Gladiator II, The Return, Y2K and every new movie on streaming

By James On Dec 27, 2024

Every week on Polygon, we round up the hottest new releases in streaming and VOD, highlighting the biggest and best new movies for you to watch at home.

This week, Gladiator IIthe highly anticipated sequel to Ridley Scott’s Oscar-winning historical epic, wades into the open waters of VOD. That’s not all; the epic drama The return starring Ralph Fiennes, the anime fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrimthe disaster comedy J2K with Jaeden Martell (2017). It) and Rachel Zegler (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes), and many more vying for your purchase and attention this weekend.

Here’s everything new to watch this weekend!

Where to watch: Available to stream on Hulu

Genre: Historical thriller
Duration: 1h 48m
Director: Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken
Form: Tobias Santelmann, Anders Baasmo, Heidi Ruud Ellingsen

This war drama is set in the middle of World War II, as a Norwegian cargo convoy carrying military supplies navigates the Arctic seas while evading German naval and air attacks. The stakes are high, as this delivery of supplies could very well turn the tide of the war and help Allied forces push back the Germans.

Where to watch: Available to stream on Hulu

Image: Searchlight Photos/Everett Collection

Genre: Body horror
Duration: 1h 39m
Director: Marielle Heller
Form: Amy Adams, Scoot McNairy, Arleigh Snowden

Amy Adams leads this surreal dark comedy about a frustrated stay-at-home mother who begins to exhibit increasingly dog-like traits. Ultimately, she turns into a dog and finds joy in embracing her original side. Based on the 2021 novel of the same name, Night bitch first premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. Adams was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in this film.

Yes, Night bitch is a werewolf story – sort of. Whether she’s trying to keep the story grounded or make Mother’s transformation ambiguous (does she literally shape-shift, or is she just tapping into primal urges?), Heller handles the body-horror elements of the story. She also has the misfortune to do so just months after moviegoers fell in love with the unapologetic wildness of The fabric. That film similarly illustrates something many people already understood about the female experience: women are prized and commodified for their bodies, then callously discarded when they show normal human signs of aging.

Where to watch: Available to stream on Starz

Kevin Hart as Roland, Jamie Lee Curtis as Tannis, Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina, Florian Munteanu as Krieg and Cate Blanchett as Lilith in Borderlands. They're all strangely dressed and peering anxiously around a rusted metal structure.

Image: Lionsgate Films

Genre: Sci-fi comedy
Duration: 1h 41m
Director: Eli Roth
Form: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black

Excited for Border countries 4? You should look Borderlandsthe Eli Roth-directed adaptation based on the popular looter-shooter franchise. The plot follows Lilith (Cate Blanchett), a bounty hunter hired by one of the most powerful and richest men in the universe to rescue his kidnapped daughter Tina (Ariana Greenblatt). There’s a lot of other things happening too, but whatever, let’s be honest: you’re not recovering Borderlands for the story; you come for the action and the toilet humor. The question is: does Roth’s film deliver anything?

Borderlands is not a smart film, but that is not the intention. Roth and co-writer Joe Crombie are much more interested in moving quickly between necessary plot points and neat settings. The film never drags and the sets – even though they are noticeably enclosed for a wasteland world – provide lively, engaging staged action. There’s a palpable style to the film version of Pandora, which draws heavily on the instantly recognizable visuals of the Borderlands games.

Where to watch: Available to stream on Mubi US

Franz Rogowski standing on a pipe with a cloudy sky in the background in Bird

Image: Mubi

Genre: Drama
Duration: 1h 59m
Director: Andrea Arnold
Form: Nykiya Adams, Franz Rogowski, Barry Keoghan

American honey director Andrea Arnold returns to feature fiction with this coming-of-age story about life on the edge of society. Nykiya Adams stars as Bailey, a 12-year-old girl living with her volatile single father Bug (Barry Keoghan) and wayward brother (Jason Buda) in Gravesend, north Kent. Bailey’s life changes after she encounters Bird (Franz Rogowski), a mysterious stranger who inspires her to see the world differently. If that’s not tempting enough, Bird also features a soundtrack scored by reclusive EDM maestro Burial.