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Gamers, while I’m sorry to say that everyone was right about Grand Theft Auto 6 not arriving in 2025, I’m also happy to announce that 2025’s slate of video games has easily made up for it. Who needs to steal a car and whip it around Vice City when Mario Kart World has rail grinding now? I’d like to see GTA 6 include Cow as a playable character, or maybe Wario dressed in a bumblebee costume. We don’t even need GTA 6 in 2025 now. We have the Nintendo Switch 2. Good riddance, I say.

We’ve spent our time this year ripping apart monsters in Doom: The Dark Ages, finally beating (a version of) Elden Ring with help from our friends in Elden Ring: Nightreign, and testing out the first major home video game console to come out in five years. Spoiler alert: We had a lot of fun. Plus, there are still some amazing titles coming our way later this year. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 and Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater are almost here. We’ll also see sequels galore for Ghost of Tsushima, Death Stranding, The Outer Worlds, and Pokémon Legends. Until then, we put together a list of the ten best video games of 2025 that we’ve played so far.

Split Fiction

Split Fiction is the latest incredible co-op adventure from the team behind It Takes Two and A Way Out. The two playable characters are each aspiring genre writers who fight against a tech company trying to steal their ideas. Their virtual world splits sci-fi and fantasy into distinct adventures, with clever gameplay twists that force players to work together in ways we haven’t seen before. Don’t forget to make it to the mind-blowing final level. —Bryn Gelbart

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

Citizen Sleeper was one of my favorite titles in 2022, so I’m happy to say that the sequel’s efforts to make the game a bit more complicated didn’t completely ruin the magic of this indie strategy game. In fact, Citizen Sleeper 2’s more advanced dice-rolling mechanics only made everything about this Dungeons and Dragons–inspired space adventure that much more enjoyable. —Josh Rosenberg

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector (Steam) Now 25% Off $25 $19 at steampowered.com Credit: Citizen Sleeper 2

South of Midnight

In April, a piece of entertainment released that was deeply Black, deeply southern Gothic, and a blast from start to finish. I’m not talking about Ryan Coogler’s Sinners—I’m talking about South of Midnight. Even so, the vampire film does have a bit in common with South of Midnight’s stunning, musically rich journey as the player follows Hazel’s quest to find her lost mother. Both are in debt to folklore, and the swamp of South of Midnight is rife with haints and other creatures both friendly and deadly. The gameplay is refreshingly simple, but it’s the story and atmosphere that make this one stand out. —B.G.

South of Midnight: Premium Edition (Xbox Series X|S [Digital Code]) $50 at Amazon Credit: Xbox

Mario Kart World

Mario Kart World is without a doubt the best Mario Kart game yet. The Nintendo Switch 2 launch title features 24 drivers at the same time, new mechanics such as grinding and wall jumping, and a whole interconnected world to explore outside of races. Players can also select new characters such as Penguin, Wiggler, and Cow—to the delight of many Nintendo fans. World might not reinvent Mario Kart’s wheels, but it’s still as chaotically fun as ever. —J.R.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii

Just when you think the Yakuza franchise couldn’t possibly achieve anything wackier, the studio announces a game titled Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. And true to its word, this action-adventure game is about a former yakuza boss who is shipwrecked with amnesia before resorting to a life of piracy. In this spin-off game, you form a ragtag crew and control your ship in lively naval battles. If you’re not turned off yet, then hear me out: Pirate Yakuza is the swashbuckling adventure you never knew you needed. —J.R.

Lost Records

With Lost Records, Don’t Nod released its best teen drama since the original Life Is Strange. The premise is a bit like Yellowjackets. Lost Records follows a group of women who were teens in the ’90s and adults in the modern day … and yes, some messed-up weird stuff happened when they were teens. The episodic adventure game was released in two parts, and while Bloom has a meandering start, Rage amps up the stakes. It’s a wonderful ’90s throwback in more ways than one. —B.G.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

The debut title from Sandfall Interactive is an ambitious RPG that is already turning heads for Game of the Year consideration. The game contains turn-based, party-based combat with light real-time elements (think closer to Earthbound than Final Fantasy VII Remake) and a dark-fantasy setting inspired by French Revolutionary imagery. An impressive voice cast includes Andy Serkis and Daredevil’s Charlie Cox. Plus, it reminds us of those classic Nintendo RPGs—like Paper Mario for adults. —J.R.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PlayStation 5) Now 21% Off $70 $55 at Amazon Credit: Bandai NAMCO

Doom: The Dark Ages

Doom: The Dark Ages is a whole new take on the classic Doom formula, with all-new guns, a shield, and various flail-type weapons for getting up close. There’s also a mech. And a mech dragon. —B.G.

Blue Prince

In some gamer circles, Blue Prince is called a “Metroidbrainia.” I have no idea what the hell that means, but I have played enough of Blue Prince to understand it’s one of those games where you don’t necessarily “unlock” new “abilities.” Instead, you gain knowledge and write it down in a notebook if you don’t want to forget it. On its face, Blue Prince is a first-person game about exploring a procedurally generated house, making blueprints (clever), and solving environmental puzzles. In reality, it’s a game that turns everyone who plays it into a deranged lunatic with 70 pages of notes. —B.G.

Elden Ring: Nightreign

Before the 2024 Game Awards trailer, I could have sworn that FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki told IGN that we wouldn’t see an Elden Ring sequel. And yet, Elden Ring: Nightreign arrived to make the hellish trials of dying a million times to the same boss a shared experience. The cooperative spin-off is less a full-blown sequel and more like FromSoft made everyone’s illegal multiplayer mods an official product. It has a bit of everything that’s popular right now—battle royale, rogue-like—and, of course, it’s still a Souls game at its core. —J.R.

Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes

As a child of the 1980s and ’90s, I was spoiled with big-budget summer blockbusters. I’ll never forget the anticipation of waiting months to see “Independence Day.” Even as a kid, I knew it wasn’t going to be the most brilliantly made film, but I also knew it was going to be big, exciting and a blast.

That feeling of excitement — that childlike anticipation for an epic summer movie — still lives buried in the back of my mind. It’s why I’ve been looking forward to “F1.” I wasn’t expecting to witness cinematic history, but I did want to be entertained, exhilarated and reminded of the joy of a great summer flick.

I’m happy to report that “F1” delivered exactly what I was hoping for, and even a little more.

The good

Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes

Brad Pitt is one of the biggest stars in the world, and not just because he has a pretty face. That helps, but he’s a good actor and his charm, skill and natural charisma are on full display in “F1.”

Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, an experienced driver with a cool, devil-may-care attitude that makes him both unlikable and somehow irresistible. The writing duo behind the film — Ehren Kruger and Joseph Kosinski — deserves credit for crafting a character that oozes effortless cool. Sonny is the kind of guy you might not want to be, but you’d definitely want to be buddies with him.

Pitt breathes life into the character with great dialogue, memorable one-liners, and the kind of charm that keeps you hooked. His portrayal elevates the movie, making it more than just a racing flick — Pitt deserves credit for crafting a character that oozes effortless cool.

Sonny is the kind of guy you might not want to be, but you’d definitely want to be buddies with him.

An entertaining, engaging story

Kruger and Kosinski are the dynamic duo behind “Top Gun: Maverick,” the best summer blockbusters in recent years, and they’re back for “F1.” While I don’t think “F1” is quite as good as “Maverick,” it gives it a run for its money.

The film does a fantastic job of blending fast cars and loud engines with a story that has substance. The narrative includes plenty of racing action, but it doesn’t solely rely on the spectacle. There’s genuine character development, high stakes, humor and even some drama — all of which keep the story engaging from start to finish.

Kruger and Kosinski manage to strike a balance between serious plotlines and lighter, humorous moments, making sure the film never gets bogged down in too much melodrama.

It’s a perfect example of what summer movies should be: entertaining, fun and thrilling, with just the right amount of heart to keep it all grounded.

F1 becomes accessible to all

If you’re not a fan of F1 racing, you might assume this movie isn’t for you. And I get it: Professional F1 racing is a complex, high-stakes world filled with intricate strategies, intense rivalries and a lot of money on the line. Not everyone loves it. I’ll be the first to admit that while I appreciate F1 racing for the spectacle, I’ve never had the attention span to sit down and watch an entire race.

What “F1” does so well is make this world accessible. The movie does an excellent job of explaining the complexities of the sport without bogging down the audience with overly detailed explanations.

It highlights the real stakes: how winning or losing can mean the difference between keeping your spot as a driver, the fate of your team, or even your life as you race at 200 mph in the pouring rain. The script takes care to explain enough of the jargon and the politics of F1 without losing the audience, making the world of racing feel tangible and relatable.

I know enough about the world of F1 to be dangerous, while my wife doesn’t know the difference between F1 and NASCAR. We both loved the movie and got lost in the intrigue of the sport. That’s a testament to how well the filmmakers made this intricate world accessible.

What parents should know

“F1” is rated PG-13 for language and action, and I think the rating is spot-on. The film has some foul language sprinkled throughout, with a couple of moments that are more intense than others. The racing scenes are action-packed with a fair amount of crashes and high-speed thrills, but nothing is overly graphic or disturbing.

There’s a scene of two characters kissing, and they’re later seen in bed together, although there’s no nudity. There’s no overt sexual content, but there are a few mild jokes here and there.

While the movie may not be for young kids, it seems suitable for older teens and up. If you’ve seen “Top Gun: Maverick,” the tone here is similar: intense action with some mature themes, but nothing too heavy. If your teen is into racing or action films, this one will likely hit the mark.

Conclusion

“F1” is not a perfect movie, but it’s exactly the kind of fun, high-octane popcorn flick I’ve been waiting for. Brad Pitt brings charm and depth to a character that could have been a one-note action star, and the story offers more than just racing thrills. The film is filled with engaging character development, high stakes and humor.

For those who love big summer blockbusters that are fun, fast and entertaining, “F1” will be a fantastic addition to your watch list. It may not go down as a cinematic masterpiece, but it’ll certainly leave you feeling exhilarated and entertained.

“F1” is officially rated PG-13 for language and action.

[Editor’s Note: This article is reviewed and updated on a weekly basis.]

It’s been five whole years since Disney+ arrived in the UK, changing the streaming game almost overnight and making the daily struggle to choose what to watch next that bit harder. (We know — poor us!) Armed with the Infinity Gauntlet of IP — Marvel, Disney, Star Wars, Pixar, and FOX — and an ever-growing catalogue of offerings pooled from elsewhere, the House of Mouse has created a veritable content utopia where there truly is something for everyone. How many other platforms do you know where you can observe the mechanics of fascism and the cost of revolution through the lens of Star Wars (Andor), cross the Polynesian horizon with a demigod (Moana 2), see Timmy C rock out as a rebel youth Bob Dylan (A Complete Unknown), and see Vikings go toe-to-toe with the Predator (Predator: Killer Of Killers) all without having to switch streamers?

When faced with a platform where you can journey to a galaxy far, far away with a Star Wars-y smorgasbord just as easily as you can marathon the entire Walt Disney Animation catalogue, devour the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, or mainline Pixar’s illustrious filmography however, it can be hard to know what to watch next. And with Ironheart right around the corner and Andor continuing to drive online discourse as one of the year’s best shows so far, the streamer’s showing no signs of slowing. With that in mind, we here at Empire and Pilot TV HQ have decided to help out by getting our crack team of writers from the world’s biggest movie and TV magazine together to produce an exhaustive guide to everything you need to see on Disney+.

From awesome animated movies to sensational limited series, and from behemothic blockbusters to must-see documentaries and perennial telly faves, we’ve got you covered. So grab a brew, get comfy, and follow us as we help you get your streaming priorities in (no particular) order.

Haven’t signed up to Disney+ yet? Head this way to join.

The Best Movies & TV Shows On Disney+ UK (June 2025)

EMPIRE’s Pick Of The Month: Predator: Killer Of Killers

Director: Dan Trachtenberg

Starring: Lindsay LaVanchy, Michael Biehn, Louis Ozawa, Rick Gonzalez, Doug Cockle, Damien Haas

Having single-handedly revived the Predator franchise with Prey back in 2022, director Dan Trachtenberg took a detour on his way to Predator: Badlands to make a secret extra outing for the Yautja. The result, Predator: Killer Of Killers, is an appropriately all-killer, no-filler dose of animated carnage that sees the hunter species tangle with some of human history’s most formidable warriors — vikings, samurai, and the US Air Force — across the ages. Adopting a punchy anthological approach (and the visual style of Netflix show Arcane), Trachtenberg and the tech wizards at The Third Floor have their cake and eat it amid a bloody feast of Norse axes, samurai swords, aerial dogfights, and liberal lashings of arterial spray. It’s wonderfully animated, unapologetically brutal, kinetic stuff — the perfect appetiser for the main course (aka Badlands) to come.

Streaming now on Disney+.

Andor

Showrunner/Creator: Tony Gilroy

Starring: Diego Luna, Stellan Skarsgård, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller, Adria Arjona, Faye Marsay, Genevieve O’Reilly, Andy Serkis, Varada Sethu

The likes of The Mandalorian and the animated series are one level of Star Wars. Andor has proven to be quite another. The brain-child (or at least further developed by) Rogue One script doctor Tony Gilroy, this takes what could have been a basic origin story for Diego Luna’s rebel agent from that film and instead spins a complex web around him. Tackling the terrifying Imperial attitude, resistance fighters and downtrodden outer rim colonies, it’s smart and mature storytelling of the highest order. And with the newly released second season, the show reaches new heights, asserting its status as not only one of the best Star Wars projects we’ve seen, but one of the best shows of the 21st century period. You could say it has friends everywhere.

Streaming now on Disney+.

Read Empire’s review of Andor.

Captain America: Brave New World

Director: Julius Onah

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Giancarlo Esposito, Tim Blake Nelson

After years spent as the MCU’s premier wingman, The Falcon, Captain America: Brave New World sees Sam Wilson (Mackie) finally take flight as Marvel Studios’ new Cap for the first time. And while it would be fair to say that Julius Onah’s movie — which also heralds the arrival of actual Harrison Ford as the actual Red Hulk — perhaps doesn’t quite live up to its Winter Soldier political thriller aspirations, despite following its antecedents’ rhythms at times almost to the exact beat, the 35th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is still pretty solid stuff. Mackie graduates to top billing with ease, bringing oodles of charisma to our star-spangled hero and striking up an instantly winning new partnership with new Falcon Joaquin Torres (Ramirez); Carl Lumbly is on sublime form as veteran super soldier Isaiah Bradley; and when the time comes for Cap and Red Hulk to throw down, they do so in style. Your mileage with this one will vary, largely — and perhaps surprisingly — based on how invested you are in The Incredible Hulk. Come for new Cap and Ford’s epic Hulk-out; stay for a stealth sequel 17 years in the making…

Streaming now on Disney+.

Welcome To Wrexham

The acquisition of Welsh non-league football club Wrexham A.F.C — the third oldest team in professional football — by Hollywood superstars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney is one of sports’ great fairytales. Fly-on-the-wall docuseries Welcome To Wrexham follows Rob and Ryan’’s journey as they purchase the club and set about guiding the Red Dragons back to the English Football League. Much like Ted Lasso, this is a football show that’s not really about football. Rather, this is a story about Reynolds and McElhenney’s burgeoning love affair with Wales, the importance of having dreams, and what Wrexham means both to its fans and to the town’s wider working-class community. By the time you get to the freshly dropped Season 4, you’ll be chanting ‘Super Paul Mullin’ with a tear in your eye and a Wrexham shirt on your back. Oh, and *SPOILER ALERT*, this season has a heroic, blockbuster finale even the MCU couldn’t dream up. Marching like a mighty army, Wrexham is the name!

Streaming now on Disney+

A Complete Unknown

Director: James Mangold

Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, Edward Norton, Boyd Holbrook, Scoot McNairy

When it comes to cinematic treatments of Duluth-born bard Bob Dylan, there have been many — from the abstract (I’m Not There), to the documentarian (Martin Scorsese twofer No Direction Home and Rolling Thunder Revue), to the self-starring, co-scribed, and downright bizarre (Masked & Anonymous). James Mangold’s then, which sees Timothée Chalamet put in a career defining, virtuoso turn as a young Dylan on his journey to making that infamous, industry shaking Newport Folk Festival appearance in 1965 is the first out-and-out conventional biopic treatment of the man once dubbed ‘The Voice Of A Generation’. And, though even passing Dylanologists will likely be unsurprised by the developments of Mangold’s Walk The Line like movie (yes, Dylan visits Woody Guthrie’s bedside; yes, there’s a love triangle between young Bobby D, Monica Barbaro’s Joan Baez, and Elle Fanning’s Suze Rotolo; and yes, Dylan does indeed go electric and seemingly break mentor Pete Seeger’s (Edward Norton) heart), the immense songbook, Chalamet’s sensational performance, and Mangold’s classy direction make this a worthy addition to a canon as unpredictable as its subject.

Streaming now on Disney+.

Read Empire’s review of A Complete Unknown.

