It’s always a little subjective when someone calls a movie a 10/10, no notes kind of experience, but there are quite a few Netflix originals that make that argument easier than others. Those types of fantastic Netflix films feel carefully created from beginning to end, whether due to their sharp storytelling, emotional power, visual style, strong performances, or rewatch value.

Movies like the underrated action masterpiece The Old Guard, which transforms an immortal warrior action story into something with real depth, and Beasts of No Nation, which stands as a truly devastating war drama, are two Netflix originals that deliver so strongly on what it sets out to do that defending the film as genuinely masterful is quite easy. Compiled on this list are brilliant Netflix movies that are 10/10, no notes required.

‘Roma’ (2018)

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Roma is a pretty defensible movie as a noteworthy 10/10 experience, simply because of its control and ability to never lose its emotional humanity. Set in early-1970s Mexico City, the historical drama follows a domestic worker, Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), who’s being kept busy caring for a middle-class family as they practically disintegrate against the backdrop of political upheaval all amid her unexpected pregnancy.

Roma wields dynamite control over its cinematic space. From the movie’s black-and-white cinematography, which doesn’t merely beautify memory but also gives everyday life a striking sense of importance and intimacy, to its carefully constructed compositions and patient camera movements, nearly every frame of the 10/10 experience feels significant. Roma is an emotionally cumulative and technically extraordinary film that stands strong as a Netflix masterpiece with a well-deserved reputation for being absolutely fantastic.

‘The Ritual’ (2017)

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This Netflix movie may look like a regular lost-in-the-woods horror movie, but its masterful execution makes it a great standout that is arguably one of the best 10/10 watches on the platform. The Ritual focuses on a group of friends whose trip hiking in Sweden after a tragedy turns completely awry as strange and terrifying things begin to happen.

The Ritual is a perfect film for viewers who desire a story with plenty of psychological unease and also value atmosphere. With the movie’s use of trauma, isolation, friendship, and folklore to create a sense of dread that quite steadily grows without relying on cheap scares, the film easily stands as one of Netflix’s most defensible horror gems. The Ritual is careful enough that its monster story never feels separated from the characters’ emotional trauma, and with its horror tropes, it’s arguably one of Netflix’s greatest films in the genre.

‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’ (2020)

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Few selections in Netflix’s movie catalog test the idea of a 10/10, no notes film harder than the 2020 watch, I’m Thinking of Ending Things. The Charlie Kaufman-directed drama, adapted from the book of the same name, focuses on a young woman who’s on a strange trip through a snowstorm with her boyfriend to meet his family at an isolated farmhouse.

I’m Thinking of Ending Things is definitely a movie that’s received a very mixed bag of compliments and critiques. Some call it boring, while others dub it an extremely clever watch. Kaufman doesn’t offer a simple mystery that rewards audiences with a literal solution; instead, the film quite deliberately blurs fantasy, reality, memory, and identity, which forces viewers to piece together the movie’s emotional meaning rather than search for one straightforward explanation. For those who connect with I’m Thinking of Ending Things, the film definitely stands as the perfect 10/10 experience that’s worthwhile.

‘Beasts of No Nation’ (2015)

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This movie is an emotionally brutal artpiece that is definitely one of Netflix’s most devastating original films. Beasts of No Nation follows a young boy who is forced into becoming a child soldier after war destroys his life and separates him from everything he knows.

Beasts of No Nation can be defended as a 10/10, no-notes kind of watch because of how uncompromisingly it tells its story. The film is a standout that masterfully focuses on a child’s experience of violence without transforming his suffering into a cliché, massive spectacle. It may be a war drama, but its real force comes from watching innocence be tainted and stripped away as the protagonist delves deeper into a world of manipulation, survival, and fear. Beasts of No Nation is painful cinema, but the film is no doubt an exceptionally controlled Netflix-quality masterpiece.

‘The Mitchells vs. the Machines’ (2021)

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The Mitchells vs. the Machines is an underrated animated movie that deserves far more attention than it’s received. The sci-fi comedy centers around Katie Mitchell (Abbi Jacobson), an aspiring filmmaker, whose father turns her trip to college into a family getaway in order to grow closer and bond, only for their attempt at reconciliation to be met with a full-blown robot uprising that forces the dysfunctional relatives to be unlikely heroes.

The Mitchells vs. the Machines may be a pretty underwatched film, but it is a true masterpiece that features tons of humor, heart, and creativity. It’s a film that’s remarkably rewatchable, with its jokes that move quickly without ever feeling empty, animation practically bursting with personality, and its heartwarming family story that gives the madness a real emotional core. The Mitchells vs. the Machines is a peak hidden gem that can easily be defended as a 10/10 animated masterpiece.

‘They Cloned Tyrone’ (2023)

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They Cloned Tyrone is a Netflix genre experiment that definitely lands. The standout science-fiction conspiracy comedy focuses on the trio — Slick Charles (Jamie Foxx), Fontaine (John Boyega), and Yo-Yo (Teyonah Parris) — after an impossible event leads them to uncover a conspiracy beneath their neighborhood.

