeth Olsen) are forced to reconnect while waiting for the inevitable. Bleak stuff, but also grounds for masterful performances from the lead trio, with Rachel having taken on the bulk of care for months, Katie casting imperious demands despite avoiding the situation, and new-agey Christina trying to keep the peace—despite being at a breaking point herself. This is almost a locked-room piece, the apartment trapping the women, forcing them to come to terms with not only their father’s death but their own relationships with each other, all while Vincent (Jay O. Sanders) haunts them even before his passing. Death may loom over director Azazel Jacobs’ drama, but His Three Daughters ultimately proves oddly life-affirming.

Grave of the Fireflies

When Seita and his young sister Setsuko are orphaned in the wake of the fire-bombing of Kobe during the final days of World War II, the siblings are forced into terrible circumstances to survive. Stuck between abusive extended family and the sheer desperation of scavenging around the ruins of their destroyed hometown, it’s a bleak existence—and also the basis for one of Studio Ghibli’s finest works. Directed by Isao Takahata and based on a short story by Akiyuki Nosaka, Grave of the Fireflies is unapologetically harrowing in its exploration of how war and nationalism chew up the most vulnerable, yet peppered with moments of unwavering love as Seita attempts to protect Setsuko’s innocence. This searing wartime drama is sobering but essential viewing, a film that’s more than earned its ranking in the upper echelons of the Best Studio Ghibli films.

Rebel Ridge

When corrupt cops run ex-Marine Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) off the road for cycling while Black, they also seize the money he had been planning to use to post his cousin’s bail. Despite the injustice, Terry tries to do everything by the book but finds almost every aspect of the legal system against him. Out of patience, and fueled by immensely justified anger, he sets about tearing out the rot from the small town, aided only by court clerk Summer (AnnaSophia Robb). Writer-director Jeremy Saulnier could have made Rebel Ridge merely a modern day First Blood, but while there’s plenty of visceral, bone-breaking fight scenes, it’s the film’s righteously angry look at the baked-in failings of the American legal system that gives this its bite—all while cementing Pierre as an action star to watch.

Under Paris

This so-serious-it’s-ludicrous French creature feature sees Bérénice Bejo as marine specialist Sophia Assalas, who is hunting down a mako shark that has not only spontaneously mutated to survive in the freshwater Seine but is also about to give birth to a host of baby man-eating sharks. Worse still? Paris is about to hold a triathlon, with the swim portion set to become an all-you-can-eat buffet! Look, not everything on this list needs to be high art—sometimes, you just need to see a mutant shark straight up chomping on people while increasingly desperate humans start blowing stuff up. Press Play, turn brain off, enjoy.

Hit Man

Gary Johnson (Glen Powell) is a mild-mannered professor of philosophy—and a contract killer. Well, not quite. He just poses as one, working with the New Orleans Police Department to trap people looking to hire a hit man. It’s a role he’s surprisingly good at, but when Madison (Adria Arjona) looks to have her abusive husband “dealt” with, Gary begins to fall for her—and the consequences could be fatal for real. In another creator’s hands, Hit Man might have been either overly grim or simply insubstantial (it’s loosely based on a true story), but director Richard Linklater leverages his signature uses of sparkling dialog and brilliantly realized characters to deliver a smart action-comedy that explores the roles people play in society as much as it serves up mistaken-identity hijinks.

Godzilla Minus One

Despite the presence of the eponymous kaiju, Godzilla Minus One is a film rooted in the humanity of its protagonists, deserter kamikaze pilot Koichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) and Noriko Ōishi (Minami Hamabe), a survivor of the bombings of Tokyo. Thrown together as an ersatz family as they raise an orphaned baby, their attempts to build a new life turn chaotic when the irradiated reptile descends on the city just as it’s beginning to recover. Director Takashi Yamazaki’s reimagining of Japan’s premier kaiju netted the King of Monsters its first-ever Oscar, picking up a statue for Best Visual Effects at the 2024 Academy Awards, but this is a film that exceeds mere spectacle—it’s a searing examination of life after war, and how a nation grapples with being on the losing side.

Suzume

Suzume Iwato (voiced by Nanoka Hara in Japanese, Nichole Sakura in English) lives with her aunt on Japan’s southern island, having lost her mother in the Tōhoku earthquake of 2011. When a handsome young stranger named Souta (Hokuto Matsumura, Josh Keaton) asks her for directions to some local ruins, she follows him out of curiosity but disturbs a living keystone, accidentally unleashing an ancient power that threatens to destroy the entire country. Drawn into Souta’s world, the pair chase the keystone, now in the form of a cat, across Japan in a desperate bid to reseal the destructive entity—a quest that would be easier if Souta hadn’t been transformed into a child’s wooden chair. The latest film from Makoto Shinkai (Your Name, Weathering with You), Suzume is a breathtakingly animated slice of magical realism with a surrealist edge—but beyond the spectacle, it’s a heart-warming tale of community and humanity, each stop on the unlikely pair’s journey a snapshot of people and families coming together in the wake of tragedy.

Rustin

Directed by George C. Wolfe (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), this biopic explores the life of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin. While perhaps best known as one of the chief organizers of 1963’s March on Washington, Rustin was also openly, unapologetically gay at a time when that was phenomenally rare—and the film doesn’t shy away from how that alienated many of the people he worked with, his sexuality often seen as a threat to the movement. A much-needed spotlight on an overlooked but pivotal figure in the Civil Rights Movement, elevated by a central performance from a spectacularly well-cast Colman Domingo as Rustin himself.

His House

Fleeing war-torn South Sudan, Bol (Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù) and Rial (Wunmi Mosaku) are now living in a run-down house at the edge of London, harassed by their neighbors even as they try to fit in. The couple are also haunted by the lives they left behind—both figuratively and (possibly) literally, with visions of their late daughter Nyagak, who did not survive the journey, fading in and out of the walls of their dismal new home. The real horror of His House isn’t the strange visions, haunted house, or potential ghosts, though—it’s the bleakness of the lives Bol and Rial are forced into, the hostility and dehumanization of the UK asylum process, the racism both overt and casual, all coupled with the enormous sense of loss they carry with them. Blending the macabre with the mundane, director Remi Weekes delivers a tense, challenging film that will haunt viewers as much as its characters.

The Black Book

Paul Edima (Richard Mofe-Damijo) lives a peaceful life as a church deacon, trying to atone for—or at least forget—his former deeds as a highly trained special agent. Plans to leave his violent and bloody past behind fall apart when his son is framed for a murder and then killed by corrupt police, forcing him to fall back on old skills as he seeks vengeance. Shades of Taken, yes, but it’s director Editi Effiong’s raw energy and fresh takes on familiar action movie formulas that—backed by one of the highest budgets in “Nollywood” history—have this gritty outing topping the most-watched lists as far afield as South Korea. Expand your cinematic horizons and see what the fuss is about.

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

Ignore its 41-minute runtime and set aside any arguments over whether its brevity “counts” as a movie—this fantastic outing sees Wes Anderson adapt a Roald Dahl work for the first time since 2009’s Fantastic Mr. Fox, and the result is just as brilliant. Rather than stop-motion, as with Mr. Fox, this is a live-action affair headlined by a top tier performance from Benedict Cumberbatch as the eponymous Henry Sugar, a bored rich man who gains a strange power and ultimately uses it to better the world. With a broader cast including Dev Patel, Ralph Fiennes, and Ben Kingsley, and shot with all of Anderson’s trademark aesthetic sensibilities, this really is a wonderful story. And, if you’re still bothered by the short run time, take solace in the fact that this forms a tetraptych with The Rat Catcher, The Swan, and Poison; 15-minute shorts with same cast, directed by Anderson, and all adapting other Dahl tales in his signature style.

Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hate

Centered on the eponymous Berlin nightclub, this documentary explores the lives of LGBTQ+ people during the interwar years, from the roaring 1920s through the rise of the Nazis and into the horrors of World War II. With a blend of archival footage, recreations, and first-person accounts, director Benjamin Cantu paints a picture of gleeful decadence, the Eldorado as an almost hallowed ground where performers and patrons alike experimented with gender expression and were free to openly display their sexuality. It’s an ode to what was lost, but with an eye on the bizarre contradictions of the age, where openly gay club-goers would wear their own Nazi uniforms as the years went by. Everything the Nazis Hate is emotionally challenging viewing in places, but it serves up an important slice of queer history that many will be completely unaware of.

Marry My Dead Body

Wu Ming-han (Greg Hsu) is not a great guy. A homophobic police officer, his life—and prejudices—are changed when he picks up an unassuming red envelope while investigating a case. Now bound under “ghost marriage” customs to Mao Mao (Austin Lin), a gay man who died under mysterious circumstances, Wu has to solve his “husband’s” death before he can get on with his life. Directed by Cheng Wei-hao, better known for his thrillers and horror movies, Marry My Dead Body sees the Taiwanese director bring his supernatural stylings to this ghostly absurdist comedy for a film that transcends borders.

They Cloned Tyrone

Drug dealer Fontaine (John Boyega) got shot to death last night. So why has he just woken up in bed as if nothing happened? That existential question leads Fontaine and two unlikely allies—prostitute Yo-Yo (Teyonah Parris) and pimp Slick Charles (Jamie Foxx)—to uncovering a vast conspiracy centered on a Black-majority town called The Glen, where people are kept mollified by hypnotic rap music, dumbed down with drug-laced fried chicken and grape juice, and preached into obedience at church. But who’s using the town as a petri dish, and why is there a cloning lab buried underground? This lethally sharp satire from writer and debut director Juel Taylor masterfully blends genres, from the use of visual motifs and dated clichés from 1970s Blaxploitation cinema to its frequent steps into sci-fi territory and laugh-out-loud comedy. But it’s the powerhouse performances from its central cast that mark this as one to watch.

Nimona

Shapeshifter Nimona can become anything she wants, a gift that causes people to fear and shun her. If society is going to treat her like a villain, she’s going to be one, so she decides to become the sidekick of the hated black knight, Ballister Blackheart. Unfortunately for the aspiring menace, Blackheart isn’t quite the monster he’s made out to be, and he instead tries to rein in Nimona’s more murderous tendencies as he seeks to clear his name of a crime he didn’t commit—and face down his old friend Ambrosius Goldenloin in the process. Adapted from N. D. Stevenson’s groundbreaking graphic novel, Nimona is more than just another fanciful fantasy—it’s a tale of outsiders and exiles, people trying to do right even when their community rejects them, and the joy of finding their own little band along the way. After an almost decade-long journey to the screen, this dazzlingly animated movie has become an instant classic.

The Boys in the Band

Set in New York City in 1968, The Boys in the Band is a snapshot of gay life a year before Stonewall brought LGBTQ+ rights to mainstream attention. When Michael (Jim Parsons, fresh from The Big Bang Theory) hosts a birthday party for his best frenemy Harold (Zachary Quinto), he’s expecting a night of drinks, dancing, and gossip with their inner circle—until Alan, Michael’s straight friend from college, turns up, desperate to share something. As the night wears on, personalities clash, tempers fray, and secrets threaten to come to the surface in director Joe Mantello’s tense character study. Adapted for the screen by Mart Crowley, author of the original stage play, this period piece manages to be as poignant an exploration of queer relationships and identities as ever.