Suspect: The Shooting Of Jean Charles De Menezes

Showrunner/Creator: Jeff Pope

Starring: Russell Tovey, Laura Aikman, Edison Alcaide, Emily Mortimer, Daniel Mays, Conleth Hill

Created by The Penguin Lessons and Philomena scribe Jeff Pope, Suspect… takes a horrific inflection point in modern history — the killing of an innocent Brazilian man by British police in the wake of the 7/7 bombings — and spins about it a thrilling, stomach churning story of incompetence, misinformation, and the powder keg ramifications of widespread panic that could’t be more timely. An all-star cast of British acting heavyweights assemble to bring Pope’s four-part reckoning with an almost incomprehensible tragedy to life, and from its start on the day of the 7/7 bombings to its sobering, home video driven final moments, the drama is perfectly calibrated between cerebral storytelling and emotionally walloping character work to deliver a knockout water-cooler primed watch.

Streaming now on Disney+.

Light & Magic

Director: Lawrence Kasdan

Visual and special effects company Industrial Light & Magic is so woven into the fabric of moviemaking these days that it can be hard to picture its scrappy birth as a group of rag-tag model builders and electronics whizzes who helped make Star Wars into the sensation it became. Directed by Lawrence Kasdan (a man with no little experience in the halls of Lucasfilm) and bolstered by a winning combo of exclusive archive material and current interviews, Light & Magic tells the story of ILM’s birth pangs to its current dominance. And, in the latest season, which just started streaming, Kasdan and co dig even deeper into ILM’s archives to tell the story of the company’s turbulent but ultimately triumphant digital revolution, a revolution that began with the Star Wars prequels.

Streaming now on Disney+

A Real Pain

Director: Jesse Eisenberg

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Jennifer Grey, Will Sharpe

A couple of estranged Jewish American cousins on a Holocaust memorial tour in Poland may not sound like the set-up for a heartwarming buddy-comedy, but when said cousins are played by Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin — and the former serves as writer-director — that’s exactly what you wind up getting. As straight-laced David and loose cannon Benji respectively, Eisenberg and Culkin — who join a Holocaust tour group (headed up by an ace Will Sharpe) as they visit various, gorgeously shot sites of historical interest — anchor A Real Pain’s otherwise Linklateresque hangout vibes in something at once knottier and more convivial than you may be expecting. They sell the movie’s comical interludes and whip-smart dialogue with ease, elevate the intentionally awkward set pieces (a trip to a war memorial is especially wince-worthy), and — along the way — reveal a deep-rooted care and concern for one another that sneaks up to hit you right in the feels. As Holocaust buddy-comedy road movies go, this is certainly the best one — and not just because it’s the only one, either!

Streaming now on Disney+.

Read Empire’s review of A Real Pain.

Daredevil: Born Again

Creators/Showrunners: Matt Corman, Chris Ord

Starring: Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Margarita Levieva, Deborah Ann Woll, Jon Bernthal, Michael Gandolfini

Seven years after Netflix’s Daredevil came to an abrupt end with its third season, Charlie Cox’s Man With No Fear is back to clean up/bloody the streets of Hell’s Kitchen once again in new Disney+ joint Daredevil: Born Again. Set in motion by a heart stopping tragedy, the plot for this new show — created by Matt Corman and Chris Ord and helmed mostly by filmmaking duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead — sees Cox’s lawyer-by-day, vigilante-by-night coaxed back into billy clubbing action by one Wilson Fisk (a returning, brilliant Vincent D’Onofrio). If you like your comic book fare R-rated, laced with meditations on grief and the dynamics of power and justice, and doubled up as a fine courtroom drama to boot, then this isn’t to be missed. Hell, even if you don’t like your comic book fare at all, this is your perfect opportunity to give the MCU a try.

Streaming now on Disney+

Moana 2

Directors: David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, Dana Ledoux Miller

Starring: Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Hualalai Chung, Rose Matafeo, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Rachel House, Jemaine Clement

Originally planned as a sequel TV series to Disney’s 2016 mega hit, Moana 2 catches up with the House of Mouse’s fan-favourite Polynesian princes several years after the events of the first film. Now a wayfinder who the people of Motunui look to for leadership, Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) — who can also add ‘big sister’ to her titles this time out — hears the call of her ancestors once more and soon enough finds herself getting together a motley crew and her old demigod pal Maui (Dwayne Johnson) for another aqueous adventure involving sea monsters, storm gods, and magic islands. Even if the songs may be a tad less inspiring than last time out though (that’ll happen when you lose the musical talents of Lin-Manuel Miranda), the story — of self-actualisation, responsibility, and other such important life lessons — is full of heart, and the animation is absolutely extraordinary, more than justifying the creative decision to take this one from serial to feature length. And, most importantly, this time Moana actually brings Pua along for the ride. Can we get a Chee-hoo?

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Moana 2.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

Showrunner/Creator: Jeff Trammell

Starring: Hudson Thames, Eugene Byrd, Colman Domingo, Cathy Ang, Grace Song, Hugh Dancy

Right from the opening titles, which sees The Math Club take the original 60s Spider-Man theme song and remix it with boom-bap beats and fresh lyrics, you know that Jeff Trammell’s Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man has got the sauce. Fusing Steve Ditko inspired 2.5D animation with a contemporary take on the wallcrawler and his friends (as well as foes), Trammell’s show offers an MCU-adjacent take on Peter Parker’s webhead that imagine a world in which Pete fell under the mentorship of Norman Osborn (Colman Domingo) rather than Tony Stark. The result is a visually striking, tonally distinct Spidey series that reimagines fan favourite characters, pedestals refreshing new takes on comic book deep cuts like Lonnie Lincoln and Nico Minoru, and manages to stand out from — and alongside — the Tom Holland Spider-Man movies and the Spider-Verse films. Whether animation is your bag or not (and it absolutely should be!), Trammell’s show deserves your time and attention.

Streaming now on Disney+

Nightbitch

Director: Marielle Heller

Starring: Amy Adams, Scoot McNairy, Arleigh Snowden, Emmett Snowden, Jessica Harper, Mary Holland

Accurately described by director Marielle Heller as “a comedy for women, and a horror movie for men,” the Can You Ever Forgive Me? filmmaker’s latest — a sharp-toothed adaptation of Rachel Yoder’s magical-realist bestseller — isn’t quite so barking mad as its premise may suggest. Yes, sure, it is a body-horror-comedy in which Amy Adams plays a stay-at-home mother who slowly convinces herself she’s becoming a dog while her doofus husband (Scoot McNairy) steps on every “Ooh, you should not have said that!” rake possible. And yeah, there are surreal sequences in which Adams runs on all fours, and eats from a doggy dish, and pulls canine hair from her lower back. But beneath all of the were-motherness of it all, there’s a profoundly moving treatise to be found on the transformative nature of motherhood — for better and for worse. It’s a real makes you laugh, makes you cry, makes you want to hug and honour and thank every woman in your life kinda film. It is, in short, the mutt’s nuts.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Nightbitch.

Alien: Romulus

Alien: Romulus

Director: Fede Alvarez

Starring: Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, Robert Bobroczkyi

Alien meets Aliens in Fede Alvarez’ Alien: Romulus, which follows Cailee Spaeny’s Rain, her android brother Andy, and a misfit crew of thieves as they undertake a daring raid on the Renaissance, a not-so-abandoned ship floating in space. Alvarez leans heavily into Ridley Scott’s brand of sci-fi Gothic throughout his film’s opening throes as Rain and co navigate the Renaissance’s Remus module, before taking an elevator down to hell — aka the Romulus module — for an action-heavy, James Cameron aspirant back half. Rib-cracking chestbursters, phallic facehuggers, and a full-sized, acid-dripping xenomorph all come out to play as Alvarez reminds us that his Alien movie is coming from the guy who gave us 2013’s Evil Dead, and we’re quite frankly still struggling to process the sheer visceral horrors of that final 15 minutes even now. (And the Disney+ version has fixed that dodgy Ian Holm CGI — thankfully.)

Streaming now on Disney+

Skeleton Crew

Showrunners/Creators: Christopher Ford, Jon Watts

Starring: Jude Law, Nick Frost, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Kyriana Kratter, Robert Timothy Smith, Ravi Cabot-Conyers

From Ahsoka to Andor and The Mandalorian to The Acolyte, the Disney+ era of Star Wars has given us no shortage of trips to that galaxy far, far away as we eagerly await the iconic space opera’s big screen return. But Christopher Ford and Jon Watts’ Amblin inspired Skeleton Crew may well be the most unexpected treat we’ve been given so far. Combining elements of The Goonies, Treasure Island, and even The Truman Show into its nevertheless uniquely Star Warsian brew, Ford and Watts’ family friendly series tells the tale of a band of misfit kids who unwittingly find themselves thrust into an intergalactic adventure with a Force-sensitive, space pirate Jude Law. Fun and irreverent in the main but surprisingly nuanced in its storytelling as the series progresses, this is peak Star Wars for kids — and for the kid inside. And yes, we would die for Neel.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Skeleton Crew.

Music By John Williams

Director: Laurent Bouzereau

You rarely see his face on screen, but we’d wager a bet that there isn’t a film lover alive who doesn’t know the man, the maestro that is John Williams. So culturally ubiquitous is the composer of Indiana Jones, Star Wars, E.T., Jaws, Jurassic Park, Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, and oh so many more iconic film scores in fact that it’s kind of surprising it took this long for him to be given the soup-to-nuts music doc treatment. But now that it is here, it proves more than worth the wait. Featuring contributions from the likes of Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Ron Howard, J.J. Abrams, and, er, Chris Martin — not to mention the great man himself — Laurent Bouzereau’s documentary is an elegantly constructed, lovingly made tribute to one of the most significant figures in cinema history.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Music By John Williams.

The First Omen

Director: Arkasha Stevenson

Starring: Nell Tiger Free, Ralph Ineson, Bill Nighy, Sonia Braga, Ishtar Currie-Wilson

If you watched Immaculate in 2024, fancied a second helping of old-school nunsploitation, clocked Deliver Us, and then wanted to round off an Unholy Trinity of female fronted horror movies but somehow missed — or indeed skipped — The First Omen, then you can now blessedly rectify that egregious error in judgment. Nell Tiger Free is on remarkable form as Margaret, a young American who, upon arriving in Rome to begin service to the sisterhood, uncovers dark secrets at the heart of her convent that set in motion the events that ultimately lead directly into the original The Omen movie. Ralph Ineson, Bill Nighy, Sonia Braga, and Ishtar Currie-Wilson all help make up a fine supporting cast for Arkasha Stevenson’s assured feature directorial debut, a thoroughly creepy chiller that stands on its own two feet while neatly dovetailing with the Richard Donner classic.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of The First Omen.

Dream Productions

Showrunner/Creator: Mike Jones

Starring: Paula Pell, Richard Ayoade, Maya Rudolph, Amy Poehler, Lewis Black, Phyllis Smith, Tony Hale

Less a limited series than a four-part Inside Out 2.5 (or 1.5, if you want to be chronologically accurate), Mike Jones’ vibrant spin-off heads back inside Riley’s mind and directly to the place that dreams are made of — literally. Introducing viewers to fraught Dream Productions director Paula Persimmon (Paula Pell) and her reluctant new co-director, pompous wannabe-auteur Xeni (Richard Ayoade), the series is equal parts The Office style mockumentary, winking film industry metaphor, and welcomely wackadoodle, whipsmart Inside Out world expansion. If you didn’t already think Pixar’s inner odyssey was the studio’s biggest franchise draw before (despite Inside Out 2 being the highest grossing animated film ever made), then you certainly will by the time the credits roll on this high concept, incredibly bingeable little gem.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Dream Productions.

Inside Out 2

Director: Kelsey Mann

Starring: Kensington Tallman, Maya Hawke, Ayo Edebiri, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Paul Walter Hauser, Ron Funches

A thoughtful continuation of Inside Out’s emotional journey, director Kelsey Mann’s sequel effortlessly slips back inside the mind of a now-teenage Riley (Kensington Tallman), scrambled anew by the onset of puberty — and the arrival of several new emotions. Chief amongst them is Anxiety (an outstanding Maya Hawke), whose calamitous efforts to prepare Riley for high-school life — aided by Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos) and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser) — see the teen’s childhood emotions left adrift. Sar-chasms, dark secrets, and a recurring bit involving a 2D toon from Riley’s favourite childhood show all handily emulate the first film’s visual invention and quick-witted humour. But, once again, it’s returning writers Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein’s nuanced takes on the complexities of our emotions — here, a profoundly relatable deconstruction of social anxiety and self-doubt — that delivers all the feels. And, it must be said, all the box office, as Inside Out 2 is now the highest-grossing animated movie ever made!

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Inside Out 2.

Agatha All Along

Showrunner/Creator: Jac Schaeffer

Starring: Kathryn Hahn, Joe Locke, Patti Lupone, Sasheer Zamata, Ali Ahn, Debra Jo Rupp

Having put a spell on us with her turn as Agatha Harkness in WandaVision, Kathryn Hahn is back with her very own wickedly witchy MCU spin-off series Agatha All Along. Set three years after ‘the Westview incident’, Jac Schaeffer’s show follows Harkness as she, alongside kid familiar Teen (Joe Locke), assembles a coven — including mystic Lilia (Patti LuPone), potion maker Jen (Sasheer Zamata), rockstar’s daughter Alice (Ali Ahn), and the suspiciously ordinary Mrs Hart (Debra Jo Rupp) — to take to the Witches’ Road and reclaim her powers. Riffing on everything from scandi-noir crime dramas to centuries-old witch lore, Agatha — with its banger ballads, spooky season vibes, and stellar cast — is a hoot. Throw in Aubrey Plaza as Harkness’ nemesis/old flame Rio and more mystery boxes than you can shake a broomstick at, and you’ve got yourself the perfect pre-Halloween show to enjoy.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Agatha All Along.

Kinds Of Kindness

Jesse Plemons in KINDS OF KINDNESS. Photo by Atsushi Nishijima. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2024 Searchlight Pictures All Rights Reserved

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

Starring: Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Jesse Plemons, Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn

Barely six months since Poor Things came along and blew our minds, Yorgos Lanthimos, Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Margaret Qualley are back making more cinematic mischief (only now with added Jesse Plemons!) in triptych oddity Kinds Of Kindness. From the story of a corporate stooge’s attempts to regain control of his life, to one of a policeman whose long since missing-at-sea wife returns somehow changed, to one in which Dafoe plays a cult leader named Omi, Lanthimos’ near-three-hour epic — shot spectacularly by DP Robbie Ryan — is a strikingly human exploration of devotion in all its divine and more destructive forms. Darkly humorous, unapologetically adult, and wholly immersive, this is yet another reminder that Lanthimos is one of the most fascinating — and freaky — filmmakers working today, and that he and Stone are the most perfect pairing of artist and muse imaginable.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Kinds Of Kindness.

Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes

Director: Wes Ball

Starring: Owen Teague, Freya Allen, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon, William H. Macy

Apes. Movie. Strong! Although hype for a sequel trilogy to the Planet Of The Apes prequel trilogy (which was itself the antecedent of a fistful of movies made decades earlier) may not have been through the roof when Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes was first announced, soon-to-be Legend Of Zelda director Wes Ball’s franchise debut doesn’t monkey around. Set generations after the series’ Caesar saga, this latest tale of primate politicking follows Caesar’s descendant Noa (Owen Teague) as he wrestles with familial legacy, the arrival of pesky human Mae (Freya Allen), and a power struggle with the more martially minded would-be-ascendant to the ape kingdom’s throne Proximus Caesar (a terrific Kevin Durand). Buoyed by strong central performances, stunning photorealistic CGI, and a Shakespearean sense of heft as we revisit a world where apes and humans’ places in the food chain have been switched, this is rock solid simian stuff that promises yet greater things still await in this new Apes era.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes.

The Acolyte

Showrunner/Creator: Leslye Headland

Starring: Amandla Stenberg, Manny Jacinto, Carrie-Anne Moss, Lee Jung-jae, Dafne Keen, Jodie Turner-Smith, Dean-Charles Chapman

Russian Doll mastermind Leslye Headland takes the Star Wars universe to a longer time ago in that galaxy far, far away than we’ve ever been before with The Acolyte. Set over a century prior to The Phantom Menace, the series — a part-procedural crime thriller, part Force-fu sci-fi spectacular not inaccurately described by Headland as “Frozen meets Kill Bill” — takes place during the twilight of the High Republic, an era filled with powerful Jedi, golden robes, and lightsaber-wielding Wookiees. It is here we meet Mae (Amandla Stenberg), an enigmatic Force-user on a mission of revenge. The wrinkle? Her targets are four high-ranking Jedi, including Carrie-Anne Moss’ Jedi Master Indara. Yikes! With its brand-new (largely practical) setting, impressive hand-to-hand combat sequences, and intriguing new takes on the Force and the Jedi Order, The Acolyte unmoors Star Wars from the Skywalker Saga, setting up an exciting new era for the franchise to explore. Also, did we mention the lightsaber-wielding Wookiees?

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of The Acolyte.