With its rather strange premise, They Cloned Tyrone is actually a crazy funny, sharp, stylish, and politically charged film. What makes the movie such an arguably 10/10 noteworthy experience for most isn’t that it creates something the conspiracy genre has never seen before; it actually takes those familiar tropes from science fiction, social satire, blaxploitation, and conspiracy thriller, and reshapes them into something that feels genuinely funny and distinctly its own. They Cloned Tyrone is a confident, strange, and boldly unique kind of film that definitely stands as one of Netflix’s smartest originals.

‘Rebel Ridge’ (2024)

Image via Netflix

This recent Netflix thriller is a quality film that truly understands the power of patience. Rebel Ridge follows Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre), who enters the corrupt small town of Shelby Springs to post bail for his cousin, only to have police seize his funds.

Rebel Ridge was definitely a welcome surprise upon its release. For such a thrill ride, the movie surprisingly doesn’t just rely on nonstop violence; it instead also builds its tension through restraint, procedure, intelligence, and the slow realization that the system itself is the true threat. Rebel Ridge is a really defensible film because it actually lands its delivery as a grounded thriller. It’s a truly gripping 10/10 watch that wields action with a clear purpose, making it quite easy to add to this list of Netflix cinematic jewels.

‘The Old Guard’ (2020)

Image via Netflix

The Old Guard is an action masterpiece that most Netflix subscribers who have actually seen it never expected to be as good as it is. The movie centers around a team of immortal warriors who have spent their centuries alive fighting in secret to protect humanity, only for their existence to be threatened by a new and unexpected foe.

The Old Guard is an incredible superhero-style movie with a surprisingly emotional core. It can be defended as a 10/10 viewing experience simply because of its ability to balance its pretty brutal, expertly choreographed action with characters who actually feel real and human despite their immortality. The Old Guard offers humanized heroes who have suffered through centuries of complicated relationships, grief, and emotional exhaustion, making it a rather captivating action movie that’s capable of winning over any skeptical viewer.

‘KPop Demon Hunters’ (2025)

This Netflix animated original is one of the most recent iconic watches on the platform and is quite genuinely beloved. KPop Demon Hunters follows pop star girl group Huntrix, whose mission is not only to produce hits but to also secretly protect humanity from demons, which only gets tougher when an existential crisis and a rival demon boy band get in their way.

No notes are necessary for a watch like KPop Demon Hunters, as the animated knockout is an actual 10/10 masterpiece. The film blends colorful animation, concert energy, demon-fighting spectacle, and team-centered emotion into a story that feels genuinely original. The Netflix animation could have easily been a gimmicky musical fantasy, but instead KPop Demon Hunters succeeds as a well-balanced good time with no notes needed.

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KPop Demon Hunters

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Release Date

June 20, 2025

Runtime

96 minutes

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Director

Chris Appelhans, Maggie Kang

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Writers

Hannah McMechan, Chris Appelhans, Maggie Kang, Danya Jimenez

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Having recently overtaken Deadpool & Wolverine to become the highest-grossing R-rated movie in global box-office history, The Odyssey surpassed another franchise-defining hit. The epic swords-and-sandals fantasy has cemented itself as director Christopher Nolan‘s biggest hit, overtaking The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises both domestically and worldwide. The Odyssey has now spent a month in theaters worldwide, facing off against Spider-Man: Brand New Day for most of its run. Like Nolan’s 2023 release Oppenheimer, which opened against Barbie, The Odyssey appears to have benefited from the competition. Also like Oppenheimer, Nolan’s latest epic is already seen as an Oscar contender in several major categories.

Starring Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, and Robert Pattinson, The Odyssey is Nolan’s grounded take on Homer’s Greek epic, which has inspired several of the filmmaker’s own movies in the past. Nolan came close to tackling the material over two decades ago, when he was attached to the epic film Troy. He directed Batman Begins instead, and The Odyssey has grossed nearly three times as much as Troy at the global box office. Nolan’s new film is now sitting at a “Certified Fresh” 94% critics’ score and a “Verified Hot” 97% audience score on the aggregator website, where the consensus reads, “Reinvigorating an ancient adventure with majestic sweep and sterling work by its colossal ensemble, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey imbues myth with primal human feeling.”

Here’s the Fantasy Epic That ‘The Odyssey’ Has Overtaken at the Box Office

Adding $18 million in its fifth weekend at the domestic box office, The Odyssey‘s total haul now stands at nearly $540 million. Globally, the film has surpassed the $1.34 billion lifetime haul of the highest-grossing hit in the generation-defining Harry Potter franchise, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. Released in 2011 and directed by David Yates, the franchise-ending blockbuster received excellent reviews, and is now sitting at a “Certified Fresh” 96% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes. It featured Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint for the final time as the central trio of Harry, Hermione, and Ron. The Harry Potter franchise is set to be rebooted as an HBO television show later this year, featuring an entirely new cast. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

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Release Date

July 15, 2026

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Runtime

173 minutes

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Long before George R.R. Martin began penning his high fantasy powerhouse, A Song of Ice and Fire, he wrote a Southern Gothic, gory standalone vampire book. Fevre Dream, published in 1982, is one of Martin’s earliest novels and has largely slipped under the nose of most Game of Thrones fans. A historical horror story set primarily in 1857 on steamboats cruising the Mississippi River, Fevre Dream is a forgotten classic in the beloved fantasy author’s oeuvre. Martin notably singled out Fevre Dream for a potential movie adaptation, calling it a “dream project” of his.

