Stuck endlessly flicking through streaming services to find a good movie to watch? We hear you, so luckily we’re on hand to guide you to some of the best flicks on the net.
There are a host of new additions to the likes of Netflix, BBC iPlayer and more this week, including an “outstanding” dystopian thriller with Tom Hiddleston, while in the wake of the sad news of Sam Neill’s passing, one of his biggest films is also streaming.
Here are five of the best new drops on streaming, plus a few more movies to check out too.
Paramount
Best movie new to Netflix this week
Arrival: This excellent 2016 sci-fi takes a more cerebral approach to the genre, as aliens arrive on planet Earth and nations teeter on the brink of war.
Linguist Louise Banks (played by Amy Adams) and her crew are tasked with trying to communicate with the extraterrestrials in the hopes of unraveling the mystery, racing against the clock.
Directed by Dune’s Denis Villeneuve and also starring Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker, Arrival boasts a near-perfect 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and was called a “must-see experience” by the site.
Also new to Netflix this week: Forrest Gump, School of Rock, Smile 2, Mystic River, Speak No Evil
20th Century Studios
Best movie new to Prime Video this week
The Martian: If you want even more sci-fi, then you can’t go wrong with this Matt Damon blockbuster, which is directed from one of the genre’s masters, Ridley Scott.
Also boasting a high score on Rotten Tomatoes, with 91%, the Baltimore Magazine labelled it “wildly entertaining” in their verdict.
The story follows Damon’s astronaut, who must find a way to survive on Mars when he is left behind on the red planet after being presumed dead. At the same time, NASA tries to bring him home, while his crew plan a daring rescue mission.
Also new to Prime Video this week: Blade Runner, But I’m A Cheerleader, Super 8, Whistle, Meet the Parents, About Time, The Last Samurai
Universal
Best movie new to BBC iPlayer this week
Oppenheimer: As we prepare for the release of The Odyssey, what better time to revisit Christopher Nolan’s last movie.
Winner of seven Oscars including Best Picture and Best Actor for Cillian Murphy, the biopic tells the story of J Robert Oppenheimer, regarded as the father of the atomic bomb as he works on the first of the destructive weapons during World War II, as well as his security clearance hearing many years later.
The Odyssey’s Damon also appears in the star-studded cast alongside Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr, Florence Pugh and Josh Hartnett.
Also new to BBC iPlayer this week: Pride & Prejudice (2005), Atonement, Vertigo, Pretty Woman, The Notebook, Spider-Man 2, Rush
Universal
Best movie new to ITVX this week
Jurassic Park: Following the news of Sam Neill’s death, this 1993 blockbuster from Steven Spielberg – which sees dinosaurs return from extinction as part of a theme park – is now streaming.
The story sees things take a catastrophic turn after an act of industrial sabotage, with Neill’s paleontologist helping a group of fellow visitors survive the escaped dinos.
The Arizona Republic said Jurassic Park “takes your brain on a roller-coaster ride along the tracks of your nerves to the pit of your stomach”. Hold on to your butts.
Also new to ITVX this week: Godzilla (2014), Downton Abbey: A New Era, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Bring It On
Moviestore/Shutterstock//StudioCanal
Best movie new to Channel 4 this week
High-Rise: This 2015 thriller tackles a classic JG Ballard novel, which is set in a high-rise tower in the mid-1970s.
Tom Hiddleston leads the cast as Robert Laing, a new resident in a block of people who are becoming increasingly detached from the outside world, as tensions rise between the different classes of residents and chaos begins to surface.
Director Ben Wheatley’s movie was called “outstanding” by Digital Spy at the time of its release, while also complementing the “superb performances from the fittingly eclectic array of actors”, who include Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller Luke Evans and Elisabeth Moss.
Also new to Channel 4 this week: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, A Quiet Place Part II, The French Dispatch
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Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International. Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every ‘t’ and dotting every ‘i’ as a sub-editor.