Jim Henson: Idea Man

Director: Ron Howard

Inspirational, celebrational, and of course Muppetational, Ron Howard’s Jim Henson: Idea Man is a lovely — and loving — tribute to the man responsible for The Muppets, Sesame Street, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and the collective joy of millions of parents and children over the last seven decades. Featuring candid conversations with Henson’s friends, family, and collaborators — including puppeteer pal Frank Oz and filmmaker son Brian Henson — Howard’s doc offers viewers a touching cradle-to-grave account of the creative genius and family man shot through with a lovely streak of Henson worthy imagination. You’ll marvel at Orson Welles hailing the Muppets as the best thing that’s ever happened to TV; you’ll laugh at the abundance of archival footage of Henson, Oz, and co goofing around; and you’ll definitely cry at the Big Bird finale. As we said —inspirational, celebrational, Muppetational.

Streaming now on Disney+

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

Director: Sam Wrench

Are you ready for this? Last year, Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour lit up our cinema screens, leaving fans (and the box office) truly Enchanted. And now The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) has found a Blank Space amongst Disney+’s ever-growing library and written its name there. Filmed in front of a sold-out crowd at Los Angeles, California’s 70,000 capacity SoFi stadium, Swift’s career-spanning three-hour concert movie is nothing short of spectacular. Musically dynamic, conceptually ambitious, and now even bigger (than the whole sky) thanks to four streamer exclusive bonus tracks (‘I Can See You’, ‘You Are in Love’, ‘Death by a Thousand Cuts’, and ‘Maroon’), The Eras Tour (TV) is Taylor made to have you dancing round the lounge, singing your heart out. So whether you’re a Lover, you’ve inexplicably got Bad Blood with the pop megastar, or you simply find yourself drawn in as if by some kind of invisible string (like Empire’s very own Ian Freer), don’t miss out.

Streaming now on Disney+

X-Men ‘97

Showrunner/Creator: Beau DeMayo

Starring: George Buza, Cal Dodd, Holly Chou, Ray Chase, Jennifer Hale, Lenore Zann, Alison Sealy-Smith

With its electrifying synth intro, endlessly quotable catchphrases, and eye-popping aesthetic inspired by comics legend Jim Lee, X-Men: The Animated Series was peak ‘90s Saturday morning TV. And yet, thanks to its then-maverick serialised storytelling approach and complex characterisation, the show — which originally ran between 1992 and 1997 — somehow always felt ahead of its time. The arrival of Marvel Studios Animation’s X-Men ‘97 three decades later then makes perfect sense. Neither remake nor reboot but rather a direct continuation of the OG show, this revival — bolstered by extended episode runtimes, claw-sharp animation, and the kind of creative freedom an injection of Mouse House moolah buys — isn’t just the nostalgic ‘toon you know and love. It’s even better. Come for the returning voice cast, the “Bwa-na-na-na naaaa na-na”, and the nostalgic warmth of the VHS-style patina; stay for a contemporary continuation of a classic that speaks to the present whilst looking to the X-Men’s on-screen future.

Streaming now on Disney+

Poor Things

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

Starring: Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Kathryn Hunter, Margaret Qualley

If a steampunk feminist reframing of the Frankenstein myth from the director of The Favourite sounds like something you might like then hold onto your top hat, friend! Yorgos Lanthimos’ multiple Oscar winning adaptation of Alasdair Gray’s cult classic novel is a wild coming-of-age tale. Emma Stone leads an all-star ensemble here (Mark Ruffalo! Willem Dafoe! Ramy Youssef!) as Bella Baxter, a young woman finding her way, discovering herself, and reclaiming her autonomy in an ever-changing world after being resurrected by a mad scientist (Dafoe). With its Gilliam-esque acid trip visuals, refreshing approach to feminine sexuality, and high-wire balancing act between gonzo absurdism and surprisingly affecting introspection, Poor Things truly has to be seen to be believed. And even then, you’ll probably wonder if the whole thing was a fever dream after all.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Poor Things.

All Of Us Strangers

Director: Andrew Haigh

Starring: Paul Mescal, Andrew Scott, Claire Foy, Jamie Bell

Many questions hang over Andrew Haigh’s All Of Us Strangers, Empire’s official pick for the best movie of 2024. Is it a ghost story? A romance? Both? Is it all real or all in our protagonist’s head? And, most importantly, how the hell didn’t it sweep — or even get nominated at — the Oscars? But of one thing we can be certain — you must see this if you haven’t already. Andrew Scott is on career-best form as forty-something gay writer Adam, who — in between cathartic visits to his childhood home, where his dead parents (Jamie Bell and Claire Foy) still live — finds himself falling for seemingly the only other soul in his London high-rise (Paul Mescal). Make no mistake, this is one of the great love stories of this century — not just as an achingly romantic tale of yearning and self-discovery in a changing, changed world, but as an emotionally raw exploration of the bone-deep ties that bind parents and their children.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of All Of Us Strangers.

Shōgun

Showrunners/Creators: Justin Marks, Rachel Kondo

Starring: Hiroyuki Sanada, Anna Sawai, Cosmo Jarvis, Tadanobu Asano, Takehiro Hira, Akiko Kobayashi

Top Gun: Maverick writer Justin Marks and his wife Rachel Kondo helm this lavish new adaptation of James Clavell’s doorstop 1975 historical fictive. Set amidst a century-defining civil war in the dying days of Japan’s feudal era, it’s not hard to see why Shōgun — an epic drama filled with knotty plotting, politicking, deceit, brutal violence, and even more lacerating dialogue — is being compared to Game Of Thrones. But you’ll find no dragons or White Walkers here; in fact, there’s more of Succession than of A Song Of Ice & Fire about Shōgun’s fraught power struggles. Here, the action centres around Hiroyuki Sanada’s embattled yet impressively stoic Lord Yoshii Toranaga, the shipwrecked Englishman (Cosmo Jarvis) he appoints as his advisor, and their newly-converted Catholic translator (Anna Sawai) as each pursues their own ascendancy. Shot with painterly attention to detail — all dramatic seascapes, mist-choked forests, and candlelit collusion — and immersed wholly in its period setting, this is cerebral television at its finest.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Shōgun.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

Showrunners/Creators: Dave Filoni, Jennifer Corbett

Starring: Ming-Na Wen, Dee Bradley Baker, Michelle Ang, Rhea Perlman, Stephen Stanton, Wanda Sykes

We were first introduced to The Bad Batch — a squad of elite clone troopers comprising Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, Echo, and Crosshair — in Star Wars fan-favourite spin-off series The Clone Wars. And the continued adventures of this genetically mutated band of Order 66 resistant misfits has only grown from strength to strength over its three season run, with its most recent — and final — instalment reaching its predecessor’s dizzying heights both in terms of animated spectacle and narrative heft. Providing vital connective tissue between all three Skywalker saga trilogies whilst serving its own story, which places the unique struggle of being a clone and fighting for a sense of identity front and centre, The Bad Batch serves as yet another reminder of just how brilliant animated Star Wars is.

Streaming now on Disney+

Echo

Creator/Showrunner: Marion Dayre

Starring: Alaqua Cox, Chaske Spencer, Tantoo Cardinal, Graham Greene, Vincent D’Onofrio, Charlie Cox,

Marvel’s ‘Spotlight’ strand of (kinda sorta not really) standalone projects got off to a solid start with Echo. The first R-rated offering of the MCU’s Disney+ era centres around Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez – AKA the titular anti-hero. Carrying a moniker that speaks as much to Maya’s attunement to her Native American ancestry as to her deafness – both her disabilities (she also quite literally has a kick-ass prosthetic leg) and heritage are welcome MCU firsts – Cox convincingly makes the transition from intriguing Hawkeye supporting character to compelling series lead here. Following Echo as she squares off against uncle/crime lord Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio was simply born to play Kingpin), digs into her Choctaw roots, and partakes in some surprisingly brutal action set-pieces (there’s a couple of rollicking oners in here) makes binge-watching Echo no chore. It is, if you’ll pardon the pun, bloody good stuff. More please!

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Echo.

Theater Camp

Directors: Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman

Stars: Ben Platt, Molly Gordon, Ayo Edebiri, Noah Galvin, Jimmy Tatro

On the one hand, Theater Camp is a timely reflection on the existential threats facing the arts in post-pandemic America. On the other, it’s a riotous laugh-a-minute musical mockumentary that gives “theatre people” the full Spinal Tap treatment whilst simultaneously celebrating the sanctuaries theatre camps offer to all-comers. Ben Platt and Molly Gordon (who co-directs alongside Nick Lieberman) are a hoot as stupendously self-serious camp instructors Amos and Rebecca-Diane, whilst the ensemble – comprising School Of Rock level wonder kids and up-and-coming comedy stars Ayo Edibiri (The Bear, Bottoms) and Noah Galvin (Booksmart) – are almost unfairly great. Full of heart, full of funnies, and all wrapped up with a properly barnstorming musical finale (seriously, ‘Camp Isn’t Home’ should’ve had a Best Song nod at the Oscars), Theater Camp is a real blast. All together now! Camp isn’t home, but is it, kind of? / Kind of it is / I think it kind of is…

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Theater Camp.

Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny

Director: James Mangold

Starring: Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Boyd Holbrook, Antonio Banderas, Karen Allen, John Rhys-Davies

Harrison Ford is back crackin’ whips, quips, and Nazi noggins in James Mangold’s Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny, a fine and fitting final outing for everybody’s favourite all-action archaeologist. And whilst Indy’s latest adventure — a sixties set globe-trotting epic with a wild timey-wimey twist — ain’t exactly Raiders Of The Lost Ark or The Last Crusade (in fairness, what is?), it’s also no Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull either. Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s arrival into the series as Indy’s goddaughter Helena, Mads Mikkelsen’s scenery chewing turn as villainous Nazi Jürgen Voller, and John Williams’ majestic score alone make this well worth the watch. But it’s Ford’s soulful central performance — grizzled, wistful, yet fizzing with that old Indy charm — as a man out of time (in more ways than one) that elevates the whole film. Proof then that it’s really not the years, it’s the mileage.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny.

The Creator

Director: Gareth Edwards

Starring: John David Washington, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, Ken Watanabe, Gemma Chan, Allison Janney, Ralph Ineson

John David Washington is the protagonist (but not, crucially, The Protagonist) in Rogue One director Gareth Edwards’ The Creator, a thoughtful sci-fi blockbuster set in a near future where humanity finds itself at war with AI (*gasp*) – and itself. Here, Washington plays a conflicted US military vet tasked with shepherding a powerful AI weapon to its destruction. The catch? Said AI is a ‘Simulant’ child, brought emotively to life by preternaturally talented seven-year-old Madeleine Yuna Voyles. Whilst Edwards’ influences here – everything from Blade Runner to Lone Wolf And Cub, Akira and A.I. – Artificial Intelligence – are obvious, rest assured this is no ChatGPT jobbie. Instead, Edwards’ movie lands as a masterclass in immersive world-building (a slick combo of impressive low-budget effects and the film’s gorgeously captured Thai setting) and a heartfelt exploration of what it truly means to be human. It may have flown under the radar a little on release, but The Creator has future genre classic written all over it.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of The Creator.

A Murder At The End Of The World

Showrunners/Creators: Brit Marling, Zal Batmanglij

Starring: Emma Corrin, Harris Dickinson, Clive Owen, Alice Braga, Brit Marling, Raúl Esparza

The Murder Mysterenaissance continues apace with A Murder At The End Of The World, a noodle-twisting new thriller from The OA creators Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij. Emma Corrin brings a fizzing charisma to “Gen Z Sherlock Holmes” Darby Hart, a talented hacker and amateur sleuth who – alongside seven other guests – is invited to the remote Icelandic home of billionaire Andy Ronson (Clive Owen), only for one of them to wind up dead. Deliciously pulpy, neo-noirish flashback sequences reveal Darby’s origins solving cold cases via Reddit with boyfriend Bill (Harris Dickinson), whilst in the present, Ronson’s Ex Machina-esque retreat makes an eye-catching setting for Darby’s gonzo detective work. Boasting a genuinely compelling central mystery, a game ensemble, and timely commentaries on our world today (AI, the climate crisis, the ills of extreme wealth), Marling/Batmanglij’s latest is another banger.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of A Murder At The End Of The World.

The Boogeyman

Director: Rob Savage

Starring: Sophie Thatcher, Vivien Lyra Blair, Chris Messina, David Dastmalchian, Marin Ireland, Madison Hu

Rob Savage foregoes the found footage horror of Host and DASHCAM in favour of more traditional terror tactics with Stephen King short story adaptation The Boogeyman. Penned by A Quiet Place scribes Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, Savage’s film takes King’s quintessential monster-in-the-closet tale – a sort of evil Monsters, Inc. – and turns it into a visceral succession of properly disturbing jumpscares. There are some ‘elevated horror’ gracenotes, musings on loss and adolescent isolation as our protagonists Sadie (Sophie Thatcher) and Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair) wrestle with grief – and the literal boogeyman. But make no mistake, this is an old-school shocker through and through, and a successful one at that. The titular kiddie killer is such a visceral avatar of primordial fear that you may never turn off your lights again.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of The Boogeyman.

Ahsoka

Showrunner/Creator: Dave Filoni

Starring: Rosario Dawson, Eman Esfandi, Lars Mikkelsen, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Hayden Christensen, Ray Stevenson

Whilst Andor revolutionised the Star Wars galaxy with its gritty, mature exploration of the banality of evil within the Galactic Empire, Dave Filoni’s Ahsoka amplifies the saga’s spiritual frequency. Set in the aftermath of the Empire’s collapse, this series focuses on Clone Wars, Rebels, and Mandoverse fan-favourite Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) as she tracks down missing pal Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi) and Imperial menace Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen). Featuring the returns of hyperspace-traveling space-whales the Purrgil and actual Anakin Skywalker, Hayden Christensen, alongside all sorts of mythic artefacts, wild witchcraft, and galaxy-reshaping revelations – this is peak Star Wars. It’s also the show that gives us one of 2023’s great performances, in the shape of the late, great Ray Stevenson as ronin-like ex-Jedi Baylan Skoll. Plus, y’know, Loth-cats!

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Ahsoka.

American Born Chinese

Showrunner/Creator: Kelvin Yu

Starring: Ben Wang, Ke Huy Quan, Michelle Yeoh, Yann Yann Yeo, Chin Han, Sydney Taylor

Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All At Once alumni Ke Huy Quan and Michelle Yeoh team up with Shang Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton in American Born Chinese, a genre-mashing action comedy based on Gene Luen Yang’s brilliant 2006 graphic novel. The show revolves around Asian American teen Jin Wang (Ben Wang), whose struggles to balance his school and home life are taken to a whole new level when he befriends a new Taiwanese student and suddenly finds himself embroiled in an existential battle with Chinese mythological gods. Eye-popping wushu and ‘wire-fu’ spectacle, a heartfelt commentary on the immigrant experience, and an empowering ‘anyone can be a hero’ message mean that Cretton’s series does indeed offer a great many things, in several places, quite often at the same time.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of American Born Chinese.

A Small Light

Showrunners/Creator: Tony Phelan, Joan Rater

Starring: Bel Powley, Joe Cole, Live Schreiber, Andy Nyman

Anne Frank and her family’s remarkable story has been subject to several big and small screen retellings over the years. Prestige eight-part limited series A Small Light however boldly reframes the Franks’ story for a new generation, focusing instead on Miep Gies, the young secretary who – alongside husband Jan – risked her life to protect and hide the family for two years. The Morning Show’s Bel Powley shines here as the feisty teenaged Miep, whose progressive worldview is mirrored in the script’s distinctly modern sensibility. Elsewhere. Joe Cole, Liev Schreiber, and Andy Nyman all provide strong support in telling this extraordinary true tale of a woman who met fascism with ferocious courage and moral conviction. As the real-life Gies once famously said, “Even an ordinary secretary or a housewife or a teenager can, in their own way, turn on a small light in a dark room.” This classily constructed series keeps both the Gies and Frank families’ light shining.

Streaming now on Disney+

Howard

Director: Don Hahn

It’s no coincidence that the arrival of lyricist Howard Ashman at Disney heralded the dawn of the studio’s Renaissance era. Ashman – alongside writing partner Alan Menken – transformed the House of Mouse’s fortunes with their Oscar-winning music for The Little Mermaid and Beauty & The Beast, contributing classics “Friend Like Me”, “Prince Ali”, and “Arabian Nights” to Aladdin before tragically, prematurely dying of AIDS in 1991. Waking Sleeping Beauty filmmaker Don Hahn’s documentary, simply entitled Howard, uses delicately chosen archival footage, meticulously organised and intercut, to create a fitting tribute to an artistic luminary, a musical genius, and an incredibly bold and brave man. From Ashman’s childhood musical inventions for his younger sister, to his establishment of the now-quintessential Disney “I Want” song and dogged perfectionism, to his mounting awareness of his own (im)mortality, Hahn leaves no stone unturned. Tissues are advisable.

Streaming now on Disney+

Star Wars: Visions

A jaw-slackening showcase of the brightest and best talents in the world of anime and Japanese animation, anthology series Star Wars: Visions offers viewers a kaleidoscopic take on the world George Lucas created. Cybernetic Jedi, lightsaber wielding ronin, and intergalactic rockbands headlined the visually striking, anime-centric first run of episodes, which was so well received by fans and critics alike an even more expansive second volume was greenlit almost straight away. Highlights of Volume 2’s spacebound short stories include Cartoon Saloon’s haunting Star Warsified folktale Screecher’s Reach, and the incredibly heartwarming I Am Your Mother, which sees Chicken Run maestros Aardman Animations bring together two of our favourite things – podracing and claymation. *Little Anakin voice* Yippee!