The plot of Fevre Dream is focalized through Abner Marsh, a down-on-his-luck riverboat captain who accepts an irresistible offer from the mysterious, wealthy, and pale-haired Joshua York. York, the transfixing aristocrat with very Targaryen-esque features, offers to finance a magnificent steamboat for Marsh to oversee. However, there is a nonnegotiable condition: Marsh must not inquire about his strange sun-avoiding sleep schedule or his strange band of equally pale traveling companions. Naturally, Marsh can’t honor that promise for long. He starts to ask questions and does some harmless rummaging through York’s room, setting the stage for a twisty descent into a rather unconventional vampire tale.

George R.R. Martin’s Historical Horror Runs Deep

Image via Poseiden Press

If there’s one thing that Martin is widely renowned for, it’s world-building. The second is his penchant for brutally memorable character deaths. Fevre Dream upholds both of these author associations and proves that Martin had a gift for bolstering his fantasy with the weight and texture of real historical horrors, long before he created Westeros. Being set in the antebellum South leading up to the Civil War, the horrors of chattel slavery are interwoven into Fevre Dream‘s supernatural premise. Martin recognizes that ships, including steamboats, were vessels of enslavement. The real-life violence of the time period is what really gives the narrative its teeth, horror-wise. Markedly, the introduction of supernatural villains in the Deep South setting is used not just for scares, but as a lens through which the institutionalized evil of the human world is called out.

In other words, Fevre Dream never glamorizes the plantation landscape, the muddy bayous, or the river itself. The pivotal port stop in New Orleans is described at length as a stifling, ill-fated place. Those expecting an Anne Rice-style New Orleans vampire romp will be thrown by Martin’s sobering reading of the city, where yellow fever is a rampant, widely feared foe. The setting is less a Gothic dreamscape and more an intricately researched backdrop befitting a work of historical fiction. Martin certainly doesn’t cut any descriptive corners, so do be warned: the first quarter of the novel is a bit slow, and heavy on steamboat particulars, before the supernatural lore is divulged and kicks the plot into high gear.

‘Fevre Dream’ Reinvented the Vampire Myth

Image via Avatar Press / Cover art by Rafa Lopez

The vampire genre has become increasingly crowded, populating serial television, YA fiction, and horror movies alike. To some degree, each iteration of vampire fiction actively comments on or chides the mythical baggage associated with this supernatural being. There’s always a scene of clarification where the vampire confirms or denies a checklist: coffins, garlic, holy water, mirrors? Comedically, in the popular teen vampire drama series, The Vampire Diaries, Damon Salvatore openly mocks the Twilight novels, asserting “I live in the real world, where vampires burn in the sun.” This self-referential quality of vampire fiction, drawing a line between the real and the fake supernatural, is now a genre convention. In Fevre Dream, Martin uses this convention to truly throw out the vampire rulebook, rather than to tweak its stipulations.

Stripping away the usual mystique of the undead predator, Martin’s vampire characters aren’t particularly troubled with the folkloric checklist because, as far as they’re concerned, that checklist doesn’t apply to them. Martin’s vampires don’t even refer to themselves as vampires; they’re dismissive of the term. In Fevre Dream, the pale band of men and women we meet through the eyes of Abner Marsh aren’t vampires exactly, but a separate species, whose biology gives them superhuman capacities and an appetite for blood (dubbed the “red thirst”). They are not immortal in the way the archetype has been popularized. These “vampires” are humanoids with their own history, legends, customs, and internal divisions, living not as reanimated corpses but as their own increasingly endangered species tracing back to the dawn of time.

George R.R. Martin’s Most Disturbing Villain Isn’t In Westeros

Image via Avatar Press

Fevre Dream introduces a truly no-holds-barred villain in Damon Julian, who is the most ancient “vampire” still alive. Damon Julian, which sounds a little too blatant a villain name, is purposefully heavy-handed, as it’s an alias rather satirically donned by a man who has had manifold names: Giles Lamont, Gilben d’Aquin, Philip Caine, Sergei Romanov. As Abner Marsh meets the eyes of the book’s big bad, “a thousand other men fall away, and behind each one was another, older and more horrible, layer on layer of them each more bestial than the last.” It’s an appropriate moniker for a villain whose entire identity is based around concealment and implacability.

Martin wastes little time in establishing Julian’s monstrosity in the novel. He lords over a plantation house, using humans as disposable tools to do his bidding. His big entrance onto the lavish steamboat to meet the idealistic vampire Joshua York is shockingly grotesque as he casually slays an infant at their dinner party. What’s especially distinctive about Julian as a villain is how little Martin tries to complicate or humanize him and his motives. In Game of Thrones, many of the characters who do morally reprehensible things are still offered redemption arcs or some glimpses of humanity and vulnerability. In Fevre Dream, there is no morally gray territory to explore with the antagonist. Martin writes a villain who is not merely mad or a victim of his superhuman inheritance. He is impassive, eerily tranquil, and fully at ease with the system of predation he chooses to operate within.

