From 'Superman' to 'Mission: Impossible,' new digital movies to watch right now

USA Today

a day ago

There are those who have to see a new movie in theaters. Then there are those who are fine with waiting till it hits a subscription streaming service.
But then there's a third group of people who embrace digital video-on-demand platforms, who are all about seeing the latest movies but are cool with viewing them from home (or wherever!) and who need their own viewing guides. That's what we're doing here, shouting out the best stuff now on VOD. And this week's a doozy, because Tom Cruise is hanging off airplanes on all your digital devices and TVs with 'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.'
Here are seven new VOD releases available to buy or rent right now:
'Eddington'
Director Ari Aster mixes the Western genre with noir and satire in this honest, cinematic look at how COVID-19 further splintered a divided America. In summer 2020, the fictional New Mexico town of Eddington turns into a hotbed of bad feelings and controversy when local sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) – who's not big on masking, by the way – runs for mayor against popular progressive incumbent Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal). Their feud turns personal while the situation for the town's residents grows explosive, bloody and downright bonkers.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Amazon
'Elio'
Pixar throws back to the days of "Explorers" and "The Last Starfighter" with this familiar sci-fi project, in which an orphan named Elio (voiced by Yonas Kibreab) doesn't get along with his guardian, Aunt Olga (Zoe Saldaña), and would rather be abducted by aliens than live on Earth. His wish comes true when an intergalactic spaceship picks him up and Elio makes a blobby new bestie, though the youngster quickly figures out that home isn't so bad. Best for a kid who has never seen "E.T."
Where to watch: Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Amazon
'Jurassic Park Rebirth'
Here's how a "Jurassic World" film usually goes: See dinosaurs, run from dinosaurs, maybe get eaten by dinosaurs. Director Gareth Edwards' latest installment in the long-running sci-fi action franchise at least tries something different by throwing a heist movie into the usual perilous adventure. But homages to Steven Spielberg's 1993 original, a starry cast (including Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Oscar winner Mahershala Ali) and dinos aplenty can only do so much when saddled with generic characters and a rickety plot.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Amazon
'Lilo & Stitch'
The wholly unnecessary remake seems like an excessively earnest Disney Channel movie compared with the delightfully unhinged 2002 cartoon. Young Lilo (newcomer Maia Kealoha) is a rebellious 6-year-old Hawaiian girl who gives her big sister/guardian Nani (Sydney Agudong) fits, and Nani is desperately trying to keep social services from taking Lilo away. Both their lives take a turn for the chaotic when Lilo adopts an alien "puppy" she names Stitch, a intergalactic experiment/furry menace that creates mayhem wherever he goes.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Amazon
'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning'
From crawling all over a biplane to spelunking a sunken submarine, Tom Cruise goes above and beyond to save the world again in the eighth (and perhaps last) installment in the action-packed franchise. This latest "Mission" finds Cruise's daredevil secret agent Ethan Hunt needing to stop a rogue AI from enslaving mankind. The surprisingly dramatic narrative raises the emotional stakes from previous outings and skillfully explains why Ethan and his heroic pals make the choices they do – and it's not just to accept a mission with a message that will self-destruct.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Amazon
'Smurfs'
Give your children the gift of the best "Smurfs" movie so far. (The previous ones range from terrible to abhorrent, so that bar is quite low.) The animated musical adventure is definitely for kids, with bouncy dance numbers and a plot involving the search for a Smurfnapped Papa Smurf (voiced by John Goodman) and Smurfette (Rihanna) trying to help No Name (James Corden) find his special "thing." While most adults will find it aggressively fine, they'll get a kick out of Kurt Russell as Papa Smurf's manly bro Ken – stunt casting so odd it kind of works.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Amazon
'Superman'
James Gunn's electric adventure introduces a new Man of Steel in David Corenswet and launches a rebooted DC movie universe. The movie features pervasive positivity, one really cool canine, a bright comic book aesthetic and a fresh superhero landscape filled with colorful personalities. Corenswet – the best screen Superman since the iconic Christopher Reeve – imbues his hero with joy and optimism, and Nicholas Hoult is an inspired choice for nervy and smarmy supervillain tech bro Lex Luthor.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Amazon