Streaming now on Disney+

Moon Knight

Showrunner/Creator: Doug Moench

Starring: Oscar Isaac, Ethan Hawke, May Calamity, F. Murray Abraham, Ann Akinjirin, David Ganly

Ahead of starring in Marvel’s Moon Knight, Oscar Isaac told Empire that he wanted to use the experience to do something “really fucking nutty.” And really fucking nutty he did do. In the show, a magnetic Isaac plays bumbling museum gift-shop worker Steven Grant, whose sleeping problems – waking up in strange places, weird visions of a mummy-looking apparition, encounters with a bird-skulled, F. Murray Abraham voiced Egyptian God – have escalated to the point where he can’t tell the difference between his waking life… and dreeeeeams. Well, whaddayaknow? Turns out his dreams aren’t really dreams. Steven’s actually suffering from dissociative personality disorder and is an alter of Marc Spector, a highly-skilled merc who’s adopted the Moon Knight mantle to serve vengeance for Khonshu (the Abrahams-Bird-God) – as you do. Throw in an even more dangerous alter, Jake Lockley, and Ethan Hawke as a mass-murderous cult-leader serving his own effed-up deity, and you’ve got yourself a chucklesome chiller-cum-psychological thriller – with added Egyptology! What’s not to love?

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Moon Knight.

Ms. Marvel

Showrunner/Creator: Bisha K. Ali

Starring: Iman Vellani, Matt Lintz, Zenobia Shroff, Yasmeen Fletcher, Rish Shah, Mohan Kapur

With hotly anticipated MCU team-up The Marvels’ arrival fast approaching, now’s as good a time as any to get yourself acquainted with the Marvel Studios’ first Muslim superhero, Kamala Khan – AKA Ms. Marvel. Real-life superhero obsessive Iman Vellani is a revelation here as the titular teen heroine, a superhero obsessive herself who – unlike Vellani (as far as we know!) – unlocks her own set of superpowers when she’s gifted a mysterious cosmic bangle. A far breezier, lower stakes affair for the most part than the likes of Moon Knight or the more recent – and let’s face it, more dull – Secret Invasion, Ms. Marvel is a great entry point for franchise newcomers, introducing an all-new hero who’s a total breath of fresh air. The show’s fifth episode – which boldly confronts the profound trauma of India’s Partition in 1947 – is one of the very best the streamer has produced to date across all its franchises.

Streaming now on Disney+

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Showrunner/Creator: Joby Harold

Starring: Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Vivien Lyra Blair, Jimmy Smits

With the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy reappraisal train gathering steam (all aboard!), Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen make welcome – and winning – returns in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Set a decade after Revenge Of The Sith’s, err, heated climax, the series follows McGregor’s Obi-Wan as he’s drawn out of hiding on Tatooine – first by the arrival of the Jedi-hunting Grand Inquisitor (Rupert Friend) and accomplice Reva (Moses Ingram), then by a call from Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits), whose adoptive daughter Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair) needs help. As a reluctant Kenobi and recalcitrant Leia traverse Galactic dustbowls and Syd Mead-esque neo-noir cities together, the show aesthetically and narratively gives the Prequels and Original Trilogy some much appreciated new connective tissue. Throughout, the prospect of a showdown between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader looms large, and when it does arrive – an emotionally charged, lightsaber-lit duel in the dead of night between two same-but-differently broken men – McGregor and Christensen roll back the years in spectacular fashion. Minor canon chronology quibbles aside, this is fan service done right.

Streaming now on Disney+

Avatar: The Way of Water

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, Sigourney Weaver, Brendan Cowell

How exactly do you follow up making the biggest film of all-time? Just ask James Cameron — he’ll give you a $2 billion answer. Silencing the sceptics’ cries that the *checks notes* $2.9 billion grossing, theme park spawning, technologically revolutionary Avatar had “no cultural footprint”, Cameron’s subaqueous sequel Avatar: The Way Of Water is a spectacle quite unlike any other. Our return to Pandora sees Sully (Sam Worthington), Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), and their young family relocating to the watery world of the Metkayina and preparing for war when the sky people (ie, humans), led by a newly Avatarred up Col. Quaritch (Stephen Lang), return to colonise the moon planet. Boasting breathtaking new underwater 3D tech and an epic three hour runtime, Cameron combines awe-inspiring visuals and Lord Of The Rings scale world-building to craft a story that’s even more action packed, ecologically urgent, and madly ambitious than its progenitor. We Payakan’t wait for Avatar: Fire And Ash and the return of the series’ true villain, Mick Scoresby! He’s got quotas to meet, you know?

Streaming now on Disney+

Peter Pan & Wendy

Director: David Lowery

Starring: Ever Anderson, Alexander Molony, Jude Law, Alyssa Wapanatâhk, Jim Gaffigan, Joshua Pickering

Having made such tender ruminations on the passage of time, mortality, and loneliness as Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, A Ghost Story, and The Green Knight, David Lowery – who has made Disney magic once before with the criminally underrated live-action Pete’s Dragon – is an inspired choice of helmsman for Peter Pan & Wendy. Sumptuously shot and scored, Lowery’s film is far more interested in exploring the melancholy and strangeness of J.M. Barrie’s original tale than merely rehashing Disney’s 1953 animated classic. As such, we get a slightly more mature Wendy (Ever Anderson), adrenalised by an acute sense of oncoming adulthood; Peter (Alexander Molony) is no longer the boy who never grew up, but the man-child who won’t grow; and Hook (Jude Law) isn’t the moustache-twirling villain of yore, instead heartbreakingly portrayed as a child trapped in a man’s body, playing at being a pirate just so he can spend time with the only person who ever made him feel young. Another Lowery modern classic, then.

Streaming now on Disney+

Summer of Soul

Director: Questlove

Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s electrifying directorial debut, Summer of Soul, must surely rank among the greatest concert films of all time. Restoring 1969’s Harlem Cultural Festival to its rightful place as a cultural moment every bit as historic as Woodstock, Questlove unearths scintillating footage of performances literally buried in a basement for over half a century — B.B King! Nina Simone! Stevie Wonder! — and presents them in all their crowd-swaying, soul-shaking glory. A euphoric act of cultural reclamation and excavation, Questlove’s film smoothly tunes into the frequency of ‘The Black Woodstock’, an event that saw 300,000 Black people congregate to celebrate their culture’s roots and beauty under a scorching midsummer sun, and then kicks the experience into overdrive. The result is nothing short of rapturous.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Summer Of Soul.

Rye Lane

Director: Raine Allen-Miller

Starring: David Jonsson, Vivian Oparah, Colin Firth

As much a paean to Peckham and South London as to serendipity, romance, and the musical stylings of Salt’n’Pepa, first-time filmmaker Raine Allen-Miller’s super slick rom-com Rye Lane is an instant classic in a genre that has long since felt like a dying art. David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah share incredible chemistry as Dom and Yas, two unexpectedly up-on-their-luck young adults reeling from messy break-ups. As the duo talk and traverse a London that has rarely felt so alive or so real on the big screen, a sensual, sensory, supremely romantic story that encourages you to seize the day and make leaps of faith takes shape. Visually poppy from start to finish and shot through with wickedly witty and emotionally raw observations on the difficulties of finding connection in the modern world, you’ll want to revisit Rye Lane time and time again. And *THAT* cameo? 10 out of 10. No notes.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Rye Lane.

Fire Of Love

Director: Sara Dosa

Sara Dosa’s Fire Of Love sits alongside Werner Herzog’s The Fire Within as one of two entrancing documentaries released last year about husband and wife duo Maurice and Katia Krafft, the famous French volcanologists who dedicated their lives to chasing eruptions and documenting our world’s wonders. Remarkably, the Kraffts captured their experiences, discoveries, and love for one another on gorgeous 16mm film, and it is this extraordinary footage alonsgide Miranda July’s ASMR-like narration that acts as the core of Dosa’s doc. Most profound perhaps is the parallel Dosa draws between love and volcanoes, poetically observing the Kraffts’ romance and the object of their shared obsession as beautiful, dangerous, almost unfathomable forces of nature whose eruptions reshape and bring us closer to this Earth. Also, alternative title suggestion – Whole Lotta Lava. Just us? Okay… okay.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Fire Of Love.

Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields

Director: Lana Wilson

Part fascinating documentary about child star turned multi-hyphenate icon Brooke Shields, part excoriating exposé of an industry, a media, and a society that enables and propagates the simultaneous sexualisation of young girls and infantilisation of grown women, Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields makes for uncomfortable but necessary viewing. The power of Lana Wilson’s work here is in the way she takes Shields’ personal story – of being subject to the camera’s glare from birth, of having her bodily autonomy stripped from her by powerful men, of being treated like an object and judged for daring to dream bigger – and amplifies its universal resonances with society today. There is a silver lining to be found though as we see how Shields reclaimed her narrative, and seeing the empowered, confident, headstrong daughters she’s raised gives you hope for the future yet.

Streaming now on Disney+

Bluey

Creator/Showrunner: Joe Brumm

Starring: David McCormack, Melanie Zanetti, Meg Washington, Anthony Field, Patrick Brammall, Joel Edgerton

“An Australian animated children’s TV show about a family of anthropomorphised Blue Heelers? On a list of the best things to watch? Empire, have you gone mad?!” we hear you cry. But what if we told you that Bluey, which recently stormed the Nielsen ratings to become the second most viewed show in the world, is in fact a gorgeously animated, gloriously meta, wickedly funny, and surprisingly profound piece of television that makes for incredibly therapeutic viewing and has revolutionised parenthood for millions the world over? Because that’s exactly what this series, which follows the bite-sized adventures of Bandit, Chili, and their daughters Bluey and Bingo, is. If you’re not entirely convinced, just go and watch Pixarian intergalactic odyssey Sleepytime, one of the all-time great episodes of, well, anything. We’ll be here with the Kleenex when you’ve recovered. “I have to go. I’m a big girl now.” Ah, biscuits!

Streaming now on Disney+

Fleishman Is In Trouble

Showrunner/Creator: Taffy Brodesser-Akner

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Lizzy Caplan, Adam Brody, Claire Danes

Jesse Eisenberg is divorced doctor and father Richard Fleishman in the explanatorily titled Fleishman Is In Trouble, which Taffy Brodesser-Akner adapts here from her own best-selling book. Catching Fleishman just as he’s trying to start anew and reconnect with old buddies Libby (Lizzy Caplan) and Seth (Adam Brody), the series throws a spanner in the works in the shape of his ex-wife Rachel (Claire Danes), who drops their kids off with Richard one morning before suddenly dropping off-grid. As the threads of Rachel’s disappearance are pulled together, an emotionally piercing exploration of middle age, the roads not taken, and what “normal” even means in relationships today is undertaken. Thanks to Brodesser-Akner’s nuanced screenplay and a trifecta of tremendous performances from Eisenberg, Caplan, and Danes, the series manages to create an introspective space for you to reflect on your own life as much as it invests you in its characters’. Existential crises for everyone – yay!

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Fleishman Is In Trouble.

Only Murders In The Building

Showrunners/Creators: John Hoffman, Steve Martin

Starring: Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Paul Rudd, Meryl Streep, Sting

A real highlight of the recent Murder Mysterenaissance, Only Murders In The Building sees comedy duo Steve Martin and Martin Short star alongside Selena Gomez as a trio of true crime obsessives who become podcasting pals – and amateur sleuths – when a body turns up in their New York apartment building. Unapologetically goofy in its combination of vaudevillesque bits of theatrical farce and “How do you do, fellow kids?” type intergenerational banter, the series has won a devoted following thanks to its prestige gloss and its mercurial leading trio’s commitment to the bit. With the third season adding none other than Paul Rudd (!) and Meryl Streep (!!) to the line-up, this killer comedy continues to go from strength to strength as The Arconia’s body count piles up.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Only Murders In The Building.

The Dropout

Showrunner/Creator: Elizabeth Meriweather

Starring: Amanada Seyfried, Naveen Andrews, Michel Gill, William H. Macy, Stephen Fry, Laurie Metcalf

Amanda Seyfried is astonishing as Silicon Valley shyster Elizabeth Holmes — once lauded as the world’s youngest self-made billionaire — in scandalous true-life drama The Dropout. Following Holmes’ journey from ambitious Ivy League dropout to creator of ‘revolutionary’ med-tech company Theranos and all the way to being the architect of the $9 billion business’ demise. Far from being a villain origin story, despite how Holmes’ story both here and in real life eventually leads, this is instead a nuanced take on a fiercely intelligent woman whose determination to prove herself ultimately became her undoing.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of The Dropout.

Prey

Director: Dan Trachtenberg

Starring: Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Dane DiLiegro, Julian Black Antelope, Stormee Kipp, Michelle Thrush

Brutal. Bloody. Beautiful. And… surprisingly Bone Tomahawk-y? Yes, indeed, Prey is an absolutely inspired direction change for a franchise that’s never quite been able to live up to its blistering first entry. Taking the Predator series back in time to the Great Plains circa 1719 – and back to its survivalist roots – 10 Cloverfield Lane helmsman Dan Trachtenberg’s film sees badass Comanche Warrior Naru (Amber Midthunder) protecting her family, by any means necessary, from the ugliest motherfucker Yautja has sent to Earth yet. Evocatively designed and intensely atmospheric, Trachtenburg’s reboot takes a fascinating – and effective – trilingual approach to storytelling that respectfully explores the cultural history of the Comanche people whilst offering up some genuinely gnarly genre action. Couple that with a story that gives the series a neat historical twist while packing a distinctly modern resonance, and a star-making turn from Midthunder, and you’ve got yourself a movie worthy of an Arnie handshake-armwrestle.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Prey.

Indiana Jones Collection

Streaming now on Disney+

See How They Run

Director: Tom George

Starring: Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, Harris Dickinson, Adrien Brody, Charlie Cooper, Ruth Wilson, Reece Shearsmith

There’s nothing quite like a good whodunnit – and Tom George’s ‘50s set crime caper See How They Run is a very good whodunnit. Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan riff off each delightfully as the sauntering semi-cockney sleuth Inspector Stoppard and his enthusiastic eagle-eyed partner-in-training Constable Stalker, who find themselves chasing a killer in London’s West End when murder strikes a production of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap. Delightfully meta and undeniably Andersonian in flavour (right down to the presence of regular Wes alum Adrien Brody), this murder mystery – think more Clue than Knives Out – is never anything less than an easy on the eye cinematic confection.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of See How They Run.

The Banshees Of Inisherin

Director: Martin McDonagh

Starring: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan

The Banshees Of Inisherin, Martin McDonagh’s follow-up to Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, is a brilliantly written and observed break-up film about the hardest relationship there is to dissever – that between a man and his best mate. McDonagh’s In Bruges collaborators Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson reunite and are both tremendous here as pals Pádraic and Colm – one simple, the other introspective, both desperately stuck in an existential malaise – whose lives come rapidly undone when one decides he’s had enough of the other. Ostensibly a chamber piece set within the fictitious isle of Inisherin in 1923 (the Irish Civil War close to mind, consciously absent from frame), McDonagh’s latest — which also features exceptional supporting turns from Barry Keoghan and Kerry Condon — is a morally ambiguous, blackly comic folktale about what we give and take from one another, and what’s left of us when all’s said and done.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of The Banshees Of Inisherin.

The Menu

Director: Mark Mylod

Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Ralph Fiennes, Janet McTeer, Hong Chau, John Leguizamo

Masterchef meets Saw in The Menu, a savage, subversive satire from Succession’s Mark Mylod that takes a less eat-the-rich, more sauté-the-super-wealthy swipe at the world of haute cuisine. Invited to a luxury dining experience at the private island restaurant of gourmet chef Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes), overeager epicurean Tyler (Nicholas Hoult), his perpetually unimpressed plus-one Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy), and a select group of fat-cat foodies find themselves biting off more than they can chew as Chef Slowik unveils his most extreme culinary concept yet. Satisfyingly structured in parallel with Slowik’s multi-course masterpiece, The Menu escalates in craziness and conceptual clarity as Mylod builds from the appetite-whetting mystery of his starter all the way to a devilishly delicious final course, which sees his high-falutin fine diners get their (just) desserts. Bon Appétit!

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of The Menu.

Barbarian

Director: Zach Cregger

Starring: Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, Justin Long, Richard Brake

The less you know about writer-director Zach Cregger’s Barbarian before you head in, the better. It starts with documentary researcher Tess (Georgina Campbell) heading to Detroit for a job interview, only to find her AirBnB has been double-booked and she now faces the prospect of a night with Keith (Bill Skarsgård), who’s so nice you – and Tess – can’t help feeling like maybe he’s just too nice. Suffice it to say, if you think you’ve seen this film before (and didn’t like the ending), then you ain’t seen nothing yet. Horrifying, shocking, and utterly unpredictable in all the good ways, put this one in the “Don’t look in the basement!” file alongside Parasite. [Fun Fact; You can’t spell Barbarian without AirBnB – or AI!]

