Amazon and MGM+ may have just delivered one of the most unique superhero shows in years with Spider-Noir. Early reactions across the internet have been overwhelmingly positive, with critics praising the series’ striking noir aesthetic, Nicolas Cage’s magnetic performance, and its refreshing departure from the traditional Marvel formula.

Set in a gritty 1930s New York, the series follows Ben Reilly, an aging private investigator haunted by his past life as the city’s masked vigilante. Rather than leaning into modern superhero spectacle, Spider-Noir embraces detective noir, gangster drama, smoky jazz lounges, femme fatales, and brutal street-level crime. The result feels less like a standard comic book adaptation and more like a lost Humphrey Bogart thriller that just happens to feature Spider-Man.

And at the center of it all is Nicolas Cage, who appears completely locked into the role. Multiple critics have singled him out as the show’s greatest strength, with some describing the performance as “peak Nicolas Cage” in the best possible way. Cage reportedly approached the character as “70% Bogart and 30% Bugs Bunny,” and somehow that bizarre combination works perfectly for the tone this series is chasing.

One of the biggest talking points online has been the show’s presentation. Spider-Noir will be available in both full color and authentic black-and-white versions, though nearly every early reaction suggests the monochrome format is the definitive way to watch it. Critics say the black-and-white cinematography gives the series a timeless quality that separates it from nearly every superhero project currently streaming.

Spider-man: Noir [credit: MGM studios]

The internet reaction has also compared the atmosphere and style to Batman: The Animated Series, with viewers praising its moody visuals, mature storytelling, and commitment to noir worldbuilding.

That said, some reviews note the supporting cast occasionally gets overshadowed by Cage’s larger-than-life performance. Still, most critics agree the series succeeds because it fully commits to its identity instead of trying to imitate the MCU formula.

Currently sitting at 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, Spider-Noir already looks poised to become a breakout hit among comic book fans looking for something darker, stranger, and far more cinematic than the average superhero series.

Marvel has spent years experimenting with multiverse storytelling, but Spider-Noir may finally be the project that proves these alternate Spider-Man worlds can truly stand on their own.

Miles Teller recently found himself making headlines for selling his stake in a liquor company, but more pertinently, for an infamous profile that soured him on film promotions. Teller had just broken out as the star of Damien Chazelle‘s Whiplash back when the profile was published, and was looking to take his career to the next level by doing what every young actor in Hollywood was advised by their teams to do at the time: star in a superhero movie. But Teller’s sole experience in the genre was the 2015 Fantastic Four reboot, inarguably the biggest superhero fiasco in decades. He’s done well for himself since then, despite Fantastic Four tanking and his relationship with Chazelle going south. He was the second lead in one of the decade’s most memorable blockbusters, Top Gun: Maverick, and has proven time and again that he can be a crowd-puller.

Just last year, he appeared alongside Elizabeth Olsen and Callum Turner in the fantasy dramedy Eternity, which quietly grossed more than $30 million at the box office, earned excellent reviews, and has become a fixture on the Apple TV viewership charts in recent months. Teller is no stranger to success on Apple, having headlined one of the streamer’s most successful original movies with Anya Taylor-Joy. The genre-bending hit, which combined elements of sci-fi, conspiracy thriller, romance, and horror, recently hit a massive milestone on the Apple TV charts.

Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy’s Streaming Hit Just Passed a Major Milestone

We’re talking, of course, about The Gorge. Directed by Scott Derrickson, the movie appeared, on the surface, to be one of those pandemic-era productions shot entirely on soundstages with a small crew, but it has been performing like a full-blown tent pole on streaming. According to FlixPatrol, The Gorge has spent 450 days on the domestic Apple TV chart, trailing only hits such as Greyhound and The Family Plan, which were released years earlier. The Gorge now holds a 62% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus reads, “Mixing multiple genres, The Gorge makes for a surprisingly endearing romance until its action-thriller obligations steer proceedings back onto a more predictable path.” Taylor-Joy will hope to continue this momentum with her upcoming Apple TV series Lucky, due out on July 15. Teller, on the other hand, recently starred in the blockbuster biopic Michael, and will next be seen in the awards season favorite Paper Tiger. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

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Release Date

February 28, 2025

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Runtime

127 Minutes

Director

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Scott Derrickson

Writers

Zach Dean

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Producers

Gregory Goodman, C. Robert Cargill, Dana Goldberg, David Ellison, Don Granger, Miles Teller, Sherryl Clark, Adam Kolbrenner

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Gypsy Rose Blanchard got ready for the summer with a new bikini photo shoot.

The Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up star, 34, shared a photo of herself wearing a pink bikini top and jean shorts during a beach outing in Santa Monica, California, on Saturday, May 30. In another slide from her Instagram carousel, Blanchard watched as waves serenely crashed along the California shoreline.

Blanchard has been open about losing weight since her release from prison in December 2023. (Gypsy served just over eight years of a 10-year sentence in prison for her involvement in the 2015 murder of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard. She completed parole in June 2025.)

After welcoming her daughter Aurora with boyfriend Ken Urker in December 2024, she revealed on her reality series, Gypsy Rose: Life After Lockup, that she’d lost around 25lbs.

Related: Gypsy Rose Blanchard Returns to Brunette 1 Month After Going Blonde

Gypsy Rose Blanchard returned to her roots. Blanchard, 32, took to TikTok on Monday, June 3, to show off her brunette hair transformation. In the clip, she shook her hair around while showing off the makeover. Blanchard paired her shoulder-length cut with a strapless blue top and a gold necklace featuring the letter “K,” a […]

“I’ve seen a lot of comments of people asking how I lost the weight so my weight loss journey started once getting out of prison … when I started eating healthier instead of prison food, the weight begin to fall off,” Gypsy explained on the Lifetime show. “I started eating twice a day and smaller portions.”

More recently, Gypsy confirmed that she never actually planned to lose weight and had not used GLP-1 medications to slim down.

