The VOD debuts of Oscar-nominee A Complete Unknown and breakout horror Companion, alongside the Disney+ debut of Mufasa: The Lion King leads this week’s list of streaming releases.
SERIES
Go! S1
21 March 2025 – Netflix
I must admit that new local teen drama series Go! caught my attention earlier this week, but for the wrong reason. Hilarious journalism gaffes aside though, this new show sees newcomer Thandolwethu Zondi starring as a promising young athlete, seemingly beating the odds of his meagre surroundings when he is offered a track scholarship at a prestigious school in JHB, only for, his dreams to be put in jeopardy after a tragic incident. In a case of art imitating life, the 23-year-old Zondi was a professional athlete himself with zero acting experience and no hopes of superstardom, when he was spotted on social media by producers and asked to audition. Now he is making waves as a breakout talent. Hopefully the similarities between him and his character end here, on a successful note, and he can keep on shining in his new profession.
The Famous Five S1
21 March 2025 – Showmax
Yo, where my fellow old people at?! If you’re anywhere close to my seemingly decrepit age, you grew up with the stories of British author Enid Blyton. And now one of her most… uh… famous creations is getting the live-action TV series treatment. The Famous Five follows young friends Julian, Dick, Anne, George, and their loyal dog, Timmy, as they encounter treacherous, action-packed adventures, remarkable mysteries, unparalleled danger and astounding secrets. This looks like one that the older and younger generations should be able to enjoy together.
Gangs of London S3
25 March 2025 – Showmax
And now for something British that definitely isn’t family friendly! The explosively violent Emmy-nominee and BAFTA-winning crime drama series Gangs of London is back for a third season after what seemed like an eternity (season two aired all the way back in October 2022). Following the events of the last season, while Sean Wallace is in prison undercover-cop-turned-gang-leader Elliot is now sitting at the high table with the other crime lords, including Sean’s mother, Marian, and his former lover Lale. But this new era of relative peace and criminal cooperation erupts into chaos after a spiked shipment of cocaine kills hundreds, drawing the interest of London’s passionate mayor. Not helping matters is a mysterious assassin, seemingly the one behind the attack, cutting a bloody swathe through the ranks of Elliot and co. But who is pulling his strings?
Note: Stay tuned next week for a special look at season 3, as I got to interview lead Sope Dirisu, along with series newcomers Andrew Koji and Richard Dormer.
The Studio S1
26 March 2025 – Apple TV+
We call it “movie magic” because putting a film together often requires effort that borders on the supernatural. Created by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, The Studio is a hilarious new Apple TV+ series taking a peek behind the cinematic curtain as it follows a big Hollywood studio head (Rogen) and his “core team of infighting executives battle their insecurities as they wrangle narcissistic artists and craven corporate overlords in the ever-elusive pursuit of making great films”. The show also stars Catherine O’Hara, Ike Barinholtz, Chase Sui Wonders, and Kathryn Hahn, and features a who’s-who of Hollywood talent on its cameo list.
Side Quest S1
26 March 2025 – Apple TV+
And keeping it comedic on Apple TV+, the fourth season of Mythic Quest wraps up with its finale this coming Wednesday. If this makes you sad as you can’t get enough of the hilarious antics and drama of a fictional video game development company working on the world’s biggest MMORPG, then I have good news. Debuting on the same day, Side Quest is a new a four-episode anthology spinoff that explores the lives of employees, players, and fans who are impacted by the game.