For all its differences from the world of Westeros, Fevre Dream bears many of the same markers that would eventually make Martin a high-fantasy legend. Power, politicking, fire and blood, morally complicated alliances, and some climactic action sequences all fuel the vampire narrative’s engine. Although Martin has had less luck heretofore with feature film adaptations of his work, Fevre Dream has the clearest potential voyage to the big screen. The project doesn’t need the Game of Thrones legacy to justify its existence, standing on its own as a strange, atmospheric, brutal, and historically grounded reinvention of the vampire story. Part period piece, action-adventure, and horror, Fevre Dream still has plenty of life left in it almost 45 years after its publication, plus a completed screenplay waiting in the wings. And if Martin gets his way, Guillermo Del Toro would be the director steering this dream adaptation to fruition.

Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster have been one of Hollywood’s most talked-about couples since their relationship was confirmed last year.

However, the Marvel star’s ex-wife of 27 years, Deborra-Lee Furness, is reportedly not convinced that their love story will have a fairy-tale ending, as she casts doubt on the longevity of their relationship.

The claim comes as Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster continue to publicly display affection for each other, showing no signs of slowing down in their romance.

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Reports have surfaced claiming that Furness isn’t particularly impressed with Jackman and Foster’s public show of love. The 70-year-old reportedly doesn’t believe the gestures are evidence of a genuine romance between the couple.

According to Globe Magazine, a source revealed that Furness sees the Broadway star as being “all about the cameras and putting on a show.”

She doesn’t buy into his “performative” displays of intimacy and believes the relationship is not some destined pairing that would last for eternity.

“She doesn’t see these big public displays as any sort of evidence that he’s madly in love. She says it’s just Hugh doing his usual over-the-top performative schtick,” the source notes.

The insider added that, “it’s going to take more than Hugh and Sutton singing love ballads to each other for her to believe this is the real deal or some match made in heaven that’s going to last forever.”

Deborra-Lee Furness And Hugh Jackman Were Married For Nearly Three Decades

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Furness’ reported skepticism regarding the authenticity of Jackman and Foster’s relationship is given weight by her decades of experience with the actor.

The former couple was married for 27 years before they announced their separation in 2023 with a short statement, before officially divorcing in 2025.

Jackman and Furness first met as co-stars on the set of the Australian TV show Corelli in 1995, shortly after Jackman had left drama school.

According to People Magazine, the “The Greatest Showman” actor said, “I knew two weeks into meeting Deb that we were going to be together for the rest of our lives.” They eventually got married within a year of their meeting on April 11, 1996.

The pair would later adopt their son Oscar Maximilian in 2000 and daughter Ava Eliot in 2005 after struggling with miscarriages and IVF.

Writing on Twitter (now X), the actor called his ex-wife his “greatest gift.” He said at the time, “I believe in life we need to see and truly be seen by the most important people in our lives. Deb, from day one, we had that.”

He continued to say that “it only gets deeper. You and the kids are the greatest gift I will ever receive. I love you a gazillion times around the world.”

The Actor And Sutton Foster’s Public Displays Of Affection

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Jackman and Foster’s romance has been marked by increasingly public displays of affection. They reportedly hit it off after they were cast in “The Music Man,” with sources claiming that the couple was already romantically involved around this time.

Regarding the affair rumors, an insider told Us Weekly in 2024 that “a lot of people on Broadway knew, and we kept it quiet because both of them are so nice and great people.”

“Everyone respected their privacy. But there was an affair and overlap,” the source added.

Their romance was finally confirmed in January 2025 when they were photographed holding hands at a dinner outing in Santa Monica.

The Couple Faced Backlash After Kissing During A Joint Performance

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The relationship would become “Instagram Official” on November 25 when the actor shared a video of Foster performing at New York’s Café Carlyle, calling her “truly magical.”

On August 3, 2026, the couple performed a surprise duet of “A Million Dreams” from “The Greatest Showman” at a benefit gala in Ogunquit, Maine, which ended in an on-stage kiss.

The performance drew sharp criticism on social media for being “cringey,” with one commenter writing, per News 24, “This is beyond off-putting for both of them.”

Another said, “It’s not easy to watch,” and lamented the actor’s decision to end his 27-year marriage. Others called it “horrendous” and “off-key”. Some comments were warmer, with one fan saying, “Love them together. Life is short, people. They look happier than I see most couples.”

What Happens Next For Hugh Jackman And Sutton Foster

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Jackman and Foster now face questions on whether their relationship can survive the allegations of an affair before ending their marriages and establishing a genuine love that can stand the test of time.

Furness reportedly believes that their relationship isn’t built to last as Foster “has her work cut out for her” because of how supposedly difficult it is to live with Jackman.

Other accounts, however, have described the couple as being “madly in love”, and it has been noted that they spend a significant amount of time together.

Currently, the couple has not shown any sign that they intend to end their romance anytime soon.

The late Hayden Panettiere’s mother, Lesley Vogel, responded to accusations that she pressured her daughter to become a full-time actress from a young age.

