See '28 Years Later' in theaters, rent 'Final Destination: Bloodlines' and 'Friendship,' stream 'A Minecraft Movie' on Max, plus more movies to watch this weekend

Yahoo

4 hours ago

Hello, Yahoo Entertainment readers! Brett Arnold here, and I'm back with another edition of Trust Me, I Watch Everything. As a film critic who hosts a podcast called Roger (Ebert) & Me, I watch it all so I can bring you recommendations you can trust, and this week there are tons of movies to put on your radar.
28 Years Later, the highly anticipated sequel to 2003's 28 Days Later (which, hot tip, is available to stream on Pluto TV) arrives in theaters alongside Elio, the latest from Disney-Pixar in the kiddie sci-fi adventure genre. At home, recent hits like Final Destination: Bloodlines and A24's Friendship are now available to rent. On streaming, A Minecraft Movie comes to HBO Max, and a couple of indie flicks worth your time land on Shudder and Paramount+ with Showtime. Read on because there's something for everyone.
What to watch in theaters
Movies newly available to rent or buy
Movies debuting on streaming services you may already have
Movies newly available on streaming services you may already have
My recommendation:
Why you should watch it: First things first: 28 Years Later is the start of a planned trilogy, a fact you'd never know unless you're extremely plugged into reading about movies online. The sequel is already shot and has a January 2026 release date. The third film has not yet been produced.
The movie, disappointingly, is very much part one of three, feeling like an act one more than a cohesive and fully satisfying whole. An out-of-the-blue tonal shift button at the end is the only real indicator that there's more on the way, as the story of this movie pretty much ends, and there's an extra scene that teases something entirely different to come.
There's plenty to praise here, though, despite that inherent disappointment in expecting a finished product and getting merely the start of one. The creative team behind the original film returns, with Danny Boyle in the director's chair, Alex Garland penning the script and cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle doing incredible work and keeping up with the digital aesthetic that became synonymous with 28 Days Later by shooting the movie on modified iPhone 15s.
The film takes place, well, 28 years after the rage virus began, and in that time the infected have evolved, but I won't spoil the sheer fun and horror of discovering these new variants. Like all good zombie flicks, it reflects on the era in which it was made, and there are obvious parallels here to real-world events like Brexit. It's hard to not think of the film as a response to the mass death we all experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It's a more thoughtful and somber film than some may be expecting, lighter on zombie action than its predecessors and more focused on domestic drama and acceptance of circumstances. It's surprisingly emotionally affecting by the third act, once Ralph Fiennes, the film's MVP, enters. Protagonist Alfie Williams, a child actor making his debut, is terrific too. Jodie Comer and Aaron Taylor-Johnson both feel more like plot conveniences than characters.
It's a shame that the movie is undercut by the 'this is the start of a trilogy' of it all, because when it works, it's damned good, and Boyle is really back in top form. It's a terrific showcase for his heightened, damn-near experimental style. In short, it's still good but may not be the movie audiences are expecting.
🍿 What critics are saying: Critics are big fans of it. AP's Jake Coyle writes, "Buried in here are some tender reflections on mortality and misguided exceptionalism, and even the hint of those ideas make 28 Years Later a more thoughtful movie than you're likely to find at the multiplex this time of year." William Bibbiani at TheWrap agrees, writing that "the filmmakers haven't redefined the zombie genre, but they've refocused their own culturally significant riff into a lush, fascinating epic that has way more to say about being human than it does about (re-)killing the dead."
👀 How to watch: 28 Years Later is now in theaters nationwide.
Get tickets
🤔 If that's not for you...
: The latest from Disney-Pixar arrives after a yearlong delay and a new creative team taking over the project, and the movie does show signs of tinkering. It's a story about a boy with dead parents who doesn't feel like he belongs on Earth, so he hopes to be abducted by aliens, which then happens. They mistake him for the leader of Earth, which he runs with. Despite the messiness that rears its head, mostly in the form of too many characters and subplots, it's imaginative and sweet in the way we've come to expect from Pixar, and it's fun to see the storied animation studio trafficking in sci-fi tropes that adults will recognize as references to classic films and kids will find new and exciting. It's a solid effort, but definitely not up there with the best of them. — Get tickets.
:Another week, another Die Hard variant, this time it's a comedy-focused spin on the material starring Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp, Anna Chlumsky and recent Oscar winner Da'Vine Joy Randolph. The premise here is 'Die Hard meets Bridesmaids,' with the action scenario unfolding at a wedding and the maid of honor being a secret agent, much to the surprise of the rest of the wedding party. It's not without a few laughs, but it's largely uninspired, and your mileage will vary depending on how funny you find Wilson. — Get tickets.
My recommendation:
Why you should watch it: Final Destination: Bloodlines was a box office success, making more than $273 million worldwide. Now that it's available to rent or buy at home, I hope even more people tune in. This movie is an absolute blast and finds a clever and fun way to retool the concept of the series. As I previously wrote, the bread and butter of the franchise, cruelly funny Rube Goldberg-style death sequences that have a lot of fun teasing the audience with misdirects before landing on the ultimate mode of demise, is in top form here, one-upping itself as it goes with some truly jaw-dropping set pieces. Formula can really be such a comfort, even if it's disgustingly gruesome! It also features an unexpectedly emotional send-off to the late Tony Todd, as it becomes clear that the scene was written with the knowledge that he didn't have much time left.
🍿 What critics are saying: It's the highest-rated entry in the series with 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. Radheyan Simonpillai at the Guardian raved that it 'breathes new life' into the franchise, and Jacob Oller at the AV Club says it 'honors a legacy of unrepentant silliness and gleeful gore with a knowing wink.'
👀 How to watch: Final Destination: Bloodlines is now available to rent or purchase on digital and on-demand.
Rent or buy 'Final Destination: Bloodlines'
🤔 If those aren't for you...
I first recommended this movie when it hit theaters and now that it's available to watch at home, I stand by what I previously wrote: It's a silly movie that knows it, and it has a lot of fun getting as bloody as possible. — Rent or buy.
A good old-fashioned horror flick — no irony to be found here, just pure commitment to its own spooky aesthetic — that mashes up A Nightmare on Elm Street with a more generic supernatural 'urban legend' flick. It's a cheap indie, but it has a great creature design, the backstory they've come up with is compelling, and there are several unsettling images throughout. It's solid!— Rent or buy.
The comedy of Tim Robinson is definitely not for everyone, but those who do appreciate his sense of humor rabidly anticipate his work. It's about a suburban dad (Robinson) with an unsatisfied wife (Kata Mara) and a kid who thinks he's a loser befriending his super cool neighbor (Rudd) and becoming a little too into him. It's funny throughout — if you find Robinson's antics amusing — and likely aggravating if you don't. It also features probably the funniest drug trip sequence of all time. — Rent or buy.
My recommendation:
Why you should watch it: This documentary about astronaut Sally Ride delves into an aspect of her life that was once hidden from public view. It's about her life with Tam O'Shaughnessy, her life partner of 27 years whose existence was only made known after Ride's death from cancer in 2012. The dramatizations of their relationship that occur in the film feel a bit off, but once you realize they're doing it because there's no documented evidence of their relationship, the tactic hits home. It's an enlightening doc about a fascinating subject.
🍿 What critics are saying: Lisa Kennedy at Variety notes that O'Shaughnessy's "candor here marries a spectacular professional saga with the personal love story convincingly." Caryn James at the Hollywood Reporter sums it up well: "Sally stands perfectly well without any fussy touches, as an important addition to the record of what we know about a pioneering cultural figure — in all her complexity, ambition and guardedness."
.👀 How to watch: Sally is now streaming on Hulu.
Stream 'Sally'
My recommendation:
Why you should maybe watch it: I previously recommended A Minecraft Movie and what I thought then still stands: I am not the target demographic so I did not enjoy it but the movie is a huge hit and kids are going absolutely feral for it. Helmed by director Jared Hess, the man behind Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre, it feels like a movie made by the guy who made those, and that's fun, but there's just something ironic about the idea of making a movie about the power of creativity and imagination that's indistinguishable from similar formulaic fare about characters chasing a glowing orb.
🍿 What critics are saying: Critics gave it a 48%, according to Rotten Tomatoes, but the audience score is 85%. The Atlantic's David Sims wrote that it's "the first genuine smash hit of the floundering 2025 movie season, and I exult in anything that's bringing young people to cineplexes, even if the film occasionally made me want to pop an Advil." Mark Kennedy at the Associated Press, however, liked it and praised Jason Momoa's performance in particular.
.👀 How to watch: A Minecraft Movie is now streaming on HBO Max.
Stream 'A Minecraft Movie'
🤔 If that's not for you...
Musician turned filmmaker Flying Lotus directed this derivative sci-fi horror flick that's all style over substance. If you've seen genre classics like The Thing, Alien or Solaris, or even something like Event Horizon, you've seen this movie, which plays like a mash-up of all of those films and more. It never transcends the fact that it's a love letter to other films to become its own movie, even if it has some striking visuals. Starring Eiza Gonzáles and Aaron Paul. — Now streaming on Shudder.
Love Me couldn't be stranger: It's a love story set in a post-apocalyptic, human-free future, between a buoy and a satellite. The story spans billions of years as they learn what life was like on Earth, and the two sentient beings discover themselves and what it means to be alive and in love. It's easier to watch than it is to explain, and it stars Kirsten Stewart and Steven Yuen. — Now streaming on Paramount+ w/ Showtime.
That's all for this week — see you next Friday at the movies!