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Barbarian.

WandaVision

Showrunner/Creator: Jac Schaeffer

Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Kathryn Hahn, Teyonah Parris, Randall Park, Kat Dennings

Disney and Marvel’s blockbuster series marked a stunning opening chapter to Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A surreal sitcom-mystery-thriller, the series – arguably still the MCU’s best to date – finds Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) living a suburban life in the mysterious town of Westview. Beyond its pitch-perfect recreations of family sitcoms through the eras, it’s a meditation on grief that’s full of twists, turns, and banging tunes you won’t be able to stop singing, courtesy of Frozen songwriters Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of WandaVision.

The Mandalorian

Showrunner/Creator: Jon Favreau

Starring: Pedro Pascal, Giancarlo Esposito, Katee Sackhoff, Carl Weathers, Emily Swallow, Katy O’Brian

Disney+’s flagship Star Wars offering on launch presented as a Leone Western, with a dash of Lone Wolf & Cub thrown in. Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian revels in nostalgia for the Original Trilogy, but like Rogue One is largely free of the weight of the Force, the Jedi, the destinies and familial entanglements (at least for the most part). Pedro Pascal is the bounty hunter of the title who finds himself unexpectedly the guardian of a valuable package, the one and only Baby Yoda (or, Grogu, to give him his official name). After three series (well, three and a half if you’re counting The Book Of Boba Fett — which we are), Mando has become a bona fide Star Wars favourite. And Ludwig Göransson’s score? *Chef’s kiss*!

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of The Mandalorian.

Soul

Directors: Pete Docter, Kemp Powers

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton, Richard Ayoade, Alice Braga, Rachel House

It might have been released as a Christmas freebie on the streaming service, but Soul is far from Pixar doing straight-to-DVD quality. The latest from filmmaker Pete Docter (and co-director Kemp Powers) is a follow-up in many ways to his last film, Inside Out, in ambition, imagination and scope. Here, the focus isn’t on the emotions in our heads, but the entire nature of human existence — as music teacher and wannabe jazz musician Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) gets the biggest break of his life, and then tumbles to his death. Except, running from the afterlife, he ends up in the ‘Great Before’, where human souls get their personality traits before they’re born. It’s narratively a little convoluted, but stunningly created – another film only Pixar could have made.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Soul.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Season 7

Showrunner/Creator: Dave Filoni

While it had built up a major following on Cartoon Network, the animated Clone Wars series came to an unceremonious end in 2014 following the Star Wars acquisition deal. And then, six years later, Dave Filoni finally got to wrap up the show properly with a seventh and final season on Disney+. Where The Mandalorian takes place just after Return Of The Jedi, The Clone Wars takes us back to the years between Episodes II and III. In this final run of episodes, the long-awaited Siege Of Mandalore is enacted in all its destructive, awful (in)glory, and the show finally catches up to the events of Revenge Of The Sith, leading to a four-part finale set during Order 66 that changes our understanding of the Jedi death order forever. Whether you’re in the tank for “The Bleh-Bleh” or not, this is essential Star Wars viewing for all.

Streaming now on Disney+

Star Wars Movies In 4K

There’s also the small matter of the Star Wars movies themselves – available in eye-melting 4K with Dolby Atmos audio. And yes, the original Star Wars is the new ‘Maclunkey’ cut, which once again tweaks the Han-Greedo-Who-Shot-First scene, this time with a baffling new bit of dialogue.”It confused me greatly,” original Greedo actor Paul Blake told Empire when the scene first debuted Stateside. We’d tend to agree..

Streaming now on Disney+

Disney Animated Classics

Streaming now on Disney+

(Most Of) The MCU

Streaming now on Disney+

The Simpsons

Showrunner/Creator: Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, Sam Simon

Starring: Dan Castellaneta, Nancy Cartwright, Julie Kavner, Harry Shearer, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria

Sure, we all know the first 10 seasons of The Simpsons are the best (you could even stretch towards 14 seasons and find some gems in there). But with all 30 seasons of the groundbreaking animated sitcom available, you can pick whichever episodes you like – now in the correct aspect ratio! – and dive right in. That’s 661 trips to Springfield in total, including the one where Bart wins an elephant, and the one with Grimes, and the one with the Super-Squishy, and the one with Pinchy the lobster, and the one with with ‘Do It For Her’. What we’re trying to say is, if an endless supply of sitcom goodness is what you’re after, then everything’s coming up Milhouse here.

Streaming now on Disney+

Hamilton

It’s more than just a musical – it’s one of the most significant pieces of popular culture of the 2010s. And now, you can relive Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hip-hop retelling of the USA’s origin story over and over, revelling in every perfectly-placed syllable, earworm melody, and the epic sweep of its story. Filmed in 2016 at the Richard Rogers Theatre, the ‘Hamil-film’ depicts the original Broadway cast in action – Miranda as the verbose, ludicrously ambitious Caribbean upstart Alexander Hamilton, and Leslie Odom Jr. as his rival Aaron Burr, surrounded by a set of stellar performers: Daveed Diggs, Phillipa Soo, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Jonathan Groff, Christopher Jackson, Anthony Ramos… the list goes on. We simply don’t know how to say no to this (and we don’t want to either!).

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Hamilton.

Free Solo

Directors: Elizabeth Chai Vásárhelyi, Jimmy Chin

Demonstrating that it’s not all Star Wars on Disney+, Free Solo is nothing to do with Han. Rather, it’s the riveting, terrifying, Oscar-winning documentary by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, detailing rock climbing nutter Alex Honnold’s attempt to climb El Capitan with no ropes or equipment in the summer of 2017. If you find it hard to watch, it’s okay, so did the camera crew. Not one for the faint of heart (or fearful of heights) – you have been warned!

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Free Solo.

Avatar

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Giovanni Ribisi, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez

Despite the colossal box office success of The Way Of Water, there’s still a (misguided) smattering of folk who simply don’t see the fuss when it comes to James Cameron’s Avatar and its franchise ambitions – but rewatch the original, and you’ll be reminded of just why it became such a huge deal in the first place. The world of Pandora is, frankly, completely dazzling – a dizzying array of dayglo flora and fauna that clearly cooked up in Cameron’s imagination for years before spilling onto the screen. The visuals still hold up spectacularly well, even almost a decade and a half later, and Cameron successfully combines an A-movie sense of scope to a pulpy B-movie script, wrapping the whole thing up in a bundle of great action sequences and total emotional sincerity.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Avatar.

The Imagineering Story

Showrunner/Creator: Leslie Iwerks

One for all the theme park fanatics out there. This six-part documentary series by Leslie Iwerks goes into the inner sanctum of Disney’s theme parks, from the opening of the original Disneyland in the mid-50s, right up to the unveiling of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – looking at the technical developments, innovations, notable expansions, and iconic rides that came along the way. From archive footage to behind-the-scenes access at the Disney parks, this frequently jaw-slackening look behind the curtain of the Imagineering process puts the past and future of Disney all in one place. It’s also a potent reminder why the streamer’s Behind-The-Scenes documentaries are its greatest treasure.

Streaming now on Disney+

X-Men: The Animated Series

Showrunner/Creator: Mark Edward Edens, Sidney Iwanter, Eric Lewald

Starring: Cal Dodd, Alison Sealy-Smith, Lenore Zann, Cedric Smith, George Buza, Norm Spencer, Chris Potter, Catherine Disher

It’s not just the MCU on Disney+ — Disney’s acquisition of Marvel also means you get the full run of the X-Men cartoon from the early ’90s. Despite it being attempted in two big-screen blockbusters, X-Men: The Animated Series still contains the best telling of the Dark Phoenix story. Just prepare for that catchy theme tune to rattle around your head for weeks on end as your Deadpool & Wolverine and X-Men ’97 obsessions take your love for the OG animated series to a whole new level. Snikt!

Streaming now on Disney+

Vintage Disney Shorts

For Disney aficionados, this is the real treasure trove – a whole array of rare short films released between the late 1920s and mid-’50s. Some are well-known, like the Mickey Mouse-debuting Steamboat Willie – but look out for other milestones, like The Band Concert (Mickey’s colour debut), Destino (an unlikely collaboration between Disney and Dali), Flowers And Trees (the Oscar-winning first technicolour animated film), and The Old Mill (a Snow White test-run, using the then-revolutionary Multiplane Camera technique). It’s a whole animated history at your fingertips. Even better yet, as part of the House Of Mouse’s 100th anniversary celebrations, 27 newly restored shorts have been releasing monthly on the streamer since July, with the final drop due at the start of October. Wa-ha!

Streaming now on Disney+

Pixar Movies

Streaming now on Disney+

Lost

Showrunners/Creators: J. J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse

Starring: Matthew Fox, Jorge Garcia, Josh Holloway, Yunjin Kim, Evangeline Lilly, Terry O’Quinn, Naveen Andrews, Daniel Dae Kim

No, the ending didn’t quite stick. But the castaway saga begun by J. J. Abrams and continued by Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof is one hell of a ride, a masterful mystery-box adventure that gets its narrative hooks in and doesn’t let go. Matthew Fox’s Jack Shepherd becomes the de facto leader of a group of survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, who crash on a desert island with no hope of rescue. But this is no normal island – and there is a destiny for everyone who reaches its shore. Whether you’re coming to the show fresh or looking for a rewatch, it really does hold up – and its on-location shooting in Hawaii and expansive mythology make it feel huge, even in today’s blockbuster TV landscape.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s oral history of Lost.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Showrunner/Creator: Joss Whedon

Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Head, James Marsters, Michelle Trachtenberg, Emma Caulfield Ford

High school is hell. That’s the central idea of this iconic teen-horror-fantasy saga, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar as the teenage girl ‘chosen’ to be the Slayer – an unwanted birthright that sees her stalking night-demons when she’d rather be hanging at the Bronze with her friends. But the town of Sunnydale is built on a Hellmouth that keeps spewing out vampires, ancient beings, and all kinds of supernatural trouble. From its flawed but loveable characters, to its snappy dialogue, vamp-busting brawls, and coming-of-age explorations, Buffy The Vampire Slayer is an all-time TV great. Its regular episodes are exceptional, and its exceptional episodes – the ‘Surprise’ cliffhanger, the largely dialogue-free ‘Hush’, the all-singing all-dancing musical ‘Once More With Feeling’, and the astonishing ‘The Body’ – are on another level entirely.

Streaming now on Disney+

Empire Of Dreams

Directors: Edith Becker, Kevin Burns

First released in 2004, this two-and-a-half-hour documentary charts the creation of the original Star Wars trilogy, from George Lucas’ early career, through to the huge success of the original 1977 classic, and how that developed into the arrival of Episodes V and VI. It’s a fascinating slice of cinema history, with plenty of behind-the-scenes access, interviews, and a reminder of the craft that went into bringing the OT to life.

24

Showrunners/Creators: Joel Surnow, Robert Cochran

Starring: Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Carlos Bernard, Dennis Haysbert, Elisha Cuthbert, James Morrison

Or, the Jack Bauer power hour. Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran’s action-thriller series remains compulsively watchable – a set of season-long action movies told in (more or less) ‘real time’, as Kiefer Sutherland’s gun-toting hero takes out terrorists and faces up to assassination attempts against a ticking-clock concept. Some seasons are more successful than others, but the whole thing is addictive, and the show is absolutely jam-packed with cliffhangers that mean you’ll rarely watch fewer than three episodes in a row. If it’s sometimes ridiculous, it’s also sometimes all the better for that.

Streaming now on Disney+

Atlanta

Creator/Showrunner: Donald Glover

Starring: Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, LaKeith Stanfield, Zazie Beetz, Khris Davis, RJ Walker

Donald Glover is ludicrously talented. Just stupidly, endlessly, jaw-droppingly talented – and beyond his stand-up comedy, his screenwriting, his music career as Childish Gambino, and his roles in the likes of Community and Solo: A Star Wars Story, he’s also the creative force behind Atlanta. Across its 21 episodes, the show presents a surreal, shape-shifting portrait of the titular Georgia city, as Glover’s lead character Earn tries to help his cousin Paper Boi boost his rap career. As well as starring, Glover often writes and directs the show too (though the key director here is Hiro Murai, behind the ‘This Is America’ music video), while the stellar ensemble also includes Brian Tyree Henry, LaKeith Stanfield, and Zazie Beetz. (Hip)-Hop on board now.

Streaming now on Disney+

The Favourite

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

Starring: Emma Stone, Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult, Mark Gatiss, James Smith

A period drama from Yorgos Lanthimos is unlike a period drama from anyone else. Prepare for fisheye lenses, caustic dialogue, bitingly dark humour, and a thick vein of grief underpinning the punk aesthetic. Olivia Colman plays Queen Anne, with Rachel Weisz as her confidante Sarah, who assists her majesty with political advice and sexual favours. But when Emma Stone’s Abigail Masham comes to Queen Anne’s court, there’s a new favourite in town. It’s a wickedly funny (and cuttingly sad) exploration of power, intimacy and loss, with incredible performances from its central trio. As we eagerly await the release of Yorgos’ latest Emma Stone team-up, Poor Things, there’s no time like the present to revisit The Favourite.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of The Favourite.

Bad Times At The El Royale

Director: Drew Goddard

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Chris Hemsworth, Lewis Pullman, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm

It didn’t hit big at the box office on release, but Drew Goddard’s mystery-filled thriller is destined to be a cult classic. There are flavours of Tarantino and the Coens in the 1969-set tale of a past-its-best hotel where a series of characters cross paths – Jeff Bridges’ priest (or is he?), Cynthia Erivo’s singer (or is she?), Dakota Johnson’s hippy chick (or is she?), and Jon Hamm’s salesman (or is he?). And that’s before Chris Hemsworth’s shirtless cult leader (no, he really is) struts in and shakes everything up. Tense and stylish, it’s well worth checking in.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Bad Times At The El Royale.

10 Things I Hate About You

Director: Gil Junger

Starring: Julia Stiles, Allison Janney, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Heath Ledger, David Krumholtz, Gabrielle Union

Standing alongside Clueless as the epochal ’90s teen movie, Gil Junger’s retelling of The Taming Of The Shrew is a sheer delight. With that Letters To Cleo soundtrack, a slew of iconic performances (Heath Ledger on full bad-boy charm offensive, Julia Stiles bringing the snark, Allison Janney as the porn-authoring guidance counsellor, and a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt among them), and a declaration of love on the bleachers for the ages, it’s a classic.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of 10 Things I Hate About You.

Jennifer’s Body

Director: Karyn Kusama

Starring: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Adam Brody, Chris Pratt, Kyle Gallner, J. K. Simmons

Maligned and misunderstood at the time, Karyn Kusama’s horror-comedy has now undergone a major cultural reappraisal. Jennifer’s Body is a sharply funny coming-of-age movie about female friendship, bathed in blood and with a sharp tongue to match, courtesy of Juno writer Diablo Cody. Megan Fox is the titular bloodsucker, a high schooler who’s ritually sacrificed by a whiny emo band who wrongly believe her to be a virgin. Instead of dying, she becomes a demonic entity who feasts on unwitting boys, while her best mate Needy (Amanda Seyfried) becomes increasingly concerned. Its lukewarm reception was way off the mark, and it’s now – rightly – becoming a cult classic.

Streaming now on Disney+

The X-Files

Showrunner/Creator: Chris Carter

Starring: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi, William B. Davis, Robert Patrick, Tom Braidwood

Fall down the rabbit-hole of the iconic sci-fi mystery show, which pitched David Duchovny’s true-believer Fox Mulder and Gillian Anderson’s sceptical Dana Scully as FBI agents on the trail of unsolvable cases with supernatural bents. Beyond the episodic adventures there’s a massive overarching mythology that unfolds, revealing an epic extra-terrestrial conspiracy waiting to be unpicked. As well as the show’s original run, Disney+ has the 1998 movie, and its 2008 follow-up The X-Files: I Want To Believe.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s rundown of The X-Files’ 20 Greatest Episodes.

Encanto

Director: Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Charise Castro Smith

Starring: Stephanie Beatriz, John Leguizamo, Mauro Castillo, Jess Darrow, Angie Cepeda, Adassa

Although Encanto enjoyed a relatively brief run in cinemas, it’s on Disney+ where it has truly found a home – and a massive audience. A blend of universal (and yet also specific) family themes, the story of a young woman born into a family who all received magic powers apart from her, this Disney animated treat came boasting bags of charm, catchy tunes courtesy of Lin-Manuel Miranda (despite warnings to the contrary, we’re still talking – and indeed singing – about Bruno even now) and emotionally resonant moments.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Encanto.

The Beatles: Get Back

Director: Peter Jackson

Sticking with the documentarian form following the success of They Shall Not Grow Old, Peter Jackson turns his attention to the final days of The Fab Four. The Beatles: Get Back features never-before-seen footage of the band shot in 1969, with added material from their final live performance on top of the London Apple Corps offices. Ringo says it’s a much truer portrait of the end of the Beatles than 1970’s original Let It Be film. Genius at work, both behind and in front of the camera.

