What’s Streaming This Week (6/28 – 7/5)

BLADES OF THE GUARDIANS – $14.99 Sale / TBD Rental

Cast: Jet Li, Wu Jing, Nicholas Tse, Yosh Yu, Chen Lijun, Sun Yizhou, Cisha, Li Yunxiao, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Max Zhang, Kara Wai, and Zhang Yi

Synopsis: Legendary action master Yuen Woo-ping brings together martial arts icons Wu Jing, Nicholas Tse, Max Zhang, and Jet Li on an epic wuxia adventure across the desert sands. Bounty hunter Doa Ma takes a job escorting the empire’s most wanted man, Zhi Shi Lang, to Chang’an city. As word gets out, his group is hunted down by warriors across the land. The chase is relentless, the action is non-stop, and the blades cut deep.

What we like:

• Director Yuen Woo-ping is best known internationally for choreographing action in films such as The Matrix, Kill Bill, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
• Action legend Jet Li appears in a prominent supporting role, making this one of his most notable martial arts performances in recent years after largely stepping back from physically demanding action films.
• Rather than relying heavily on CGI, the filmmakers focused on elaborate stunt work, horseback combat, swordplay, and large-scale practical battle scenes, which is a hallmark of Yuen Woo-ping’s style.

What we don’t like:

• We hoped this extremely well-reviewed (it currently sits at 97% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) film might break out at the box-office, but despite distributor Well Go USA’s best efforts, it grossed only $1.6M at the US box-office. It was a huge hit in its native China and other international markets, earning nearly $200M.

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2 – $29.99 Sale / TBD Rental

Cast: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt,Stanley Tucci, Kenneth Branagh, Simone Ashley, Justin Theroux, Lucy Liu, Patrick Brammall, Caleb Hearon, Helen J. Shen, Pauline Chalamet, B.J. Novak, Conrad Ricamora, Tracie Thoms and Tibor Feldman

Synopsis: Miranda Priestly navigates her career amid the decline of traditional magazine publishing. She faces off against Emily Charlton, her one-time assistant, now a high-powered executive for a luxury group, with advertising dollars that Priestly desperately needs.

What we like:

• This sequel gets it right, bringing back director David Frankel, screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna, producer Wendy Finerman, and stars Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci. Another smart move: no sign of the terrible Adrian Grenier character from the first film.
• Rather than simply revisiting old storylines, the sequel explores the decline of traditional print magazines, the rise of digital media, and the financial pressures facing Runway magazine, giving the fashion world a modern context.
• This was a big fat hit for 20th Century Studios/Disney. Produced on a reported budget of about $100 million, the sequel earned more than $680M worldwide.

What we don’t like:

• An early promotional clip from the film sparked intense backlash in several Asian countries over accusations of anti-Asian stereotyping. Critics accused the film of relying on tired, lazy “model minority” stereotypes by portraying the character as a socially awkward, eager-to-please, overly academic bookworm. The character’s surname, “Chao,” and its phonetic pronunciation in the film drew heavy criticism, with many viewers pointing out that it sounded uncomfortably close to “Ching Chong,” a well-known anti-Chinese racist slur.

ENOLA HOLMES 3 – Netflix

Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Louis Partridge, Himesh Patel, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, with Henry Cavill and Helena Bonham Carter

Adventure follows detective Enola Holmes to Malta, where her plans to tie the knot unravel when Sherlock’s disappearance plunges her into a perilous case.

What we like:

• For the first time in the series, Enola’s investigation takes her outside England. The story unfolds on the Mediterranean island of Malta, where a seemingly straightforward trip becomes her most dangerous mystery yet! Be careful Enola!
• The first two films were directed by Harry Bradbeer, but this third installment is helmed by Philip Barantini, known for the acclaimed drama Adolescence, for which he won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
• One of Sherlock Holmes’ most famous companions makes his franchise debut, with Himesh Patel playing Dr. John Watson.

What we don’t like:

• When the first look and trailer for the third film dropped, sharp-eyed fans noticed that Enola Holmes (played by Millie Bobby Brown) was sporting a fresh, almond-shaped set of gel or acrylic nails…a clear impossibility for a character in 19th-century Victorian London. These are very important issues that people should spend their time worrying about.

THE CHORAL – Netflix

Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Roger Allam, Mark Addy, Alun Armstrong, Robert Emms, and Simon Russell Beale

Synopsis: Yorkshire, 1916. A choral society’s male members enlist in World War I, leaving the demanding Dr. Guthrie to recruit teenagers. Together, they experience the joy of singing while the young boys grapple with their impending conscription into the army.