MOVIES
Revelations
21 March 2025 – Netflix
South Koran filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho had already given us arguably the greatest movie ever made in Train to Busan, but then he also teamed up with writer Choi Gyu-seok for their megahit supernatural action series Hellbound. Now the duo is back with another collaboration on Netflix, Revelations, a feature film that’s a lot more grounded than previous efforts. As Yeon put it, he was inspired by a desire to “rule out fantasy elements as much as possible”, and instead “depict psychological elements that can be found in reality, such as illusions, delusions, and traumas”. The film follows a pastor who is convinced that a divine revelation has called him to punish the person guilty of a missing person case, while the detective assigned to the case is battling grief as she sees her dead sister’s shadow everywhere.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
24 March 2025 – Showmax
How’s this for timing that surely can’t be accidental? The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes released in cinemas all the way back in November 2023, and while it did debut on VOD, not a single local streaming service has added it to their catalogue for some reason. But now, on the same weekend that Rachel Zegler’s live-action Snow White is debuting in cinemas, you can also finally watch her at home on Showmax in this prequel to The Hunger Games franchise. A prequel I was never quite sure we needed, especially since it focused on a young Coriolanus Snow, the future tyrannical ruler of Panem, who I had no desire to see humanized. The end result was a film that I found much better than I expected, mainly due to the performances from Tom Blyth as Snow and Zegler as the rebellious District 12 tribute he’s been assigned to mentor in the games. Sam wasn’t as enamored with the movie though, saying in his 6.5/10 review that “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is successful in putting on a show. Too bad the games go on for too long and the man of the match is not worthy of the title.”
Mufasa: The Lion King
26 March 2025 – Disney+
Speaking of prequels nobody asked for, Disney live-action remakes, and movies that same didn’t care for, Mufasa: The Lion King is making its local streaming debut on Disney+ next week. Directed by Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins and featuring all-new songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, the prequel answered the question that nobody was asking: How did Simba’s ill-fated father Mufasa and his brother Scar end up in the rivalry that would eventually upend a dynasty? The film boasts an all-star voice cast led by recent breakout star Aaron Pierre and SAG Award winner Kelvin Harrison Jr., alongside the likes of Mads Mikkelsen, Thandiwe Newton, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Donald Glover, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, and John Kani. But all of talent wasn’t enough for Sam to score it more than 4.5/10, saying that “for all its attempts to expand the mythology and explore the story of one of the franchise’s most dramatic characters, Mufasa: The Lion King does little to justify its existence as a unique piece of entertainment. Arguably a step up from 2019’s “live-action” Lion King, it still suffers from an inability to achieve the entertaining liveliness of the animated original, and disappoints as something disposable instead of resonant.”
VOD RENTALS/PURCHASES
The following movies have recently become available for digital purchase/rental:
A Complete Unknown
Purchase: Apple TV – R200 / Google Play Movies – R212
Rental: Apple TV – R170
Scoring itself eight nominations at the Oscars recently (although it failed to win any), A Complete Unknown is the musical biopic about iconic American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Directed and co-written by James Mangold (who knows a thing or two about Oscar-winning musical biopics with 2005’s Walk the Line), the film stars two-time Oscar winner Timothée Chalamet as Dylan, following his life story through his earliest folk music success until the momentous controversy over his use of electric instruments. And because this movie didn’t have enough award-winning talent in it already, it also co-stars Elle Fanning, Edward Norton, Monica Barbaro, Boyd Holbrook, Scoot McNairy, Dan Fogler, and more. The film is actually still playing in cinemas locally after a late January release, but now you can rent it at home.
Companion
Purchase: Apple TV – R200 / Google Play Movies – R212
Rental: Apple TV – R170/ Google Play Movies – R170
If you’re not in the mood for serious Oscar movies though, but still up for being thrilled and surprised, I cannot recommend Companion enough. Released in cinemas on the cusp of Valentine’s Day, this horror-thriller from debut writer-director Drew Hancock stars Sophie Thatcher (who was just recently so incredible in Heretic and continues that streak here) and Jack Quaid as young couple, Iris and Josh, who are set to spend the weekend with Josh’s friends at a secluded private lake house. Some of Josh’s friends inexplicably don’t care for Iris much, adding awkward tension to the whole situation. That is until the whole situation explodes wildly and violently when… Well, I will stop there, because as Noelle noted in her 7.5/10 review, the “smart and spiky” Companion is “best experienced blind, to keep its plot twists intact”.