Cargo

In a world already ravaged by a zombie-like plague, Andy Rose (Martin Freeman) only wants to keep his family safe, sticking to Australia’s rural back roads to avoid infection. After his wife is tragically bitten, and infects him in turn, Andy is desperate to find a safe haven for his infant daughter, Rosie. With a mere 48 hours until he succumbs himself, Andy finds an ally in Thoomi (Simone Landers), an Aboriginal girl looking to protect her own rabid father. But with threats from paranoid survivalists and Aboriginal communities hunting the infected, it may already be too late. A unique twist on the zombie apocalypse, Cargo abandons the familiar urban landscapes of the genre for the breathtaking wilds of Australia and offers a slower, character-led approach to the end of the world.

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

The modern master of the macabre brings the wooden would-be boy to life like never before in this exquisitely animated take on Pinocchio. In a stop-motion masterpiece that hews closer to the original 1880s tale by Carlo Collodi than the sanitized Disney version, Guillermo del Toro adds his own signature touch and compelling twists to the classic story that make it darkly enchanting—expect a Blue Fairy closer to a biblically accurate many-eyed angel and a Terrible Dogfish more like a kaiju. It’s the decision to transplant the tale to World War II that’s most affecting though. Cast against the rise of fascism, with Gepetto mourning the loss of his son, the film is packed with complex themes of mortality and morality that will haunt audiences long after the credits roll. If that doesn’t sell you, perhaps the fact that it won Best Animated Feature at the 2023 Academy Awards will.

Call Me Chihiro

An idyllic slice-of-life movie with a twist, Call Me Chihiro follows a former sex worker—the eponymous Chihiro, played by Kasumi Arimura—after she moves to a seaside town to work in a bento restaurant. This isn’t a tale of a woman on the run or trying to escape her past—Chihiro is refreshingly forthright and unapologetic, and her warmth and openness soon begin to change the lives of her neighbors. Directed by Rikiya Imaizumi, this is an intimate, heartfelt character drama that alternates between moments of aching loneliness and sheer joy, packed with emotional beats that remind viewers of the importance of even the smallest connections.

The Sea Beast

It’s easy to imagine that the elevator pitch for The Sea Beast was “Moby Dick meets How to Train Your Dragon”—and who wouldn’t be compelled by that? Set in a fantasy world where oceanic leviathans terrorize humanity, those who hunt down the giant monsters are lauded as heroes. Jacob Holland (voiced by Karl Urban) is one such hero, adopted son of the legendary Captain Crowe and well on the way to building his own legacy as a monster hunter—a journey disrupted by stowaway Maisie Brumble (Zaris-Angel Hator), who has her own ambitions to take on the sea beasts. However, after an attempt to destroy the colossal Red Bluster goes disastrously wrong, Jacob and Maisie are stranded on an island filled with the creatures, and they find that the monsters may not be quite so monstrous after all. A rollicking sea-bound adventure directed by Chris Williams—of Big Hero 6 and Moana fame—it secured its standing as one of Netflix’s finest movies with a nomination for Best Animated Feature at this year’s Oscars.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Daniel Craig reprises his role as detective Benoit Blanc in this brilliant follow-up to 2019’s phenomenal whodunnit, Knives Out. Writer-director Rian Johnson crafts a fiendishly sharp new case for “the Last of the Gentlemen Sleuths,” taking Blanc to a Greek island getaway for a reclusive tech billionaire and his collection of friends and hangers-on, where a planned murder mystery weekend takes a deadly turn. While totally accessible for newcomers, fans of the first film will also be rewarded with some deeper character development for Blanc, a role that’s shaping up to be as iconic for Craig as 007. As cleverly written and meticulously constructed as its predecessor, and featuring the kind of all-star cast—Edward Norton! Janelle Monáe! Kathryn Hahn! Leslie Odom Jr.! Jessica Henwick! Madelyn Cline! Kate Hudson! Dave Bautista!—that cinema dreams are made of, Glass Onion might be the best thing Netflix has dropped all year.

The Wonder

Florence Pugh dazzles in this not-quite-horror film from Oscar-winning director Sebastián Lelio. Set in 1862, English nurse Lib Wright (Pugh) is sent to Ireland to observe Anna O’Donnell, a girl who claims to have not eaten in four months, subsisting instead on “manna from heaven.” Still grieving the loss of her own child, Lib is torn between investigating the medical impossibility and growing concern for Anna herself. Amid obstacles in the form of Anna’s deeply religious family and a local community that distrusts her, Lib’s watch descends into a tense, terrifying experience. Based on a book of the same name by Emma Donoghue, The Wonder is a beautiful yet bleakly shot period piece that explores the all-too-mortal horrors that unquestioning religious fervor and family secrets can wreak.

RRR

One of India’s biggest films of all time, RRR (or Rise, Roar, Revolt) redefines the notion of cinematic spectacle. Set in 1920, the historical epic follows real-life Indian revolutionaries Alluri Sitrama Raju (Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (N. T. Rama Rao Jr.) but fictionalizes their lives and actions. Although they come from very different walks of life, their similarities draw them together as they face down sadistic governor Scott Buxton (Ray Stevenson) and his cruel wife, Catherine (Alison Doody). No mere period fluff, RRR is a bold, exciting, and often explosive piece of filmmaking that elevates its heroes to near-mythological status. Director S. S. Rajamouli deploys brilliantly shot action scenes—and an exquisitely choreographed dance number—that grab viewers’ attention and refuse to let go. Whether you’re a longtime fan of Indian cinema or just looking for an action flick beyond the Hollywood norm, RRR is not to be missed.

I Lost My Body

An award winner at Cannes in 2019, this tale of burgeoning young love, obsession, and autonomous body parts is every bit as weird as you might expect for a French adult animated film. Director Jérémy Clapin charts the life of Naoufel, a Moroccan immigrant in modern-day France who falls for the distant Gabrielle, and Naoufel’s severed hand, which makes its way across the city to try to reconnect. With intersecting timelines and complex discussions about fate, I Lost My Body is often mind-bending yet always captivating, and Clapin employs brilliantly detailed animation and phenomenal color choices throughout. Worth watching in both the original French and the solid English dub featuring Dev Patel and Alia Shawkat, this one dares you to make sense of it all.

Don’t Look Up

Frustrated by the world’s collective inaction on existential threats like climate change? Maybe don’t watch Don’t Look Up, director Adam McKay’s satirical black comedy. When two low-level astronomers discover a planet-killing comet on a collision course with Earth, they try to warn the authorities—only to be met with a collective “meh.” Matters only get worse when they attempt to leak the news themselves and have to navigate vapid TV hosts, celebrities looking for a signature cause, and an indifferent public. A bleakly funny indictment of our times, bolstered by a star-studded cast fronted by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, Don’t Look Up is, somewhat depressingly, one of the best portraits of humanity since Idiocracy.



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China to Restore Classic Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li Movies Using AI

by admin June 20, 2025



In brief

  • China has launched a $14 million AI initiative to digitally restore 100 classic martial arts films starring Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li.
  • The China Film Foundation’s Kung Fu Film Heritage Project will use AI to enhance image quality, sound, and production values while preserving original storytelling integrity of classics like “Fist of Fury” and “Drunken Master.”
  • The initiative represents China’s largest effort to leverage AI for cultural soft power projection, contrasting sharply with Hollywood’s more cautious approach to AI integration amid ethical concerns.

China has launched a $14 million artificial intelligence, or AI, initiative to digitally restore 100 classic martial arts films, including fan favorites starring Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li.

The China Film Foundation announced the Kung Fu Film Heritage Project at the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival, focusing on classic titles including “Fist of Fury,” “The Big Boss,” “Once Upon a Time in China” and “Drunken Master” for comprehensive AI-driven restoration that will enhance image quality, sound and production values while preserving original storytelling integrity.

The initiative was announced alongside the premiere of “A Better Tomorrow: Cyber Border,” which organizers called the world’s first fully artificial intelligence-produced animated feature film, in a Variety report.

The original 1986 “A Better Tomorrow” was director John Woo’s breakthrough crime thriller that launched the Hong Kong heroic bloodshed genre and made Chow Yun-fat an international star.



“This entire animated feature was made by just 30 people,” producer Zhang Qing told Variety. “AI has collapsed the barrier between creativity and execution. The production cycle has gone from years to months.”

The initiative represents China’s biggest effort yet to leverage AI for soft power projection, transforming film preservation while reviving martial arts cinema that first introduced Chinese culture to Western audiences decades ago.

“From Bruce Lee to Jackie Chan, from ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ to ‘Wolf Warrior,’ these films have shown the world the vitality and spirit of the Chinese people,” said China Film Foundation chair Zhang Qilin. “They are our cinematic calling cards to the world.”

“AI is the brush, but creativity is the soul,” Canxing Media chair Tian Ming said. “Classic kung fu films embody China’s spiritual backbone. We’re inviting global partners to join this cultural and technological reboot.”

Ten films will receive priority treatment in the first phase, with broader international distribution planned pending market reception and regulatory approval in target territories.

The project reveals against stark contrasts in how different markets approach AI in entertainment.

While Hollywood grapples with ethical concerns—films like “The Brutalist” faced backlash for using AI to enhance actors’ accents, A24’s “Heretic” carried an explicit “no generative AI” disclaimer, and Robert Downey Jr. has threatened legal action over unauthorized digital replicas—China’s regulatory framework actively supports AI integration in media production.”

Beijing’s 2023 Interim Measures for the Management of Generative AI Services and the new 2025 labeling requirements for AI-generated content provide structured oversight rather than restrictions.

The 2023 rules exempt internal corporate research from public oversight while requiring transparency for consumer-facing AI services.

The upcoming 2025 regulations will mandate both visible labels and embedded metadata for all AI-generated content, with severe penalties for concealing AI origins, but notably avoid restricting AI development itself.

Edited by Stacy Elliott.

Generally Intelligent Newsletter

A weekly AI journey narrated by Gen, a generative AI model.



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The 65 Best Movies on Disney+ Right Now (June 2025)
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The 65 Best Movies on Disney+ Right Now (June 2025)

by admin June 20, 2025


In the game known as the streaming wars, Disney+ came out swinging, bringing with it a massive library of movies and TV shows—with new ones being added all the time. Watched everything on Netflix? Disney+ has a seemingly endless selection of Marvel movies and plenty of Star Wars and Pixar fare too. Problem is, there’s so much stuff that it’s hard to know where to begin. WIRED is here to help. Below are our picks for the best films on Disney+ right now.

For more viewing ideas, try our guides to the best films on Netflix, the best films on Amazon Prime, and the best shows on Apple TV+.

If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more.

Sally

More than 40 years after Sally Ride became the first American woman to go into space, Tam O’Shaughnessy—Ride’s life partner for 27 years—is telling the real story of Ride’s life. And the many sacrifices she felt forced to make in order to both pursue her dreams of conquering the final frontier and live life as a gay woman. Emmy-winning documentarian Cristina Costantini directs the film, which is the first time ever the true life of one of the world’s most famous women is told.