“OK, y’all, I’m not gatekeeping. My weight loss came from life circumstances,” Blanchard wrote via Instagram on March 4. “After being released two years ago, my lifestyle changed a lot — from commissary junk food to home-cooked meals and trying new foods.”

The now-deleted post showed her stepping onto a scale that read 108.2lbs and later showcased her flat stomach in a blue crop top.

“I don’t follow a workout routine (though I’d love one), I don’t limit my diet and I don’t use GLP-1,” she mentioned. “I wasn’t actively trying to lose weight … my whole life just changed and adjusted to freedom.”

Earlier this week, Gypsy weighed in on the social media debate over Netflix’s true crime documentary The Crash, which explores whether Ohio teen Mackenzie Shirilla deliberately killed her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and their friend Davion Flanagan by crashing her car into a brick wall in 2022.

Shirilla, now 21, has always denied that she intentionally crashed the car, with her lawyers blaming the incident on a blackout caused by postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). (Per Mayo Clinic, POTS is a nervous system disorder that can cause dizziness, fainting and extensive fatigue.)

Shirilla was convicted during a 2023 bench trial of 12 felony charges, including murder, and ordered to serve two concurrent sentences of 15 years to life imprisonment. She is serving her sentence at the Ohio Reformatory for Women prison in Marysville, Ohio.

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Related: Gypsy Rose Blanchard Used Toothpaste and Pen Ink to Make Mascara in Jail

JC Olivera/WireImage Gypsy Rose Blanchard had to get creative when it came to makeup while in jail. Gypsy, 32, who served seven years at the Chillico Correctional Center in Missouri after being convicted of second-degree murder for the death of her mother, Claudine “Dee Dee” Blanchard, explained via TikTok in a Wednesday, May 15, video […]

On the Thursday, May 28, “TMZ Podcast” episode, Gypsy predicted that Shirilla will not get “early parole” because she has not shown sufficient remorse.

“Most importantly, [you have to show] remorse,” Gypsy argued. “And family. So, if the victim’s family writes against her parole, she will automatically be denied. I’ve seen it happen time and time again with different women [who were] in my prison. They prioritize the victim’s family above everything.”

Shirilla will be eligible for parole in October 2037.

Jim Rash is the very definition of the word multihyphenate. He’s an actor, Academy Award-winning writer, producer, and director, and he’s left his fingerprints on just about every television series you can imagine. Most recently, he’s at the helm of HBO Max’s new movie Miss You, Love You, an original drama both written and directed by Rash, starring Academy Award winner Allison Janney and Tony Award nominee Andrew Rannells. But before he tried his hand behind the camera, Rash had a pretty incredible stint with small roles and as extras, working with Steven Spielberg, Al Pacino, and landing a spot in the series finale of Friends.

While chatting with Rash about Miss You, Love You, a low-budget, 17-day shoot about two strangers who form a bond through their grief, anger, and resentment, Collider’s Steve Weintraub had the opportunity to revisit a highlight reel of Rash’s career. From his beginnings with The Groundlings to penning the Oscar-winning screenplay for The Descendants, he discusses everything from his greatest failure to the “prickly” on-set atmosphere for the final episode of Friends, and “flop-sweating” in front of Pacino and Catherine Keener.

Don’t miss the full conversation in the video above or the transcript below, where Rash also discusses how Miss You, Love You is a return to “a swath of types of films we love” that Hollywood has designated to the back burner. He shares how HBO Films championed their harried production, how Janney and Rannells conquered a 25-page dialogue scene, 15-minute takes, and why this drama is exactly what audiences are missing these days.

Jim Rash Reflects on Filming the ‘Friends’ Series Finale

“They couldn’t be lovelier.”

Image via NBC

COLLIDER: With Disclosure Day coming up, which is the new Spielberg, do you have a favorite Steven Spielberg movie — without saying Minority Report, since you’re in it?

JIM RASH: Oh, that’s not fair.

Or you could say Minority Report.

RASH: Well, that’s a whole other story, because I’m in but not in it. That’s a story for another day. I don’t know. E.T.?

There’s no wrong answer.

RASH: There can’t be, right? It’s all of them. But then maybe that’s just because, certainly for my generation, that was close to your heart.

With The Odyssey coming out this summer, do you have a favorite Chris Nolan movie?

RASH: Oh my God. Memento?

Sure. Again, no wrong answer.

RASH: No wrong answer. But I love it. I think story and craft-wise, I mean, it breaks your brain.

You were in the very last episode of Friends as a, quote-unquote, nervous male passenger. What was it like being in one episode of Friends, which happens to be the series finale?

RASH: Oh, a complete joy because I arrived in LA in ‘94, I think in their first year, and this was 10 years later, obviously. They were in, understandably, the crew and them, such an emotional place because they were closing a chapter. So, it did feel like you were like a guest in a very prickly — and I don’t mean “prickly” in a negative way, I just mean like, “I’m just gonna come in, do my business, and let them be emotionally understanding that they’re dealing with stuff.” But they couldn’t be lovelier for having all that on their heads right there.

Who was the most excited in your life that you had booked Friends?

RASH: Outside of myself? [Laughs] Because I only live in my own world. That’s hard. I can’t answer that question because I don’t know if there’s a particular one.

You and Nat [Faxon] have a very successful relationship, and I’m just curious, what is the thing that you guys tend to always disagree about?

RASH: There’s not much, but maybe how much we can take on. Because he wants to keep throwing things out, and I’m like, “That’s not how it works.” I like to focus on one thing. He goes, “But I want to do that too.” And that is a great impression of him. “I want to do that too.”

It’s interesting you say that, though. I know a lot of directors, and the reason why they’re attached to six things is they don’t know what’s going to get made.

RASH: And that’s what he would say if you were our therapist and you were batting back and forth. He would say, “Yeah, but we don’t know what’s going to go.” But even for me, I don’t mind a couple of things, but I like to do a few things well.