Streaming now on Disney+

Pam & Tommy

Showrunner/Creator: Robert Siegel

Starring: Lily James, Seth Rogen, Sebastian Stan, Nick Offerman, Taylor Schilling, Fred Hechinger

The jury is still out on the sensitivity of making a wild, comedic take on what was for Pamela Anderson in particular, a very traumatic time (the release of a tape containing her larking about and having sex with new husband, rocker Tommy Lee). But Pam & Tommy, which is quite different from almost anything else you’ll see on the service (not many talking penises in the Mouse House’s animated movies) is also anchored by excellent performances from Lily James and Sebastian Stan as the lead pair and a drive to do something different with the story.

Streaming now on Disney+

The Muppet Show

Showrunner/Creator: Jim Henson

Starring: Frank Oz, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, Jim Henson, Jerry Nelson, Louise Gold

If you only know Kermit and co. from their movies (or their much lesser more recent TV outings), then it’s time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights, and it’s really time to meet the Muppets in their 1970s heyday. A variety show where almost anything can happen (and frequently does), The Muppet Show is chaos at its finest. Celebrity guests (Mark Hamill! Steve Martin! Rita flippin’ Moreno!) show up and aim to keep up, and so many of our beloved characters got their start here. Might we also recommend recent Muppet entry Muppets Haunted Mansion? It’s a real throwback to that sort of inspired madness.

Streaming now on Disney+

Isle Of Dogs

Director: Wes Anderson

Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Bryan Cranston, Jeff Goldblum

Wes Anderson’s follow-up to The Grand Budapest Hotel was this doggie treat. A stop-motion animation in the vein of his Fantastic Mr Fox, Isle of Dogs is set in a dystopian Japan in which dogs have been confined to a garbage-strewn island after an outbreak of canine flu. This being an Anderson movie, the likes of Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Bryan Cranston and Jeff Goldblum are among those voicing the menagerie of canine characters, and together they help create a singular cinematic experience.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Isle Of Dogs.

Loki

Showrunner/Creator: Michael Waldron

Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Sophia Di Martino, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tara Strong, Ke Huy Quan

Loki was dead, to begin with. And then… He wasn’t. Jumping off from Avengers Endgame’s time-travel revival of everyone’s favourite trickster god, Loki made full use of Tom Hiddleston’s considerable time spent playing the cheeky-yet-conflicted chappie. Sophia Di Martino brought heart and bitterness as Loki variant Sophie, while writer Michael Waldron and director Kate Herron cooked up all manner of dimension-jumping adventures featuring a variety of Lokis (yes, Alligator Loki still rocks). Not to mention Owen Wilson sporting a ‘tache and Jonathan Majors stealing the finale as He Who Remains/Kang. The sensational second season, which has just wrapped up, is a perfect send-off for the reformed God of Mischief — and its finale is a reminder of why we fell in love with the MCU in the first place. “I know what I want. I know what kind of god I need to be. For you. For all of us.” Ah, man!

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Loki.

The Kid Who Would Be King

Director: Joe Cornish

Starring: Louis Ashbourne Serkis, Angus Imrie, Patrick Stewart, Rebecca Ferguson

Joe Cornish’s follow-up to Attack The Block was bizarrely and unfairly under-appreciated in cinemas, so like Arthur pulling the sword from the stone, discover this one. Not that Arthur’s the focus of this fantasy – that honour goes to Alex (Louis Ashbourne Serkis), who finds Excalibur on a building site and ends up having to help Merlin (wonderfully played by both Angus Imrie and Patrick Stewart at different times) defeat the evil plans of Morgana (Rebecca Ferguson), who wants to get Medieval on the United Kingdom. Melding modern, fresh storytelling with a narrative rooted in a long and storied tradition of British myth and legend, this is a proper one-for-all-the-family affair.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of The Kid Who Would Be King.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Starring: Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Charles Fleischer, Stubby Kaye, Alan Tilvern

Part animation, part film noir, part slapstick comedy, part mismatched buddy movie, part postmodern treatise, director Robert Zemeckis’ and executive producer Steven Spielberg’s valentine to the cartoon heroes of their youth is all astonishing technical know-how in the service of infectious exuberance and pure wonder. Mixing the indelible characterisations of Chuck Jones, Disney’s beautiful animation and the screwball lunacy of Tex Avery, Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a fitting tribute to the kind of fun you can only have with cinema – but it’s still worth finding on Disney+.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Cruella

Director: Craig Gillespie

Starring: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry, Paul Walter Hauser, Emily Beecham, Mark Strong

Not every Disney villain merits an origin story, but Cruella works mostly thanks to a committed performance from Emma Stone, a riotous punk streak shot straight through its heart, and a story that peels back some of the layers of the clothing-obsessed baddie. Here, we find the fur-obsessed, felonious fashionista struggling whilst coming into her own as a punk-styled rebel, facing off against Emma Thompson’s even crueller (cruella-r?) Baroness. It’s naturally stylish but also effective, and the soundtrack – including a banging Florence & The Machine original title track – is a doozy.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Cruella.

Werewolf By Night

Director: Michael Giacchino

Starring: Gael García Bernal, Laura Donnelly, Harriet Sansom Harris, Kirk R. Thatcher, Eugenie Bondurant, Leonardo Nam

Crafted by Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino, who has long harboured a desire to direct, this “Marvel Special Presentation” is a big swing for the Marvel Cinematic Universe – and Giacchino knocks it straight out of the park. Channelling classic Universal monster movies, it’s by turns scary, funny and freaky, with a surprise or two and great performances from Gael García Bernal and Laura Donnelly. And for those who don’t want to be loaded down with MCU homework, this can be enjoyed without watching lots of movies and shows ahead of it.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Werewolf By Night.

Turning Red

Director: Domee Shi

Starring: Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Ava Morse, Hyein Park, Orion Lee, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan

One of Pixar’s few releases that didn’t get to see the big screen until years after it hit streaming, it’s a shame Domee Shi’s Turning Red — an inventive, emotional and hilarious animated coming-of-age tale — didn’t get the theatrical run it deserved; thankfully, it works more than well enough at home too. It follows Meilin (Rosalie Chiang), who learns that her burgeoning puberty is tied to a family legacy of transforming into giant red pandas. She embraces the idea, but the choice also bubbles up generational trauma and boyband fanaticism. Intelligent and wacky by turns, Turning Red reinvented the Pixar formula with delightful results.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Turning Red.

She-Hulk: Attorney At Law

Showrunner/Creator: Jessica Gao

Starring: Tatiana Maslany, Mark Ruffalo, Tim Roth, Charlie Cox, Jameela Jamil, Ginger Gonzaga

Less fourth wall-breaking, more fourth wall completely and utterly shattering (especially in its Marvel-nudging finale), this superhero show that really only wanted to be a legal comedy is a delight. Sprinkled (much to the title character’s dismay) with cameos, it hinges on Tatiana Maslany’s superb central performance as Jennifer Walters, cousin to Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) who is cursed with his less-than-jolly green nature after an accident, but also retains her personality while in Hulk mode without all his experimenting. Wild and wicked, it also allowed Charlie Cox to finally find the fun as Daredevil — all while annoying all the right people online. Win-win!

Streaming now on Disney+

Logan

Director: James Mangold

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Dafne Keen, Patrick Stewart, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, Richard E. Grant

With Hugh Jackman recently revealed to be returning to the role of Wolverine, what better way to remind yourself how good he is by watching James Mangold’s quiet epic about an older, much more vulnerable Logan in a dusty, broken future world trying to keep Patrick Stewart’s Professor X – whose own aged brain is now more super weapon than saviour’s sword — in good health and away from harm. Drawn from Western traditions and the realisation of what the writer/director truly wanted to do with the character, it’s an effective, inventive use of the character, and Jackman commits himself body and soul to give the performance of a lifetime as ostensibly a mutant Shane.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of Logan.

Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers

Director: Akiva Schaffer

Starring: Andy Samberg, John Mulaney, Will Arnett, Eric Bana, KiKi Layne, Flula Borg

Post-modern hilarity that blends Roger Rabbit-style genre spoofing with an engagingly real story of friends grown apart. Years after the cancellation of their show, hero chipmunks Chip (John Mulaney) and Dale (Andy Samberg) must reunite to solve the suspicious death of a former co-star. The references and gags come thick and fast, but never sacrifice the narrative and character work for cheap laughs. Even in the case of Ugly Sonic!

Streaming now on Disney+

The Old Man

Showrunners/Creators: Robert Levine, Jonathan E. Steinberg

Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Lithgow, Alia Shawkat, Amy Brenneman, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Janet McTeer

Jeff Bridges goes the action hero path carved by the likes of Liam Neeson in this taught, intense thriller series that also lets the story breathe occasionally. Some superb stunt work means that Bridges’ retired CIA operative Dan Chase looks like a badass. And it’s not just his show — the likes of John Lithgow, Alia Shawkat and Amy Brenneman also deliver in a series about the sins of the past coming back to haunt the present. It’s dark and brutal at times, but also has a light touch when needed.

Streaming now on Disney+

Read Empire’s review of The Old Man.

The Bear

Creator/Showrunner: Christopher Storer

Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Liza Colón-Zayas, Abby Elliott, Lionel Boyce

One of 2022’s best TV shows — and now one of 2023’s and 2024’s too thanks to a sensational Season 2 and Season 3 — The Bear dives into the harried kitchen of a Chicago sandwich shop. It’s here that Jeremy Allen White’s supremely inventive – but hugely troubled – Carmen ‘Carmy’ Berzatto fights to bring what he’s learned working in Michelin star restaurants to his late brother’s dream food-slinging joint. With fractious family members and friends, frazzled staff and ticking-clock threats from investors, this is high tension viewing. It’ll have your heart racing faster than one of the shop’s artery-stuffing sarnies.

Streaming now on Disney+

Sometimes, the very best time to be a Netflix subscriber is during a weekend that bridges the end of one month and the start of another. That way, a buzzy hit like Barbarian can hit on Sunday, June 1 and scare up a lot of views for this wild 2022 horror flick.

But for the final two days of May, the most enticing film is Pig, a 2021 thriller that put Nicolas Cage back in the spotlight after a decade of more of questionable movie choices. It’s already among the most popular movies on Netflix, which means that its appeal hasn’t diminished since its release.

You can find these films and the rest of the best movies on Netflix below. Remember to check this list every Friday morning when we update the lineup to give you the most enticing movie options available.

Watch the latest movies and TV shows via Sling. Score your first 3 months for $99.99, $140 off. Channels available include ABC, NBC, and Fox as well as ESPN, Bravo, FX, National Geographic, and even TNT.

Looking for something else? We’ve also rounded up the best movies to stream this week, the best shows on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime, and the best movies on Disney+.

Watching from abroad? Use a Netflix VPN to access your country’s catalog from anywhere in the world. Want to watch on the go? We can show you how to download movies on Netflix.

Editor’s Picks

Pig (2021) 82% 82% 6.9/10 6.9/10 R 92m 92m Genre Drama, Thriller, Mystery Stars Nicolas Cage, Alex Wolff, Adam Arkin Directed by Michael Sarnoski Watch on Netflix Never get between a man and his pig. In 2021, Pig gave Nicolas Cage his John Wick moment, not because this is a bloody action tale of revenge. It’s really not that at all. But it was easily the high point of Cage’s recent career and a chance to see him once again inhabit a purely unique character that only he could play. Rob Feld (Cage) used to be one of the most famous chefs in Portland. Some would say that he’s fallen pretty far since then, but he is content to gather truffles with the help of his pig. When the pig is stolen, Rob figures out pretty quickly who did it. And that was their first mistake, because Rob isn’t going to stop until he has that pig back.

Barbarian (2022) 78% 78% 7.0/10 7.0/10 102m Genre Horror, Thriller Stars Georgina Campbell, Justin Long, Bill Skarsgård Directed by Zach Cregger Watch on Netflix Barbarian made quite splash in theaters when it hit theaters in 2022 and propelled writer/director Zach Cregger to the top of the horror genre. The key to this film’s appeal is to go into it with as little information as possible, so we won’t be sharing major spoilers here. Georgina Campbell and Bill Skarsgård star as Tess and Keith, a pair of strangers who are accidentially booked at the same rental cabin. During a nasty storm, Keith invites Tess to stay with him for the night, and it sounds like the set up to every rom-com ever. Trust us, it’s not. There are strange things happening in this rental that you have to see to believe. And to even describe what comes next would be to ruin the surprise.

Other Netflix Movies

Fear Street: Prom Queen (2025) 44% 44% R 90m 90m Genre Horror, Thriller Stars India Fowler, Suzanna Son, Fina Strazza Directed by Matt Palmer Watch on Netflix After four years, R.L. Stein’s Fear Street series continues with Fear Street: Prom Queen . The year is 1988, and the school outcast, Lori Granger (India Fowler), is taking a bold swing by going out for prom queen. Everyone knows the queen bee, Tiffany Falconer (Fina Strazza), is going to win. Or so everyone thought. Lori is making it a much closer contest than expected, possibly because someone is killing the other girls involved with the prom. Lori and Tiffany may not see eye-to-eye, but they may both be feeling the heat when the killer turns their eyes towards them.

The Wild Robot (2024) 85% 85% 8.2/10 8.2/10 PG 102m 102m Genre Animation, Science Fiction, Family Stars Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor Directed by Chris Sanders Watch on Netflix If you’ve wondered why The Wild Robot is so acclaimed, it’s because it has an unusually large amount of heart for a DreamWorks Animation movie. It’s also gorgeously rendered, and it features strong performances by Lupita Nyong’o and the rest of the cast. Nyong’o voices Roz, a robot that was left behind on a deserted island by accident. Roz may not have been built for the wild, but she takes to it. She even makes friends with some of the animals and takes it upon herself to raise an orphaned goose named Brightbill (Kit Connor). Roz wouldn’t go back to her old life if she could, but she may not have a choice when another robot, Vontra (Stephanie Hsu), comes to collect her.

Smile (2022) 68% 68% 6.5/10 6.5/10 R 115m 115m Genre Horror, Mystery Stars Sosie Bacon, Kyle Gallner, Jessie T. Usher Directed by Parker Finn Watch on Netflix Smile surprised everyone when it vastly outperformed expectations in theaters and became a breakout horror hit. That’s pretty good for a movie that almost went straight to Paramount+. Writer and director Parker Finn continued the story from his short film, Laura Hasn’t Slept, and put the scares on a larger scale. Laura Weaver (Caitlin Stasey) only has a small role in the film, but her death is the catalyst for everything that happens to Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon), a therapist who tried to treat Laura. Rose didn’t believe Laura was cursed, and even witnessing her horrific suicide didn’t confirm anything supernatural. But seeing Laura’s death is all it took for the curse to pass to Rose. Now she sees people flashing sinister smiles at her everywhere she goes. By the time Rose realizes that she really is cursed, it may be far too late to save herself.

Paddington in Peru (2024) 65% 65% 6.7/10 6.7/10 PG 106m 106m Genre Family, Comedy, Adventure Stars Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer Directed by Dougal Wilson Watch on Netflix It’s been far too long between Paddington Bear movies, so much so that the entire Brown family had to be recast for Paddington in Peru. After living in London with the Brown family, Paddington (Ben Whishaw) receives a letter informing him that his aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton) misses him and that she has been acting strangely. Henry (Hugh Bonneville) and Mary Brown (Emily Mortimer), along with their children, accompany Paddington back to Peru. Upon their arrival, they discover that Lucy has gone missing under suspicious circumstances. To find her, Paddington and the Browns will have to venture into the jungles of Peru and solve a mystery along the way.

Heart Eyes (2025) 61% 61% 6.1/10 6.1/10 R 97m 97m Genre Horror, Comedy, Romance Stars Olivia Holt, Mason Gooding, Gigi Zumbado Directed by Josh Ruben Watch on Netflix There have been horror films with romance before, but it’s hard to think of another rom-com horror movie like Heart Eyes. The title character is a serial killer whose personalized touches include murdering couples and wearing the ridiculous heart-eye mask. In theory, Ally McCabe (Olivia Holt) shouldn’t have to worry about getting murdered by Heart Eyes. She just broke up with her boyfriend. But she has the bad fortune to catch Heart Eyes’ attention when she goes out to dinner with a co-worker named Jay Simmons (Mason Gooding). Heart Eyes mistakes the pair as a couple and makes it his mission to murder both of them. In the process, Jay is framed for Heart Eyes’ crimes and the killer is far from done with this pair.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) 62% 62% 6.4/10 6.4/10 PG-13 105m 105m Genre Horror, Comedy, Fantasy Stars Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara Directed by Tim Burton Watch on Netflix They say you never forget your first love, and that may be why Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) is still lusting over Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) 36 years after they last met. Not that Lydia would ever call what she had with that creep “love.” She only agreed to marry him to save her dead friends. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice begins with Lydia as the widowed mother of Astrid Deetz (Jenna Ortega) and addicted to pills that dull the power of her ability to see ghosts. Astrid believes her mother’s a charlatan until she gets a glimpse of the supernatural when they visit Lydia’s childhood home. Before long, Astrid’s stuck in the afterlife, and Lydia has to reunite with Beetlejuice to rescue her daughter. And Beetlejuice will only help Lydia if she agrees to marry him. Unfortunately for Beetlejuice, his first ex-wife, Delores LaFerve (Monica Bellucci), has escaped confinement, and he’s at the top of her hit list.