The Last Showgirl

Gia Coppola, granddaughter of filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, directs this raw and frequently heartbreaking story of Shelly (Pamela Anderson), a Las Vegas showgirl whose 30-year run in a classic revue is about to come to an end, forcing the 57-year-old to face what her future looks like and reconsider the choices she has made throughout her life. Though it’s set in the very specific world of the Las Vegas entertainment industry, it’s really a universal tale of the challenges of aging and how quickly middle age arrives for us all. While it’s not a flawless movie, the performances—yes, Anderson’s, but also Jamie Lee Curtis’ as Shelly’s best friend Annette and Dave Bautista’s as Eddie, the producer of the revue—shine.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

In 2018, when Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse hit theaters, it changed perceptions of what Spider-Man movies, and animated films, could be. No longer led by Peter Parker, a kid from Queens who gets bit by a radioactive spider, it was fronted by Miles Morales, a kid from Brooklyn who met a similar fate in another part of the multiverse. Across the Spider-Verse continues Miles’ story and his quest to save the multiverse, and his timeline, from a terrible fate. Fun, heartbreaking, and a thrill to watch, it’s one of the best Spider-Man movies ever.

The Abyss

In many ways, The Abyss is the ultimate James Cameron movie. The idea for it first came to the filmmaker as a teenager, and it features all the storytelling and visual hallmarks of Cameron’s more famous movies. In a way, it’s essentially an underwater version of Aliens: A US submarine has been ambushed and sunk to the bottom of the ocean in the Caribbean. A Navy SEAL (Michael Biehn) and two petroleum engineers with a sticky romantic past (Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) are sent on a rescue mission, but are racing against the clock as a storm is gathering above the water and Soviet ships attempt to the reach the sunken sub before their American counterparts arrive. As one might expect in a Cameron flick, all is not as straightforward as it seems, and the rescuers encounter what is deemed “non-terrestrial intelligence.” Though originally released in 1989, this new 4K restoration gives new life to Cameron’s underwater sci-fi classic.

Elton John: Never Too Late

Slowly but surely, filmmaker R. J. Cutler is becoming America’s foremost chronicler of celebrity. After covering Billie Eilish, Martha Stewart, and James Belushi, the documentarian has now trained his lens on Elton John. Following the hitmaker as he prepares for his final North American show at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium in 2022, which livestreamed on Disney+, Elton John: Never Too Late jumps back and forth in time, using archival interviews and previously unseen footage to unearth a full picture of the musician’s decades-long career. If nothing else, think of it as a companion piece to the 2019 biopic Rocketman.

Deadpool & Wolverine

The Deadpool movies have always stood out for being proudly anti–superhero movie and boldly R-rated. Even though Deadpool & Wolverine is the first film in the series that’s officially part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (it only took several years of production delays and one massive studio acquisition to make that happen), it’s just as raunchy as the installments that came before. Six years after Ryan Reynolds last graced screens as the Merc with a Mouth, Deadpool has hit what might be his rock bottom. When he’s given the opportunity to regain the lives and loves he lost in another timeline, he must enlist the help of an extremely disinterested Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to make it happen. Reynolds and Jackman’s onscreen chemistry is electric, making this one (foul-mouthed) team-up you don’t want to miss.

Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band

Bruce Springsteen came out of the Covid-19 lockdowns revved up and ready to put on one hell of a show. For Road Diary, The Boss gave director Thom Zimny an all-access pass to the creation of the tour he and and the E Street Band have been on since 2024, including archival footage and interviews with the band and Springsteen himself. Zimny has been documenting the rocker’s life on the road for more than two decades now—and won two Emmy Awards for his efforts (for 2001’s Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: Live in New York City and 2018’s Springsteen on Broadway)—making this documentary essential viewing for any fan.

Inside Out 2

Though it’s been 10 years since the release of Pixar’s Oscar-winning Inside Out, this sequel picks up just two years after the original film’s ending. Riley, now 13 years old, is officially a teenager—and not quite ready to contend with the various new emotions that come with that phase. Among them: Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser). Fortunately for all of them, not to mention Riley’s parents, Joy (Amy Poehler) is still there to help balance these emotions out. Yet again, Pixar triumphs in making a movie with a message that is also fun for the whole family.

Inside Out

Don’t cry. But also cry. A lot. Inside Out is the perfect realization of what every Pixar film strives to achieve. On the surface, it’s a comedic look at human emotion, the complexity of a child growing up, and the delicate balance of family life. But by literally getting inside the head of 11-year-old Riley, the film finds a way to bring emotion to life in a way that is at once comedic, profound, and often ingenious.

The Beach Boys

“There’s definitely been ups and downs,” says singer/songwriter Mike Love in The Beach Boys. “We’ve probably been counted out half a dozen times.” Yet more than 60 years after the band’s founding, these California Dreamers have managed to defy audience expectations just as many times—and redefine what pop music can be in the process. Frank Marshall and Thom Zimny codirect this insightful documentary, which features brand-new interviews with Love, the late Brian Wilson, and Al Jardine—not to mention the many artists they have inspired (Lindsey Buckingham, Janelle Monae, Don Was, and Ryan Tedder among them).

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Wes Anderson assembled an all-star cast and crew for this gorgeous stop-motion animation adaptation of Roald Dahl’s children’s novel. Mr. Fox (George Clooney) makes a promise to his wife (Meryl Streep) that he’ll stop his farm-raiding ways when she reveals that she is pregnant. Years later, the crafty canine is feeling angsty and tempted to return to his criminal pastimes when temptation comes knocking right next door. But Mrs. Fox starts to suspect something is amiss when a bounty of fresh food starts finding its way into their home. Even worse, the local farmers are none too happy about being raided by a pesky fox—and band together to do something about it. Noah Baumbach cowrote the script with Anderson, and the cast includes many of Anderson’s most frequent collaborators, including Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, and Owen Wilson.

Jim Henson: Idea Man

Watching the trailer for Jim Henson: Idea Man, it strikes you: How has there not been an exhaustive documentary about Jim Henson before now? Muppets, The Dark Crystal, Sesame Street—the puppeteer had a hand in all of them. In this documentary, Ron Howard looks at Henson’s (tireless) work, his incredible impact, and the legacy he left behind.

Let It Be

If Peter Jackson’s three-part 2021 docuseries Get Back (which is also on Disney+) left you wanting even more unfiltered access to the Beatles, we’ve got both good news and bad news: Let It Be is the 1970 documentary from which much of the footage seen within that series was taken. On the plus side, the original 16-mm print of the film—which has gone mostly unseen for the past 50 years—has undergone a painstaking restoration, courtesy of Jackson (yet again). While it lacks some of the emotional nuance of the series, as we see less of the sometimes-uncomfortable interactions of a band on the verge of their breaking point, it serves as a wonderful time capsule in which it was created. Feel free to pair the two together for one long binge (and throw in Abbey Road: If These Walls Could Sing for good measure).

Summer of Soul

Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson made his directorial debut with this feature documentary, which recounts the groundbreaking Harlem Cultural Festival—a six-week-long celebration of Black culture, including music, history, fashion, and beyond. The film features rarely-seen clips of performers such as Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and Sly & the Family Stone. Why have you never heard of the event? Possibly because it was overshadowed by Woodstock, which took place during the same time in the summer of 1969. Ironically, when the film won the Oscar for Best Documentary at the 2022 Academy Awards, it was overshadowed yet again: It’s the award that was being handed out when Will Smith infamously slapped Chris Rock on the stage. (Here’s your chance to rectify missing that acceptance speech.)

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version)

Were you one of the lucky ones who saw Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in person? Did you see Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour in theaters? Well guess what? You can now also watch it on Disney+! Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) is kind of like the one that played at AMC cinemas, but it’s also got four new acoustic songs: “You Are in Love,” “Death by a Thousand Cuts,” “I Can See You,” and “Maroon.” It also features the folklore track “Cardigan.” So, whether you saw the tour, the movie theater experience—or neither—there’s now yet another way to take in Taylor. Are you ready for it?

The Marvels

Since the release of Captain Marvel in 2019, Brie Larson has become one of the MCU’s biggest stars. Though much ado was made about The Marvels being the lowest-grossing film in the Marvel universe, that shouldn’t deter you from giving it a watch. In this sequel, Larson’s Captain Marvel joins forces with Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) to find a way to manipulate space and time so that they can save the world—but with cats!

X-Men

Any property as beloved as X-Men is bound to have more than a few detractors when it makes the leap from page to screen. But the first X-Men movie managed to impress skeptical comic book fans and newcomers to the mutant war with its compelling storyline and stellar cast, which included Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, and then-newcomer Hugh Jackman. The film kicked off the first in an ever-growing franchise of the battle between mutants and humans, which now totals 13 films and more than $6 billion in box office receipts. With X-Men now officially part of Marvel Studios, expect to see lots more of this expanded cast of characters (beginning with the aforementioned Deadpool & Wolverine and 2026’s highly anticipated Avengers: Doomsday). Until then, though, go back and watch this 2000 classic, and prepare for the future.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

It may be impossible to reach the heights achieved by timeless classics like Temple of Doom or Raiders of the Lost Ark, but this latest installment in the Indiana. Jones franchise puts the whip back in Harrison Ford’s hands, letting him fight Nazis and finally get (maybe) some closure to his artifact-hunting life. The movie, directed by James Mangold, also gets some fantastic humor and verve from Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who plays Helena, the daughter of an old ally of Indy’s who has perhaps less-than-pure interest in the Dial of Destiny, an ancient time-travel device that Dr. Jones, of course, thinks belongs in a museum.

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Far From Home, which stars Tom Holland as the Spandex-wearing superhero, is notable for being the first film in Phase Four of the MCU—and the first time we see an Avenger attempting to pick up the pieces following the events of Avengers: Endgame. For Peter Parker, that means taking a boring old class trip to Europe, which turns into anything but when Earth is attacked by a villainous group of Elementals, which Spidey can only fight with the help of the mysterious—and appropriately named—Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal).

Mrs. Doubtfire

Daniel Hillard (Robin Williams) is a lightly employed voice actor and devoted dad of three who has just been dumped by his wife and is only allowed to see his children one day per week. So he does what any rational person would do: asks his brother, who just happens to be a makeup artist, to dress him up as an older woman and applies to become a nanny working for his ex-wife Miranda (Sally Field). That Miranda doesn’t realize the person she has entrusted her children with is the man she was married to for more than a decade might speak more about her character. Ignore the ridiculous setup and instead enjoy more than two hours of Robin Williams going full Robin Williams. Bon appétit!

Big

Teenager Josh Baskin (David Moscow) wishes on a Zoltar machine that he could grow up overnight—and comes to find his older self (Tom Hanks) staring him back in the mirror the next morning. In an effort to hide his fast-forwarded body, Baskin hides out in New York City, where he falls backward into his dream job at a toy company and meets the woman of his dreams (Elizabeth Perkins). Big is the movie that made Tom Hanks, well, Tom Hanks (it also marked his first Oscar nomination). But it’s Robert De Niro who was originally set to star; when he was forced to drop out due to scheduling conflicts, Hanks stepped in.

Finding Nemo

Nemo (Alexander Gould) is a young clown fish with an imperfect fin and a dad (Albert Brooks) who worries endlessly about his son’s safety. Which is forgivable, given that Nemo’s mom—and all his siblings—were victims of a barracuda shortly before their eggs hatched. So when Nemo is captured while the duo are swimming in the Great Barrier Reef, it’s up to Marlin to find and save his only son. With an all-star cast of voice actors—led by the always-perfect Brooks, and Ellen DeGeneres as a forgetful blue tang named Dory (who would go on to star in her own adventure)—Finding Nemo is part of the heyday of Pixar filmmaking where each film seemed to surpass the absolutely perfect one that preceded it.