Jim Rash Reveals His “Favorite Failure” — And the Sketch That Bombed Hard

“It’s a blessed event to crash and burn in front of 99 people.”

Image via NBC.

You have a Grounding background, and I’m curious how that impacts when you’re writing dialogue? Do you act out certain things?

RASH: I walk, or I pace, whether it’s by myself or even with Nat, pacing. In this particular movie, acting out all the characters, at least my version of what it was, because I like rhythm. I do think Groundlings helped me not just with character-based comedy. Even though that’s sketch comedy, we do get to the heart of why these sketch characters are the way they are, and that gives it another layer and then structure. Groundlings was a graduate school for me, so I really was learning structure, even in a five-page version of it.

Between Mike Tyson Mysteries and DuckTales, you voiced some very eccentric characters. Do you find it easier to find a character’s soul through a drawing or through the costume?

RASH: There’s something tactile about having something on. I remember Fly Me to the Moon, which is fabulous clothes. I knew a lot once I put those clothes on.

You were great in that.

RASH: Thank you. And not that a drawing doesn’t do that, but I would say, if you made me choose, I think putting something on helps.

What looks great on screen, but is miserable to film?

RASH: Well, I did Sky High. This was early days. I’m sure they’ve worked it out. The Marvel world understands costumes. We were using, like, the once-you-got-in-it-you-couldn’t-get-out type thing, so they were very hot. I wore this, and they was sort of cumbersome and you couldn’t sit, so they’d have these kinds of chairs that you could just lean against. So, the advancement’s been made, but it looks fun, and it’s a fun character to play. But the morning of sitting in the chair for a long time, you just have to process that, “They’re going to put a bunch of glue on me. We’ll get this on. It’s going to take a while.”

Image via Buena Vista/courtesy Everett Collection

It’s so funny because a lot of people from the outside don’t really understand what it’s like on set and how unglamorous it can be.

RASH: At times, it can be. I mean, it’s all like a playground once you really take a step back and go, like, “I’m grateful for it.” But there was one where the character looks great, but then you realize how much it takes to get into that, and that paled in comparison to anyone on, like, a Star Trek or something.

What’s your favorite failure?

RASH: Well, my favorite failure of a small thing is going to be anything that’s on the Groundlings when you have a sketch that bombs, and I had a thing called “Big, Big Office.” You don’t need to know what it was about, because the audience didn’t want to know what it was about, because they hated it. All I know is it was deadly silent, and at one point, not kidding, a woman from the audience in the dark, all I heard was, “What is going on?” Angry. That’s my favorite failure because it’s a blessed event to crash and burn in front of 99 people.

What’s the most amount of takes you’ve ever done?

RASH: As an actor?

Yes. And then as a director.

RASH: Lord, I did an excruciating, probably 10, I would say, takes when I was in S1m0ne. I’m guessing that was the number of takes. It felt probably like 27. Not because the director wanted it, because I was flop-sweat, Albert Brooks, not remembering my speech, and Al Pacino and Catherine Keener were behind me, and I couldn’t look them in the eyes because I’d just met them. I had one of two flop-sweat moments. One is with the man on your T-shirt, [Steven Spielberg]. Like, Albert Brooks, that was my life.

Image via New Line/courtesy Everett Collection

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I can’t imagine going through that when you’re on set.

RASH: It’s awful. If we had more time, I’d tell you both those stories. And one day I will tell that man the story, because I bet you he doesn’t even know.

What’s the most amount of takes you’ve done as a director?

RASH: To be honest with you, certainly with Way, Way Back, and now with Miss You, Love You, the time was not our… It’s like a three-take thing. So I would say in Downhill we had a little bit more time, and a budget that allowed us, and we had scenes that were very involved. But I would say Julia Louis-Dreyfus — not because she wouldn’t do it; she was given so many different things, but we had to do so many different things on her. I mean, she must have done 20 takes of those things. Again, all gold, just us needing it.

No, totally, and also for coverage. I totally get it.

‘Miss You, Love You’ Returns to the Kinds of Films Hollywood’s Forgotten

“We easily forget the wide swath of types of films we love.”

Image via HBO Max

Getting into why I get to talk to you today, congrats on the movie. I am very confused, though. The movie doesn’t have explosions.

RASH: Nope.

And it’s a lot of people talking.

RASH: Yeah.

So how exactly did you get this made?

RASH: [Laughs] That is very fair, and I’m thankful I’m sitting in front of you. Because many people, including Gigi Pritzker, Madison Wells, and my friend Kevin Walsh, pushed us to the finish line knowing that we had something, and then also Allison [Janney] and Andrew [Rannells] certainly help when they react to something. And while we’re doing it on a small budget on the scales, it’s the movies you love to make, but it’s tough. But every time someone watches a movie like this, and it’s not just this movie, we’re like, “Oh, I miss this!” And I think we easily forget the wide swath of types of films we love. And thank God HBO opened their doors and brought us in and made us part of their home because it’s kind of where these things are.

Image via HBO Max

The thing is, this kind of movie, they used to make a lot of them, and then they’re just gone. So now when I see one, I’m like, “Oh yes, I remember this.”

RASH: It can happen. The journey is always everyone’s got their story of how many years it takes to get something done. I even remember, and I’ve told this anecdote, when we were grateful enough to have the experience of The Descendants, as far as getting to watch Alexander Payne work, he talks a lot about making movies that in the ‘70s would be giant summer tentpoles or something. Not his exact words, but being told, “Oh, I’m making independent movies?” Which is fine. We’re blessed for it. But yeah, it’s lovely to think about that.

I’m always fascinated by how projects change along the way. So you start writing this thing. I know you put a lot of yourself into Andrew’s character, but ultimately, from where he started to what people are going to watch, did it go through radical changes, or was it pretty much, “This is the idea?”

