Another weekend is here, and with it the same question that plagues the VOD era: What to watch? With so many great movie options coming to Netflix, Paramount Plus, and more of the best streaming services, narrowing down which ones are worth your time is no small task.
So let us here at Tom's Guide topple that decision paralysis for you with our round-up of the best movies to kick off your weekend. Leading the pack is Tom Cruise's latest high-stakes adventure in "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One" on Paramount Plus, which brings one of the summer's biggest blockbusters to the small screen.
The DCU superhero adventure "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" and Disney's new animated musical "Wish" also just hit paid video-on-demand (PVOD) streaming services this week. Meanwhile, over on Netflix, one of the best zombie movies of the last decade, "Train to Busan" is now streaming, while Hulu has a World War II biopic that fans of "Oppenheimer" won't want to miss: "The Imitation Game."
Here are our top picks for what to watch on streaming this weekend.
'Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One' (Paramount Plus)
Tom Cruise is back as cinema’s greatest superspy, Ethan Hunt. The seventh installment in the long-running blockbuster franchise and the first half of a two-part saga, "Dead Reckoning Part One" sees Hunt and his team — Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) and Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) — return for all the high-octane car chases, daring stunts and elaborate fight sequences you'd expect.
This time around, the crew is crisscrossing the globe in search of two interlocking keys that, when combined, grant access to a deadly artificial intelligence dubbed “the Entity." Just about every nation on the planet is racing to get their hands on this thing, including a ghost from Hunt's past. Sure, the story is on the ridiculous side, but that matters little when the film is so damn fun.
Watch it now on Paramount Plus
'Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom' (PVOD)
Jason Momoa is back in what could very well be his last hurrah as the fish-talking bro dude Arthur Curry, a.k.a. Aquaman. Little is known about the DC cinematic universe's high-profile reset that kicks off with next year's "Superman: Legacy," but even if critics hadn't panned "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," it's unlikely the king of Atlantis was in new DC Studios CEO James Gunn's plans moving forward.
That all being said, audiences do seem to like "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" given its 81% audience "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This sequel sees the return of James Wan ("The Conjuring," "Furious 7") in the director's chair as Aquaman and his half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) face off against Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) in their biggest challenge yet. The supervillain becomes possessed by an ancient evil after uncovering a magical artifact from Atlantean lore, the Black Trident, and sets his sights on revenge. Meanwhile, Aquaman, who has grown bored of Atlantis's political theater and questions whether he’s cut out for this whole king business, is a little too eager to start smashing heads again.
Buy or rent on Amazon now
'Wish' (PVOD)
If you're looking for a movie that's fun for the whole family, you can finally watch Disney's latest animated musical "Wish" from the comfort of your own couch. It's from the same director behind "Frozen" and "Tarzan" and honors Disney's 100th anniversary, serving as a throwback to the past, a celebration of the present, and a look to the future for the legendary animation studio.
"Wish" stars Ariana DeBose as Asha, a 17-year-old girl who wishes upon a star to save the fictional kingdom of Rosas, set on an island in the Mediterranean Sea, from an impending doom. That star turns into an anthropomorphic ball of light — an homage to the bouncing ball exercise, one of the building blocks of animation. And while the star doesn't talk, a stellar voice cast that also includes Chris Pine as the smooth-talking villain King Magnifico, Alan Tudyk as Asha's animal sidekick, and Angelique Cabral as the queen of Rosas certainly does.
Buy on Amazon now
'Train to Busan' (Netflix)
"Train to Busan" was a breath of fresh air amid a seemingly endless stream of mediocre zombie movies that flooded theatres throughout the 2010s. Its contained setting is partly to thank for that: The bulk of the film takes place aboard a speeding train from Seoul to Busan as a zombie outbreak engulfs the country. While the passengers fight to stave off the hordes of undead swarming each station as well as those inside who have already turned, the confined space of the train creates an intense, claustrophobic environment that feels truly inspired.
With Korean movies moving more into the spotlight thanks to Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite," it's the perfect time to check out this standout Korean horror film. The action scenes are smartly choreographed without relying on too much gore or jump scares. Gong Yoo stars as Seok-woo, a father trying to protect his daughter amidst the chaos while still grappling with a rocky relationship with his ex-wife, whose fate in Busan remains unclear. "Train to Busan" is a must-watch for zombie movie fans.
Watch it now on Netflix
'The Imitation Game' (Hulu)
If you were a fan of last year's "Oppenheimer," you need to add "The Imitation Game" to your watch list. Just like in Christopher Nolan's biopic, the film focuses on a group of very smart people grappling with a complex problem that needs solving against the clock during World War II.
Mathematician Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) is the story's nucleus this time around, and while it does touch on the tragic circumstances of his later life, the bulk of the runtime is dedicated to his work attempting to crack Enigma, a cipher machine used by the Germans to send coded messages. Granted, "The Imitation Game" does take some pretty sizable liberties when it comes to historical accuracy. But if you’re willing to suspend your disbelief a bit, it’s a highly compelling drama about the father of the modern-day computer.
Watch it now on Hulu