The Princess Bride

Rob Reiner directs this adventure-comedy-fairytale, written by William Goldman (the legendary screenwriter who once famously said of Hollywood that “nobody knows anything”) from his own novel. The ever-quotable tale tells the story of a young woman named Buttercup (Robin Wright) who is engaged to marry a prince (Chris Sarandon) but is really in love with former farmhand Westley (Carey Elwes), who she believes was killed in a pirate attack. When Buttercup is kidnapped just days ahead of her wedding, a chain of events proceed to possibly reunite the in-love couple, or spell death for one (or both) of them. Goldman was famously critical of his own work, but didn’t mind taking credit for two of his movies. The Princess Bride was one of them (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was the other).

The Little Mermaid

Does the live-action version of The Little Mermaid improve upon the beloved 1989 animated classic? Of course not. But Disney is on a tear when it comes to reimagining the movies you loved as a kid, and this is one of the Mouse House’s better efforts. Oscar nominee Rob Marshall (Chicago, Mary Poppins Returns, Into the Woods) is behind the camera for this tale of a young mermaid who longs to be (sing it with us) “part of your world.” Yet it’s Halle Bailey, delivering a powerhouse performance as Ariel, who truly makes The Little Mermaid worth watching.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Whether you think of Henry Selick’s imaginative stop-motion adventure as a Halloween film or a Christmas movie doesn’t really matter, as there’s never a bad time to add The Nightmare Before Christmas to your watch (or watch-again) list. When the mischief-makers in Halloweentown, including pumpkin king Jack Skellington, discover the magic of Christmas, they decide to kidnap Santa Claus and claim both holidays for themselves. Even in today’s CGI-soaked world, the artistry behind The Nightmare Before Christmas remains painfully impressive—and the macabre yet kid-friendly tone makes it a fun watch for the entire family. There’s also a sing-along version if you’re in the mood.

Cinderella

In case you don’t know the story: After Cinderella loses her beloved mother, her father marries a nasty woman with two equally nasty daughters. While they spend their days tormenting the kind-hearted Cinderella, Prince Charming, the most eligible bachelor in all the land, only has eyes for her. Seventy-five years after its original release, Cinderella remains a Disney classic for a reason. Now it’s back with an impressive 4K restoration that has been several years in the making.

Avatar: The Way of Water

One week before Avatar hit theaters (for the first time) in late 2009, James Cameron announced his intention to turn the movie into a full-on franchise. But the director took his sweet time in following through. Avatar: The Way of Water—which checks in on blue lovebirds Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), now married with children—was released in late 2022, a full 13 years after the original made its debut. But Cameron smartly bought himself some time by setting the film 16 years after the events of Avatar. And while the critical reviews were mixed, it still ended up becoming the third-highest-grossing movie of all time, proving yet again that Cameron has some sort of Midas touch at the box office. We’ll see if that still holds true when the franchise’s third film, Avatar: Fire and Ash, arrives in December.

The Incredible Hulk

To Marvel fans, Mark Ruffalo is the only Bruce Banner. But that’s only after Eric Bana tried on the supersized superhero’s tiny purple pants in 2003’s Hulk—and then passed them on to Edward Norton for this 2008 flick, which had the misfortune of hitting theaters just one month after Iron Man. The MCU has always had a messy timeline, but audiences shouldn’t be too quick to write this movie off, particularly those looking to kick back with a solid summer popcorn flick. Norton may lack Ruffalo’s effortless charm, but he’s got the Doc Green part of the character down. While the movie has been largely (and wrongly) forgotten, it did get a bump in February when Liv Tyler found her way into (the new) Bruce’s arms when she reprised her roles as love interest Betty Ross in Captain America: Brave New World.

The Skeleton Dance

Fans of classic animation will love every second of the more than two dozen freshly restored old shorts that are part of the Disney+ library. One of the most exciting titles among them is The Skeleton Dance, which revolutionized cartoon culture in 1929. Walt Disney himself wrote, directed, and produced this macabre comedy in which a group of resurrected skeletons rise from their graves and, yep, dance. This is actually much funnier and/or more impressive than it sounds.

Stan Lee

Easily the most recognizable name in comics, Stan Lee has had an impact on the medium—and on pop culture broadly—that simply can’t be overstated. Director David Gelb’s documentary about “The Man” delves into not only his legacy, but also his history. Tracing the comics maestro’s life from his early years in New York City to his work cocreating iconic characters like Spider-Man and Black Panther to his time as everyone’s favorite Marvel movie cameo, Stan Lee is essential viewing for any fan.

Spider-Man

While Sam Raimi’s Tobey Maguire-starring Spider-Man movies predate the official MCU, the famed director really set the stage for what that future universe would look like, with its mix of solid storytelling, genuine laughs, and impressive visuals. Maguire is perfectly cast as the awkwardly charming Peter Parker, who—having just discovered his superhero powers—is learning to harness them.

Venom

Venom may not have been a hit with critics, but WIRED senior editor Angela Watercutter nailed exactly what the movie was when she called it “a bad movie with great cult-movie potential.” While it rivals Doctor Strange for its stacked cast of serious talent—Tom Hardy in the lead, with Michelle Williams and Riz Ahmed costarring, plus Zombieland’s Reuben Fleischer as director—the end result was, well, a bit of a jumbled mess. Nonetheless, it somehow manages to be compelling, even if you just turn it on to watch Hardy mumble, eat Tater Tots, and almost literally chew scenery for 112 minutes.

The Original Star Wars Trilogy

Naturally, Star Wars is one of the big attractions on Disney+. And it goes without saying, or at least it should, that the films that comprise the original trilogy are the best of the bunch—and the only Star Wars movies you should watch if you’re opting not to binge all dozen or so features. The caveat for pickier fans is that these are the versions that have been messed with by George Lucas post-release. Some things, like the improved visuals in and around Cloud City, are thoughtful additions, but others are more controversial.

The Star Wars Prequel Trilogy

More than 20 years after Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope (aka simply Star Wars) helped to define the Hollywood blockbuster, George Lucas returned to the space opera well with an all-new trilogy for an all-new generation of moviegoers. It went about as well as you’d expect. We won’t pretend that The Phantom Menace (1999), Attack of the Clones (2002), and/or Revenge of the Sith (2005) have even an ounce of the heart, humor, or heroism of the original films. But they’ve become essential pop culture viewing, and a rite of passage for sci-fi fans, if only to get what all the Jar Jar Binks hate is about.

The Star Wars Sequel Trilogy

When Disney purchased Lucasfilm for $4 billion in 2012, it was essentially George Lucas handing over the keys to the Millennium Falcon. While fans were rightly skeptical about whether the Mouse House would be able—or even want—to recapture the slightly countercultural environment in which the series was originally created, one hopeful thought united them all: Whatever Disney concocted could not be worse than the Prequel Trilogy. And they were right. By giving the reins to J.J. Abrams (The Force Awakens), Rian Johnson (The Last Jedi), then Abrams once again (The Rise of Skywalker), the series became more of a love letter to the original films and the generations of filmmakers—and fans—they inspired. Happily, actors Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and Adam Driver proved worthy successors to the smugglers, scavengers, Jedi masters, and Sith Lords who preceded them.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

As WIRED senior writer Jason Parham wrote in his review of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, this movie is haunted by the absence of Chadwick Boseman, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s original King T’Challa who died following a battle with colon cancer in 2020. To that end, writer-director Ryan Coogler had to make a much different kind of superhero film, one that addressed the loss of its main character while also pushing Marvel’s cinematic storyline forward into its next phase. “It’s rare for MCU films to channel the turbulence of grief with such unflinching focus,” Parham wrote. “Coogler has equipped his sequel with a changed vocabulary: It speaks equally from a place of loss as it does triumph. Grief is its mother tongue.” To that end, the director uses the death of T’Challa to usher in a new Black Panther as well as new heroes (Ironheart) and adversaries-turned-allies (Namor).

Turning Red

Mei Lee is a 13-year-old with a problem: Whenever she’s overcome with any sort of overwhelming emotion, which is just about every emotion at that age, she transforms into a giant red panda. Eventually, Mei comes to learn that it’s an inherited family trait. And while there are people who would like to exploit her supernatural powers, she slowly learns that only she has the power to control them. Think of this as a spiritual sequel to 2015’s Inside Out, which explored the complex inner workings of an 11-year-old’s constantly changing emotions.

Abbey Road: If These Walls Could Sing

Abbey Road Studios is best known as the place where the Beatles recorded some of their most iconic albums, including 1969’s Abbey Road. But the hallowed halls of this legendary music studio have played a much bigger role in the music industry, as it has hosted the likes of everyone from Elton John, Pink Floyd, and Aretha Franklin to Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga, Radiohead, Adele, Oasis, Kate Bush, and Frank Ocean. This documentary, which arrived on the heels of Peter Jackson’s docuseries The Beatles: Get Back (which is also streaming on Disney+ and is highly recommended), is directed by Mary McCartney—daughter of Sir Paul—who practically grew up in the studio and, as such, is able to treat her subject with the reverence it deserves.

Avatar

James Cameron’s Avatar was all anyone could talk about when it was released in theaters in 2009 and promptly went on to make more than $1 billion, becoming the cinematic iceberg that sank another Cameron epic, 1997’s Titanic, from its place as the highest-grossing movie of all time. For a movie that made so much bank, however, it never occupied a huge space in the cultural conversation about movies. Like so many of Cameron’s works, much of its innovation came from the technology that essentially had to be invented to make it possible.

Iron Man

The MCU has released nearly three dozen films since 2008, yet the very first of them—Iron Man—remains one of the best. It’s almost impossible to believe how hard director Jon Favreau had to fight to get Robert Downey Jr. the leading role, as he’s arguably one of the MCU’s most beloved figures. Before there was a whole franchise plus a shared TV universe, Downey, as Tony Stark/Iron Man, was just allowed to do his thing. It was a gamble that paid off for all involved.

West Side Story

From Martin Scorsese to Spike Lee, pretty much every great director has made—or at least tried to make—a grand Hollywood musical, perhaps one of the toughest genres to successfully pull off. Steven Spielberg made the task even more difficult when he decided to adapt Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, and ​​Arthur Laurents’ West Side Story—which Robert Wise already did to great acclaim in 1961. But, Spielberg (being Spielberg) managed to create an updated take on the story of Tony (Ansel Elgort) and Maria (Rachel Zegler), two love-struck teens caught in the middle of an escalating rivalry between two street gangs, the Sharks and the Jets. The update gives nods to the original (like casting Rita Moreno, who won an Oscar for her role as Anita in Wise’s film) while improving on some of its controversial aspects (like casting Natalie Wood in the role of a Puerto Rican teen).

Lady and the Tramp

Sure, you can watch the live-action/CGI version that Disney+ released shortly after it launched, but why bother when the 1955 original is here too? Put aside the rather vulgar stereotypes that were common at the time (the movie now comes with a warning, though it was recently reworded) and Lady and the Tramp remains one of the most iconic Disney animations, and a love story for the ages. When a spoiled cocker spaniel named Lady finds herself competing with a new baby for the attention of her parents, she ends up getting loose and befriending a mangy but charming mutt named Tramp. Ultimately, Lady needs to choose between the pampered life she’s always known with Jim Dear and Darling, or a life of spaghetti dinner discards with the hopelessly romantic Tramp—unless there’s another way.

