Happy Friday, readers of Polygon. This week is an exciting new movie to watch at home: Spider-Man: About the Spider-Versethe thrilling sequel to the 2018 Oscar-winning hit In the Spider-Verse and one of the best movies of 2023, finally comes out digitally and can be purchased online.
That’s not all: Asteroid City, Wes Anderson’s latest adventure (and another of our best movies of 2023) premieres on Peacock. Netflix also has Gal Gadot’s new spy thriller Heart of stonethe folk horror Eny’s men debuts on Hulu, Chinese blockbuster The Wandering Earth II arrives on Prime along with the Red, white and royal blue adaptation, and a group of intriguing documents is now available to view at home as well.
Let’s get into it.
New on Netflix
Heart of stone
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Photo: Robert Viglasky/Netflix
Genre: Spy thriller
Duration: 2 hours 2 minutes
Director: Tom Harper
Form: Gal Gadot, Jamie Dornan, Alia Bhatt
Gal Gadot and Netflix are looking to start a franchise with this spy movie modeled on the more realistic suspense of the Bourne, Bond and Mission: Impossible franchises. She plays super-agent Rachel Stone, who must stop a dastardly plot to take over the all-powerful artificial intelligence that runs her agency. It’s quite a fun time, with grounded on-camera action and Gadot’s best film in years.
New on Prime Video
The Wandering Earth II
Where to watch: Available to stream on Prime video
Image: Well Go USA
Genre: Sci fi
Duration: 2h 53m
Director: Fran Gwo
Form: Wu Jing, Andy Lau, Hao Feng
The prequel to the 2019 Chinese sci-fi action adventure movie The Wandering Earth revolves around a team of scientists who must build massive engines designed to safely propel Earth beyond the radius of an impending solar flare, in search of a new solar system. Time is running out and the scientists must survive the elements and their own interpersonal conflicts in order to survive.
From our review:
Classic disaster movies offer something similar to the feel of a horror movie: the terror of destruction and the catharsis of survival, but spread over a larger canvas. Maybe that model just doesn’t work anymore. Expertly crafted as it is, Wandering Earth II feels more like immersion therapy for the modern onslaught of apocalyptic news from around the world. Like franchises, global disasters no longer really stop.
Red, white and royal blue
Where to watch: Available to stream on Prime video
Photo: Jonathan Prime/Prime Video
Genre: Romance
Duration: 1h 58m
Director: Matthew Lopez
Form: Nicholas Galitzine, Taylor Zakhar Perez, Uma Thurman
This LGBTQ romance novel made waves when it was published in 2019, and now the movie adaptation is here! Red, white and royal blue follows the romance between a British prince and the son of the American president.
New on Peacock
Asteroid City
Where to watch: Available to stream on Peacock
Image: Focus functions
Genre: Sci fi drama
Duration: 1h 45m
Director: Wes Andersen
Form: Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks
Wes Anderson’s latest follows an eccentric cast of characters who, brought together by the combined forces of personal tragedy and a space cadet convention, find their lives turned upside down by an unexpected visit from an alien. There’s a lot more to it than what’s apparent on the surface, both for the movie and the story behind the movie, but to say more would spoil the surprise.
From our review:
Anderson’s ingenious framing device, in which actors play actors playing actors, pits all these characters against each other in a way that Asteroid City, making it slightly richer than the perfectly lovable desert charmer the trailers convey. Anderson focuses on the great cosmic mysteries of existence – some in space, some on Earth, and based on human emotion. His recent films have made it clear that he is a richly philosophical filmmaker and that he enjoys studying his artistic pursuits from a distance – through the fog of memory in The big hotel in Budapestand by making storytelling itself a subject in The French shipping.
New to Hulu
Eny’s men
Where to watch: Available to stream on Hulu
Image: Neon
Genre: Horror
Duration: 1h 36m
Director: Mark Jenkins
Form: Mary Woodvine, John Woodvine, Edward Rowe
If you thought Skin amarink (also on Hulu) was the only breakthrough in experimental horror in 2022. Think again: Mark Jenkin’s experimental folk-horror set on a deserted island off the coast of Cornwall is here to give Kyle Edward Ball a run for his to give money. Shot entirely on 16mm film, Eny’s men (Cornish for “Stone Island”) follows a wildlife volunteer (Mary Woodvine) in 1973 who is plagued by strange and disturbing visions after repeated contact with a rare psychotropic flower. The film’s trailer certainly looks terrifying, with scenes of the volunteer exploring the quiet and menacing corners of the island punctuated by winking images of lurking men and giggling flower girls à la 1973’s The Wicker Man.
New on Shudder and AMC Plus
The communion girl
Where to watch: Available to stream on shiver and AMCPlus
Image: Atresmedia Cine/Ikiru Films/Warner Bros Entertainment España
Genre: Horror
Duration: 1h 38m
Director: Victor Garcia
Form: Carla Campra, Marc Soler, Carlos Oviedo
Two best friends encounter a ghost doll during a spooky night out on the town in 1980s Spain. The communion girl comes from veteran horror director Víctor Garcia (Hellraiser: Revelations).
New for rent or for sale
Spider-Man: About the Spider-Verse
Where to watch: Available to purchase for $19.99 on Amazon, Appleand Vudu
Image: Sony Pictures
Genre: Multiversal action
Duration: 2 hours 20 minutes
Drivers: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
Form: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry
The long, long wait is finally over. About the Spider-Verse will eventually come to Netflix, but first it will make its home viewing debut through the usual VOD platforms after a big box office run.
The first film changed American animation forever and the sequel aims to do the same. About the Spider-Verse is part one, and the follow up is delayed. Get ready for breathtaking animations, a deluge of cameos, and our multiversal review.
Spider web
Where to watch: For rent for $14.99 Amazon, Appleand Vudu
Image: Lion Gate
Genre: Horror
Duration: 1h 28m
Director: Samuel Bodin
Form: Woody Norman, Lizzy Caplan, Antony Starr
Another horror movie to watch at home this week, Spider web tells the story of a young boy who hears a strange sound coming from the walls of his bedroom, and his attempts to convince his parents that the sound is real. The film is Samuel Bodin’s directorial debut, made from a former Black List script.
The last horseman
Where to watch: On rent for $5.99 Amazon and Vudu
Image: Roadside attractions
Genre: Sports documentary
Duration: 1h 36m
Director: Alex Holmes
Form: Greg LeMond
This year’s Tour de France just finished (and was extremely exciting) – why not revisit one of the greatest Tours ever? This documentary from sports documentary maker Alex Holmes takes a closer look at the legendary Greg LeMond and his incredible 1989.
Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis)
Where to watch: On rent for $5.99 Amazon
Genre: Art documentary
Duration: 1h 41m
Director: Anton Corbyn
Form: Paul McCartney, Roger Waters, Jimmy Page
Dutch photographer and director Anton Corbijn (The American, A most wanted man) here makes his second consecutive documentary about the music industry after Depeche Mode’s 2019 concert film Ghosts in the forest. This time he sets his sights on album design studio Hipgnosis, with the help of some rock and roll greats.
The YouTube effect
Where to watch: On rent for $4.99 Amazon and Vudu
Image: Olive Hill Media/Time Studios/Trouper Productions/Valhalla Entertainment/Zipper Bros Films
Genre: Documentary about culture
Duration: 1h 39m
Director: Alex Winter
You may remember Alex Winter as Bill from the Bill & Ted series, but he’s also an accomplished director, with a long history in music videos and TV. Lately he’s been working in the doc space, and his latest takes a deep dive into the cultural phenomenon of YouTube.