Each week on Polygon, we round up the most notable new releases to streaming and VOD, highlighting the biggest and best new movies for you to watch at home.
This week, Moana 2, the sequel to Disney’s animated splash hit starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Auliʻi Cravalho, finally comes to streaming (pun intended) on Disney Plus. There’s plenty of other exciting releases to choose from this week as well, including Anthony and Joe Russo’s The Electric State and the superhero action movie Kraven the Hunter on Netflix, the offbeat musical biopic Better Man on Paramount Plus, and much more. We’ve even got some some new releases available to rent on VOD, like the Oscar-winning drama I’m Still Here and the new horror thriller Borderline starring Samara Weaving (Ready or Not).
Here’s everything new that’s available to watch this weekend!
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Image: Netflix
Genre: Sci-fi adventure
Run time: 2h 8m
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, Anthony Mackie
Loosely based on Simon Stålenhag’s 2018 illustrated novel, the Russo brothers’ sci-fi adventure film stars Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things) as Michelle, an orphaned teenager living in a retrofuturistic world where robots have been banished in the wake of an attempted rebellion.
After befriending a mysterious robot with apparent knowledge of her missing brother, Michelle embarks on a journey to the fortified robot enclosure known as the “Electric State” in search of him. Chris Pratt co-stars as an eccentric smuggler who comes to Michelle’s aid on her quest, along with his robot partner (Anthony Mackie).
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Photo: Jay Maidment/Columbia Pictures, Marvel Entertainment via Everett Collection
Genre: Superhero action
Run time: 2h 7m
Director: J.C. Chandor
Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger
Following in the footsteps of Morbius and Madame Web, Kraven the Hunter is yet another Sony Spider-Man movie without Spider-Man in it. (And who knows? This might actually be the last one!) Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars as Kraven, who in this version gets some animal-like powers after being injected with a serum. He’s also a conservationist and animal lover, instead of a poacher who just wants to go after the most dangerous game. An antihero!
It’s a largely joyless affair, and Chandor can’t seem to decide on a dramatic or comedic tone, let alone a blend of the two. Taylor-Johnson often stands around delivering lines that seem intended to be catchphrases, but he does so with all the determination of someone who loathes the material. A quipper-hero Kraven is not, and neither is Taylor-Johnson. But then, practically every actor in the cast is entirely checked out. Rarely has a superhero movie featured this many talented performers phoning it in. But with such bland material, can you blame them?
Where to watch: Available to stream on Hulu
Genre: Horror thriller
Run time: 1h 44m
Director: Shal Ngo
Cast: Kelly Marie Tran, Miles Robbins, Kieu Chinh
In this horror movie, a woman is tormented by an itch on the back of her head that she can’t scratch away. With a premise this relatable, this movie’s sure to cause even the most hardened horror viewer to squirm a little.
Where to watch: Available to stream on Max
Genre: Comedy horror
Run time: 1h 40m
Director: Craig Johnson
Cast: Nik Dodani, Brandon Flynn, Brian Cox
Spending a weekend with your parents as an adult can be a little weird, but it’s particularly tough when the house you’ve rented for the event happens to be inhabited by a 400-year-old evil ghost. Then again, in this horror comedy, maybe even a ghost is better than spending too much time with family.
Where to watch: Available to stream on Disney Plus
Image: Walt Disney Animation
Genre: Musical adventure
Run time: 1h 40m
Directors: David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, Dana Ledoux Miller
Cast: Auliʻi Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Hualālai Chung
The Moana sequel was originally supposed to be a Moana Disney Plus show. But now it’s a full-fledged theatrical adventure, with Moana once again setting off on a sailing journey. This time, she’s joined by a ragtag crew, including a Maui fanboy, a quirky inventor, and a farmer who doesn’t know how to swim. Dwayne Johnson returns as Maui, too, and Moana and her friends search for a distant, legendary island in an effort to make contact with other people who might live on the islands in the sea.
Moana 2 may grow on me as well — frankly, my feelings for it could only go up from where they started. It’s been less than a day since I saw the long-awaited sequel (Disney screened the film for press just 17 hours ago), but unlike with the overwhelming let-me-hear-that-again rush of experiencing Moana for the first time, I don’t have the lingering gut feeling that I’ve missed something. In the end, Moana 2 is a vehicle for one banger, a feel-good throwback, and a few songs we’ll never talk about again, which doesn’t feel like enough for a brand-new Moana.
Where to watch: Available to stream on Paramount Plus
Image: Paramount Home Entertainment
Genre: Psychological drama
Run time: 2h 15m
Director: Michael Gracey
Cast: Robbie Williams, Jonno Davies, Steve Pemberton
Music biopics are getting a little same-y, which is exactly why Better Man tells the story of Robbie Williams by turning the British pop star into a CGI ape. That may sound bizarre, and it is, but the visual effect looks incredible and gives the movie plenty of room for creative and kinetic dance sequences set to Williams’ catalog of hits.
Where to watch: Available to stream on Criterion Channel
Image: Janus Films
Genre: Romantic drama
Run time: 1h 58m
Director: Payal Kapadia
Cast: Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam
This beguiling drama from writer-director Payal Kapadia centers on Prabha (Kani Kusruti) and Anu (Divya Prabha), two roommates who work together at a city hospital. Both women find themselves at a crossroads in their lives, forced to choose between their own hearts and their obligations to their respective families as they navigate a city rife with dreams, hopes, and illusions. All We Imagine as Light was one of the best-reviewed new movies of 2024.
Where to watch: Available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
Photo: Alile Onawale/Sony Pictures Classics
Genre: Drama
Run time: 2h 17m
Director: Walter Salles
Cast: Fernanda Torres, Selton Mello, Fernanda Montenegro
Based on a memoir by Marcelo Rubens Paiva, Walter Salles’ Oscar-winning drama follows the story of a family living under the yoke of Brazil’s military dictatorship during the 1970s. When her husband (Selton Mello) is taken away for questioning, Eunice Paiva (Fernanda Torres) must gather her courage and steel herself to protect herself and her family from the worst that the world has to pit against them.
Where to watch: Available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
Image: Magnet Releasing
Genre: Comedy thriller
Run time: 1h 34m
Director: Jimmy Warden
Cast: Samara Weaving, Ray Nicholson, Jimmie Fails
Scream queen Samara Weaving (Ready or Not) is back in her second horror feature of 2024! Borderline centers on Sofia, a famous pop star who wakes up one night to discover that her home has been invaded by Duerson (Ray Nicholson), an obsessive fan who harbors delusions of them getting married. To survive, Sofia will have to use every ounce of her cunning and wits to escape her captor and find help.
