Another weekend means the question of what to watch is fresh on our minds, but figuring out which movies to pick can quickly become a headache with how much is coming and going on streaming. This week has been packed with blockbuster releases across the best streaming services, so subscribers are especially spoiled for choice.
Premium video-on-demand platforms got two action-packed movies: "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" and "The Bad Guys 2." Meanwhile, for something a little more laidback, you can catch a new tear-jerking romantic drama on Prime Video, "The Map That Leads to You," or the messy love triangle of "No Swift Horses" on Netflix. Finally, Hulu's got a new heist movie starring scream queen Samara Weaving, "Eenie Meenie."
So without further ado, let's dive into the best new movies on streaming to watch this weekend.
‘Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning’ (PVOD)
“Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning” has finally arrived on streaming after an unusually long theatrical run (by today's standards, at any rate). And rest assured: The spectacle holds up just as well on the couch as it did on the big screen. While the long-awaited part 2 does inherit some baggage from its messy predecessor, it still delivers some of the most jaw-dropping set pieces in the franchise’s history. That's a high bar, given the franchise's legacy.
Picking up directly after "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning," the story finds everyone's favorite superspy, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), and his IMF team, including Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, and Simon Pegg, still in a desperate race to neutralize a rogue AI known as the Entity. The story is about as tangled as the first part, but its pulse-pounding spectacle more than makes up for those wrinkles. If this truly is the series’ swan song, it serves as a worthy farewell to one of action cinema’s most enduring sagas.
Watch it now with purchase on Amazon or Apple
‘The Map That Leads to You’ (Prime Video)
Stock up on tissues before watching "The Map That Leads to You," because Madelyn Cline and KJ Apa's globe-trotting romantic drama is filled with passport stamps and heartbreak. In this adaptation of J.P. Monninger's novel of the same name, "Outer Banks" star plays Heather, a recent grad whose meticulously scripted future unravels when she meets Jack (“Riverdale” alum KJ Apa), a charming yet mysterious stranger, on a vacation in Europe.
As sparks fly, Heather begins to doubt the rigid path she’s laid out for herself—including the job of her dreams waiting back for her in New York. But behind Jack's free-spirited persona lies a devastating secret, one that he'd rather vanish from her life at the height of their relationship than reveal a painful truth that could compromise her vision of her future.
Watch it now on Prime Video
‘On Swift Horses’ (Netflix)
I'm a sucker for an unexpected love story, and "On Swift Horses" isn't your standard love triangle but rather a tangled web of connections. This 1950s period drama leans on its star-studded lineup of rising talent, which includes Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jacob Elordi, Will Poulter, Diego Calva, and Sasha Calle.
The story follows Muriel (Edgar-Jones) and her husband Lee (Poulter), newly settled in California after Lee’s return from the Korean War. But their peaceful lives are upended when Lee's charismatic younger brother Julius (Elordi) suddenly enters the picture. Caught up in the thrill of horse racing and big-money bets, Muriel and Julius each chase their own mix of passion, self-discovery, and risk.
Watch it now on Netflix
‘Eenie Meenie’ (Hulu)
Scream queen Samara Weaving is back in an action-packed heist thriller that had me sold just from the trailer. She stars as a former teenage getaway driver who's pulled back into the criminal world by her old boss (Andy Garcia) for one last job. (Now, where have I heard that one before?). The catch is that she'll have to save her hopelessly unreliable ex (Karl Glusman) in the process.
With shades of "Baby Driver" in its DNA, this slick, high-octane thriller might just have the makings of a sleeper hit. It marks the directorial debut of Shawn Simmons, and its cast includes some heavy hitters, such as Randall Park, Steve Zahn, and Marshawn Lynch. “Eenie Meenie” delivers grit, adrenaline, and just enough chaos to keep you on edge.
Watch it now on Hulu
‘The Bad Guys 2’ (PVOD)
If you're looking for all the "Mission: Impossible" and "Ocean's Eleven" thrills for a younger audience, "The Bad Guys 2" should be on your radar. I was surprised how much I enjoyed the original (Craig Robinson's "master of disguise" Mr. Shark had me in stitches), and the sequel seems to be a hit across the board. It's pulled in strong reviews over the summer, with an 87% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, and an even more glowing 95% from audiences.
The sequel once again follows a crew of reformed villains in a fast-paced heist caper packed with charm and chaos. Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos), Mr. Shark (Robinson), and Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina) are doing their best to stick to the straight and narrow. However, when a new crew known as The Bad Girls calls them in for a high-stakes job, old habits prove hard to shake.
Streaming now with purchase on Amazon
'The 355' (Netflix)
"The 355" wasted zero time crashing the Netflix top 10 after arriving on the platform on August 21. The 2022 action thriller from Oscar-nominated director Simon Kinberg is the perfect example of why critics' scores should be taken with a grain of salt. The movie has an 86% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes despite critics rating it a measley 24%, and it seems to have finally found its audience after landing on Netflix.
Jessica Chastain, Penélope Cruz, Diane Kruger, and Lupita Nyong’o star as rival spies tracking down a decryption drive capable of breaking into any digital system on Earth. But they’re not the only ones after it: Criminal mastermind Elijah Clarke (Jason Flemyng) is on the hunt too, and he’ll strike down anyone who gets in his way. When he kills one of the women's partners (Sebastian Stan), it sparks a globe-trotting race between them that catches the attention of Chinese MSS agent Li Mi Sheng (Fan Bingbing), forcing alliances to shift.
Watch it now on Netflix
'The Truth About Jussie Smollett?' (Netflix)
This documentary from the makers of "The Tinder Swindler" feels like a PR campaign to rewrite the narrative of actor Jussie Smollett's bizarre scandal that tanked his career at its peak. But as icky and irresponsible TV as it may be, that hasn't stopped Netflix's latest documentary from topping the charts. So take claims made in "The Truth About Jussie Smollett? with one seriously huge grain of salt, and consider it a topical case study in how biases and selective reporting can spin a story into any shape.
To refresh your memory, back in 2019, the "Empire" star claimed he was attacked by white supremacists outside of his apartment, only for Chicago police to announce two weeks later that they'd found evidence he'd paid two brothers to stage the assault. Within a month, he was charged with filing a false police report, and the case only grew more tangled from there. At first, Smollett managed to get the charges dropped in a controversial deal. Then he faced trial again in 2020 and was sentenced to jail and ordered to repay the city, but the Illinois Supreme Court overturned the conviction last May, ruling Smollett's due process was violated. "The Truth About Jussie Smollett?" dives into one of the most polarizing scandals of the last decade, including new interviews with Smollett himself. Just keep in mind that he, more than anyone, has a vested interest in muddying the waters to sway public sentiment in his favor.
Watch it now on Netflix
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