RASH: I guess inevitably it goes through changes, both within my own confines of writing, but when Andrew and Allison came on, I wasn’t having to change the part for them because they could tap into it. I think if anything, it’s like you said, that table for the first time with them, and you start to see where you can pull some words out because they’re giving you beauty within the lines, and that kind of stuff. But I think for the most part, save for the usual trims and cuts, I got what I wrote.

Jim Rash Filmed a 25-Page Scene as One Continuous First Act

The director explains how Allison Janney and Andrew Rannells pulled off a 15-minute take.

Image via HBO Max

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I was so impressed at the beginning of the movie. It is like a play, except a movie, but the first act, I don’t know how many pages of dialogue they did, but it must have been about 1,000. I’m exaggerating, but…

RASH: No, it was 1,000 pages.

What was it like actually filming that, where you need to figure out the blocking and all of that, because you’re in one location, but they have to deliver so much, and you obviously don’t have a lot of time?

RASH: Yes, technically, structurally, the first act is one scene. So like, the first 25 pages are technically one scene for sure.

You sure it’s 25? I thought it was 1,000.

RASH: It’s almost 1,000. It hopefully didn’t feel like 1,000, but I hear what you’re saying. From the minute she opens the door and lets him in to the minute she agrees to let him stay, that’s pretty much act one story structure. So, we took that scene and divided it with Danny Moder, our DP, into three doable chunks.

One of those chunks had to be 13 pages, so for one day, we shot in three days that particular chunk. So what we got to do, though, for their benefit, was we did a long 15-minute takes where they just performed those 13 pages over and over and over again. We were all very quiet for 15 minutes, which allowed them to be very much in the moment. So, it’s stressful, and then I guess you leave the day going, “We got 13!” But, yeah, at least the first act was very much a challenge, as was the fight towards the later part.

There’s some really emotional stuff in the third act, and I’m so curious, as a director, when you have to have actors that are going to really emotionally be vulnerable, and as an actor yourself, how much are you doing the rehearsals of these full scenes in advance, and how much do you want to save the raw emotion that can come out for when you’re actually on set?

RASH: Rehearsal time is limited, especially in these small movies where we have 17 days. We would say, “We have to get them here,” or early in, “Let’s do a little rehearsal.” I had them for a couple of days in the house before we even started shooting to do some of those larger, chunkier things. Not that we got up to the full performance, emotional stuff.

But I feel like at some point you have to sort of read where the actor is going. You can see where this very a lot after a lot. But Allison and Andrew, I would say, for the most part, we do things in three takes. For the most part. But yes, we would get them in the room, see where they wanted to go, and, for the most part, hopefully, follow their lead, unless we were like, “That’s too many setups. We can’t go over there, but what’s over here?” [Laughs]

Miss You, Love You is available to stream now on HBO Max.

Tom Holland is opening up about the surprising new direction behind Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and it sounds like Marvel and Sony are taking Peter Parker into completely uncharted territory.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day Cover [credit: Empire Magazine]

Speaking with Empire, Holland revealed that he actually pitched part of the movie’s story himself, describing it as a “Spider-puberty” concept centered around Peter Parker evolving into adulthood while dealing with dramatic new changes to his powers. According to Holland, “They liked the idea,” and the film appears ready to push Spider-Man further than fans have seen before.

The comments line up with everything Marvel has teased so far about the upcoming movie. Following the emotional ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker is now completely alone in New York after Doctor Strange’s spell erased him from everyone’s memory. Marvel has repeatedly described Brand New Day as a “fresh start” for the character, with Holland himself calling it “the first movie in the next chapter.”

What makes the new film especially interesting is the reported evolution of Peter’s abilities. Early details surrounding the movie suggest his powers may begin mutating in unexpected ways, including the possibility of organic webbing similar to Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man films.

Holland also recently explained that the story is heavily focused on identity and growing up, saying the film explores “when young people really find their identity and become adults.”

Spider-Man: Brand New Day Cover [credit: Empire Magazine]

That more grounded coming-of-age direction appears to be exactly what Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige wants for the franchise moving forward. Feige has teased that the movie will deliver a more “classic” Spider-Man story after years of multiverse chaos.

The film is also set to bring in some major new faces. Jon Bernthal is expected to appear as The Punisher, creating what Holland described as a “big brother-little brother rivalry” dynamic between Frank Castle and Peter Parker.

Meanwhile, fans are already buzzing over the film’s darker tone, practical effects, and newly revealed suit design that leans closer to the classic comic book look.

With Spider-Man: Brand New Day positioned as a full reset for Holland’s version of Peter Parker, Marvel may finally be giving fans the street-level Spider-Man story they’ve wanted for years.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theaters July 31, 2026.

Later this year, in an attempt to shake off the disappointment of Captain America: Brave New World, Anthony Mackie is returning to the MCU, although this time as a small cog in a big machine. In Avengers: Doomsday, scheduled for release on December 18, the MCU is making its biggest leap yet this decade, including the controversial return of Robert Downey Jr., this time as the villainous Doctor Doom instead of Iron Man. Mackie and Downey Jr. join an eye-watering cast in the movie, including Vanessa Kirby, Pedro Pascal, Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Tom Hiddleston, Florence Pugh, and many, many more.

With less than six months to go until the clock strikes Doomsday, Marvel fans will be wanting to fill the time with relevant movies and shows. Next month, you can catch one of the new Captain America’s recent movies for free in the U.S. Directed by Academy Award record-breaker Kathryn Bigelow, 2017’s Detroit is a crime drama set against the backdrop of race relations in the summer of 1967, also starring the likes of Jason Mitchell, Kaitlyn Dever, Will Poulter, and Star Wars‘ John Boyega.

Sadly, the film struggled to entice audiences, despite impressing critics. At the box office, against a reported budget of $40 million, Detroit only managed a global haul of $26 million. Split between $16.8 million in domestic revenue and a further $9.2 million from overseas markets, this was one of the year’s most frustrating theatrical flops. Almost a decade on, and you can help redeem this underrated crime drama‘s legacy, as Detroit becomes available to stream for free on Plex starting June 1, 2026.

