The last week in December, and the first week of January. That’s what we’re covering in today’s Stream Scene. As we make the transition from 2023 to 2024, the various streaming services are presenting a buffet of holiday entertainment options, ranging from Oscar front runners and family fare to the one of the most highly anticipated blockbusters of the year. Here are the standouts.
Film
Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire
22 December 2023 – Netflix
Once upon a time, 300, Justice League and Army of the Dead director Zack Snyder pitched to Lucasfilm to make a more mature Star Wars film. Snyder was turned down, but that didn’t stop him. His vision for a sci-fi fantasy epic is coming to Netflix in the form of two-part Rebel Moon. Part One: A Child of Fire sees a secretive former soldier Kora (Sofia Boutella) forced to recruit various rebels to defend their farflung planet against the tyrannical Motherworld. For the record, Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver, is set for release on 19 April.
Magic Mike’s Last Dance
25 December 2023 – Showmax
Merry Christmas! Just in case you’re running short of things to unwrap on the big day, here’s the third film in the Magic Mike trilogy. Series star Channing Tatum and director Steven Soderbergh return for this sexually charged comedy drama about a now down-on-his-luck male stripper who agrees to help a wealthy socialite (Salma Hayek Pinault) bring a hot new dance show to the West End.
Society of the Snow
4 January 2024 – Netflix
Going straight from Magic Mike to Society of the Snow may give you tonal whiplash but there’s enough time between the two movies to get in the right headspace for this survival thriller, which is based on the true story of the 1972 Andes plane crash, and the hardships its survivors went through over the course of 72 days. Society of the Snow has been selected to represent Spain at the 2024 Oscars.
Series
What If…?
22 December – Disney+
Acclaimed Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) animated series What If…? returns with a second season of multiverse-set superhero adventures. Adopting an anthology format, What If…? features vocal performances by many stars who played the characters in live-action, with the addition of Jeffrey Wright as narrator The Watcher. What if…? S2 drops as one episode a day for nine days, starting 22 December.
Pokémon Concierge
28 December – Netflix
Gather the family for stop-motion miniseries Pokémon Concierge, the first creative collaboration between Netflix and The Pokémon Company. Over the course of four feel-good episodes, Haru – the new concierge at a special island resort for Pokémon – must befriend and help the weary creatures, whose needs aren’t always obvious. In the process, Haru gradually discovers herself and befriends other staff.
Berlin
29 December 2023 – Netflix
Fan favourite Money Heist character Berlin gets his own eight-episode spin-off series in the form of (the rather unsurprisingly named) Money Heist: Berlin. Berlin, AKA Andrés de Fonollosa, is played once more by Pedro Alonso in this Spanish-language crime drama and prequel, where our master thief and his gang head to Paris with the ambition of stealing jewels valued at 44 million Euros over the course of one night.
The Brothers Sun
4 January 2024 – Netflix
Still on matters of crime, there’s dark action comedy The Brothers Sun, in which sheltered son Bruce (Sam Song Li) learns that his older brother Charles (Justin Chien) and mother Eileen (Michelle Yeoh) are senior figures in Taiwan’s most powerful crime family. With an assassin on their tail, Charles and Bruce must figure out what family truly means if they’re to stay alive. Expect lots of juicy hand-to-hand combat.