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It’s time to say goodbye to July. And to celebrate the arrival of August, the world’s best streaming services are doing everything they can to bring you a bigger selection of great content than usual.
There are indeed so many new Netflix movies and TV shows debuting this weekend that this list could include them all. But in the interest of fairness, we want to give you a much broader streaming selection, so we’ve only included three, with the long-awaited Rebel Moon – The Director’s Cut take the lead. If you’ve had enough Zack Snyder for this year, there’s plenty of other stuff to choose from on Max, Prime Video, and more. Happy streaming!
Rebel Moon – The Director’s Cut (Netflix)
I’m not a huge fan of Zack Snyder, but I was still curious to see what Rebel Moon (essentially a Star Wars movie pitch that Snyder repurposed for a new Netflix sci-fi franchise) had to offer when the first chapter dropped in December 2023. Short story: I was disappointed. You can read my Rebel Moon Part One review for more on why it failed to impress me. The sequel – Rebel Moon Part Two – did the same in April.
But with Rebel Moon – The Director’s CutWith the six-hour cinematic extravaganza that Netflix is calling “Zack Snyder’s true vision” out now, I might be willing to give the director’s new Netflix films another chance. After all, it’s supposedly sexier, more lore-heavy, and more outrageously violent. With some requisite plot holes and truncated character development in its extended runtime, Rebel Moon might finally earn a spot on our list of the best Netflix movies. I’ll see if that happens when I watch it this weekend, and I encourage you to do the same to enjoy it (hopefully) as Snyder originally intended.
– Tom Power, Senior Entertainment Journalist
Batman: Caped Crusader (Prime Video)
Batman fans saddened by the news that The Batman 2 has been delayed until 2026 and will be happy to hear that there is a new animated Dark Knight series, Batman: Masked Crusadercan be streamed on Prime Video starting this weekend.
Produced by JJ Abrams (Star Trek), Matt Reeves (The Batsman), and Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series), this 10-part debut season—originally slated for Max—sends Batman battling it out in 1940s Gotham with trench coats and Tommy guns. Hamish Linklater replaces the late, great Kevin Conroy as the voice of the titular superhero, while McKenna Grace, Jamie Chung, Christina Ricci, John DiMaggio and Minnie Driver star in supporting voice roles.
The guard described Batman: Masked Crusader as “a very satisfying, basic version of the hero”, so fans of the Batman: The Animated Series will definitely find a lot to like in this spiritual successor to that beloved ’90s show. Let’s hope it earns a spot on our list of the best Prime Video shows.
– Axel Metz, Telephone Editor
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (Disney Plus/Hulu)
This weekend there is an emergency landing on Hulu and Disney Plus Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the 10th (!) film set in the Planet of the Apes universe and a pseudo-sequel to Matt Reeves’ excellent War for the Planet of the Apes. It takes place about 300 years in the future, Kingdom revolves around an intelligent young ape named Noa (Owen Teague), whose clan of eagle-breeding chimpanzees is captured by the tyrannical bonobo Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand). Freya Allen and William H. Macy also play mysterious human roles, which I won’t spoil here.
In my Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes review, I described one of the many new movies of 2024 as a “highly entertaining post-apocalyptic adventure that stands on its own two feet,” so existing fans of the franchise needn’t worry about the absence of Andy Serkis’ Caesar. I also spoke to the film’s director, Wes Ball, who explained Kingdomthe film’s timeline, setting and cinematic universe, and why he had to shoot the entire film twice.
– Axel Metz, Telephone Editor
Women in Blue (Apple TV Plus)
If you want to learn something fun this weekend, Women in blue could teach you a lot about Mexico’s first female police force. The new 10-episode series is based on true stories about these women, who challenged the conservative norms of the 1970s by joining the police force.
What intrigued me most about Women in blue is the country’s first all-female team was just a diversion from the real issues, namely a ruthless serial killer that the press is very interested in. So the women set up a secret investigation to try to do what their male counterparts couldn’t. Good for them, honestly.
I’m really excited to check out this series, and since Apple has some great original programming like Ted Lasso And Parting (season 2 of Parting arriving in January!), I’m hoping for good things here. But, will it join our best Apple TV shows list? Only time will tell!
– Lucy Buglass, Senior Entertainment Writer
Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Ties (Max)
I’m not just a horror movie fan, I’m also a fan of classic cinema. Many of these legendary Hollywood films rely on star power, with many names becoming icons. One of them is the ever-brilliant Elizabeth Taylor, and there’s a new HBO documentary about her.
Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Ties is the latest project from documentary maker Nanette Burstein, known for Hillary and the Netflix series Murderer Sally. This time around, she’s putting Taylor in the spotlight, using newly discovered interviews and access to the star’s personal archive to allow her to tell her own story. The film is said to “challenge audiences to rethink their legacy,” and you can expect to see personal photos, home movies and clips from her iconic roles throughout.
– Lucy Buglass, Senior Entertainment Writer
Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie (Netflix)
I can’t wait to get started with the new Saving Bikini Bottoms: The Sandy Cheeks Movie, which is based on the beloved cartoon series Spongebob Squarepants which I’m sure everyone still loves to this day. In Saving Bikini Bottoms: The Sandy Cheeks Movie, Sandy and SpongeBob head to Sandy’s home state of Texas to rescue Patrick, Squidward, Mr. Krabs and the rest of their friends when Bikini Bottom is scooped out of the ocean.
To complete this nostalgic film trip, the film features the regular voice cast of the Spongebob Squarepants series, starring Tom Kenny as SpongeBob, Carolyn Lawrence as Sandy, Clancy Brown as Mr. Krabs, and Bill Fagerbakke as Patrick. I have fond memories of coming home from school and watching Spongebob Squarepants, so i’m curious what Saving Bikini Bottoms: The Sandy Cheeks Movie has in store.
– Grace Morris, Entertainment Writer
A Good Guide to Murder for Girls (Netflix)
Emma Myers instantly won me over with her memorable performance as the energetic werewolf student Enid Sinclair in the hit Netflix series Wednesday, so I’m looking forward to seeing her in the twisty mystery A Good Guide to Murder for Girls.
Based on the novel by Holly Jackson, A Good Guide to Murder for Girls follows Pip Fitz-Amobi (Myers) as she investigates the murder of a local schoolgirl that still haunts her town five years later. The series has already earned a whopping 90% Rotten Tomatoes score after debuting on July 1 across other channels in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, so it’s entirely possible that A Good Guide to Murder for Girls could end up on our list of best Netflix series.
– Grace Morris, Entertainment Writer
For more streaming coverage, check out our guides on the best Disney Plus shows , best Paramount Plus movies , best Hulu shows , and best Max movies .