It Took Kathryn Bigelow Eight Years to Make Another Movie

Following the major box office disappointment of Detroit, it would take Bigelow eight years to return to the feature film director’s chair, and this time she was teaming up with a streamer. In 2025, Bigelow debuted A House of Dynamite, a politically charged thriller that tapped into fears of nuclear war. Written by Noah Oppenheim, the film featured a star-studded cast, including Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, Tracy Letts, Anthony Ramos, and more. Although failing to impress critics, A House of Dynamite became a big hit for Netflix and consistently topped the U.S. streaming charts.

Detroit will be available to stream on Plex next month. Stay tuned to Collider for more streaming stories.

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Release Date

July 28, 2017

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144minutes

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An ending can make or break a movie. Audiences will forgive clunky dialogue, ridiculous action, or paper-thin villains as long as the finale delivers a satisfying payoff. There are subpar movies with great endings that make audiences walk away feeling high, but there are also entertaining movies that plunge themselves into ridicule because they fail to stick the landing. Some endings are so frustrating that they overshadow everything that came before them, leaving viewers more annoyed than thrilled once the credits roll.

Here, we take a look at some action movies with the worst endings. Most of these movies have strong foundations, but they just forgot to conclude them neatly. These movies stumble into endings that feel unfinished, overly convoluted, emotionally hollow, or simply absurd. From fake-out conclusions to inconsequential universe-breaking twists, these action movies crash-land their endings and become memorable in ways they do not want. Warning: spoilers galore!

10

‘The Grey’ (2011)

Image via Open Road Films

The Grey follows a group of oil workers stranded in the Alaskan wilderness after a plane crash. Led by the group’s sharpshooter John Ottway (Liam Neeson), the men have to withstand freezing conditions and a relentless pack of wolves hunting them one by one. The film also stars Frank Grillo and Dermot Mulroney.

The Grey is not a bad film at all, and its infamous ending is actually in line with its introspective and philosophical tone. However, the marketing and trailers promised the audience “Liam Neeson versus wolves,” when it was actually a gritty, character-driven story. The ending sees Ottway preparing to fight the alpha wolf in what appears to be an inevitable last stand, only for the movie to cut to black before the battle begins. There is a brief post-credits shot which shows both the wolf and Ottway lying on the ground, both still breathing weakly. Depending on where you stand, the ending can be considered a terrible one.

9

‘Terminator Genisys’ (2015)

Image via Paramount Pictures

Terminator Genisys attempts to reboot the Terminator franchise by setting it on a different timeline. The film follows Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) as he travels back in time to protect Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke), only to discover that Sarah is now a seasoned fighter raised by an aging Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Skynet is evolving into a new global operating system called Genisys.

The setup of Terminator Genisys is already wobbly. The film has one of the most badass and iconic characters being called Pops, and it is a standalone entry, but you still have to be familiar with the franchise to fully understand it. Its ending that teases future sequels undid everything that the characters went through. After seemingly defeating the immediate threat, the ending still teases that Skynet survives, clearly setting up sequels that never happened. Nothing feels resolved because Genisys is obsessed with launching a new trilogy instead of telling a complete story.

8

‘Edge of Darkness’ (2010)

Image via Warner Bros.

Edge of Darkness follows Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson), a Boston detective investigating the murder of his activist daughter, Emma (Bojana Novakovic). Believing that he was the intended target, he starts a mission to find out who’s responsible and uncover corporate and government corruption in the process.

As his first leading role after a brief hiatus following a notorious controversy, Mel Gibson shines in this action thriller. Helmed by Martin Campbell, who also directed Casino Royale, it is a gritty revenge flick with an ambitious storyline. However, its ending is too tacky for the film’s tone. After uncovering the conspiracy, Craven dies at the hospital before the spirit of his daughter comes to him and leads him to the bright light, which will probably trigger unintentional laughter. The film bombed at the box office, most likely because of its generic title and Gibson’s public persona, but that cheesy ending also did not help.

7

‘Savages’ (2012)

Image via Universal Pictures

Savages follows two California marijuana growers, Chon (Taylor Kitsch) and Ben (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), whose operation attracts the attention of a violent Mexican cartel. They share a romantic relationship with O (Blake Lively), and together they become trapped in a war with the cartel that escalates when O is kidnapped.

Leveraging the hottest young actors at the time, Savages is a solid crime film up until its fake-out ending. For a few minutes, the ending actually commits to a nihilistic tragedy. The three leads appear to die together in a murder-suicide after everything collapses around them; it’s bleak and honestly fitting for the story. Then the movie immediately reveals that the entire sequence was a dream imagined by O and that they actually survive and escape to start a new life abroad. It’s a Hollywood twist ending that doesn’t belong in this film, which is about violence and moral decay.

6

‘Extinction’ (2018)

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Extinction follows Peter (Michael Peña), a factory worker haunted by recurring nightmares about an alien invasion destroying humanity. His visions begin affecting his personal life and mental health until the invasion suddenly becomes real. Massive alien forces attack the city, forcing Peter, his wife Alice (Lizzy Caplan), and their two daughters to find safety.

Extinction is one of the very first studio films to be dumped on Netflix, so that says something about its quality. It has an intriguing premise executed badly, hinging on a big twist that reveals that these characters are sentient AIs, and the aliens are humans trying to reclaim Earth. It is a smart twist, but the film’s ending is unsure about who to root for, as the AIs are sealed off and the humans successfully seize the city. So, are we supposed to be on Peter’s side, whom we have been following from the start, or the humans? The twist muddles this perspective, and the film itself crumbles thanks to it.

5

‘Lucy’ (2014)

Image via Universal Pictures

Lucy follows the titular character, played by Scarlett Johansson, as an ordinary woman forced to transport a synthetic drug in her stomach. That drug accidentally leaks into her bloodstream, giving her rapidly expanding mental and physical abilities. As she unlocks her full brain powers, she gains powers ranging from telekinesis to mind control to reality manipulation.