“I was strong, definitely, but I was not abusive by any stretch of the imagination,” Vogel, 70, told The Daily Mail in an interview published on Saturday, August 22.

Vogel signed Panettiere up with the famed Wilhelmina modeling agency at 8 months old and the future Heroes star shot her first commercial three months later. At 5 years old, Panettiere was cast in her first recurring TV role as Sarah Roberts on One Life to Live. (Panettiere worked on the daytime soap from 1994 to 1997. Vogel was her daughter’s first talent manager.)

“She started with Wilhelmina at eight months old because she’s a beautiful baby. I mean, really beautiful baby,” Vogel recalled. “My thought then was, let her do some stuff, we’ll put it in her college fund, and she’ll go to college and she’ll have this. I never expected her to be a professional actor, never.”

Related: Holly Robinson Peete Calls Out Hayden Panettiere’s Mom After Actress’ Death

Holly Robinson Peete is backing Gayle King after the morning show host called out Hayden Panettiere’s estranged mom, Lesley Vogel, following her statement on the actress’ death. “She’s not wrong,” Peete, 61, wrote via X on Wednesday, August 19, alongside a link to a story about King’s remarks in which she said that Vogel’s statement […]

During a May 2026 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Panettiere insisted that she’d been “groomed” to work for as long as she could remember.

“I was like a little soldier and I always have been. ‘No’ was never an option,” Panettiere alleged. “It was just, ‘Here are your scenes, here’s your dialogue, memorize it, hit the marks, do what your director tells you to do.’ I took my marching orders.”

In her latest interview, Vogel denied that she was responsible for any pressure that her daughter may have felt around her career.

“I think that Hayden put a pressure on herself,” Vogel said. “I know that she has mentioned, you know, [that she] ‘always had to please Mom,’ or make sure it was, you know, I succeeded or whatever. I didn’t put that on her. I think she put that on herself.”

Vogel also rejected the idea that Panettiere was unhappy in the earliest days of her child stardom.

“Try making a 2-to 5-year-old child do something they don’t want to do,” she declared. “Are you going to be successful? No, you’re not. Probably 99 percent of the time.”

Panettiere was found dead at age 36 in South Carolina on August 16 by her ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother, Zach Hickerson. Emergency service workers performed “advanced cardiac life support measures” but Panettiere was ultimately pronounced dead of a suspected overdose that afternoon. (Authorities reportedly found Narcan — a life-saving over-the-counter medication that can reverse the effects of a drug overdose — at the scene.)

An autopsy found “no signs of trauma that would have contributed” to Panettiere’s death at the scene but deferred determining a cause of death “pending further investigation and the completion of additional studies,” per the coroner’s office.

Vogel initially broke her silence about her daughter’s death with a public statement that proved to be extremely controversial.

“I think Hayden was an amazingly talented person in so many departments, and I think young people who grow up in the entertainment industry — it is a struggle and it’s a very challenging industry and it’s not unusual for them to sadly find the wrong path,” she said on Tuesday, August 18.

Related: Hayden Panettiere Shared Update on Relationship With Her Mom Before Death

Hayden Panettiere shared an update on her relationship with her estranged mom, Lesley Vogel, months before her untimely and shocking death. “Unfortunately, we don’t have a relationship right now,” the Heroes alum exclusively told Us back in 2025. “But that doesn’t mean that I don’t leave the door open for the opportunity to present itself […]

Those comments were widely condemned by a wide range of entertainment figures, from TV hosts Gayle King and Megyn Kelly to actress Holly Robinson Peete.

Vogel delivered a scathing response in her Daily Mail interview, saying. “I was very, very hurt and deeply disappointed in the lack of professionalism, the lack of compassion in slamming someone who’s lost two children, without even a modicum of consideration. No one reached out to me before. It’s shameful. It’s unconscionable to me.”

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Prior to Hayden’s death, Vogel lost son Jansen Panettiere at age 28 due to an undiagnosed heart condition in February 2023.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

After three major projects were scuttled — including a third Wonder Woman movie, a Cleopatra epic, and a sequel to Red Notice — Gal Gadot appears to have pivoted to a smaller-scale project. Gadot was also the face of two significant misfires, the streaming tentpole Red Notice and the theatrical bomb Snow White. Her pivot comes on the heels of a similar shift in strategy executed by streamers. Netflix, in particular, has had exceptional success this year. The platform seemingly moved away from mega-budget projects such as Red Notice and concentrated on mid-budget genre movies instead. This has resulted in hits such as The Rip, War Machine, and the recently released The Last House. Gadot’s new movie, which marks her first headlining role since 2023’s Heart of Stone, is right around the corner.

Unlike Heart of Stone, which was released to poor reviews on Netflix three years ago, Gadot’s new film will debut on Prime Video. The streamer has also had success with mid-budget genre movies in recent months, with The Devil’s Mouth, Pretty Lethal, and The Bluff drawing strong viewership. Prime Video would hope to keep the streak going with Gadot’s new movie, which has been directed by the versatile Kevin Macdonald. A prolific documentary filmmaker, he’s best known for the Oscar-winning biopic The Last King of Scotland, and the star-studded political thriller State of Play.