The Muppet Movie

Between The Muppet Show and The Muppet Movie, Jim Henson and the Muppets were everywhere in 1979. Their first big-screen outing serves as more of a prequel, as it follows Kermit the Frog’s journey from a swamp in Florida to Hollywood, where he’s headed to pursue his dreams of becoming a movie star. Along the way, we get to witness where and how he meets the fellow members of his felt-made crew, from Fozzie Bear to Miss Piggy. Hijinks ensue when a restaurateur named Doc Hopper doesn’t take too kindly to Kermit turning down his offer to serve as the official legs of his chain’s famous fried frog legs, and follows the frog in order to seek revenge.

Luca

Enrico Casarosa’s Luca earned an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature in 2022 for its sweet and soulful story about a young boy named Luca who is hiding a dark secret: He’s a sea monster living in a town on the Italian Riviera that absolutely despises his kind. Ultimately, Luca is a moving coming-of-age film about friendship, family, and overcoming our own prejudices—and truly one of Pixar’s best features.

Captain Marvel

Marvel’s biggest mistake in the entire MCU canon (so far) was not commissioning Captain Marvel sooner. The film, set in the past, sees the rise of Marvel (Brie Larson) as she discovers her origin story and develops her powers. The film, the first entry in the Marvel universe with a female lead, channels the spirit of the 1990s both in its setting and in style, with heaping spoonfuls of Samuel L. Jackson and all the plot and subtlety of a blockbuster action movie. Larson adds a healthy dose of sarcasm to undercut her character’s immense power, and Jackson is eerily brilliant, making for a super fun 123 minutes.

Ant-Man

Who doesn’t love a heist movie? Paul Rudd’s MCU debut acted as something of a palate cleanser after the heavy, literally Earth-shattering events of Age of Ultron. Rudd plays Scott Lang, a reformed criminal who teams up with Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and his daughter (Evangeline Lily) to keep Pym’s shrinking technology from falling into the wrong hands. The film’s depiction of quantum physics wouldn’t hold much water at CERN, but it’s terrific fun—thanks in part to Michael Peña’s star turn as Lang’s former cellmate Luis and, of course, Rudd’s legendary likability. If you want to make it a Rudd-athon, both Ant-Man and the Wasp and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania are streaming, too.

Mulan

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and its shutdown of almost the entire movie industry, Disney decided to try something new with its live-action version of Mulan by making it available to Disney+ subscribers instead of releasing it in theaters. The film itself is one of the latest in Disney’s recent string of live-action remakes and sees Liu Yifei in the title role, with reviews praising the cast, visuals, and action sequences.

Avengers: Endgame

There’s a moment in the event-movie-to-endgame-all-event-movies when you realize that writers Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus have gone full Harry Potter and the Cursed Child all over the MCU. Once you get past the rather glum beginning, you can settle in for what you have come to expect from any Avengers movie: Tony Stark cracking wise; Doctor Strange doing weird things with his hands; Professor Hulk explaining the science of what’s going on; and Black Widow and Captain Marvel kicking ass, both emotionally and physically. It’s a messy but epic baton-pass in the form of an angsty portal-powered mega-battle. And we’re not going to lie: We’ve watched those audience reaction videos, and they too are a thing of joy.

Hamilton

If you only know Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical from the obscenely high ticket prices and snippets of the soundtrack, here’s your chance to find out what all the fuss is about. A version of the production, recorded via a six-camera setup over two performances by the original Broadway cast, was put on Disney+ after plans to release it in cinemas were scrapped. Aside from a couple of censored swear words and the fact that it’s directed (by Thomas Kail), it’s essentially the same show—an energetic, empathetic, witty, quippy hip-hop musical about US founding father Alexander Hamilton.

Moana

One of the potential answers to “What, oh, what to put on after Frozen and Frozen 2?” Moana is in fact better than Frozen. By that we simply mean better soundtrack, better heroine, better visuals, and better side quests. There’s also 100 percent more Dwayne Johnson as a tattooed demigod and Jemaine Clement as a giant crab doing a Bowie impression. Set thousands of years ago on the fictional, Polynesia-inspired island of Motunui, Moana’s hero’s journey is fairly classic, but the sumptuous animation and Lin-Manuel Miranda tunes are top-tier Disney. (Sure, we’d love to see Taika Waititi’s original script, but we can live without it.) Moana 2, last year’s less well-received sequel, is now also streaming on Disney+ (as are sing-along versions for both films).

Free Solo

If your friend told you they’d decided to solo-climb up the sheer 3,000-foot granite El Capitan wall in Yosemite, California, with no rope, you’d think they had gone mad. But that’s exactly what Alex Honnold set out to do back in 2017. Honnold’s quest to climb the vertical wall was documented by his two director friends, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, as he took on the ascent to become the world’s first person to free-climb El Capitan. But it’s not just about the ascent, it’s also about Honnold’s complicated life, his emotional issues, and all the things that have driven him to pursue one of the most dangerous missions ever attempted by any free climber. The cinematography in Free Solo is also dizzyingly beautiful, and the entire thing will have you gripping the arm of your chair in terror.

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids

Wayne Szalinski (Rick Moranis) is an experimental inventor who creates an electromagnetic shrinking machine. Naturally, he accidentally shrinks his own children (if you didn’t already guess that from the title), plus the kids from next door, then unwittingly throws them in the trash. To have any chance of becoming their normal size again, the teeny tots must navigate their way across the family’s (now seemingly gigantic) yard and back to the house. It’s something fraught with peril when you’re half the size of an aspirin.

Toy Story (All of Them)

While it initially might have seemed as if Pixar could never make anything as good as the original 1995 Toy Story, each of the three subsequent films add depth to the franchise’s canon. All of the movies are critically acclaimed—and they’re all available on Disney+. When combined, the four films tell a story about growing up and how everything in life, inevitably, changes. Woody (Tom Hanks) and the gang go from learning how to deal with new people to understanding loss. It’s something that’s also followed the cast: In Toy Story 4, the voice of Mr. Potato Head was created through archive recordings after Don Rickles, as the man behind the voice, died ahead of the film’s release.

The Lion King

Remember the terrifying wildebeest stampede in the 1994 version of The Lion King? That was actually computer animated, because drawing them by hand would have taken a long, long time. Special attention was taken to blend it into the cel-shaded backgrounds, and this was all before Toy Story came out the following year. Which is all to say that not only is the ’90s version a perfect movie that had absolutely zero need for a charm-deficient 2019 remake (which is also streaming on Disney+ in case you want to compare), it’s also the best Lion King to use CG animation.

10 Things I Hate About You

Heath Ledger singing “Can’t Take My Eyes off You” on the bleachers. That’s the iconic scene in this top-caliber high school romcom. The plot is taken from The Taming of the Shrew, the cast—including Ledger, Julia Stiles, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt—are all adorable, and the late ’90s nostalgia is potent. Offering some much-needed variety from the sci-fi and animation that dominates the Disney+ launch catalog, 10 Things I Hate About You is as good as comfort-food movies get.

Tron & Tron: Legacy

Tron and its modern sequel, Tron: Legacy, aren’t your typical Disney films. The original sees a programmer (Jeff Bridges) become trapped inside a computer system where he meets and befriends programs, including the eponymous hero Tron, who are resisting the power of a growing artificial intelligence, the Master Control Program. It became a sci-fi cult classic, leading to the creation of a modern sequel that continues the story and features an epic score cowritten by Daft Punk. Both are watchable distractions, even if the sequel feels a little thin in places.

Willow

Another nostalgia fest, this time for fans of ’80s fantasy. Willow is a family-friendly, mythic quest that’s best seen as George Lucas and Ron Howard’s fun, $35 million Tolkien fan fiction. The story of a farmer tasked with protecting a magic baby from an evil queen is not exactly the most original story in the world, but that hasn’t stopped this from becoming a classic, with Warwick Davis as Willow Ufgood and Val Kilmer waving a sword around. Classic Sunday afternoon fare.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Winter Soldier is among the best Marvel movies. It makes time for quieter character moments, and the action, while still spectacular, feels a little more grounded and real than the CGI-fueled shock and awe of the mainline movies. In this outing, Captain America faces off against a rogue element of SHIELD led by Robert Redford’s Alexander Pierce.

Thor: Ragnarok

The first two Thor films were among the worst in the whole series—Chris Hemsworth’s thunder god was dour and charmless. But here, director Taika Waititi injected some much-needed color into the proceedings, borrowing heavily from the Planet Hulk storyline from the comics. Thor finds himself stranded on a bizarre planet, ruled over by Jeff Goldblum (who is pretty much playing himself). There, he crosses paths with Bruce Banner’s Hulk, who has been missing since the events of Civil War. It’s hugely funny, and arguably the best film of the series.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

The newer Star Wars one-off films attract strong opinions, and Rogue One is no different. But while it has its issues, it fills an important hole in the universe and features some of the best action sequences in the entire saga. Its main black mark is the rather iffy CGI recreation of Peter Cushing’s Grand Moff Tarkin, but it’s still a fun romp that lacks the narrative baggage of the new trilogy.

Black Panther

Black Panther had a huge cultural impact. It was refreshingly unusual to see a blockbuster superhero film with such a diverse cast—and the Afrofuturist setting was unlike anything Marvel had ever done before. Michael B. Jordan steals the show as Killmonger, who returns to his father’s home to claim the throne from T’Challa (the late Chadwick Boseman).

WALL·E

Released in 2008, a time when, for many, the climate crisis felt like a distant, abstract threat, WALL·E is classic Pixar. It’s a love story—sort of—that focuses on two robots. But it’s also a story about survival, believing in yourself, and dancing through the vacuum of space propelled by a fire extinguisher. The animation, especially on the desolate, barren Earth, is a sight to behold. The opening scenes of the film are also basically a silent film, with the score and robotic sound effects doing a fantastic job bringing out the emotion and drama of what’s happening.

Up

Pixar’s Up can claim one of the most moving opening scenes of any movie. Despite being released more than a decade ago, in 2009, the animation hasn’t aged or lost any of its charm. In a little over 90 minutes, director Pete Docter takes us on the journey of Carl, an old widower who is seeking out Paradise Falls. Carl’s trip in his flying house is made in memory of his wife, Ellie, who had always wanted to visit the falls. The film won two Oscars—Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score—but was also nominated for three more. These included Best Picture, which at the time made it only the second animated film to have received the nomination (1991’s Beauty and the Beast—which is also streaming on Disney+, and most definitely worth a rewatch—was the first).

The Jungle Book

Whatever mood you’re in, Disney+ has The Jungle Book to suit it. The streaming service has both the 1967 animated classic, with its catchy soundtrack and moments of humor, plus the live-action version released in 2016. The two films couldn’t be more different. If you want to go for full family entertainment, pick the original, but if you’re after something a little darker, the modern remake is where you should head. (Bonus fact: The entire live-action film was shot in a warehouse.)

