With so many avenues to watch movies in today's world, it's easy to feel overwhelmed when looking for a good movie to watch. An infinite amount of movies are available to watch at any given time. Even the ways in which movies can be watched have advanced, as movies can be watched on more than just one device now. From tablets to smartphones, laptops to video game consoles, movies no longer have to be watched on only a TV. Plus, going to see a new movie in the theaters is always an option.
Going to the movie theater to watch a brand-new film is part of the movie experience for movie fans. Watching a new story unfold before your eyes on the big screen is always a magical moment. Some of the most interesting and memorable movie experiences occur in a movie theater because the movie is being watched in a room full of strangers who are all feeling different emotions watching a movie for the first time (or a second or third time for some).
Of course, there are some movies that skip the theatrical release entirely and instead, the studios will release those movies for strictly home viewing. Movies that skipped having a theatrical run used to be released directly to VHS or DVD, but even that method has become outdated. Now, many movies are released straight to streaming services. The connotation associated with a film being released exclusively to streaming without having a major run in the movie theaters is that the film must not be any good, but that is not always the case. Below are ten amazing movies that went straight to streaming. For this list, we will be including films that did not get a theatrical release, even a limited one, so high profile films like Netflix's The Irishman, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, or Tick, Tick...Boom! are not included.
Update August 29, 2023: This article has been updated with more great films that skipped theatrical releases and went straight to streaming.
12 Palm Springs (2020)
The concept of being stuck in a time loop has been used in plenty of movies before, but Max Barbakow's Palm Springs gives the trope a new life. Andy Samberg and Christina Milioti give charming performances as two wedding guests, Nyles and Sarah, who would both rather not be at the wedding they are attending, for different reasons. As they start to accept that it may be their fate to be stuck in this endless 24-hour cycle, the pair start to develop feelings for each other.
Palm Springswears its influences on its sleeves while still adding a fresh perspective on both the time loop trope and on the romantic comedy genre as a whole, thanks to smart writing and its wonderful leads. Seeing it in a theater with a crowd full of people laughing would have added to the already great movie experience.
11 After Yang (2021)
A24
Kogonada's second feature film is a touching sci-fi film about a family that reconciles love, life, and loss when their daughter's sweet AI caretaker unexpectedly breaks down. Her father, Jake (Colin Farrell) searches for any way possible to fix him but realizes that he has been letting his family's lives pass right before his eyes and realizes he must bridge a gap he wasn't aware was there in the first place.
After Yang is Kogonada's second directorial effort after his moving film Columbus was released in 2017, and he was able to capture the same charm and heart that he captured then. Each performance is heartfelt and pulls at your heartstrings. It's the type of film to leave audiences feeling reflective of their own lives, and a wide theatrical release would have benefited that feeling of reflectiveness as opposed to watching it in the living room on Showtime.
10 Tetris (2023)
You'll find Tetris on Apple TV+, and why this engaging movie wasn't given a theatrical release is beyond us. We've all played some variation of the puzzle video game Tetris, and this movie delves into its origin in the 1980s. Starring Taron Egerton as Henk Rogers, who secured the rights to the title for distribution, it's a riveting dramatization of what happened when the game became so popular, it caused Nintendo and Russia to get involved in negotiations over the title's rights.
You might not expect a games-licensing battle to make for a good movie, but Tetris is engrossing from start to finish. Egerton is also perfectly cast, and the movie's overall 80s vibe is fun, too.
9 Kimi (2022)
Director Steven Soderbergh has quite an interesting filmography with vastly different films such as Contagion and the Magic Mike series being under his directorial belt. Last year, he released yet another film that fits oddly in his filmography, Kimi. It was released on HBO Max and follows an agoraphobic tech worker named Angela (Zoë Kravitz) who discovers evidence of a violent crime while reviewing a data stream. She is met with resistance when she tries to report her findings to her company. She realizes that in order to enact justice, she must face her greatest fear by venturing into the city, thus leaving behind the safety of her apartment.
Soderbergh's tense thriller would have worked perfectly in a movie theater setting. Watching it at home was definitely convenient, but watching it on a bigger screen with surround sound would have added to the buildup of the movie's most intense moments.
8 Peter Pan & Wendy (2023)
While Disney has given the remakes of their animated Renaissance films like Aladdin, The Lion King, and The Little Mermaid big theatrical releases, the studio has given remakes of their older films Disney+ releases. These have ranged from the terrible Pinocchio to the cute, if not spectacular, Lady and the Tramp. Yet 2023's Peter Pan & Wendy is an exceptionally great film that should not be ignored.
A reimagining of the classic tale, the movie puts a new, fresh spin on Disney's beloved character. Directed by Pete's Dragon filmmaker David Lowery, the movie is similar in tone to that film and 2018's Christopher Robin, giving the film a quiet, muted color palette but also an emphasis on child-like wonderment. Peter Pan & Wendy deserved the big screen treatment and stands as one of the best remakes of a Disney animated film.