Gal Gadot and Alan Ritchson Are Headlining Two Action Movies with Near-Identical Titles

Macdonald and Gadot’s new movie, an action-thriller, is The Runner. It shouldn’t be confused with Runner, which is an action movie starring Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson, due out in theaters in the same month. Gadot’s movie follows a London-based attorney whose son is abducted by a mysterious man who sends her on a chase across the city. The premise makes the film sound like a cross between the Liam Neeson blockbuster Taken, and the 2002 thriller Phone Booth. In fact, Neeson himself starred in a movie with a similar premise a couple of years ago. It’s called Retribution, and it follows a man who must protect his two children after he receives a call warning him that his car will blow up with them in it if he tries to get out. The Runner also features Damian Lewis, and will be released on Prime Video on September 2. Later this year, Gadot will appear in Doug Liman‘s artificial intelligence-powered movie Bitcoin, also starring Casey Affleck and Pete Davidson. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

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Release Date

September 2, 2026

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84 Minutes

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Kevin Macdonald

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Jon Lucas and Scott Moore are a dynamic duo. They have a long history of churning out some of the wildest, funniest comedies in the past couple of decades, penning everything from The Hangover to Four Christmases and serving as both writers and directors for both Bad Moms movies, Office Christmas Party, Jexi, and more. Add in Emmy-nominated producer Suzanne Todd into the mix, whose resume includes the Oscar-nominated Memento, Ridley Scott’s G.I. Jane, and the Austin Powers films, and you have a truly unstoppable trio.

The three of them have once again teamed up for their newest project, Spa Weekend, which follows in the tradition of several of their previous films by letting the women take center stage. The movie sees a group of four very different high school friends — sensible mom and lawyer Jane (Leslie Mann), underappreciated Sophie (Anna Faris), bitterly separated Coco (Michelle Buteau), and unfiltered Mel (Isla Fisher) — going on a relaxing trip for Jane’s birthday, only for increasingly wild situations and deep-seated wounds constantly threatening to make them more stressed out than ever.

Collider got the chance to speak to the creative team behind the movie. During the conversation, they discussed the challenges of shooting elaborate stunts, finding their incredible cast, bringing back the blooper reel, and more.

‘Spa Weekend’s Directors Talk the Unique Challenges and Perks of Filming in Australia

“We like our Aussies.”

Image via Black Bear

COLLIDER: First of all, congratulations.

JON LUCAS: Thank you. We enjoyed chatting with you on the carpet. That was fun.

Oh my gosh, thank you so much! I absolutely loved it. Of course, your lead cast is incredible, but I was also really struck by your supporting cast, especially the spa workers. I’m curious if you can talk about finding all of them.

LUCAS: Oh, right on. This is a great question. We haven’t gotten this question. We shot in Australia, so all the cast is Australian, outside of our lead four, and it was pretty simple. It’s just auditions. What’s interesting is that Australia has a lot of great actors, but they’re all over. The country’s enormous. There was a lot of, “We’re going to get these great actors,” but we were shooting on the Gold Coast, which is kind of far away. Anyway, there were people who were, like, 3,000 miles away who were “local Australians.” We’re like, “Oh, that’s going to be a bit of a trip for them to get to set.” [Laughs] But they were great. It’s probably one of the more comedy-oriented countries. People like comedy down there. They’re really a lighthearted culture, so finding comedic actors there was not hard.

SCOTT MOORE: It’s pretty great. All of them were super talented, like Erica and Dominic [Ona-Ariki]. Dominic had won a ton of awards, and it was weird to have this experience where you have someone who’s a day player behind the counter doing this, and then you’re driving down the street, and she’s on all these billboards. She’s in these two shows, and you’re like, “Wait, what is going on?”

SUZANNE TODD: She’s super Australian famous.

MOORE: Super famous, super talented, so it was a luxury to have so many talented people.

TODD: And obviously Isla and Adam are also Australians, so a wealth of riches there.

LUCAS: We like our Aussies.

We love the Aussies.

LUCAS: Yeah, they’re good eggs.

TODD: They really are a good time.

‘Spa Weekend’s Directors Discuss Filming Those Wild Stunts

“When I see a great stunt in a trailer, I’m like, ‘I gotta go see that movie.’”

Image via Black Bear

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There were some pretty elaborate stunts in this movie, from the golf cart chase to the goats on the loose. How do you approach these huge moments of physical comedy as a director and then producer as well?

TODD: Jon and Scott hate those scenes. [Laughs]

LUCAS: I actually love them! They take a lot of work. When it’s the four women sitting around a table at a cafe, you’re like, “Oh, this is gonna be a great day. This is easy. [Sing-songs] Da da da da da da ta ta.” And then you’re like, “I got to jump a golf cart over a sand dune, and it’s got to land, and the people who own the beach are not really psyched about what you’re doing.” There are a lot of ins and outs, but I love that stuff. We always talk about it in terms of, like, there are some scenes that just have to go into a trailer. And those stunts, to me, are kind of what sells the movie. When I see a great stunt in a trailer, I’m like, “I gotta go see that movie.” There’s something about the appeal of that — “someone really went for it.”