Guardians of the Galaxy

The first volume of Guardians of the Galaxy didn’t burst into the MCU until 2014, which is relatively late considering Phase One began with Iron Man in 2008. However, it’s become a firm fan favorite, providing some of the Universe’s most memorable (and important) characters. Quill, Rocket, Groot, Gamora, and Nebula are all distinctive and in many ways more likable than other key MCU characters. Guardians is worth returning to if you want to remember a slightly simpler time before Thanos’ Snap.



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Game Reviews

Celebrate Jaws’s 50th Anniversary With These 10 Shark Movies

by admin June 20, 2025



50 years ago, Jaws transformed cinema forever as the first true summer blockbuster. More than 67 million Americans flocked to see it in theaters, only to leave terrified of ever setting foot on a beach again. John Williams’s ominous score, built on low-pitched instruments like basses, cellos, and tubas, combined with Spielberg’s use of POV shots and clever restraint in revealing the shark, helped cement Jaws as one of the scariest movies of all time.

From that point on, every shark movie would inevitably be measured against Jaws. And though some have come close to being just as horrifying, many fall short. With so few able to live up to the mastery of Steven Spielberg’s craftsmanship, the genre began to swing in the entirely opposite direction: bottom-of-the-barrel absurdity. These movies put sharks in the most ridiculous scenarios imaginable, and the titles speak for themselves: Space Sharks, Ouija Shark, Sharkenstein, and 6-Headed Shark Attack are just a few examples. Only the ones that are “so-bad-it’s-good” make it onto this list.

Jaws set in motion the Hollywood myth that sharks are vengeful and evil killers, when in reality, they’re just curious creatures and human attacks are rare. Still, those toothy giants are the last thing you would want to encounter in open water. If you’re eager to dive into the wild world of shark movies in between episodes of Shark Week on TLC this summer, take a look at the list below. These are the best shark movies that aren’t Steven Spielberg’s iconic blockbuster, ranging from serious horror to those that fully embrace the hokey chaos of Sharksploitation.



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A screenshot of the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow graphic novel, which shows the titular hero with her arm raised
Gaming Gear

‘I’m sick of it’: James Gunn explains why Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is no longer the DC comic book movie’s name

by admin June 16, 2025



  • Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow has been given a much cleaner and shorter title
  • DC Studios co-chief James Gunn has confirmed the name change
  • The superhero movie will be released in theaters worldwide in June 2026

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is no longer the official name of the forthcoming DC comic book movie, James Gunn has revealed.

Speaking to Rolling Stone, the DC Studios co-chief confirmed the Milly Alcock-starring film will now go by a much shorter title: Supergirl.

The surprise announcement came right at the start of Rolling Stone’s profile piece on Gunn, which was conducted as part of the promotional campaign for the writer/director’s upcoming Superman film. Asked by the interviewer if he could clarify what Woman of Tomorrow is being referred to as these days, Gunn paused before saying: “I think it’s just called Supergirl.”


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Elaborating on the title change, Gunn used Superman’s next big-screen outing, which was originally called Superman: Legacy, to explain why Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow‘s name had been shortened.

“I’m always cutting [down project titles],” Gunn replied. “Legacy was really – we [DC Studios] do something called a premortem. A premortem is you get together with your group that’s doing the project. It’s usually about a couple months before shooting… [and] one of the things I brought up was, it [Gunn’s Superman movie] was [originally] called Superman: Legacy.

“Even though I was the one that gave it that title, I just wasn’t sure,” Gunn continued. “First of all, I’m sick of the superhero title, colon, other-name thing. Also, it seemed to be looking back when we’re looking forward, even though it does have to do with legacy in the movie itself. And everybody was like, ‘Oh, yeah, no, change it.'”

Woman of Tomorrow, but a title for today

Milly Alcock will play Kara Zor-El/Supergirl in the DCU (Image credit: James Gunn/Twitter)

It might pain some DC comic book fans to learn about Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow‘s new, truncated titled. After all, the upcoming DC Universe (DCU) movie is basically adapting its eight-issue graphic novel namesake, which was created by comic book writer Tom King and drawn by Bilquis Eveley.

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Nevertheless, in my view, renaming the DCU Chapter One film is the right decision. Supergirl has a much cleaner feel to it. Additionally, for non-DC comic devotees who don’t already know it’ll retell one of Kara Zor-El’s best stories in a live-action format, its new title maintains an air of mystery about what its plot will actually entail.

Then there’s the fact that, unlike more iconic DC heroes including Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, there’s only been one other Supergirl movie: 1984’s Supergirl, which starred Helen Slater and is available to stream on Max. So the prospect of confusing viewers with an identically titled flick over 40 years on from the Maiden of Might’s silver screen debut shouldn’t be of major concern.

All in all, I’m pretty happy that Supergirl has dropped its subtitle. It certainly rolls off the tongue better than its previous moniker, but its title change does mean I’ll need to give my Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow guide a major overhaul. Lucky me, eh?

Supergirl will take flight in theaters worldwide on June 26, 2026.

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11 of the Best Horror Movies to Stream on Max
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11 of the Best Horror Movies to Stream on Max

by admin June 14, 2025


Finished season 2 of The Last of Us on Max? If you like the series’ post-apocalyptic horror, you should peruse Max’s scary movies next.

The streaming service hosts a variety of frightening flicks, from classics like Oscar winner The Silence of the Lambs to newer chillers like the Hugh Grant horror film Heretic. The options change often, so if you aren’t feeling Max’s spooky selection, it’s worth swinging back by later. 

Max starts at $10 per month or $100 per year, and you can also get the streamer free with a Doordash DashPass annual plan. If you’re ready for a horror movie, here are 11 excellent options.

A24

The inclusion of Hugh Grant may draw you into this religious horror movie, but once you hit play, there’s no escaping the creepiness of his character, Mr. Reed. Watch this one if you want to see if a pair of young missionaries are able to outwit their evil captor.

Cara Howe/Warner Bros.

Companion is a scary movie you should boot up and watch without much pre-Googling. It’s clever, unsettling and thrilling, with great performances from Sophie Thatcher of Yellowjackets and Jack Quaid of The Boys. Produced by the filmmakers behind 2022’s Barbarian, Companion sets the bar high for 2025 horror films. 

A24

The Mia Goth-starring slasher Pearl is a prequel to Ti West’s film X, centering on a younger version of the elderly villain in that flick. Max carries X, Pearl and a third film in the series, MaXXXine, but I recommend Pearl if you only have time for one movie.

Orion Pictures

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Jodie Foster interviews Anthony Hopkins’ evil Hannibal Lecter in this classic psychological thriller. Foster plays FBI agent Clarice Starling, who’s determined to bring down a killer. It’s the only horror movie ever to win a best picture Oscar, and it also won for best director, screenplay, actor (Hopkins) and actress (Foster) in 1992.

Warner Bros.

If you’re still on the hunt for a horror movie, you can’t go wrong with The Shining, the excellent Stanley Kubrick-directed movie starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. In the film — another Stephen King adaptation — a writer (Nicholson) staying in a remote hotel with his family exhibits some troubling changes in behavior. This one will absolutely satisfy your horror cravings.

Warner Bros.

When this adaptation of the classic Stephen King novel hit theaters in 2017, it had moviegoers like me looking twice at storm drains and dreading red balloons. With a cast of intrepid kids and a lot of heart, it makes a compelling case for more supernatural coming-of-age stories. And a strong case against clowns. 

Warner Bros.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)

The 1988 horror comedy Beetlejuice may not be on Max, but you can catch Michael Keaton’s ghost with the most in the 2024 sequel. Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara also reprise their roles in the spooky follow-up film.

Red Bank Films

It’s more Stephen King, and you have to watch Sissy Spacek’s Oscar-nominated portrayal of the prom queen at least once in your life. Why not now?

Libra Films

David Lynch’s first feature-length film will make you feel like you’re in a bizarre nightmare. The 90-minute black-and-white horror flick is packed with odd sounds and imagery, and the result is incredibly eerie. Don’t even get me started on the main character’s freakish, otherworldly looking “baby” (that’s oddly still kind of cute?). There are messages about men and parenthood here, but even setting aside the bigger picture, Eraserhead’s surreal world is absolutely worth a visit. 

Max/Screenshot by CNET

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

George Romero’s first horror film is an easy recommendation. A group of survivors take refuge in a house while members of the undead swarm outside. The influential flick is often regarded as the first modern zombie movie, and while it may not offer Freddy Krueger-level frights, you’ll be drawn in by the characters at the center of its story. You’re going to want to leave the door open for this one (but in the case of an actual apocalypse, keep it very, very shut).

Warner Bros.

A family accidentally unearths some unimaginable evils in this gory supernatural horror story. It’s the fifth entry in the film franchise after The Evil Dead (1981), Evil Dead II (’87), Army of Darkness (’92) and Evil Dead (2013).



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This New 'Superman' Spot Tells Us the Movie's Gonna Cut to the Chase About Clark and Lois
Product Reviews

This New ‘Superman’ Spot Tells Us the Movie’s Gonna Cut to the Chase About Clark and Lois

by admin June 14, 2025


There might finally be an answer about whether or not Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) knows if Clark Kent (David Corenswet) is really the caped superhero in red trunks, and it’s slipped into a quick teaser DC Studios just unleashed for Superman.

While previous iterations of Superman’s love interest may have fallen for the glasses trick, the idea that being bespectacled could hide the Man of Steel’s true identity has always been a ridiculous notion. Director James Gunn has seemingly side-stepped that in his upcoming DC Studios film Superman.

In the clip below Lane cuts to the chase saying, “Eventually people are going to find out that you’re Superman.” We love to see the Daily Planet’s star reporter’s investigatory prowess getting down to business when it comes to Metropolis’ caped hero being her boyfriend.

The real power’s in the glasses. 👓 💪 #Superman – only in theaters July 11. Get tickets now: https://t.co/mznvQOysqv pic.twitter.com/fEl0B6DOOq

— Superman (@Superman) June 13, 2025

In earlier trailers you kind of get the impression that she knows but this one confirms it. Now, what’s yet to be seen is just when it’s figured out—or if she’s the only one not falling for the flimsy disguise. Kent responds to her question, “Yeah, but the glasses,” with a certain confidence that’s more “Kal-El, god among us” than “farm boy turned big city journalist.”

Clearly, Lex Luthor is on his trail too as he attempts to dehumanize the hero as an alien threat, specifically targeting his identity as a man—glasses or not. It remains to be seen if Clark Kent being outed as Superman is going to just be treated as a commonplace thing for this universe, a place where he’s far from the only superhero.

Superman hits theaters July 11.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.





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The 35 Best Movies on Max (aka HBO Max) Right Now (June 2025)
Gaming Gear

The 35 Best Movies on Max (aka HBO Max) Right Now (June 2025)

by admin June 13, 2025


As the birthplace of prestige TV shows like The Sopranos and The Wire, HBO—and, by extension, HBO Max—is best known for its impressive lineup of original series. The network has also been upping the ante with feature-length content that is the stuff of Oscar dreams.

Below is a list of some of our favorite films streaming on Max—from Oscar-winning epics to dystopian sci-fi classics. If you decide you’re in more of a TV mood, head over to our picks for the best shows on Max. If you’re looking for even more recommendations, check out our lists of the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Amazon Prime, and the best movies on Disney+.

If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more.