• Celebrated screenwriter Alan Bennett returns with his first original screenplay in a decade, and he reunites with his The Madness of King George director Nicholas Hytner on this WWI drama.
• The story draws loose inspiration from actual wartime choral groups such as the Huddersfield Choral Society, which performed major works during World War I.

What we don’t like:

• This is the sort of meat-and-potatoes arthouse release that would have made $5M-$10M for Sony Pictures Classics ten or fifteen years ago. Those days are over, and the older arthouse crowd now mostly stays home. This one stalled out at $858K domestically, but hopefully it’ll find an audience on Netflix. We’re excited to catch up with it.

READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME – Hulu

Cast: Samara Weaving, Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy, Néstor Carbonell, David Cronenberg, Elijah Wood, Kevin Durand, Olivia Cheng, Varun Saranga, Daniel Beirne

Synopsis: Moments after surviving an all-out attack from the Le Domas family, Grace (Samara Weaving) discovers she’s reached the next level of the nightmarish game — and this time with her estranged sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) at her side. Grace has one chance to survive, keep her sister alive, and claim the High Seat of the Council that controls the world. Four rival families are hunting her for the throne, and whoever wins rules it all.

What we like:

• Unlike many sequels, this one starts right where the original ends, with Grace still dealing with the aftermath of surviving the deadly Le Domas family game.
• For 90s kids, the supporting cast is stacked with formative actors: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy!), Shawn Hatosy (The Faculty!), Elijah Wood (also The Faculty!), and Néstor Carbonell (Suddenly Susan!).
• Living legend David Cronenberg has a supporting role in the film, his first acting gig in six years.

What we don’t like:

• This sequel was steamrolled at the box-office by Project Hail Mary, which dominated on opening weekend. Still…on a reported $14M production budget, the film has pulled in $42M worldwide so far. That’s a nice little return on investment.

LEE CRONIN’S THE MUMMY – HBO Max

Cast: Jack Reynor, Laia Costa, May Calamawy, Natalie Grace, with Veronica Falcón

Synopsis: The young daughter of a journalist disappears into the desert without a trace—eight years later, the broken family is shocked when she is returned to them, as what should be a joyful reunion turns into a living nightmare.

What we like:

• Following the success of Evil Dead Rise, Lee Cronin gets the keys to more horror IP. This version of The Mummy is entirely separate from both the The Mummy adventure series starring Brendan Fraser and the 2017 reboot starring Tom Cruise. It tells a standalone story with its own mythology.
• Cronin leans heavily into disturbing practical effects and grotesque body horror, similar to what he did in Evil Dead Rise. He cites classics like Poltergeist and Se7en as key inspirations, resulting in a film that blends supernatural horror, mystery, and psychological dread rather than traditional action-adventure. This is not a swashbuckler.
• The film reportedly cost about $22 million and earned around $90 million worldwide. Not a blockbuster, but certainly not a failure.

What we don’t like:

• Critics gave the film mixed reviews, with many complaining about the 134 minute running time (that does seem a bit bloated). It currently sits at 45% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, which isn’t great. Still…this may be worth a look while you’re sitting in the comfort of your living room. Couches tend to be more forgiving than theater seats.

PROTECTOR – MGM+

Cast: Milla Jovovich, Isabel Myers, D.B. Sweeney and Matthew Modine

Synopsis: Nikki (Milla Jovovich), a veteran war hero, thought she’d left her violent past behind for a peaceful life with her daughter, Chloe – until Chloe is kidnapped by a human trafficking ring that forces Nikki into the city’s criminal underworld on a relentless pursuit. As she tears through a ruthless crime syndicate using her military training, Nikki draws the attention of both the police and the military, shooting her to the top of the most wanted list. In this high-stakes race against time, Nikki must use the violent skills she thought she left behind to save her daughter.

What we like:

• Milla Jovovich’s daughter is Taken! We’re not gonna say she was kidnapped. We’re not gonna say she was trafficked. She was Taken, dammit! Seriously…this is Taken.
• The film premiered last September at the 30th Busan International Film Festival in something called the ‘Midnight Passion” section. We’re assuming that’s South Korea’s version of the American ‘Midnight Madness’ film festival programming, but they just don’t have the guts to go full crazy. USA! USA!
• D.B. Sweeney has a supporting role in the film, and we’ll be yelling ‘Toe Pick!’ every time he’s on screen:

What we don’t like:

• Upstart distributor Magenta Light Studios wasn’t able to drum up Taken-like grosses for this one. It earned only $744k at the domestic box-office. Critics were not kind, as the film currently sits at only 21% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Also streaming Friday:

MAN OF WAR

Happy Streaming Everyone!