A remake, a prequel, and a sequel walk headline this week’s release as The new Mr. & Mrs. Smith debuts on Prime Video, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes hits VOD, and The Marvels finally flies onto Disney+.
SERIES
Full Circle S1
1 February 2024 – Showmax
The recently launched Showmax 2.0 has a small mountain of high-profile movies and TV series debuting this month, but in a move that is notably odd, they’re all only hitting the slick new streaming platform on 12 February. I’m not sure why this is the case as Showmax has historically kicked off most of its new productions at the start of the month. The sole title that is still adhering to this strategy is Full Circle, and the intense looking miniseries is so star-studded that maybe the streamer thought it best to give it some breathing room. Acclaimed filmmaker Steven Soderbergh directs all six episodes, while the cast – bringing to life a story about a botched kidnapping which “uncovers long-held secrets connecting multiple characters and cultures in present-day New York City” – boasts Zazie Beetz, Claire Danes, Jim Gaffigan, Timothy Olyphant, CCH Pounder, Dennis Quaid, and more. Critic consensus that this is not one to miss!
Mr. & Mrs. Smith S1
2 February 2024 – Prime Video
2005’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a good film. Directed by Doug Liman and starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, it’s an action blast filled with all sorts of explosions and gags. It was seemingly a very odd pick for a TV series adaptation though. Could the story – a married couple discovers that both of them have secretly been contract killers for years, unbeknownst to one another, and now find themselves pitted against each other – be adapted for a long-form approach and still be compelling? Simple answer? No. Luckily, creator/producer Simon Kinberg (who also wrote/produced the original) decided to mix things up. The eight-episode series sees Donald Glover and Maya Erskine star as two covert operatives who had never met before, but who are tasked with adopting a shared identity as the recently married John and Jane Smith in order to pull off a daring mission. But soon the fake relationship starts blossoming into a real one, potentially putting the mission at risk. Early reviews have been glowing for Mr. & Mrs. Smith have been glowing, saying that it’s not only a superb spy thriller, but also a great romance. So don’t miss this one.
MOVIES
The Retirement Plan
1 February 2024 – Prime Video
It’s a long-running joke that for a number of years now, Nicolas Cage would just say yes to any project that crossed his path. The result was a string of dirt cheap, B-grade, shlockfests that would have gone straight to the VHS bargain bin at the video store back in the day (yes, I’m showing my age here). The Retirement Plan appears to be a bit better than the usual trash, but not by that much. It does have Cage being a little unhinged though, which is always the best version of the actor. And it dropped out of nowhere onto Prime Video so no need to spend any extra cash to check it out.
The Whale
1 February 2024 – Showmax
The resurgence of Brendan Fraser’s career over the last two years has been one of the best things to happen in Hollywood recently. And one of the biggest contributions to his rise back to the top after being unfairly blacklisted is The Whale, the harrowing drama about a morbidly obese English professor who tries to restore his relationship with his estranged teenage daughter, which earned Fraser the Best Actor Oscar last year. If you’ve somehow still not seen The Whale, the critically acclaimed Darren Aronofsky-directed film is now available to watch on Showmax.
Orion and the Dark
2 February 2024 – Netflix
Ever heard of Orion and the Dark before? No? Me neither. And that is quite surprising given that this animated fantasy adventure was penned by Charlie Kaufman, the much beloved writer behind Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Adaptation, and more. Not to mention that this Netflix film boasts the voice talents of Jacob Tremblay, Paul Walter Hauser, Angela Bassett, Colin Hanks, and Carla Gugino, among others, AND IS NARRATED BY WERNER HERZOG! It even has a great plot idea: A young boy, the titular Orion, suffers from a range of chronic and irrational anxieties, with the worst being his fear of the dark. When the literal embodiment of the Dark pays him a visit though, to prove there’s nothing to be afraid of, Orion unearths a magical world that can help to go of the fears that control his life and just start living.
The Marvels
7 February 2024 – Disney+
The Marvels had its VOD debut just two weeks ago, but unfortunately there were only purchase options available. Given that the film has the unfortunate honour of boasting the lowest box office figures in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I have a feeling people were not rushing out to buy digital copies of it. However, the latest Marvel feature film hits Disney+ next week, meaning it will now be available to a whole lot more prospective viewers. And if you’re wondering whether to check it out after hearing some negative buzz, I’m here to tell you to ignore the rabble. The Marvels is a fun, hilarious, fleet-footed bit of cosmic escapism that’s not without its flaws but is significantly better than some very loud internet voices would have you believe. Also, since so few people went to see it, the film’s rather huge end-credits sequence has managed to not be spoiled everywhere, so you can finally experience it if you haven’t yet.
VOD RENTALS/PURCHASES
The following movies have recently become available for digital purchase/rental:
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
Purchase: Apple TV – R170 / Google Play Movies – R182
It was super weird to me how, for a while there, people barely acknowledged the existence of The Hunger Games, despite how the YA film franchise had had a stranglehold on pop culture between 2012 and 2015. Lionsgate tried to revive things late last year though with the big screen adaptation of author Suzane Collins’ prequel novel, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. With a surprising choice to focus on the rise of Coriolanus Snow, the villainous future President of Panem, I was intrigued to see how it played out. I was planning to do that in cinema, where The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is still playing, but now it’s also available on VOD services. Currently, there are only purchase options though, but that should change in the next week or so.