Mountainhead

Succession creator Jesse Armstrong just might be today’s foremost chronicler of the world’s 1 percent. He stays in that lane with Mountainhead, his feature directorial debut, which follows an unexpectedly eventful weekend gathering of four of the tech world’s most powerful men at the new mountain retreat of Hugo “Souper” Van Yalk (Jason Schwartzman), the only non-billionaire of the bunch. While it’s meant to be a friendly get-together between old pals, everyone has an ulterior motive for blocking the weekend on their calendar. But all plans go out the window when the social media platform owned by Ven Parish (Cory Michael Smith), the world’s richest man, sends the world into upheaval as the result of a fast-tracked AI feature that’s spreading disinformation at an alarming rate. Which everyone but Ven sees as an opportunity to increase both their power and net worth.

Babygirl

Romy Mathis (Nicole Kidman) is a high-powered CEO with a husband (Antonio Banderas) who does not excite her and two teenage daughters she adores. But her life is turned upside down when one morning, while walking to her office, she is nearly attacked by a dog. A handsome young stranger (Harris Dickinson) steps in and manages to avert the attack, which leaves Romy shaken—and curious. Later, that same young man is introduced to her as Samuel, one of her newest interns, who seems to keep finding ways to push the boundaries of appropriate workplace behavior. Eventually, Romy gives in to Samuel’s advances, and his taste for BDSM-ish kink. Despite Romy’s concerns about the unfair power dynamic, Samuel insists that he’s the one who holds the power in their relationship, as she is the one with everything to lose. He might be right about that.

The Brutalist

Adrien Brody earned his second Best Actor Oscar for this historical epic from director Brady Corbet about László Tóth (Brody), a Bauhaus-trained architect who emigrates to America after surviving the Buchenwald concentration camp. Tóth settles in the Philadelphia area and must rebuild his life by working menial jobs for little pay. But Tóth’s talents don’t go hidden for long. A wealthy industrialist, Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce), learns about Tóth’s past and commissions him to design a huge project. He also helps to speed up the immigration of Tóth’s wife, Erzsébet (Felicity Jones), whom he has not seen since his incarceration. But Tóth soon learns that the American Dream comes at a price. While, at its heart, The Brutalist is a frank depiction of the immigrant experience, it’s also a heartbreaking statement on the pain that comes with processing trauma. The film—which arrives on Friday—won three of its 10 Oscar nominations, and is completely deserving of each.

Aftersun

Though Paul Mescal scored a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his role in Aftersun, the film—Scottish filmmaker Charlotte Wells’ directorial debut—remains grossly underseen. Calum (Mescal) is a father struggling with mental anguish, and doing his best to hide it, while vacationing with his precocious 11-year-old daughter Sophie (Frankie Corio) in Turkey. But she sees through the facade, even if she doesn’t understand what’s going on. While their leisurely beach days occupy most of the film’s running time, it’s Sophie’s recollection of the vacation and the ambiguity of its ending—not to mention the amazingly authentic chemistry between Mescal and Corio—that make the movie both a powerful meditation on mental illness and its effect on those around us, as well as a striking coming-of-age tale.

House

Prepare to have your mind blown by this trippy 1977 horror-comedy from Japan. Gorgeous (Kimiko Ikegami) is the daughter of a famed film composer who returns from a trip to Italy with a surprise: a new wife. In an effort to avoid the awkwardness of the situation, she asks her aunt if she can stay at her creepy old mansion for the summer, then brings along six of her closest friends. It doesn’t take long for weird things to start happening. Disembodied head attacks, homicidal pianos, and possessed cat portraits? This thrillingly bonkers cult classic has it all!

Gimme Shelter

Legendary documentarians Albert and David Maysles reinvented the rockumentary with this riveting first-hand recounting of the final days of the Rolling Stones’ 1969 US tour, which led to their infamous Altamont Free Concert. The concert, which attracted an estimated 300,000 people to California’s Altamont Speedway on December 6, 1969, was a disaster from the get-go—especially given the band’s decision to bring in the Hells Angels as the show’s security (one member famously said they were reportedly paid in beer). The Stones weren’t the only artists, but by the time they took the stage the crowd was out of control. At one point, one of the Angels stabbed a man, Meredith Hunter, right in front of the stage—a moment that the filmmakers later realized they had captured on film. Seeing the band’s reaction to watching the footage themselves makes for a truly compelling perspective on rock stardom.

Sing Sing

Colman Domingo proves yet again why he is one of today’s most acclaimed actors with this Oscar-nominated performance. Divine G (Domingo) is an inmate at New York’s infamous Sing Sing prison, serving time for a crime he did not commit. During his imprisonment, he finds purpose and joy in the prison’s theater group, part of its (very real) Rehabilitation Through the Arts program. By tapping into his inner thespian, Divine G is able to connect with his emotions, and he becomes determined to prove his innocence. But his undeniable acting talent, which inspires some of his fellow inmates, ends up posing a problem when it comes time for a parole hearing. Ultimately, Divine comes to respect the transformative power of the arts in helping him and some of his fellow inmates to overcome their past traumas. Making the film even more powerful is the fact that many of the actors are formerly incarcerated men who took part in the program.

Heretic

Hugh Grant earned some much-deserved awards consideration for playing so far against type in this religion-themed psychological thriller. Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) are two young Mormon missionaries who are desperate to find someone—anyone—who will let them speak about their religion in an attempt to convert new members to the church. When Mr. Reed (Grant), a seemingly kind older man, invites them into his home in order to deliver their spiel to him and his wife, it quickly becomes apparent, at least to Sister Barnes, that something is amiss. And that Reed doesn’t so much want to hear about religion as he does talk about it—and force his own beliefs on the young women in increasingly bizarre, and deadly, ways.

Beau Is Afraid

Like writer/director Ari Aster’s previous two films, Hereditary and Midsommar, a written summary never quite seems to do justice to his very specific brand of moviemaking. In Beau Is Afraid, which is undoubtedly the most surreal of all his films, Joaquin Phoenix stars in the title role of Beau, a middle-aged man who lives alone in a crime-ridden neighborhood where even running across the street to the store can be a deadly adventure. When Beau, after a bizarre series of events, learns that his mother has died, he must find a way to forge ahead in the face of his many anxieties in order to travel home and deal with the aftermath. If only he didn’t keep falling prey to people promising to help him, only to draw him into their own surreal circumstances. Though at times it can feel a little self-indulgent—and, at two hours and 59 minutes, overly long—Phoenix’s performance and Aster’s auteurist stamp make it nonetheless compelling.

Carrie

Even if you’ve seen it 100 times and know what’s coming next, Carrie still has the ability to make you jump out of your chair—nearly 50 years after its original release. Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) is a shy, awkward teen who has been criminally sheltered (and regularly abused) by her God-fearing mother (Piper Laurie). But when the neighborhood kids nicknamed her “Creepy Carrie,” they were on to something. Because when Carrie is stressed, pissed, or otherwise facing some kind of psychological torment, she lashes out—with her kinetic powers. Unfortunately, her classmates only learn about this latent talent when it’s too late: after they’ve properly humiliated her at her high school prom. Though there are sequels and remakes—including Mike Flanagan’s upcoming remake for Prime Video—there’s only one original (and solid) adaptation of Stephen King’s debut novel, and it’s this one.

We Live in Time

Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh ignite the screen with their chemistry in this romantic tearjerker that follows the couple over the course of a decade, from their meet-not-so-cute (she hits him with her car) to their journey into parenthood and, eventually, facing the ultimate curveball that threatens their happily-ever-after. Garfield and Pugh are two of the most acclaimed actors of their generation, and We Live in Time proves why.

Blue Velvet

Mulholland Drive may be widely considered David Lynch’s masterpiece, but Blue Velvet isn’t too far behind. Like most of Lynch’s projects, a general summary doesn’t really help sell the film: Clean-cut college student Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) returns home to help out at the family hardware store after his father has a stroke … and randomly finds a severed ear on the ground. While the detective assigned to investigate the incident tells Jeffrey not to discuss the crime, the detective’s teenage daughter (Laura Dern) seems to know as much about the crime as her dad does and teams up with Jeffrey to learn more. Their suspicions eventually lead them to Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini), a sultry nightclub singer, who seems to have some weird kinks (as Jeffrey sees for himself while hiding in her apartment). As always, Lynch’s movies are better experienced than explained. And Blue Velvet, which earned Lynch a Best Director Oscar nomination, is one of the late auteur’s very best.

Sons of Ecstasy

Phoenix, Arizona, may seem like an odd setting for a bitter feud between wannabe kingpins, but that’s exactly where this documentary takes place. It was there, in the 1990s, that two young men—Liverpool-born stockbroker Shaun Attwood and New York mafia royalty Gerard Gravano—found themselves at violent odds as both attempted to become the preferred supplier of ecstasy to local nightclubs and desert raves. For Gravano, son of Sammy “The Bull” Gravano, there’s a legacy to uphold. For Attwood, getting burned out by his day job led to the desire to become something more. Both men sat down with directors Elli Hakami and Julian P. Hobbs to tell their own stories.

Juror #2

Up until now, most of what you’ve heard about Juror #2 is how it’s one of Clint Eastwood’s most accomplished directorial efforts—and yet somehow it got shafted when it came to its theatrical release. Now’s your chance to see what all the fuss is about. Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult) is a journalist and recovering alcoholic who is making every effort to maintain his sobriety. That becomes a bit of a challenge when he’s put on the jury of a high-profile murder trial … only to realize that he may have inadvertently played a part in what happened. Hoult is fantastic in this edge-of-your-seat legal (and ethical) drama.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

It has been nearly 40 years since Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice stormed the late ’80s box office. In the decades since, we’ve often heard rumblings that a sequel was in the works. Or might be in the works. Or most definitely was in the works. Or might not be in the cards at all. Well, in 2024 it finally happened, and it was as if Michael Keaton had never stepped away from the role at all (eternal life has a way of doing that to you). This time, however, Lydia (Winona Ryder) is still doing her best to forget her rendezvous with the bio-exorcism pro. But when she returns to her childhood home, it’s her own badass daughter (Jenna Ortega) who finds a way to bring him back into all their lives.

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

James Gunn’s new version of Superman won’t arrive in theaters until July. In the meantime, audiences have Gunn and his DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran (partly) to thank for bringing this long-overdue documentary about the ultimate superhero actor to worldwide audiences. Directors Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui deliver a heartfelt, moving tribute to Reeve—as an actor, yes, but even more so as a person who never gave up. Alexandra Reeve Givens, Matthew Reeve, and Will Reeve—Reeve’s children—share their own stories about their dad, giving the project yet another layer of intimacy. No, you’re crying.

Watchmen: Chapter I

Brandon Vietti (Batman: Under the Red Hood) directs this innovative animated adaption of Alan Moore’s Hugo Award-winning graphic novel about an investigation into the murder of Edward Blake—better known as a superhero named the Comedian. When the police come up empty in terms of suspects, the costumed vigilante Rorschach (Titus Welliver) decides to take the case into his own hands, and eventually comes to believe that someone is attempting to knock off superheroes. So he enlists the help of a group of them in order to put a stop to the killing spree.

MaXXXine

MaXXXine is the third film in writer-director Ti West’s X trilogy, which began with X and Pearl. It’s set immediately after the events of Pearl: Mia Goth’s Maxine Minx is desperate to escape her upbringing as a preacher’s daughter and make the move from porn to more mainstream movies. She gets her chance when she lands the lead in a horror movie, The Puritan II. Then her friends start getting murdered. Ultimately, Maxine is forced to confront the sins of her past and find a way to achieve the fame she so desperately dreams of.