7 Unpregnant (2020)
Unpregnant is one of two films on this list that deals with the difficult nature of young women being able to get proper medical treatment for birth control. The film follows Veronica (Haley Lu Richardson) and Bailey (Barbie Ferreira), two former friends who have grown apart. Veronica discovers she is pregnant and cannot get an abortion in her home state of Missouri without her parent's permission and recruits her former friend to go on a road trip to get the procedure in Albuquerque.
The film is both a funny road trip comedy and a sweet character study about two best friends coming back together. It is also a biting takedown of the American medical system that denies young women proper medical treatment and would rather put them in dangerous situations as a form of punishment despite claiming that their lives matter. It is funny, hilarious, and topical. It premiered on HBO Max in 2020 and was a bright spot for viewers needing a good movie during the pandemic. The film sadly was removed from the streaming service.
6 Plan B (2021)
Plan B also follows two young girls on a road trip to retrieve birth control. Here, the movie follows Sunny (Kuhoo Verma) and Lupe (Victoria Morales). Sunny has been a good student her entire life and always follows the rules, but one night, she decides to let loose and ends up having sex without a condom. She cannot get a Plan B bill at her local pharmacy due to South Dakota having a Conscience Clause, which allows for the refusal of birth control drugs to someone if it goes against the seller's belief (this is a real thing that sadly is allowed to happen).
This results in the girls putting themselves on a trip to safely get the pill. The film is a dark comedy, but also one that highlights how these girls are constantly put at risk to retrieve something so simple, which could all be avoided if not for a ridiculous, unjust rule. Plan B premiered on Hulu in 2021 and is one of the best films of the year that sadly might have flown under many people's radar due to being a Hulu exclusive, but it is worth checking out.
5 Okja (2017)
Bong Joon-ho is a master at his craft. He really hasn't made a movie that isn't worth checking out. His film Okja is about a young girl named Mija from the mountains of South Korea who has been taking care of a massive animal named Okja for the past ten years. Their lives change when an image-obsessed CEO of a multinational corporation takes Okja for herself and transports her to New York. In her quest to save her best friend, Mija must face capitalists, demonstrators, and consumers who all want to decide Okja's fate.
Most of Bong Joon-ho's films involve capitalism and the wealthy versus the poor in some way, and this movie puts an emphasis on those themes while also delving into the friendship between a child and her pet who truly is her best friend. There are many chase scenes and grand moments involving Okja herself, so seeing it on the big screen would have emphasized the stakes in the story.
4 Nomadland (2021)
Nomadland is a bit of a cheat to this list, because it eventually got a theatrical release, thanks to being nominated for numerous awards. First, it went to streaming on Hulu. Then, it won Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress at the 93rd Academy Awards. If you're thinking, oh no, it's probably boring or pretentious, don't worry. This one deserves the awards.
Starring Frances McDormand as a widow who travels the United States in a van after losing her job and her home during the 2011 recession, the movie is an eye-opening look into what happened to many older Americans during this period. The story is actually heartwarming and life-affirming, and it forces viewers to reconsider their lives.
3 Prey (2022)
Hulu has become one of the go-to streaming services for best content, and this Predator prequel is proof. Released directly to the streaming service instead of theaters, Prey quickly proved to be one of — if not the best — films in the franchise. Set in the Comanche Nation in the 1700s, it follows a young warrior trying to protect her tribe from an unseen threat. The film is the first to feature a full Comanche language dub, paying tribute to the indigenous people it represents. Amber Midthunder portrays the main character, a female warrior trying to win the respect of her brother, but more than anything, it provides a refreshing change of setting and pace for the franchise.
2 Da 5 Bloods (2020)
Spike Lee's incredible film Da 5 Bloods was originally going to premiere in theaters, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it skipped theaters entirely and went straight to Netflix. The film follows four aging Vietnam Veterans who return to the country in search of the remains of their fallen squad leader (one of the last roles by the late great Chadwick Boseman) and also find some treasure they buried long ago.
Da 5 Bloods goes all out and is one of Spike Lee's best films. The movie became even more topical as it was released on Netflix just weeks after the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter discussion began to really take hold in America. Spike Lee is a great filmmaker and Da 5 Bloods shows that his best days are far from behind him and he can still make films as get as he used to.
1 Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022)
If you're looking for a comedy to destress with, Weird: The Al Yankovich Story is a good one to watch. A satirical biography of the singer Weird Al Yankovich, it stars Daniel Radcliffe as the wacky 80s singer known for parodying popular songs. It was released straight to The Roku Channel and is a delightful (and fictitious) account of the singer's rise to fame. It also includes Madonna, who begins a relationship with Weird Al to try to convince him to parody her song "Like a Virgin."
Radcliffe is perfectly cast in the role, and the humor is witty and clever. The entire premise is that Weird Al's career was a joke, which it pulls off in a fun and yet sentimental way.
Comments
Post a Comment