MOORE: And some, like the golf cart, you really do a lot of previs, and you really think about, “How’s this gonna work?” Some of it, like the goats or the mud bath scene, you’re like, “Just put a ton of cameras in there, and just go. See what we get, and hopefully, it’ll be something.” I remember the mud bath scene because there’s no reset in that, right? So we shot the dialogue, and then we’re like, “Okay, we’re going to get one take of you guys cutting loose.” Thankfully, Michelle could do the whole movie in one take. She’s so talented, and so funny, and so creative that we were a little stressed out during that scene, but it turned out great because she’s awesome and so willing to play and do whatever.

LUCAS: I will say, one of the challenges of working with women — the only one — is hair. You can’t fuck up someone’s hair. If you mess up my hair, you wash the mud out, and you’re shooting five minutes later. Michelle has beautiful long hair, and you cannot mess that up.

TODD: Michelle’s was the toughest reset of all four.

LUCAS: It’s like a three-hour reset.

MOORE: Especially if you put mud in it.

LUCAS: So we’re like throwing mud around like, “Oh my god. How are we gonna do this?”

TODD: But I feel like we also had a little PTSD because we had some mud in a scene in Bad Moms Christmas. We had a different mud bath scene that was equally hard to crack the logistics of the mud. Mud is harder than you think — the movie version of mud.

LUCAS: It worked out, but to Scott’s point — largely because Michelle nailed it in one. If she hadn’t — if she wasn’t doing it the way she was doing it — it would have been a long day. It would have been really bad.

‘Spa Weekend’s Directors Are Bringing Back the Blooper Reel

“We did argue a bit about whether it’s hacky to have bloopers.”

Image via Black Bear

I feel like we’ve really lost the art of the blooper reel, so I was so excited to see that during the credits.

LUCAS: We’ve been talking a lot about the bloopers. Maybe it’s time to bring bloopers back.

I agree! Why do you think it’s gone away?

LUCAS: I think people see it as hacky, and they’re not wrong. It’s a little hacky. There’s a period where, like, every movie did it.

TODD: It was done a lot.

LUCAS: I think the first one I ever saw was like the Jackie Chan movies when I was a little kid, and he would, like, die. He’d, like, fall off a train, and you’re like, “Oh my god.” And then he’d pop up and be like, “Ha ha ha ha!”, and you’re like, “Is he okay? Have we lost Jackie?” I love that stuff. I think that stuff you watch when you’re a kid, you never really shake, do you know what I mean? It’s always in you. We did argue a bit about whether it’s hacky to have bloopers, and the answer is yes, it is hacky, but we love it.

MOORE: We just had so much good stuff that we couldn’t not share it with the audience.

LUCAS: Those girls breaking? I mean, there’s so much stuff. And frankly, there’s some stuff that we didn’t put in the bloopers, or we put it in originally, and they were just too disgusting or crazy. I can think of two moments.

TODD: Not to really just talk about Isla.

LUCAS: [Laughs] Why do you think Isla? Why would you say Isla’s name? We’re like, “This is hilarious. The crowd is gonna eat this up.” You get all the way through your movie, you’ve worked so hard on the movie, and you get to the end of the test screening, and there’s one joke at the very end that they’re like, “No, that’s not okay. I want to take my mom to this movie, and I can’t do that if [this is in there].” You do find that, even though the bloopers are pretty fun and a little more outrageous than the movie, there are lines. There are certain things that audiences are just like, “Dude, come on — let us drive home in peace.”

Can you share them with the class, or is this sworn to secrecy?

TODD: We call these movies lightly R-rated, right? We’re staying away from the harder R-rated.

LUCAS: Find me outside. I’ll tell you all the stuff we can, but I cannot do it on camera.

I feel like the bloopers also showed that there was a lot of improv in this movie. Do you feel like you hire actors who are naturally skilled at improv?

LUCAS: Yes, 100%.

Okay, I didn’t know if it was a coincidence or if you looked for that.

MOORE: We love working with actresses or actors who can riff, who have comedic timing, who can generate comedy, and who can ad lib. Because there’s nothing better than that. It feels real. It feels funny. And we tend to shoot the script once — we’re like, “Let’s just put it on camera” — and then we allot time for them to riff, and run, and dodge, and weave, and do whatever magic it is that they do. That’s often where you get the best stuff.

LUCAS: We were just writers for like 10 or 15 years before we started directing, and when we made that transition, a lot of directors told us, “When writers become directors, they’re often so excited that they finally get to be in charge that they’re like, ‘You have to say it exactly. I wrote a period, and you gave that a semicolon.’” And actors are like, “What is going on?” So we really didn’t want to be the directors who were obsessed with their own writing. All the best jokes in all of our movies — I’m not saying this to be humble — literally are [improvised]. We started with something we had, so it wasn’t like we weren’t part of it. But often the best stuff is like, we had this idea, and then someone came in, either put a spin on the ball, or added something entirely, or said it in their own little weird way that makes it funny. We’re especially conscious of not being too precious with the words.

‘Spa Weekend’s Directors on the Movies That Scarred Them for Life

“Please don’t watch it.”