Civil War

In the not-too-distant future, the United States has transformed into an all-out battlefield between an authoritarian government, headed by a third-term president (Nick Offerman), and a stream of secessionist movements that threaten to destroy the country as we know it. But a group of journalists (led by Kirsten Dunst) is determined to document the downfall of America at any cost, so they set about heading to the White House in order to interview the embattled president. Which is much easier said than done. Oscar nominee Alex Garland (Ex-Machina) writes and directs this dystopian drama that often hits uncomfortably close to home.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Furiosa may have been dubbed last summer’s first box office “bomb,” but don’t let those dollar-focused headlines deter you from this one. Anya Taylor-Joy, who is undoubtedly one of the most versatile actors working today, shines in the role of Imperator Furiosa, a badass emancipator who dares to challenge gender conventions in a dangerous, postapocalyptic world where (no surprise at all) men make the rules. Taylor-Joy does an admirable job embracing the role that Charlize Theron memorably originated in Mad Max: Fury Road.

Drive My Car

Despite earning four Oscar nominations in 2022—and winning one for Best International Feature Film—it still feels entirely accurate to state that Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car remains woefully underseen. Here’s your chance to do your part to fix that. Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima) ia a renowned theater director still reeling from the death of his wife. Eventually, he makes the decision to begin working again and agrees to a two-month residency to direct a play in Hiroshima, an hour from his home. So each day, a young woman (Toko Miura) drives him to and from the theater. All that time spent in a confined space together eventually leads to a friendship—one where Kafuku feels comfortable sharing the challenges he is facing with his new project and, eventually, the truth about the way in which his wife betrayed him. Road movies have never felt so intimate—or leisurely.

Love Lies Bleeding

English writer-director Rose Glass follows up her BAFTA-nominated Saint Maud with this twisty, hyper-violent love story. It’s 1989 in a rural New Mexico town where gym manager Lou (Kristen Stewart) is doing her best to stay under the radar and keep an eye on her sister Beth (Jena Malone), who is in an abusive relationship with her husband JJ (Dave Franco). But Lou’s life is turned upside down when Jackie (Katy O’Brian), a gorgeous young bodybuilder, begins coming to Lou’s gym to train for an upcoming competition in Las Vegas. The two fall in love—and then Lou’s hidden family secrets come tumbling out of the closet and threaten her life, and the lives of those she cares about.

Faye

“I’m Faye Dunaway. That’s who I am.” That’s the way the Oscar winner introduces herself in the trailer for Laurent Bouzereau’s feature-length documentary. But what the film reveals is that there’s a lot more to Faye Dunaway than the glamorous image associated with the legendary star of Network. Dunaway opens up in a way that has rarely been seen before, discussing her childhood and family, her struggles with bipolar disorder, and how the characters she has played continue to impact her. It’s a fascinating portrait of a true Hollywood icon.

Quad Gods

Jess Jacklin’s feature documentary follows the fascinating journey of Blake, Prentice, and Richard—three individuals with quadriplegia who meet in a neuro-rehabilitation lab at Mount Sinai Hospital and launch a plan to create the world’s first all-quadriplegic esports team. It’s a noble pursuit, but one fraught with challenges as they break down the doors of ableism. At its heart, Quad Gods is a story of friendship, perseverance, and survival.

Am I OK?

Lucy (Dakota Johnson) is a thirtysomething living in Los Angeles, constantly failing at relationships and wondering why she doesn’t have everything figured out yet. After drunkenly sharing the story of the time she kissed a female friend as a teen, she begins to realize that the problem in her love life might not be the men she’s choosing, but that she’s choosing men at all. Former Saturday Night Live writer Lauren Pomerantz penned the script for the film based on her own experience of coming out in her thirties. Tig Notaro and her wife Stephanie Allynne do an admirable job as codirectors, treating Lucy’s journey of self-discovery with the respect it deserves—and plenty of humor.

MoviePass, MovieCrash

For better or worse, millions of film fans will remember 2012 as the year of MoviePass. For $25 per month, you could basically live in a movie theater—which was great for audiences, not so great for movie theaters (which were already struggling), and eventually disastrous for the company itself. For anyone who still has their MoviePass, this revealing documentary tells the real story of all that went wrong behind the scenes, and shares the story of the unsung heroes who really did just want to create a product that movie lovers could embrace. By the way: If you do indeed still have your original MoviePass, this doc has made it a worthwhile piece of memorabilia—with some selling for north of $1,000.

Dune and Dune: Part Two

Since breaking through with the Oscar-nominated Incendies (2010), Denis Villeneuve has continued to prove that he’s one of the most talented filmmakers working today. As if making a Blade Runner sequel that didn’t suck wasn’t enough, Villeneuve then went on to crack the cinematic code on Frank Herbert’s Dune series—something that true visionaries like David Lynch and Alejandro Jodorowsky had attempted before him, albeit largely unsuccessfully. Both the 2021 original film and its sequel are streaming on Max—as is Lynch’s 1984 adaptation (which has become a bit of a cult classic over the years). The film follows the fate of the planet Arrakis—and its supply of melange, a unique spice and the most valuable substance in the universe—which rests in the hands of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), the untested son of a powerful duke. Looking for more Dune action? The prequel series Dune: Prophecy, starring Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, and Mark Strong is streaming in full.

The Zone of Interest

In 1943, Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel) was the commandant of Auschwitz who spent his days playing god with the lives of the concentration camp’s innocent prisoners. But what happened when Höss went home? That’s the reality Jonathan Glazer’s Oscar-winning film examines, and the answer is: Not much. Höss lives right next door to the camp, in the so-called Zone of Interest, with his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller) and their five children. Within those four walls, they strive to build a dream life for their family—while the sound of gunshots, incoming trains, and furnaces being lit are just a part of daily life. Yes, it’s every bit as brutal—and necessary—as it sounds.

Dream Scenario

Like Forrest Gump’s famed box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get from a Nicolas Cage performance. But he’s a one-of-a-kind actor whose roles tend to fall into one of two categories: totally transcendent, or scenery-chewing at its most voracious. Dream Scenario is very much the former, and has been heralded as one of the Oscar-winning actor’s best performances by some critics. Rightfully so. Cage stars as Paul Matthews, an unassuming biology professor who suddenly begins appearing in strangers’ dreams and achieves viral fame as a result of it. Like any good Cage performance, this one is multifaceted and examines the downside of sudden fame and what it really costs.

Dicks: The Musical

A24—the studio known for its edgy, award-winning indies like Moonlight and Ex Machina—takes a dive into the musical genre with this adaptation of the off-Broadway hit Fucking Identical Twins (and you thought Dicks: The Musical was a raunchy title). Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp cowrote and costar in this over-the-top musical as two coworkers who discover that they’re long-lost twin brothers, and they attempt to Parent Trap their parents (played by Nathan Lane and Megan Mullally). Megan Thee Stallion plays their boss. Anyone offended by an f-bomb—or dozens of them—might want to give this one a skip.

Barbie

Greta Gerwig is a master of breathing new life into old properties (see: Little Women). With Barbie, she has ignited a revolution. Barbie (Margot Robbie) is living her best life in Barbieland—until one day, when her perfectly plastic world, and heels, suddenly begin to collapse. To get her fabulous life back, Barbie must travel to the real world—well, Los Angeles—to determine who or what is causing her existential crisis. The film grossed nearly $1.5 billion worldwide, meaning you’ve already seen it. But even if you did, it’s absolutely worth a second watch—if only to lament its many Oscar snubs.

RoboCop

From Total Recall to Showgirls and back to Basic Instinct, director Paul Verhoeven has a track record almost unmatched in modern cinema. RoboCop, his dystopian take on law enforcement, is proof. Set in a bleak vision of Detroit overrun with crime, it follows a cop (Peter Weller) who gets fatally wounded and turned into, yes, a robot cop, who you might think is good at fighting crime, but of course is not. Some of the visual effects may look a little beat up now, but in 1987, they looked like the future. Also, if RoboCop leaves you wanting more, the film’s director’s cut and 2014 reboot are also available on Max.

Albert Brooks: Defending My Life

Albert Brooks is a comedian’s comedian. Though he might be best known as the filmmaker behind such celebrated comedies as Defending Your Life, Lost in America, Real Life, and Mother, he’s also a brilliant actor (with an Oscar nomination to prove it). Brooks’ longtime pal Rob Reiner directs this charming documentary, which documents Brooks’ one-of-a-kind talent, with a stunning lineup of A-listers—including David Letterman, Steven Spielberg, Sarah Silverman, Judd Apatow, Chris Rock, Larry David, and Ben Stiller—all ready to sing his praises.

Reality

In 2017, an intelligence report about Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election was leaked anonymously. One year later, former NSA translator Reality Winner (yes, that’s her real name) was sentenced to more than five years in prison for the crime—the longest sentence ever received by a government whistleblower. HBO’s reigning muse, Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria, The White Lotus), shines in this gripping true story, which plays out mostly in real time as the FBI knocks on the 25-year-old’s door and spends more than an hour questioning her.

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed

Finding success in one’s lifetime might seem like the dream of every artist, but Nan Goldin has bigger ambitions. Though she’s a photographer by trade, she’s an activist by calling and has long used her camera to capture painfully intimate moments of America in crisis, including extensive work focused on the HIV/AIDS and opioid epidemics. But All the Beauty and the Bloodshed reveals the artist in conflict: Should she allow her work to be showcased in one of the prominent museums or galleries that have received endowments from the Sackler family—the Big Pharma family that many blame for America’s opioid crisis? It’s a moving portrait of an artist willing to risk it all for her beliefs.



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Twilight Zone
Product Reviews

Ben Stiller May Bring ‘The Twilight Zone’ Back to Movies

by admin June 7, 2025


It’s been years since Paramount+’s TV reboot of The Twilight Zone quietly ended, but the anthology series may be coming back to the big screen.

Per Jeff Sneider, Warner Bros., which holds film rights for the franchise, is looking at Severance executive producer and lead director Ben Stiller to direct a new film. Various creatives have tried at it over the years, including Matt Reeves and Joseph Kosinski. But according to Sneider, Stiller may be the guy WB and production company Appian Way have needed to finally get the ball rolling on this film. The actor-director is a fan of the anthology show and previously cited it as an influence on Severance, up to and including a season two episode named after Twilight’s 1960 episode “The After Hours.”

The 1983 Twilight Zone movie had four segments, but this new film will reportedly just have one. Sneider claims one source told him the story would be supernatural and center on a fighter pilot assigned to a rocket that achieves time travel, which delivers him to a utopia 125 years in the future. The reporter stressed this could easily change: while Stiller’s allegedly been on board for “roughly six months,” it remains an open writing assignment (OWA), meaning any screenwriter could come on board and run with that premise or propose their own new take.

Sneider also acknowledged that if Stiller is directing this movie, it’ll be a ways out. Along with the third season of Severance, he’s starring in a fourth Fockers movie due holiday 2026 and directing the 1970s crime drama Bag Man. Still, we’ll report more on this potential Twilight Zone movie as news about it comes out.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.



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