By the climax, Lucy has become incredibly powerful, even transcending human powers. The ending is infamous because it crosses the line from ambitious to absurd. Lucy literally transforms herself into an omniscient entity who dissolves into space and time before leaving behind a USB drive containing infinite knowledge; basically, she becomes a cosmic supercomputer, meaning all her powers are equivalent to a programme on a USB stick, which is disappointing. Even more disappointing is that the film suggests that all that knowledge can be contained.

4

‘Sweet Girl’ (2021)

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Sweet Girl follows grieving husband Ray Cooper (Jason Momoa), whose wife died after the company pulled the drug that would save her off the market. As Ray and his daughter Rachel (Isabela Merced) try to expose the corruption within the company, they become targets, chased by hitmen.

After Ray and Rachel spend most of the movie on the run together, there is a twist revealing that Ray actually died earlier in the film and that Rachel has been imagining him while she carried out all the revenge missions. It is a nonsensical and bizarre twist that may have worked well in movies like Fight Club or A Beautiful Mind, but Sweet Girl lacks the careful construction of Rachel’s psychological state and journey to justify it. It gets worse too. Rachel continues to go on the run and exchanges all her money for cryptocurrency, which is a terrible financial decision to make in this economy.

3

‘The Flash’ (2023)

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The Flash centers on Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) using time travel to prevent his mother’s (Maribel Verdu) murder. He accidentally creates an alternate universe where Kryptonians led by General Zod (Michael Shannon) invade Earth, and he meets Supergirl (Sasha Calle) and another version of Batman (Michael Keaton). Now, he has to return to his original universe and try to stop different worlds from colliding.

The core story is actually very strong. In Barry’s journey through time, he realizes that he cannot undo what’s done in the past, but he can try to make it right, and the scene where he briefly reunites with his mother is touching. However, everything fails because the film, and most likely the studio, wanted to push the multiverse aspect when in fact, it is very distracting and inconsequential to the story. After Barry helps his father win, the film ends with a multiverse-breaking in-joke where he meets George Clooney’s Batman. The result is an expensive misfire that further sinks the DCEU.

2

‘Next’ (2007)

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Next follows Cris Johnson (Nicolas Cage), a Las Vegas magician whose secret trick is that he has the ability to see two minutes into his future, leading the government to recruit him to stop a nuclear terrorist attack by using his powers. The film also stars Jessica Biel and Julianne Moore. Admittedly, the movie has a laughable premise by today’s standards, yet the sheer star power sells it.

Alas, it has one of the most notorious cop-out endings in modern action cinema. After the terrorists detonate a nuclear bomb and countless people die, the film reveals that the entire final act was merely one of Cris’ visions of the future, which does not make sense because his whole shtick is that he can only see two minutes, not like a whole day. So, he simply rewinds the story by warning the FBI ahead of time. A similar trick is also used in Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2, but to a much more successful effect. In this film, it just felt lazy instead of shocking.

1

‘How It Ends’ (2018)

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How It Ends follows Will (Theo James) as he travels across a collapsing America with his girlfriend’s father, Tom (Forest Whitaker), after a mysterious apocalyptic event cuts off communication and plunges the country into chaos. As they travel to Seattle to find her, they find that roads are blocked by the military, finding themselves in the middle of desperate people trying to survive the disaster.

For a film with the title How It Ends, it never shows how it actually ended because it just abruptly stops. After spending most of its runtime building suspense around the apocalypse, Will reunites with her girlfriend, and they just continue their journey in post-apocalyptic America. It’s akin to that fake-out ending in The Simpsons Movie, but here, the film just continues to the end credits. It feels unfinished, as if the filmmakers ran out of ideas of how to close the film. Movies can leave questions unanswered, but maybe it should not be titled How It Ends.

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How It Ends

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Release Date

December 31, 1969

Runtime

113 minutes

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Director

David M. Rosenthal

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Lost is a TV show that dabbles in a couple of different themes. It follows a group of plane crash survivors, each of which has their time to shine in the spotlight thanks to the use of flashback scenes. However, they island they crash land on is more than meets the eye, as they encounter things beyond human understanding. These things let the show dip its toes into both sci-fi and fantasy.

The show, created by J. J. Abrams, famously tapers off in quality near the end, but is also known for being an all-time classic. Many people watch it over and over again, likely because the plot is so complex that multiple viewings are pretty beneficial. It’s not the most rewatchable fantasy TV show by a mile, though. There are a couple that are even more rewatchable.

6

‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ (2005–2008)

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Avatar: The Last Airbender might just be one of the most rewatchable cartoons of all time. A Nickelodeon original, it forgoes the typical Nick format and focuses more on the story than on the outrageous comedy. It’s not that it doesn’t have its fair share of laughs; it just places more attention on the continuity of things. This means that, unlike other Nick comedy series, this show can’t be picked up and dropped at a whim; it has to be watched from beginning to end in order to be understood.

The story follows a continent called the Four Nations, which is comprised of… well, four nations. These nations correspond to one of the elements: air, fire, earth, and water. The Fire Nation has become industrialized and begins a conquest against the other nations. The other nations, and their elemental sorcerers called “benders,” fight back valiantly, but are quickly losing. In the midst of a continent in chaos, it is said that a chosen one called the Avatar will arise, master the four elements, and bring harmony to the land. This show is so rewatchable because it’s funny, it’s got heart, an amazing world, and some genuine moral wisdom. It’s good for kids and adults, because it offers some sage life advice that we all could do well to remember. Evidently, Netflix knows people love rewatching this series, because they came out with a live-action adaptation in 2024.

