New Movies On Netflix And In Theaters This Week (11/21-11/29)
GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links.
Two of the fall's most anticipated sequels hit US theaters this week. Creed II is the follow-up to 2015's acclaimed Rocky spin-off and sees Michael B. Jordan return as the rising boxing star Adonis Creed, with Sylvester Stallone back again as Rocky Balboa. More than 40 years after the first movie, the Rocky series continues to find an audience, and the smart updating of the series in these new movies suggests that it still has a few bouts left in it.
There's also Ralph Breaks the Internet, which is the long-awaited Wreck-It Ralph sequel. Six years is a long time in Hollywood, especially when your target audience is young, but predictions suggest that this new movie is set to dominate the box office this coming weekend.
While both Creed II and Ralph Breaks the Internet aren't set to reach the UK for a few weeks, the latest updating of Robin Hood opens in both territories. There's also the UK release of the thriller The Girl in the Spider's Web, and Pokemon fans in both territories can watch the latest animated movie in the franchise. And over on Netflix, Kurt Russell dons his Santa hat to star in the Holiday comedy The Christmas Chronicles. So here's the week's new releases in the both the US and UK, in both theaters and on streaming...
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Watch it in US theaters on November 21
The 2012 animated comedy Wreck-It Ralph was a critical and commercial hit, and the sequel arrives finally this week. It focuses on the arcade game villain-turned-hero of the title, who this time enters the internet after the arcade his game lives in goes online. John C. Reilly voices Ralph, with Sarah Silverman, Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk, Taraji P. Henson, and James Corden also part of the voice cast.
Creed II
Watch it in US theaters on November 21
While most thought that the legendary movie boxer Rocky Balboa had finally hung up his gloves, the 2015 spin-off Creed not only gave the character one of his finest movies, it paved the way for director Ryan Coogler to get the job of directing Marvel's wildly successful Black Panther. Coogler isn't back for the sequel, but star Michael B. Jordan is and he is once again playing the son of the original movies' Apollo Creed. Rocky creator and star Sylvester Stallone is back too, as both co-star and co-writer, as is Rocky IV's Russian powerhouse Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren). In his review, GameSpot's Michael Rougeau said the movie gives the fans "exactly what you want, executed with amazing finesse."
The Favorite
Watch it in US theaters on November 23
Yorgos Lanthimos has made a name for himself over the past few years as a director of weird, funny, and very dark comedy dramas. Following The Lobster and last year's The Killing of the Sacred Deer, he returns with The Favorite. It's his most accessible film to date, but that doesn't mean Lanthimos has gone mainstream. It's set in England in the 18th century and focuses on the increasingly bitter rivalry between two Royal cousins to gain the attentions of Queen Anne. Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz play the related royals, while Olivia Colman is Queen Anne--in some ways a dry run for her role as Queen Elizabeth II in the upcoming third season of Netflix's The Queen. The Favorite looks absurd and hilarious, and rave festival reviews suggest that it's another winner from this distinctive filmmaker.
Robin Hood
Watch it in US and UK theaters on November 23
Ridley Scott's 2010 version of the the Robin Hood myth wasn't a critical or commercial success, but that hasn't stopped yet another version of the story heading to UK screens this week. This time we have a younger Robin, with Kingsman star Taron Egerton in the lead role. The cast also includes Jamie Foxx as Little John and Rogue One's Ben Mendelsohn as the Sheriff of Nottingham, and it's directed by TV director Otto Bathurst (Peaky Blinders, Black Mirror).
Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us
Watch it in US and UK theaters on November 23
The surprisingly awesome first trailer for the live-action Detective Pikachu movie arrived last week. But ahead of that, we have this animated Pokemon film, which hits US and UK screens this week. It follows last year's reboot movie Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!, and exists in a separate universe to the Pokemon TV show. The film centers upon five different people who are taking part in an annual festival that conjures up the legendary Pokémon Lugia, who will bless the world with a magical wind. Detective Pikachu is clearly aimed at Pokemon lovers and newcomers alight, and that won't be the case with this one, it should deliver everything a Poke-fans could want
The Girl in the Spider's Web
See it in UK theaters on November 23
Although David Fincher's 2011 adaptation of Stieg Larsson's novel The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo didn't do well as expected, the lead character, Lisbeth Salander, returns to the screen this Friday. The Girl in the Spider's Web is based on the first Salander novel written by another author (Larson died in 2004), and stars The Crown's Claire Foy as the iconic hacker, taking over from Rooney Mara. Director Fede Alvarez has taken the series in a more action-focused direction than the psychological angle of Fincher movie, and the movie has also been a commercial disappointment in the US. Nevertheless, Foy is a fantastic choice for Salander, and the Alvarez's previous films, the hit Don't Breathe and the Evil Dead remake, have shown that he is an expert at delivering dark and entertaining thrills.
Nobody's Fool
See it in UK theaters on November 21
The critics might hate his movies, but there's no denying the huge popularity of Tyler Perry. For more than a decade, the writer/director/producer/actor has released a steady stream of comedies, many of them featuring Perry as Madea, an elderly woman who takes no nonsense from anyone. Nobody's Fool is his latest movie, and while Perry stays behind the camera this time, it does star Tiffany Haddish, the lead of last year's Girl's Trip and the current comedy hit Night School. Haddish plays a recently-paroled woman who helps her straight-laced sister get revenge on a man who wronged her.
Assassination Nation
See it in UK theaters on November 23
This dark satire takes the high school movie into some wild places. A group of teenage girls are targeted by the older members of their town when their phones are mysteriously hacked, and things soon descend into chaos and violence. Assassination Nation is sure to play well to horror fans and those who like their movies a little dangerous, and many of its themes are relevant to what is going on society today. The movie's tongue-in-cheek content warning says it all: "drug use, sexual content, toxic masculinity, homophobia, transphobia, guns, nationalism, racism, kidnapping, the male gaze, sexism, swearing, torture, violence, gore, weapons, and fragile male egos."
The Christmas Chronicles
See it in Netflix on November 23
Kurt Russell was last seen attempting to assimilate the universe in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2, but this month he takes on a much friendlier role--as Santa Claus. The Christmas Chronicles is a Netflix Original in which Santa is forced to complete his night of deliveries with a pair of kids after they steal and then crash his sleigh, causing big delays to his schedule. It's produced by Chris Columbus, who directed the seasonal classic Home Alone, and Russell's straight-talking, wise-cracking Santa makes this a festive must-see.