Read more about every movie coming to Paramount+ in August 2023
What’s weird about this month is seeing just how many Netflix originals there are. Netflix is trying to make it on its own rather than have to negotiate movie licenses from other companies who all want a money-pit streaming platform of their own. It’s sort of like a race, really, to see who can lose money the fastest on these things. That being said,Netflixseems to have decided to not play at all by having their movies bankrolled all across the globe. What do they have that’s worth checking out this month, though?
Terminator Genisys (Aug. 1)
Hear me out; it’s not that bad. TheTerminator franchise has been strugglingever sinceTerminator 2,quite honestly. The question has remained, how exactly do you follow up on what is perhaps the best sequel in all of history?
Guns N' Roses, action sequences, an incredible ending monologue that transcends the easygoing sci-fi label, this film had everything you could ever really ask for, all wrapped up in a bundle, ready to be watched over and over again. Past that, you hadTerminator 3:Rise of the Machines,thenTerminator Salvation, then another attempt with this movie to reboot the franchise and find new ways to make sequels here. None of them panned out, butGenisyssits in the middleof the previous two titles.
So what do you get with this one? Zero compelling stories, no meaningful dialogue, but you get some pretty great CGI and a highlights reel of all the best moments that have come before. Whoever made this film loves this franchise because you get to see melting liquid metal terminator.
Arnold is back as an old man, more time travel, John Conner but as a weird nano-machine robot with a weakness to magnets. Don’t go in expecting a meaningful continuation of the series as a whole, but do go in ready to see some of the best action the series has to offer.
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Paddington (Aug. 14)
You may remember the sequel being mentioned inThe Unbearable Weight of Massive Talentas a film that the two main characters bonded over. Well, this is where it all started. It’s a film partly aimed at kids, but it has some rather dark events similar to aLand Before Time, with characters just up and dying from an earthquake and having to seek shelter.
It’s the sweet and endearing moments like watching a neglected bear sit on a shelf that has won so many over inthe insanely popular franchise. When the world appears so dark and depressing, sometimes you need a distraction from all the craziness that’s going on.
The Monkey King (Aug. 18)
This one is a Netflix original and looks pretty neat. If you likeKung Fu Pandabut wish Po could kick butt more like Hercules,this may be the one for you. Starring a pretty massively egotistical Jimmy Yang as the leading monkey man. He doesn’t quite fit in with the monkeys around him, as magic powers make him unique. But he’s also not quite immortal, so he goes on a quest to prove himself worthy of that higher status by killing enough demons for them to take notice.
On the surface level, it looks gorgeously detailed, blending a bright and colorful style with these very dark and gritty fighting sequences with rain and lightning. On the subsurface, animated movies that delve into that character vs. self storylines are typically worth a watch as they hold a deeper message than just being funny or popular for ten minutes.
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This is a Taiwanese comedy about a no-nonsense police officer who receives a marriage proposal from a gay ghost. If that doesn’t sell you, it’s hard to say what will. In order to help grant this ghost peace in the afterlife, though, he has to find his killer and solve the unfinished murder case. Adding to that is a ghost who can also possess anyone he wants for some bonus chaos. It certainly looks more promising than most American comedies coming up.
All of these movies will be available on Netflix next month, with plenty of films such asTitanic,Mean Girls, andA Man Called Ottoalready available.