Havoc (2025) 57% 57% 5.8/10 5.8/10 R 107m 107m Genre Action, Crime, Thriller Stars Tom Hardy, Jessie Mei Li, Timothy Olyphant Directed by Gareth Evans Watch on Netflix Charlie (Justin Cornwell) and Mia (Quelin Sepulveda) are a pair of thieves who are in serious trouble in Havoc. While trying to pay off a debt Mia owes to a local Triad boss, she and Charlie are thrust into a coup for control of the gang that sends them on the run and accuses them of murder. Lawrence Beaumont (Forest Whitaker), a very wealthy businessman running for mayor, is Charlie’s father, and he has a vested interest in keeping his son safe. Beaumont also has a cop, Patrick Walker (Tom Hardy), on his payroll with explicit instructions to find and protect Charlie at all costs. That won’t be easy as the Triads and the police pursue Charlie and Mia wherever they hide.

American Sniper (2014) 73% 73% 7.3/10 7.3/10 R 133m 133m Genre War, Action Stars Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Kyle Gallner Directed by Clint Eastwood Watch on Netflix Chris Kyle’s account of his time in Iraq has been questioned for its veracity, but few could argue that director Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper didn’t resonate with audiences. Bradley Cooper stars as Kyle, a gifted sniper stationed in Iraq during the second Gulf War. Kyle’s ability to kill makes him popular among his men and a target for insurgents. But on the home front, Kyle is emotionally distant from his wife, Taya (Sienna Miller), and their children, and too willing to keep going back to war on additional tours of duty.

Draft Day (2014) 54% 54% 6.9/10 6.9/10 PG-13 110m 110m Genre Drama Stars Kevin Costner, Jennifer Garner, Denis Leary Directed by Ivan Reitman Watch on Netflix Director Ivan Reitman’s final film in the big chair was Draft Day, an NFL drama starring Kevin Costner as Sonny Weaver Jr., the general manager of the Cleveland Browns. Sonny is beset by personal problems, including the recent death of his father, and he’s facing an inordinate amount of pressure to turn the team around. After reluctantly trading up to get the No. 1 pick in the draft, Sonny is expected to take quarterback Bo Callahan (Josh Pence). However, Sonny’s original pick, Vontae Mack (Chadwick Boseman), makes a strong case for himself. It’s a question of character, and the clock is ticking as Sonny contemplates his decision. It’s only a make-or-break choice for the franchise. No pressure.

Lucy (2014) 62% 62% 6.4/10 6.4/10 R 89m 89m Genre Action, Science Fiction Stars Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, Choi Min-sik Directed by Luc Besson Watch on Netflix Scarlett Johansson’s Lucy Miller is the right person at the wrong time in Luc Besson’s sci-fi action thriller Lucy. The title character was forced to become a drug mule by crime lord Mr. Jang (Choi Min-sik), and a bag of an experimental drug was sewn into Lucy’s body for the smuggling process. When the drug in Lucy’s body is accidentally released, it gives her mental and physical powers straight out of a comic book. Suddenly, Lucy is the most formidable woman on Earth. However, the price may ultimately be her life if she can’t figure out a way to reverse the changes or how to move forward with them.

The Hating Game (2021) 6.2/10 6.2/10 R 102m 102m Genre Drama, Comedy, Romance Stars Lucy Hale, Austin Stowell, Corbin Bernsen Directed by Peter Hutchings Watch on Netflix Lucy Hale plays the similarly named Lucy Hutton in The Hating Game, and she’s really got her rom-com persona down. Thanks to a corporate merger, Lucy is the new co-worker of Josh Templeman (Austin Stowell), her counterpart from another publisher. And they decide pretty quickly that they don’t like each other and don’t want to work together. Their rivalry comes to a head in the form of a bet. They both go out for a promotion and whoever loses has to quit the company. Lucy is pretty sure she will win, but less sure how she feels about Josh after they develop a mutual attraction. Is their potential relationship real or just a ploy for a job?

The Addams Family (1991) 57% 57% 6.9/10 6.9/10 PG-13 100m 100m Genre Comedy, Fantasy Stars Raúl Juliá, Anjelica Huston, Christopher Lloyd Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld Watch on Netflix The Addams Family wasn’t beloved by critics upon its release in 1991, but audiences loved it. The late Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston were the definitive Gomez and Morticia Addams, while Christina Ricci had a star-making performance as their macabre daughter, Wednesday. The secret of this film’s appeal is that it never stops being fun to watch. Even as Gordon Craven (Christopher Lloyd) and his mother, Abigail (Elizabeth Wilson), plot to steal the Addams’ family fortune, the tone remains light and breezy. In fact, the only problem for Gordon is that the Addams family accepts him as Gomez’s long-lost brother, Fester Addams, and they show him more love than his mother ever gave him.

Talk to Me (2023) 76% 76% 7.1/10 7.1/10 R 95m 95m Genre Horror Stars Sophie Wilde, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird Directed by Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou Watch on Netflix Welcome to the supernatural high of the season. For most reasonable people, playing around with an embalmed hand that lets spirits of the deceased enter into your body may seem like a bad idea for an evening’s entertainment. But horror movies like Talk to Me are filled with people who have bad ideas, but usually not for long. A group of friends have been using the hand to consort with spirits because they feel a high when the ghosts leave their bodies. This is done with the understanding that the connection has to be broken in 90 seconds or else the spirits will take over their bodies. It’s all fun and games until Mia (Sophie Wilde) won’t let her best friend’s younger brother, Riley (Joe Bird), break the connection in time. The consequences for that decision will be severe.

Everest (2015) 64% 64% 7.1/10 7.1/10 pg-13 121m 121m Genre Adventure, Drama, History Stars Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, Jake Gyllenhaal Directed by Baltasar Kormákur Watch on Netflix The allure of climbing Mount Everest often causes would-be climbers to overlook just how dangerous it is. The Everest movie is based on a particularly deadly incident that took place in 1996, as missteps and harsh weather conditions pushed men and women to their absolute limits. Two rival expedition leaders, Rob Hall (Jason Clarke) and Scott Fischer (Jake Gyllenhaal), attempted to guide separate groups to Everest’s peak, including Beck Weathers (Josh Brolin), Doug Hansen (John Hawkes), and more. But there are no ordinary days on Everest, as both expeditions run into serious problems. Not everyone gets to go home, but it’s hard to look away from the unfolding tragedy.

Despicable Me 4 (2024) 52% 52% 6.4/10 6.4/10 pg 94m 94m Genre Animation, Family, Comedy, Science Fiction Stars Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Will Ferrell Directed by Chris Renaud Watch on Netflix As a villain, Gru (Steve Carell) was never quite evil enough to be truly despicable. By the time of Despicable Me 4, Gru has a wife, Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig), three loving adoptive daughters, and a son, Gru Jr. (Tara Strong), who doesn’t seem to like his father very much. While attending his high school reunion, Gru runs afoul of his old nemesis, Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell), who decides that he’s overdue for revenge. To protect their family, Gru and Lucy go undercover with their children in another town. Unfortunately for them, Gru’s reputation as a former bad guy precedes him, and it won’t be long before Maxime and his killer girlfriend, Valentina (Sofía Vergara), track them down.

Runaway Jury (2003) 61% 61% 7.1/10 7.1/10 Genre Drama, Thriller Watch on Netflix Considering the way that John Grisham legal thrillers dominated the 1990s, it’s surprising that Runaway Jury is the last one of those novels that got a big-screen adaptation. It’s also a showcase for the late great Gene Hackman in one of his final roles. He plays Rankin Fitch, a man who has made a science out of getting juries to vote his way. In a high-stakes wrongful death case against a gun manufacturer, Fitch thinks he’s stacked the jury with like-minded people who will find in favor of his client. To Fitch’s shock, a woman calling herself Marlee (Rachel Weisz) offers Fitch and defense attorney Wendell Rohr (Dustin Hoffman) the chance to pay her to sway the jury in their favor. And it’s not an idle bluff, as Marlee’s lover, Nick Easter (John Cusack), is already on the jury and influencing their deliberations. The real question is who’s going to pay them first, and how far will Fitch go to keep the gun manufacturer from losing the case?

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) 72% 72% 7.2/10 7.2/10 pg-13 134m 134m Genre Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy Stars Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith Directed by Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley Watch on Netflix The most recent live-action adaptation of Dungeons & Dragons is a surprisingly accessible story, thanks largely to a streamlined story centered on Chris Pine’s charming rogue thief, Edgin Darvis. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves opens with Edgin escaping from prison alongside his best friend, Holga Kilgor (Michelle Rodriguez), simply because they want to reunite with Edgin’s young daughter, Kira (Chloe Coleman). Edgin and Holga also suspect that their former partner, Forge Fitzwilliam (Hugh Grant), won’t live up to the promises he made them. When they realize the full extent of Forge’s deception, Edgin and Holga recruit a would-be sorcerer, Simon Aumar (Justice Smith), and his shape-changer ex, Doric (Sophia Lillis), to rob Forge’s vaults and reclaim custody of Kira. In the process, they may have to save the entire realm from the plans of an evil red wizard.

Scream VI (2023) 61% 61% 6.4/10 6.4/10 r 123m 123m Genre Horror, Crime, Thriller Stars Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown Directed by Tyler Gillett, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin Watch on Netflix Scream 6 wasn’t intended as a closing chapter, but it’s likely to be the last time that either Melissa Barrera or Jenna Ortega (Wednesday) play scream queens in this universe. Barrera and Ortega play the Carpenter sisters, Sam and Tara, respectively, and they’ve moved out of Woodsboro to start a new life in New York City. Unfortunately, the sisters have unfinished business with a new Ghostface, and everyone new to their lives could be a suspect. Sam is also feeling the fragility of her own sanity, as she experiences hallucinations of her father, Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich), one of the original Ghostface killers in Scream. If Sam can’t trust herself, then who can she turn to for help?

Saturday Night (2024) 63% 63% 7.0/10 7.0/10 r 109m 109m Genre Comedy, Drama Stars Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith Directed by Jason Reitman Watch on Netflix Saturday Night Live gets an origin story in Saturday Night, a fictionalization of the final 90 minutes before the taping of the first SNL episode in 1975. Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) is the man who has to keep it all together in these critical minutes, even though it’s clear that NBC has no faith in his ability to deliver the show that he promised. Future comedy legends Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith), John Belushi (Matt Wood), Gilda Radner (Ella Hunt), Dan Aykroyd (Dylan O’Brien), and more have their own drama. This grand comedy experiment could have fallen apart at any time, and it may take a miracle to get everyone on the same page.

Back in Action (2025) 50% 50% pg-13 114m 114m Genre Action, Comedy Stars Cameron Diaz, Jamie Foxx, McKenna Roberts Directed by Seth Gordon Watch on Netflix The title of Back in Action is fitting since it marks Cameron Diaz’s return from retirement and Jamie Foxx’s first movie since he suffered a debilitating stroke. Diaz and Foxx have also shared the screen two times before in Any Given Sunday and a remake of Annie, but this time, they play secret agents Emily and Matt. After a close call 15 years ago, Matt and Emily faked their deaths and started a family. In the present, Emily and Matt have two children, Alice (McKenna Roberts) and Leo (Rylan Jackson), who have no idea that their parents used to be spies. After the couple accidentally goes viral, it reveals their survival to their old enemy, Balthazar Gor (Robert Besta). And Gor isn’t willing to simply let bygones be bygones as he goes after their family with his heavily armed men.

Hereditary (2018) 87% 87% 7.3/10 7.3/10 r 128m 128m Genre Horror, Mystery, Thriller Stars Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Gabriel Byrne Directed by Ari Aster Watch on Netflix What’s in your family history? You may not want all of the answers, as demonstrated by the acclaimed horror film Hereditary. Toni Collette and Gabriel Byrne lead the cast as Annie and Steve Graham, who live with their children, Peter (Alex Wolff) and Charlie (Milly Shapiro). Following the death of Annie’s mother, the Graham family is struck by a terrible tragedy that fractures their bond. From there, things get really strange. Trust us when we say that you should have the minimum amount of information when watching this film. That way the surprises can really shock you.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) 79% 79% 7.5/10 7.5/10 r 149m 149m Genre Action, Science Fiction, Adventure Stars Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke Directed by George Miller Watch on Netflix Mad Max: Fury Road left such a huge cultural impact that Furiosa was even mentioned by name in Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine, a film that lifted some of George Miller’s Mad Max moments. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga may not have reached the same heights as Fury Road, but this action prequel is destined to have a long afterlife among the streaming services. Anya Taylor-Joy steps in to play the young Furiosa, while Alyla Browne portrays her as a child. In the Wasteland, Furiosa and her family lived in peace and prosperity until she was stolen away by men under the command of Dementus (Chris Hemsworth). Despite Dementus’ attempts to make Furiosa loyal to him, she harbors a grudge against him for murdering her mother, Mary (Charlee Fraser). Furiosa’s hatred for Dementus is so pronounced that she even goes to work for his rival, Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme), while plotting her escape from Joe’s service and her personal quest for revenge.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024) 82% 82% 7.9/10 7.9/10 pg 79m 79m Genre Animation, Comedy, Family Stars Ben Whitehead, Reece Shearsmith, Peter Kay Directed by Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham Watch on Netflix It’s refreshing that even two decades after the last Wallace & Gromit movie, their latest stop-motion animated film, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, looks and feels very much like its own thing. That gives it a timeless quality as well. The new story finds Wallace (Ben Whitehead) and his loyal canine friend, Gromit, in a pickle, largely of Wallace’s own making. Wallace has invented a smart gnome he calls Norbot (Reece Shearsmith), which can perform chores and be helpful around the house. The duo’s old enemy, Feathers McGraw, hacks into Norbot and uses him to create a gnome army under his control. And if Wallace and Gromit can’t thwart this plan, then their proverbial gooses are cooked.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024) 47% 47% 6.1/10 6.1/10 pg-13 115m 115m Genre Action, Adventure, Science Fiction Stars Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens Directed by Adam Wingard Watch on Netflix After Godzilla vs. Kong pitted the Monsterverse’s greatest icons against each other, the only place that a sequel could go was to bring them back together on the same side. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire could almost be a buddy comedy if either of the monsters could speak. Following the events of the previous film, Godzilla and King Kong essentially agreed to stay out of each other’s way. Kong even descended deep into the Hollow Earth to find some peace. That quiet period is shattered when Kong encounters a familiar threat that he can’t face alone. Only Godzilla and Kong can save the world if they can put aside their differences long enough to do so.

Barbie (2023) 80% 80% 6.8/10 6.8/10 pg-13 114m 114m Genre Comedy, Adventure Stars Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera Directed by Greta Gerwig Watch on Netflix In Barbieland, Barbie (Margot Robbie) is one of many variants, and Ryan Gosling is just Ken. Neither of their characters are particularly happy at the beginning of Barbie. That’s why Barbie is drawn into the real world, where she learns things about herself that she never imagined. It’s overwhelming, to say the least, but at least she makes friends with Gloria (America Ferrera) and her daughter, Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt). As for Ken, he finds the journey into our world to be especially illuminating about the power a man can have. Ken brings this idelology back to Barbieland, leading to disastrous results for Barbie and all of the other Barbies who live there.

The Six Triple Eight (2024) 59% 59% 5.6/10 5.6/10 pg-13 127m 127m Genre Drama, War Stars Kerry Washington, Sam Waterston, Susan Sarandon Directed by Tyler Perry Watch on Netflix Did you know that there really was a battalion of all-Black women during World War II? The story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion could have been lost to time if not for Kevin M. Hymel’s 2019 article in WWII History Magazine, which has been adapted here by Tyler Perry, who wrote and directed The Six Triple Eight. Following the loss of someone close to her during the war, Lena Derriecott King (Ebony Obsidian) signs up for the war and finds herself in a unit commanded by Major Charity Adams (Kerry Washington). The women of the 6888 want to do more than just stay on the home front. However, their only mission in Europe involves untangling a staggering amount of mail between the soldiers on the front lines and their families. Lena eventually realizes this is important to the war effort, even as the women face the daunting task ahead of them.

It Ends with Us (2024) 53% 53% 6.5/10 6.5/10 pg-13 131m 131m Genre Romance, Drama Stars Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Jenny Slate Directed by Justin Baldoni Watch on Netflix It Ends with Us is based on the bes-selling book by Colleen Hoover, and its behind-the-scenes drama between stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni almost overshadowed the success of the movie itself. Lively plays Lily Bloom, a woman who meets and becomes infatuated with a surgeon, Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni). Their fairy tale romance turns for the worse when Lily discovers that Ryle is an abusive lover. Ryle becomes very jealous upon learning about Lily’s renewed connection with her old boyfriend, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar). Lily has genuine feelings for both men, but feels trapped in the same cycle of violence that doomed her parents’ relationship.

