Happy June, Polygon Readers! It’s officially summer, which means we are officially in the season of blockbusters.
Spider-Man: About the Spider-VerseWes Andersons Asteroid CityAnd Indiana Jones and the Dial of Fate are among this month’s most anticipated releases, not to mention the plethora of other exciting releases just around the corner. If you don’t feel like heading out into the summer heat, don’t worry – there’s a new selection of great movies to choose from on Netflix, Max (formerly HBO Max), Prime Video, and Hulu this month.
Our roundup of the best movies streaming in June features James Cameron’s classic 1991 sequel Terminator 2: doomsdaySteven Soderberghs magical mike starring Channing Tatum and Matthew McConaughey, Gore Verbinski’s 2002 American remake of The ringAnd Belief starring Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone, among others.
Let’s go there!
New on Netflix
Terminator 2: doomsday
Image: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Year: 1991
Genre: Sci fi action
Duration: 2h 17m
Director: James Cameron
Form: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick
James Cameron is not only the “king of the world”, he is the undisputed king of movie sequels. Mind you, he’s only directed three sequels in his illustrious film career so far, but when one of them is a modern cinematic masterpiece (Avatar: the way of the water) and the other casts an indomitable shadow over the landscape of sci-fi horror video games (Aliens), it’s fair to say he more than deserved the title. However, Cameron’s biggest sequel is the sequel to his 1984 sci-fi action film The terminator.
Terminator 2: doomsday is the platonic ideal of sci-fi tentpole sequels. Immediately deepening the audience’s existing knowledge of the universe and stakes of the previous film and throwing a few iconic surprises into the mix, Judgement day ramps up the action while building a strong emotional storyline around the trio of protagonists as they race to stop a deadly threat from the future from completing its terrifying mission of human extinction. From the chase sequences and action sequences to the very latest computer-animated special effects that still amaze audiences to this day, Terminator 2: doomsday is the undisputed pinnacle of the franchise and must-watch for any action cinema enthusiast, sci-fi or otherwise. —Toussaint Egan
Terminator 2: doomsday streams on Netflix.
magical mike
Image: Warner Bros. Pictures
Year: 2012
Genre: Comedy drama
Duration: 1h 50m
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Form: Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey
While many (understandably) prefer the road trip pleasures of the sequel, Magic Mike XXLI will always have a soft spot in my heart for the original. magical mike is an excellent subversive rom-com, inverting many of the genre’s standard gender tropes while also being a touching tale of the gaps in the American Dream.
Channing Tatum is absolutely amazing as Mike, adding layers of pathos to his confident performance while the rest of the cast excels: Matthew McConaughey understandably drew a lot of attention when the film first released for his over-the-top performance as Dallas, but Joe Manganiello and former wrestler Kevin Nash both deliver unforgettable performances in their own right.
With the third and final mention, Magic Mike’s Last Dance, coming to Max in June, there’s no better time than now to catch up on where it all started. —PV
magical mike streams on Netflix.
The ring
Image: Dreamworks images
Year: 2002
Genre: Supernatural horror
Duration: 1h 55m
Director: Gore Verbinsky
Form: Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, Brian Cox
Gore Verbinski’s American remake of Hideo Nakata’s 1998 supernatural horror classic The ring was a runaway pop culture phenomenon when it was first released in 2002, introducing Western audiences to the wonderful world of J-horror cinema and then being parodied in everything from Scary movie 3 Unpleasant Family man. Naomi Watts stars as Rachel Keller, a journalist who goes undercover to uncover the truth behind the unexplained deaths of her niece and three friends and a mysterious videotape they watched a week earlier. But when Rachel watches the tape herself, she finds herself in a race against time to solve the mystery and put to rest the vengeful ghost that is now fixated on claiming the lives of her and everyone else who watches it. to take. —AT
The ring streams on Netflix.
New on Max
Demolition man
Image: Warner Bros. Pictures
Year: 1993
Genre: Sci fi action
Duration: 1h 55m
Director: Mark Brambilla
Form: Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock
Sylvester Stallone stars in this 1993 sci-fi thriller as John Spartan, an LAPD sergeant nicknamed “The Demolition Man” for his reputation for collateral damage. After apprehending a psychopathic killer named Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes), John is blamed for the deaths of several hostages and sentenced to a long term in an experimental “cryo prison”. Awakened in the year 2032 by an idealistic officer named Lenina Huxley (Sandra Bullock), John must familiarize himself with a familiar but strange new world as he works once again to apprehend his old nemesis. A cult classic among sci-fi action buffs featuring several hilarious gags about an alternate future (Taco Bell-winning Franchise Wars, Schwarzenegger’s Presidential Library, etc.), Demolition man is a quirky and over-the-top action thriller driven by a trio of memorable protagonists. -AT
Demolition man is streaming max.
Money ball
Image: Columbia Photos
Genre: Sports drama
Duration: 2h 13m
Director: Bennet Miller
Form: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman
there is no reason Money ball should work just as well as it does. I say this as someone who loved the book – there’s nothing cinematic about the source material. It’s a story told primarily through numbers and spreadsheets, with little regard for the types of characters typically found in sports stories (namely, star athletes or successful underdogs).
But with a sharp script by a more understated Aaron Sorkin, a stellar cast anchored by Brad Pitt and Philip Seymour Hoffman, and the wise decision to dig deeper into the backstory of A’s general manager Billy Beane to substantiate his stance, Money ball is one of the better baseball movies ever made. For baseball fans, what has happened to Major League Baseball in the years since (and especially the way owners manage their budget) will likely color some of the movie in several ways. But I would say that time has only made Money ball stronger. —PV
Money ball is streaming max.
New to Hulu
Attack the block
Image: Optimal discharge
Year: 2011
Genre: Sci-fi comic horror
Duration: 1h 28m
Director: JoeCornish
Form: John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker, Alex Esmail
One of the best movies of the 2010s, Attack the block was a breakout hit for pre-Star Wars John Boyega (in his film debut) and pre-Doctor Who Jodie Whittaker, as well as an incredible feature film debut for director Joe Cornish, Edgar Wright’s frequent collaborator who recently edited Lockwood & co. like a Netflix series.
In Attack the block, aliens attack South London on Guy Fawkes Night. A sympathetic gang of teenagers are the only ones to acknowledge that the attack is happening, and despite their best efforts, they can’t get anyone else to believe them. So they must take matters into their own hands and defend their neighborhood against the space invaders.
In addition to Boyega’s incredible debut performance as gang leader Moses, Attack the block stands out for its evocative creature design, exciting set pieces and Cornish’s eye for action. —PV
Attack the block is streaming Hulu.
New on Prime Video
Belief
Image: Photos from MGM/Warner Bros
Year: 2015
Genre: Sports drama
Duration: 2h 13m
Director: Ryan Coogler
Form: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson
Ryan Coogler’s 2015 spin-off of the venerable Rocky film series ranks among the very best sports dramas of the 2010s. Michael B. Jordan stars in the career-defining role of Adonis Johnson, the long-lost scion of former heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, as he fights to prove himself worthy of his late father’s name and title. Relying on the help of his trainer Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) and the support of his girlfriend Bianca (Tessa Thompson), Adonis must look within and find the strength to face the current heavyweight boxing champion (Tony Bellew) in the ring for his opportunity. at greatness. With impeccable performances, brilliant cinematography, a thunderous score and a moving story about a surrogate father relationship and finding peace in your calling, Belief is a sports drama for all ages. -AT
Belief is streaming Prime video.