From 'Fast X' to Pixar's 'Elemental,' here are 15 movies you need to stream right now
Tired: Summer movie season. Wired: Fall streaming season.
A bunch of these big films with A-list characters – from Dom Toretto and Ariel the Little Mermaid to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – are finally hitting your preferred streaming services. Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, Hulu, Peacock and others boast a stock of theatrical summer releases as well as some debuting new movies to watch on your couch. Among them: a historical vampire satire, a true-life astronaut tale perfect for Hispanic Heritage Month, an inspiring flick about a gay Mexican wrestler and a comedy about overly dramatic theater kids.
Here are 15 movies that you can stream right now:
'The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster'
In a brilliant and timely modernization of the "Frankenstein" myth, a teen genius (Laya DeLeon Hayes) experiments on her big brother after he's gunned down in a gang shooting, brings him back to life in monstrous fashion, but then has to deal with the horror she's wrought on her community.
Where to watch: Shudder and AMC+.
'Cassandro'
In the true-life underdog story, Gael García Bernal dazzles as a gay wrestler on the Mexican luchador circuit who takes off his mask and embraces a new feminine "exótico" character. Wearing his mom's clothing, he initially weathers homophobic insults, but his passion and flamboyance ultimately win crowds over in a big way.
Where to watch: Prime Video.
'El Conde'
Pablo Larraín's batty satire reimagines Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet as a 250-year-old vampire ready to end his eternal life and be rid of his overbearing wife and greedy grown-up children. At least until he falls for his young French accountant, who's actually an undercover nun sent by the church to exorcise this historical demon.
Where to watch: Netflix.
'Elemental'
In a city where elements coexist (but don't necessarily get along), fire woman Ember (voiced by Leah Lewis) and sappy water guy Wade (Mamoudou Athie) spark a relationship. The Pixar animated rom-com features an underlying immigrant story, and Ember and Wade are easy to root for as an unlikely couple.
Where to watch: Disney+.
'Elevator Game'
The horror film centers on a young web series crew out to debunk the title online challenge, where you ride an elevator in a specific sequence and invoke a supernatural creature called the 5th Floor Woman. But the kids quickly discover that if you poke a sinister spirit, be ready for it to follow you home.
Where to watch: Shudder and AMC+.
'Fast X'
Ex-street racer Dom (Vin Diesel) and his "Fast and Furious" crew return in a globetrotting adventure that puts them – and Dom's 10-year-old son – in the crosshairs of a flamboyant and vengeful villain (Jason Momoa) with ties to past exploits. Come for the ridiculous action, stay for the over-the-top cliffhanger.
Where to watch: Peacock.
'The Covenant'
Guy Ritchie's earnest and intense military thriller stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a U.S. Army sergeant in Afghanistan injured in a Taliban attack. His platoon's local translator (Dar Salim) drags him over miles of enemy terrain to safety – a favor that later needs to be repaid by the military man when his savior needs him the most.
Where to watch: Prime Video.
'The Little Mermaid'
While the original movie is still leagues better, a generation of young Disney fans will grow up loving Halle Bailey, splendid as teen Ariel who dreams of seeing the surface world. Her beloved Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) gets more to do with an expanded narrative, and the new Alan Menken-Lin-Manuel Miranda tunes are also swell.
Where to watch: Disney+.
'Love at First Sight'
A scatterbrained American woman (Haley Lu Richardson) misses her flight from New York to London and meets a sensitive British lad (Ben Hardy) at the airport, sparks fly between the two in first class, then the pair are separated at Heathrow. But fate works in mysterious ways as they navigate obstacles and family events to reunite in the predictable but adorably quirky rom-com.
Where to watch: Netflix.
'A Million Miles Away'
Based on a true story, the inspirational drama stars Michael Peña as José Hernández, a kid math whiz from Mexico who worked as a migrant farmer with his family in California and endured personal and professional struggles over decades before finally realizing his dreams of going to space as a NASA flight engineer.
Where to watch: Prime Video.
'No One Will Save You'
Putting a nifty spin on the home-invasion movie, the sci-fi thriller stars Kaitlyn Dever as a small-town pariah who wakes up one night to find an alien in her beloved house. She fights back and the extraterrestrials get testy in a Spielbergian throwback that's also a surprisingly insightful fable about forgiveness.
Where to watch: Hulu.
'Sanctuary'
A wealthy hotelier's son (Christopher Abbott) maintains a secret relationship with a dominatrix (Margaret Qualley) who's helped him become a better businessman. When he stands to inherit his dad's business, he wants to break it off in a darkly funny psychosexual thriller where the odd couple explore power dynamics and their feelings.
Where to watch: Hulu.
'Spy Kids: Armageddon'
It's not as clever or inventive as Robert Rodriguez's 2001 original family action comedy, but at least his heart's in the right place with this reboot. Zachary Levi and Gina Rodriguez play secret agent parents nabbed by a video-game megalomaniac, and Everly Carganilla and Connor Esterson are the new spy kids who have to save them.
Where to watch: Netflix.
'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem'
"Mutant Mayhem" is a pleasantly chaotic animated adventure that smartly casts actual teens as the four main characters. Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey snarf down pizza, dream of going to high school but have to save New York City when mutated villain Superfly (voiced by Ice Cube) and his animal army want to take over the world.
Where to watch: Paramount+.
'Theater Camp'
This enjoyable mockumentary centers on the dramatic goings-on at an upstate New York theater camp that's sent into chaos when the owner (Amy Sedaris) winds up in a coma, and two longtime teachers (Ben Platt and Molly Gordon) have a stressful time creating an original musical with a bunch of high-maintenance youngsters.
Where to watch: Hulu.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New movies on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+ to stream now