5

‘Shadow and Bone’ (2021–2023)

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Shadow and Bone is a high fantasy series set in author Leigh Bardugo‘s Grishaverse, a shared universe where a significant chunk of her bibliography takes place. Unlike traditional high fantasy stories, which resemble Medieval Europe, this series feels more steampunk-ish and features a world more akin to the Victorian Era than the Middle Ages. Unfortunately for its dedicated fans, this show was axed after just two seasons. It’s not that it was bad–quite the opposite, in fact–it’s just that it wasn’t pulling in the ratings it really needed to succeed.

However, its fans still watch it, as do many of the readers of the original book series. The show was lauded for having witty, quippy dialogue, which is genuinely laugh-out-loud hilarious at times. Fans also adored its immersive world, unique setting, cast of lovable characters, and subtle punchlines, some of which are easy to miss if it’s your first time viewing. Even though it doesn’t really have a lot of episodes and is a fantasy series that can be finished in a weekend, it is still being rewatched. This is because there’s quite a bit to miss your first time around, and because the jokes and the world just never get old. Actually, it’s kind of a good thing that it’s so short, because it’s much easier to binge and re-binge that way.

4

‘What We Do in the Shadows’ (2019–2024)

Image via FX

What We Do in the Shadows has a pretty comical premise, true to its nature. This fantasy/horror/comedy is a simple “what if?” story, centering on what would happen if a bunch of vampires were dropped into the middle of present-day New York City. Obviously, these vampires would be pretty out of their element without Gothic castles and isolated landscapes, so a lot of hilarious situations arise as the vampires struggle to navigate through this new, weird world of ours.

The show is based on a 2014 movie of the same name, both of which were created by Taika Waititi, who is sort of known for his dark comedies. This show oozes his classic style, but also feels like a breath of fresh air in a sea of fantasy TV shows. It’s funny, raunchy, but also pretty serious at times, which is where it really shines. It’s a super fun show that never gets old, especially with how a lot of its punchlines can fly under the radar. Rewatch this one, and you’re bound to get a joke that you didn’t get last time, and this is probably true no matter how many times you rewatch it.

3

‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ (1997–2003)

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a massive hit for its time, for multiple reasons. The show stars Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy, who is an ordinary teenage girl by day, and a professional monster hunter by night. This was one of the earliest shows to pioneer the “monster-of-the-week” format, though it was far from the first to invent it. In short, vampires aren’t the only thing that Buffy is capable of slaying. This show is a lot less one-dimensional than it seems on the surface, however.

In fact, it became such a hit because it’s surprisingly relatable. Buffy might be a gifted individual with a really cool and dangerous, yet fictitious job, but she still has to navigate through the daily life of an adolescent. She still has to deal with the awkwardness of puberty, of the desire to fit in and belong, of having crushes, of seeking acceptance, and of finding her way and her purpose in life. Despite the fantastical setting, many of the things that Buffy feels are things that most people can relate to. It’s a great rewatch if you’re feeling lost in life, but also a great first watch if you happen to be a teenager yourself. It perfectly nailed the social climate of the late 90s and early 2000s, which is why it practically defined the era. Beyond that, people still rewatch this classic fantasy show today for nostalgic purposes.

2

‘His Dark Materials’ (2019–2022)

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His Dark Materials is based on a trilogy of novels by Phillip Pullman. Appropriately, this HBO series only lasted three seasons, one for each book. This is actually the second attempt at adapting the original series, following a disastrous movie adaptation in 2008. This movie was so bad that all plans for a franchise were canceled, and Hollywood refused to lay a finger on the books for over a decade. Make no mistake, though, this TV adaptation is much more faithful and has much higher quality.

The story is about a tyrannical organization called the Magisterium, which controls much of this parallel version of Earth. True to their name, they deal heavily in magical concepts and ideas, repressing people’s innate magical gifts and their special connection to their shape-shifting animal companions, called daemons. Standing against them is a youth named Lyra Belacqua (Dafne Keen), who has a daemon named Pantalaimon (Kit Connor), or “Pan” for short. The reason His Dark Materials is so rewatchable is that the show was made by fans of the book, who packed a lot of love into this series. There are countless references and Easter eggs to find, many of which only book readers will notice, and it’s almost impossible to catch them all on the first viewing. As such, the more one rewatches it, the more one notices about it, especially if they’ve read Pullman’s work.

1

‘Supernatural’ (2005–2020)

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Supernatural lasted a whopping 15 years before coming to a close, so you know they had to be doing something right. The story follows the two Winchester brothers, paranormal investigators who travel across the continental United States searching for new cases to tackle. But the things they encounter go beyond the simple ghosts and ghouls, as they frequently deal with vampires, demons, werewolves, and other monsters from folklore. This is one of those “monster-of-the-week” shows, which is to say, each episode features its own monster, or creature that the brothers do battle with.

Supernatural has a little bit of everything. It is primarily a drama, but it also includes bits of sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and its fair share of comedy as well. The main reason it’s so rewatchable is that it isn’t afraid to experiment and go outside its typical format to do something new. For example, one episode is entirely a musical, with little explanation given as to why the characters are suddenly singing everything they say. There’s just no telling what will come next, or how the show will surprise you in the following episode, which is why it never gets boring to rewatch.

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Release Date

2005 – 2020

Network

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The WB, The CW

Showrunner

Eric Kripke

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Directors

Philip Sgriccia, John F. Showalter, Kim Manners, Thomas J. Wright, Charles Beeson, Guy Norman Bee, Richard Speight Jr., Mike Rohl, John Badham, Steve Boyum, Amyn Kaderali, Jensen Ackles, Tim Andrew, Eduardo Sánchez, Jeannot Szwarc, P.J. Pesce, Nina Lopez-Corrado, James L. Conway, amanda tapping, J. Miller Tobin, Stefan Pleszczynski, John MacCarthy, Jerry Wanek, Ben Edlund

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Writers

Meredith Glynn, Davy Perez, Raelle Tucker, Cathryn Humphris, Brett Matthews, Nancy Won, John Bring, Ben Acker, Daniel Knauf, David Ehrman, James Krieg, Trey Callaway

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Love them or hate them, documentaries take themselves seriously when they dive deep into hefty material. From a jaunt through history to a grim true crime investigation, it might seem like a difficult genre to parody, but then came a character perfectly suited to mock through satire: Philomena Cunk. Before Netflix got its hold on Diane Morgan’s impeccable character, she had been lovingly terrorized British audiences for years. Then, Cunk on Earth arrived with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, and the world has never been the same.