Carry-On (2024) 68% 68% pg-13 119m 119m Genre Thriller, Mystery, Action Stars Taron Egerton, Jason Bateman, Sofia Carson Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra Watch on Netflix Like Die Hard 2, Carry-On is an action thriller set on Christmas Eve in a busy airport. Unfortunately for TSA agent Ethan Kopek (Taron Egerton), his promotion came on the wrong day at the wrong time. An enigmatic traveler (Jason Bateman) wants Ethan to wave a package through uncontested. If Ethan refuses, then his girlfriend, Nora Parisi (Sofia Carson), will be killed. Ethan’s back is to the proverbial wall, and if he can’t find a way to thwart the plan, then Nora may not be the only casualty. He needs a way to save Nora, and his options are running out fast.

The Lost City (2022) 62% 62% 6.1/10 6.1/10 pg-13 112m 112m Genre Action, Adventure, Comedy Stars Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe Directed by Aaron Nee, Adam Nee Watch on Netflix If you’re old enough to remember Romancing the Stone, then you may notice some familiar elements in The Lost City. Sandra Bullock stars as archeologist-turned-novelist Loretta Sage, a bestselling author whose adventure novels have made her famous. Her books have also turned cover model Alan Caprison (Channing Tatum) into a celebrity among her fans. While on tour with Loretta, Alan witnesses her kidnapping at the hands of Abigail Fairfax (Daniel Radcliffe), a demented billionaire who believes that her research holds the key to deciphering the messages in a lost city. Alan, who is desperately infatuated with Loretta, takes it upon himself to stage a rescue mission. But that attempt soon leaves both Alan and Loretta running for their lives, with little hope for escape.

Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024) 54% 54% 6.3/10 6.3/10 pg 94m 94m Genre Animation, Family, Fantasy, Action Stars Jack Black, Awkwafina, Viola Davis Directed by Mike Mitchell Watch on Netflix Sometimes the student must become the teacher. Kung Fu Panda 4 finds Po (Jack Black) at a crossroads in his life. For years, he’s been the Dragon Warrior and the protector of the Valley of Peace. But now, Po is being called upon to pass his mantle on to a younger warrior and take on a more spiritual role. The truth is that Po doesn’t want to change anything, and he’s also preoccupied by the arrival of The Chameleon (Viola Davis), a sorceress who may be the greatest threat he’s ever faced. When Po goes to confront her, he’s joined by Zhen (Awkwafina), a thieving fox who might be Dragon Warrior material. That’s assuming, of course, that this fox isn’t a snake in the grass.

Woman of the Hour (2024) 74% 74% 6.8/10 6.8/10 r 95m 95m Genre Drama, Crime, Thriller Stars Anna Kendrick, Daniel Zovatto, Tony Hale Directed by Anna Kendrick Watch on Netflix Anna Kendrick is making her directorial debut with Woman of the Hour, a film in which she also stars. The premise of this movie is off-the-wall bonkers and yet based on a true story. Kendrick plays Cheryl Bradshaw, a contestant on The Dating Game in 1978. That TV romance game show also featured a serial killer named Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto) as one of the men vying for Cheryl’s favor on the episode in question. No one on The Dating Game could have guessed that Rodney was a murderer, but there’s something very clearly off about him. It’s a bizarre chapter in TV history now immortalized in this film.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024) 54% 54% 6.6/10 6.6/10 r 115m 115m Genre Action, Crime, Thriller, Comedy Stars Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens Directed by Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah Watch on Netflix For their fourth time out as Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence sent their respective characters on the run in Bad Boys: Ride or Die. In the last movie, Mike and Marcus lost their captain, Conrad Howard (Joe Pantoliano), to an assassination. Now, Captain Howard’s name is getting dragged through the mud after he’s posthumously framed for crimes he didn’t commit. When Mike and Marcus attempt to clear Howard of these charges, they find themselves framed, too. Once they’re on the wrong side of the law, the guys learn who their friends really are. The rest of the Miami PD is gunning for them, and they’re running out of options fast.

Rebel Ridge (2024) 77% 77% 7.0/10 7.0/10 r 132m 132m Genre Crime, Action, Thriller Stars Aaron Pierre, Don Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb Directed by Jeremy Saulnier Watch on Netflix Aaron Pierre establishes himself as an action hero in the Netflix original film Rebel Ridge. Terry Richmond (Pierre) only wanted to come into town and bail out his cousin, Mike Simmons (C.J. LeBlanc), so they could rebuild their lives together. But when corrupt cops seize Terry’s cash, it leaves him without any way to get Mike out of jail. Terry tries to be reasonable with Chief Sandy Burnne (Don Johnson), only for these dishonorable men to go back on their word and keep his stolen money while Mike suffers. Now, Terry has to take the law into his own hands to get justice, and not even dirty cops can stand in his way.

The Union (2024) 44% 44% 5.5/10 5.5/10 pg-13 109m 109m Genre Action, Comedy Stars Mark Wahlberg, Halle Berry, J.K. Simmons Directed by Julian Farino Watch on Netflix Mike McKenna (Flight Risk‘s Mark Wahlberg) never really expected to see his high school sweetheart, Roxanne Hall (Halle Berry), ever again. But their paths converge in the action comedy called The Union because Roxanne needs someone she can trust. During the last two decades, Roxanne has become a secret agent of immeasurable skill, but most of her colleagues have been killed after their identities were exposed. Roxanne gives Mike a chance to become a spy because she knows she can rely on him. Compared to Roxanne, Mike is really winging it as their mission takes them all over Europe. But there may just be something left in their romantic connection if they can both make it home alive.

Migration (2023) 56% 56% 6.6/10 6.6/10 pg 83m 83m Genre Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Family Stars Kumail Nanjiani, Elizabeth Banks, Caspar Jennings Directed by Benjamin Renner Watch on Netflix For Illumination’s first film after The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the studio took to the skies with Migration. Kumail Nanjiani lends his voice to the film as Mack Mallard, a duck who is married to Pam (Elizabeth Banks) and the father of their children, Dax (Caspar Jennings) and Gwen (Tresi Gazal). After spending their whole lives in a New England pond, Mack’s wife and kids convince him, and their curmudgeonly relative, Uncle Dan (Danny DeVito), to go on the trip of a lifetime to Jamaica by way of New York City. That trip is easier said than done for these first-time migrators. But if the family can stick together, they might just pull this off.

Bone Tomahawk (2015) 73% 73% 7.1/10 7.1/10 133m Genre Western, Horror, Drama Stars Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Richard Jenkins Directed by S. Craig Zahler Watch on Netflix Bone Tomahawk is an indie Western that brings Kurt Russell back to the genre as Sheriff Franklin Hunt. In 1890, Hunt’s small town of Bright Hope is rocked by the abductions of an outlaw called Purvis (David Arquette), a deputy named Nick (Evan Jonigkeit), and a young woman, Samantha O’Dwyer (Lili Simmons). This unlikely trio has been taken by a renegade native tribe that is known for eating its victims. Rather than abandoning the victims to their fate, Hunt, John Brooder (Matthew Fox), and others form a rescue party to bring them back home. But as they venture deeper into dangerous territory, the posse finds themselves facing threats on all sides, which may make a safe return impossible.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024) 54% 54% 6.7/10 6.7/10 r 118m 118m Genre Action, Comedy, Crime Stars Eddie Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Taylour Paige Directed by Mark Molloy Watch on Netflix Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F puts Eddie Murphy back into the title role for the first time since 1994. Axel Foley is a Detroit cop who has barged into Beverly Hills’ jurisdiction on a case three times before. And Beverly Hills Police Captain Cade Grant (Kevin Bacon) is really upset that Axel is at it again. Axel doesn’t care about the consequences because this is personal. Someone is targeting his adult daughter, Jane Saunders (Taylour Paige), and only her ex-boyfriend, Detective Bobby Abbott (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), is willing to help Axel save her. However, Axel may still have some other friends left in the police department, and he’ll need them when everything comes crashing down on him.

Hit Man (2024) 83% 83% 7.4/10 7.4/10 r 115m 115m Genre Comedy, Romance, Crime Stars Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Austin Amelio Directed by Richard Linklater Watch on Netflix Richard Linklater’s Hit Man could have scored a full theatrical release in part because Glen Powell is one of the breakout stars of 2024. But instead, it’s now a Netflix original that was co-written by both Powell and Linklater. The former is headlining the film as Gary Johnson, a man who has found his calling as an undercover operative for the police. Gary pretends to be an assassin, and he helps the police arrest his would-be clients. It’s a good racket for Gary until he meets Maddy Masters (Adria Arjona), a woman who wants her husband killed so she can escape his physical abuse. Maddy is the first “client” that Gary has ever been real with, and he doesn’t want to see her get arrested like his other marks. As much as Gary might try to believe otherwise, helping Maddy and getting emotionally involved with her may bring his life crashing down around him.

Godzilla Minus One (2023) 81% 81% 7.9/10 7.9/10 pg-13 125m 125m Genre Science Fiction, Horror, Action Stars Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada Directed by Takashi Yamazaki Watch on Netflix There is an English dub of Godzilla Minus One on Netflix, but the original Japanese voice track has better performances. This is one of the best Godzilla movies ever made in part because the creature is allowed to be a fearsome monster instead of a heroic giant. It’s also notable for featuring a strong focus on the human side of the story, especially with the main character Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki). In the last days of World War II, Shikishima can’t bring himself to fulfill his duty as a kamikaze pilot. A chance encounter with Godzilla only brings more shame upon Shikishima. During the aftermath of the war, Shikishima forms an unexpected bond with Noriko Ōishi (Minami Hamabe) and the infant child she adopted. Yet Shikishima’s inability to let go of his regret may destroy him before Godzilla can get around to killing him and everyone else in Japan.

Anyone But You (2023) 52% 52% 6.2/10 6.2/10 r 104m 104m Genre Romance, Comedy Stars Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell, Mia Artemis Directed by Will Gluck Watch on Netflix Anyone but You is one of the rare rom-coms to become a smash hit, while also solidifying Sydney Sweeney as a star … and keeping her out of movie jail for co-starring in Madame Web. Sweeney plays Bea, a young woman who forms an instant connection with a guy named Ben (Twisters star Glen Powell). But after a great first date, things end very badly and they both blame each other. Bea and Ben are unwillingly drawn back into each other’s orbit at the wedding for Halle (Hadley Robinson) and Claudia (Alexandra Shipp). Despite being unhappy about their reunion, Bea and Ben also have their own reasons to make the other guests believe that they’re a couple. And then the sparks start to fly between them again.

Baby Driver (2017) 86% 86% 7.5/10 7.5/10 r 113m 113m Genre Action, Crime Stars Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James Directed by Edgar Wright Watch on Netflix Don’t let the name Baby Driver fool you into thinking that this is some kid’s flick. Edgar Wright’s action comedy can be downright brutal at times, but it never loses its sense of humor. Ansel Elgort plays the title character, whose real name is Miles. But he’s known professionally as Baby, and he’s an incredible getaway driver who is forced to work for Doc (Kevin Spacey). After Baby seemingly escapes his servitude to Doc, he simply wants to start a new life with his girlfriend, Debora (Lily James). However, Doc won’t let Baby go that easily, and he forces him to take part in one last heist alongside Buddy (Jon Hamm), Darling (Eiza González), and Bats (Jamie Foxx). This crew is far more dangerous than Baby realizes, and he’ll have to think fast if he wants to get out alive.

The Wages of Fear (2024) r 104m 104m Genre Action, Thriller Stars Franck Gastambide, Alban Lenoir, Ana Girardot Directed by Julien Leclercq Watch on Netflix In 1953, Georges Arnaud’s The Wages of Fear was brought to the big screen by director Henri-Georges Clouzot who turned it into arguably one of the greatest action thrillers ever made. Director Julien Leclercq has a lot to live up to with the modern remake, which is a Netflix exclusive. The names and faces may be different, but the story remains largely unchanged from the original. An oil fire is out of control, and the only way to put it out and save lives is with controlled explosions using nitroglycerin. Franck Gastambide, Alban Lenoir, Ana Girardot, and Sofiane Zermani play a group of disparate and desperate individuals who agree to transport the nitroglycerin across hundreds of miles of dangerous terrain. At the end of their journey is a payday that could change their lives forever, assuming they live long enough to get paid.

Your Lucky Day (2023) 64% 64% 5.8/10 5.8/10 89m Genre Crime, Thriller Stars Angus Cloud, Elliot Knight, Jessica Garza Directed by Dan Brown Watch on Netflix Winning the lottery should be one the best days in anyone’s life. But in Your Lucky Day, Sterling (Angus Cloud) didn’t actually win. He killed someone to get his hands on the winning ticket, and he left witnesses: Amir (Mousa Hussein Kraish), Abraham (Elliot Knight), and his girlfriend, Ana-Marlene (Jessica Garza). Not even Sterling can kill that many people in cold blood, which is why he tries to bargain with them. He’ll share some of the money from the ticket if they help him hide his crime. This plan has multiple problems, but Sterling’s hostages and would-be accomplices simply can’t deter him from this course of action. He’s going to get this lottery money if it’s the last thing he does — and it might be.

Thanksgiving (2023) 63% 63% 6.4/10 6.4/10 r 106m 106m Genre Horror, Mystery, Thriller Stars Patrick Dempsey, Nell Verlaque, Addison Rae Directed by Eli Roth Watch on Netflix Sixteen years after creating a fake Thanksgiving trailer for Grindhouse, Eli Roth turned it into a real movie with all the elements of the holiday. It might be the best Thanksgiving horror film ever made, largely by default, since the rest are pretty bad. The story begins with a Black Friday rampage that goes horribly wrong and leaves several people dead. One year later, someone is going around town dressed as one of the original Pilgrims, John Carver, and carving up people who were there on that fateful Black Friday. Whoever is under that mask is apparently out to kill as many people as possible, and even the cops seem powerless to stop the murders.

Orion and the Dark (2024) 75% 75% 91m Genre Family, Comedy, Animation, Fantasy Stars Jacob Tremblay, Paul Walter Hauser, Angela Bassett Directed by Sean Charmatz Watch on Netflix Almost everyone is afraid of the dark when they’re a kid. The problem with Orion (Jacob Tremblay) is that he’s scared of everything, not just the dark. The animated adventure, Orion and the Dark, gives Orion a chance to conquer his fears alongside an unexpected companion: The living embodiment of Dark (Paul Walter Hauser). Rather than let this kid lose years of his life to a laundry list of fears, Dark takes Orion out for a wild night to prove that he doesn’t have to be defined by the things that he’s afraid about. It’s a gesture of friendship from Dark, but can Orion finally let go of his phobias and embrace life?

Dumb Money (2023) 66% 66% 6.9/10 6.9/10 r 104m 104m Genre Comedy, Drama, History Stars Paul Dano, Shailene Woodley, America Ferrera Directed by Craig Gillespie Watch on Netflix The infamous GameStop short squeeze was dramatized for the big screen in Dumb Money. Paul Dano headlines the cast as Keith Gill, an armchair investor who notices that hedge funds and other big market players are betting that the video game retailer GameStop will go under. Instead of letting that happen, Gill and others like him drive up GameStop’s stock to unsustainable highs and cause the professional investors to lose millions. There’s no shortage of stars in this cast, which includes Pete Davidson, Vincent D’Onofrio, America Ferrera, Myha’la Herrold, Nick Offerman, Anthony Ramos, Seth Rogen, Talia Ryder, Sebastian Stan, and Shailene Woodley. There are also plenty of shattered dreams, as many of the amateur investors lose everything they put into the GameStop stocks.

The Equalizer 3 (2023) 58% 58% 6.8/10 6.8/10 r 109m 109m Genre Action, Thriller, Crime Stars Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Eugenio Mastrandrea Directed by Antoine Fuqua Watch on Netflix Denzel Washington spends so much time sitting down and sipping lattes in The Equalizer 3 that you may start to wonder if the actor himself is injured, and not just his character, Robert McCall. After nearly getting himself killed while recovering stolen funds, McCall slowly recovers in a small town on the coast of Italy. McCall also becomes close to the doctor who saved him, Enzo Arisio (Remo Girone), as well as the police officer who brought him to safety, Gio Bonucci (Eugenio Mastrandrea). As McCall grows to love the town and its people, he realizes that the Italian mafia is terrorizing his new friends. And if anyone’s going to be terrorizing bad guys in this franchise, it’s Robert McCall. If you’re evil, don’t make McCall stand up. His stuntman will kill you.

On the heels of a packed holiday box office at the end of 2024 that saw Wicked: Part One versus Gladiator II followed by Moana 2 ahead of Thanksgiving and then A Complete Unknown and Babygirl leading the Christmas Day releases, 2025 has its own stacked roster of big film titles.

Heading into the summer, some big box office tentpoles arriving in the warm months of the year include Jurassic World: Rebirth as well as The Fantastic Four: First Steps both arriving in July. Freakier Friday will arrive in theaters in August.

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January kicked it off with combination of theatrical releases like the Christopher Abbott-starring Wolf Man and streamer offerings including Netflix’s Back In Action starring Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz as well as Prime Video’s You’re Cordially Invited starring Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon. February marked the first of the Marvel films releasing in 2025 — Captain America: Brave New World — as well as the return of Renée Zellweger’s Bridget Jones in the franchise’s fourth installment Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, which will be streaming on Peacock just in time for Valentine’s Day.

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Scroll on to see Deadline’s 30 most anticipated films and their release dates. All films set to play in theaters unless otherwise noted.