A wide range of movies are finally hitting streaming this week
(Image credit: Clay Enos)
It’s a new week, and so new movies are here to stream online, with more arriving soon. This week’s arrivals include a video game adaptation starring Spider-Man himself, a documentary about the mysterious death of one of the most beloved stars in her time and a lockdown drama that turns into a heist flick.
The most interesting film of the bunch is The Survivor, a film based on a real story about a Holocaust survivor (played by Ben Foster) who only made it out by boxing in the camps. The film shows his life both inside and after the camps, and the latter part of the movie sees him trying to make a name for himself in the ring as well.
We’ve also got a young adult coming-of-age story about an artist who is all struggle when it comes to her crush.
Once you’re done with these picks, we’ve got more for you to check out. I’d start with Barry season 3 (you can watch seasons 1 and 2 in a single weekend, as I did). There’s also Russian Doll season 2 and The Flight Attendant season 2, two excellent shows that we’ve been waiting to come back for a while.
And before you know it? The weekend will be here, and we’ll have another set of new shows and movies to watch this weekend.
Without further previews, let’s break down the five movies you should watch this week:
Uncharted
Video game adaptation movies get a bad rep, and some might think Uncharted is one of the reasons why. Sure, it’s not perfect, but as someone who actually went to a movie theater and paid my own money to see it, I’m not going to act like the Uncharted movie isn’t fun. Gamers familiar with the franchise may “get” it more than their friends, but the plot here isn’t rocket science. Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) is an orphan who loves to steal, and also misses his brother who ran out on him.
And while Nate’s fine with petty crime, that’s only until Sully (Mark Wahlberg) comes into the picture. Not only does Sully promise the kid a huge treasure hunt, but one that involves his lost brother. Uncharted gets its points mostly from Tom Holland’s charisma, and is an otherwise standard puzzle-solving adventure movie with betrayals and hidden treasures.
Stream it now on Amazon (not a part of Prime Video) and other on-demand platforms
The Survivor (HBO Max)
Boxing movies are typically stories of triumph over adversity, but The Survivor is the least-standard boxing movie in ages. Ben Foster stars as Harry Haft, who appears to only have survived being sent to the Auschwitz concentration camps during the Holocaust because he was willing to fight.
The film — which is based on a true story — shows Haft’s story from inside the camps and his life thereafter. Haft’s time in the camps torments him after he’s made it out, and we see that the struggles back in real life aren’t easy. Accused of being a traitor, Harry is driven by his love of the woman he’s been separated from. Co-stars include Vicky Krieps, Billy Magnussen, Peter Sarsgaard, Danny DeVito (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and John Leguizamo.
Stream it on HBO Max starting April 27 at 8 p.m. ET/PT
The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes (Netflix)
Netflix’s passion for documentaries based on troubled figures that elaborate their stories with audio archives — recently seen in The John Wayne Gacy Tapes — continues with The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes.
This Netflix Original looks to let Monroe, one of the biggest stars of her time, tell her own story with never-before-heard audio. And in order to get this audio, it was produced in collaboration with Anthony Summers, author of Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe, who unearthed these audio files; actors lip synch over that footage.
Stream it on Netflix starting Wednesday (April 27)
Locked Down
For everyone who doesn’t have HBO Max (and why don’t you? It’s the best streaming service if you ask us), it’s time to catch up on this portrait of life during the lockdown. Or at least a portrait of life during lockdown when you’re about to break up with your partner.
The partners in question are Linda (Anne Hathaway) and Paxton (Chiwetel Ejiofor), and while they’re almost at each other’s throats, they find a way to work together. How is that possible? Well, Locked Down is that rare romantic drama that turns into a heist film, as there’s a diamond to be stolen.
Stream it now on Amazon and other video on demand services
Crush (Hulu)
Up for a little YA rom-com drama? Hulu’s new original film The Crush is all about the wayward ways people zig and zag in based on a crush. While she’s more of an artist, Paige (Rowan Blanchard) finds herself signed up for the track team, where she doesn’t really belong. And even though her crush Gabriella is on the track team, she finds a new crush on someone she didn’t see coming.
That’s her new training buddy AJ (Auli’i Cravalho), who didn’t really want to train her, but she seems to be hitting it off with. Co-stars include Megan Mulally as Paige’s mother and Aasif Mandvi as her track coach.
Stream it on Hulu starting Friday (April 29)