Across five masterful episodes, the mockumentary parodies historical documentaries as the titular character guides audiences through the entire history of human civilization from prehistory to the present day. Engaging in actual interviews with mostly unsuspecting experts, Cunk — a well-meaning but clueless reporter — drops her brand of knowledge and deadpan nonsensical questions that keep viewers laughing. Mockumentary sitcoms be all the rage, but Cunk on Earth flips the camera, placing it on the individual asking the hard-hitting questions. In return, viewers are given the gift of perfect comedy like no other show on television.

‘Cunk on Earth’ Is a Comedy Masterclass

While mockumentary sitcoms focus on the subject, Cunk on Earth puts the camera on the documentarian who knows even less than we do. Prior to her global domination, Cunk was a British icon. Previous mockumentary topics included Shakespeare, Britain, and Christmas. Comparatively, they were simple topics, while Cunk on Earth focuses on history, culture, science, and technology. The series is truly a showcase of Morgan’s masterclass character. Created by Charlie Brooker of Black Mirror fame, Cunk on Earth looks and sounds like a lavish BBC documentary, including stunning drone shots, sweeping landscapes, and rich historical context. That is then completely juxtaposed with utter nonsense, led by a incompetent narrator.

The series is brilliantly crafted, and the mundane is elevated thanks to Morgan’s top-tier comic prowess. Her deadpan delivery is unmatched. A beloved comedian outside the character, Morgan knows Cunk inside and out, providing a bulletproof confidence while being dead wrong in every scene. Though she’s admitted the occasional crack, the simple fact that she is rarely seen breaking character, committing fully, only makes the viewing experience funnier. The distinguished historians and academics play into the comedy as they are rendered bewildered by the one-liners she recites as if they are undisputed facts. We don’t laugh at them, but at the situation they find themselves in. History documentaries might not everyone’s cup of tea, but with Cunk at the helm, how could anyone turn away?

The Toughest Questions Get Asked by Cunk Through Necessary Satire

The draw of Cunk on Earth is the painstakingly authentic expert interviews. The one-on-ones are not meant to be gotcha moments; instead, they serve as a platform to recontextualize everything we thought we knew. Sharp satire is at the root of the series. Many of the topics explored throughout the five-part series are extraordinarily deep, and yet, through Philomena’s line of questioning and commenting, you’re left pondering the topics in a new light. When Cunk asks if Jesus was the “first victim of cancel culture” it’s not just hilarious, it’s using satire to call out parallels between history and our world today. Cunk on Earth gives viewers the freedom to think in ways they may not have before.

Who else is better equipped to ask what is more culturally significant, the Renaissance or “Single Ladies” by Beyoncé? Had it not been for Cunk on Earth, we might not have ever known the history of the Belgian techno anthem “Pump Up the Jam.” These are just examples of the sheer brilliance of the series’ writing. Like a smart comedy should, the recurring gags sprinkled in each of the five episodes make the series an entertaining binge. Between “Pump Up the Jam” and her mate, Paul, the bits and bobs add flavor to the writing.

Cunk on Earth is perfectly ridiculous. No other character could get away with what Cunk does. And there is no one else we could trust with the history of the world other than Cunk. An easy single-seat binge, Cunk on Earth will lead you to watch Cunk on Life as you await the upcoming Cunk on Cinema. We’ve seen her grisly commentary on technology; there’s no telling how she’ll take AI in Hollywood.

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Release Date

January 31, 2023

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Cast

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  Diane Morgan

  Philomena Cunk

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Although little is still known about it, it has now been confirmed that a second sequel to the ’80s action blockbuster Top Gun — following the enormous, billion-dollar success of its cinema-saving sequel, Top Gun: Maverick — is now in the works. Currently in early development at Paramount, Christopher McQuarrie has confirmed that the idea for a third Top Gun movie has been developed, with plans to pen a script now underway. Sometime soon, we’re likely to get another update on the journey to more Maverick.

As excitement for Top Gun 3 builds, it’s worth reminding oneself of where the action began. Released in 1986, the late Tony Scott directed the action classic, which also starred Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, Michael Ironside, and more. The film shot to success, scoring the highest box office haul of any movie in 1986 (both domestically and worldwide), and holds its place as a consistent streaming favorite, despite modern competition.

Do you feel the need, the need to stream? Well, it seems most of the country does. At the time of writing, Top Gun is one of the ten most-streamed movies on Paramount+ in the U.S. Worldwide, the movie also ranks in the top ten, even outperforming its blockbuster sequel. This streaming success comes just a couple of weeks after Top Gun returned to the big screen for its 40th anniversary. The film earned a $3.3 million haul from 2,295 locations nationwide in its three-day revival, even helping it climb the all-time ranks and surpass the $259 million earned by 2009’s Fast & Furious.

What’s Next for Tom Cruise?

It’s been almost a decade since Cruise has starred in a non-franchise film, since 2017’s American Made. After finally flying off into the sunset as Ethan Hunt in 2025’s Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, Cruise’s attention now turns to a fresh new chapter in his career, and one that might get him back on the awards hunt. Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu in his first English-language film since his 2015 hit The Revenant, the upcoming satirical black comedy Digger is scheduled to hit theaters on October 2, 2026, in time for festival and awards season. Cruise stars in the film alongside the likes of John Goodman, Riz Ahmed, Jesse Plemons, Sandra Hüller, and more.

Top Gun is streaming on Paramount+. Stay tuned to Collider for all the latest streaming stories.

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Release Date

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May 16, 1986

Runtime

110 minutes

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Director

Tony Scott

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