Superheroes, supernatural, and superstars lead this week’s streaming releases with the debuts of The Boys spinoff Gen V, Disney’s Haunted Mansion, and crime thriller Reptile.

SERIES

Gen V S1

Prime Video – 29 September 2023

You think your varsity years were rough, with all the self-doubts, social pressures, and distracting hormonal parties? Try doing them with superpowers that can literally vapourize people! A diabolical new spinoff of The Boys, Gen V steps away from the stories of Billy Butcher and Homelander to those of the students of Godolkin University, the prestigious higher learning institute where the next generation of superheroes are trained. This is no light college comedy romp though. Expect Gen V to be equally as bloody and messed up as The Boys. And yes, that includes murderous puppets.

American Auto S1

Showmax – 2 October 2023

Did you love Superstore as much as I did? Well, Emmy-nominated creator Justin Spitzer is back with another workplace comedy in American Auto. This ensemble sitcom is set at the HQ of Payne Motors, a floundering car company who, in an attempt to adapt to the times out of desperation, appoint its first woman CEO for her leadership and experience. There’s just one small problem: She – and most of the team she brings onboard – knows nothing about cars!

Beckham S1

Netflix – 4 October 2023

There are very footballers who attained the global fame and recognition that David Beckham did, both on and off the field. From young-faced debutante at Manchester United to being lauded as one of the greatest players ever of the beautiful game, Beckham’s life has been a whirlwind of media scrutiny, made doubly so with his romance with and eventual marriage to Spice Girls popstar Victoria “Posh Spice” Adams. And with Beckham, a four-part documentary series, Academy Award-winner Fisher Stevens and Academy Award and Emmy Award-winning producer John Battsek get an unprecedented look inside the manic, sometimes controversial lives of David, Victoria, and their family, to see just what makes such a cultural icon tick.

Dear Mama

Disney+ – 4 October 2023

From iconic personality to another. Tupac Shakur is one of the most acclaimed and influential rappers of all time whose life was tragically cut short in a shooting in 1996. Before his death though, the megastar was very vocal about his relationship with his mother, Black Panther revolutionary Afeni Shakur, and how she influenced him to become the man – and superstar – he was. This five-part documentary series from award-winning director Allen Hughes (The Defiant Ones) gives us a deeply personal look into their relationship – from poverty to success – and how it would change the world of hip hop forever.

MOVIES

Reptile

Netflix – 29 September 2023

Looking for a gritty, twisty crime thriller where nothing is as it seems? Well, luckily there’s a Reptile on the loose this weekend. Benicio Del Toro, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Silverstone (when last have we seen her in something marquee-worthy?!), and Michael Pitt star in this crime thriller which marks the feature film writer/directing debut of acclaimed music video director Grant Singer. The trailer is giving me some serious 1990s genre vibes and I’m digging it.

Haunted Mansion

Disney+ – 4 October 2023

What do you get when you reboot a dreadful movie which itself was an adaptation of a theme park ride (yes, you read that right) to begin with? Apparently, a whole lot of fun with a surprising amount of emotion if you’re talking about Haunted Mansion. Released in cinemas recently, the family-friendly fantasy comedy sees Rosario Dawson as a young single mother who has to assemble a motley crew of ghostbusters (Lakeith Stanfield, Owen Wilson, Tiffany Haddish, and Danny DeVito) when she discovers that the reason the new house she just purchased was as cheap as it was, was because it is stuffed full of all kinds of spooky apparitions. Cue the wacky and supernatural hijinks and some unexpected explorations of grief. Read our full review here.

VOD RENTALS/PURCHASES

The following movies have recently become available for digital purchase/rental:

Infinity Pool

Rental: Google Play Movies – R35 / Apple TV – R45

Purchase: Google Play Movies – R170/ Apple TV – R150

Filmmaker Brandon Cronenberg has definitely followed in the footsteps of his acclaimed father, David Cronenberg, when it comes to making movies that are just plain weird. But in a cool way. Infinity Pool is his latest offering of cinematic heebie-jeebies, as it follows a couple (Alexander Skarsgård and Cleopatra Coleman) as they vacation at an isolated island resort. Soon though they meet up with a seductive and mysterious young woman (Mia Goth, the de facto new Scream Queen of weird) who leads them out of the protected resort grounds and into a bizarre culture of zero tolerance. And when a tragic accident happens, it leads to… well, I’m pretty certain you couldn’t guess where it leads to.