One of my favorite moments in this movie is when Jane walks in on her young kids watching Pulp Fiction. Is there a movie you remember watching way too young that either scarred you or inspired you?

LUCAS: Everyone does, by the way. Every single human on Earth, especially nowadays, has seen something where you’re like, “Why was I allowed? Who thought I was allowed to watch that?” I saw Hot Dog. You’re too young. You’re very young. Do you know the movie Hot Dog?

I don’t. I’ll look it up after.

LUCAS: No, don’t. Please don’t watch it. Hot Dog is a very ‘80s skiing movie. It’s a sex comedy, and everyone just has sex. It’s one of those very ‘80s…I’m not sure there’s even a plot. Maybe there’s a ski race at the end to give yourself a third act. It is just sex, and I watched it when I was, like, seven because I was like, “Oh, skiing.” And my parents are like, “Go ahead — enjoy Hot Dog.” And I was like, “[gasps] Oh, is this what adult life is like? Is everyone just fucking?” The whole movie is just like sex. That was one of those movies where I don’t remember anything about it other than the second I got out, I was like, “I should not be watching this.” That’s why Pulp Fiction was perfect because that’s, to me, the most ‘you really don’t want your kids to watch this.’ Your children should not watch the Gimp. They’re not ready for that yet.

MOORE: I’m glad you flagged that scene because it’s one of my favorite shots: the kids’ faces, right when she comes in, their eyes are like, “What is going on?”

TODD: Mine would definitely be a scary movie from when I was young — maybe Halloween or something. There was a guy with a knife, and then all I could think the whole night was that the guy was outside my window. I was up for days, terrified.

LUCAS: Premature horror. When you’re not ready for horror, and you’re too young.

TODD: No, because, of course, I thought it was real. I was too young to watch that. I was like, “Oh, there are guys with a knife outside my window.”

‘Spa Weekend’s Directors Reveal the Scene They Had to Cut

“Audiences were like, ‘This is not funny.’”

Image via Black Bear

There is so much editing and shaping of a movie that happens with the writing, then the filming, and then the editing. What is the biggest change from the first draft of the script to what we see in the final cut?

TODD: There are three versions of a movie: there’s the version they write, and then you shoot it, and everything changes, and then you take everything that was shot, and you go into the cutting room, and everything changes probably as much again. It’s almost three completely different things. Especially in comedy, as [Jon] pointed out, we always try to build the time for the girls at the end to have improv. And the guys, in addition to the script that they write, they write an entire book of what we call alts, which are at the ready. You have the funny version, and then you have 17 other funny versions. There’s so much material from where you started with the script to when you get into the cutting room that it’s just about this finesse of what joke leads into the next joke playing bigger. It’s probably more complicated an editorial than people think.

MOORE: We make these movies for the audience. We love test screening because you’re like, “Okay, let’s see what jokes are working and what jokes aren’t working.” It’s not like, “I love that joke, so I’m gonna put it in the movie.” There was actually a whole scene that we shot at a funeral, which we thought was hilarious — it was sort of dark and weird — and audiences were like, “This is not funny.”

LUCAS: The first note on that test screening was like, “The funeral scene isn’t funny.” I’m like, “Look at that sentence. Of course, it isn’t! What were you thinking?”

TODD: It wasn’t a funny funeral — it was funny things that happened at a funeral that were funny to us, but it didn’t seem as funny in screenings.

MOORE: Test screenings are important because we want to know what people think of the movie, and it was very clear that they did not like that scene.

TODD: They didn’t want to laugh at the funeral.

LUCAS: I’m always jealous when directors do these things, and they’re like, “I’m cutting in my head the whole time. I know the whole movie while I’m shooting.” I’m like, “That’s so cool. That would be so nice. I don’t do that.” [Laughs] We shoot everything, and we really hope there’s a movie in there at the end. I think that’s the difference between comedy and most other genres. I think in other genres, you kind of do have to know every beat, because there’s not as much room, but the tone of the comedy in this movie can get broader or more dramedyish, depending on how you cut it. There are lots of different zones — the comedy world is pretty wide — and which jokes and takes really affect it. So I never know. I exude confidence on set like, “We got this,” but in my head I’m like, “I don’t know. I think we got it. I don’t know. We’ll find out in like six months.”

Spa Weekend is now in theaters.

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Release Date

August 21, 2026

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Runtime

97 minutes

Director

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Scott Moore, Jon Lucas

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The fantasy genre has always been pretty popular in the world of literature, and saw a major surge in the 1980s and ’90s with the rise of tabletop RPGs. Previously, it was only seen as something “for nerds,” but it has lately become much more mainstream. It feels like fantasy novels are about a dime a dozen nowadays, because there are a ton of new ones coming out each and every month. It’s impossible to keep up with them all.

Though some amazing fantasy books have come out over the course of the genre’s history, there have been some extra special ones released just over the last 20 years. This might be a small time frame, yet it has seen some revolutionary works of fantasy, some of which have even received screen adaptations. Whichever subgenre you like best, these are some of the best fantasy novels that have come out over the last 20 years.

10

‘Children of Blood and Bone’ (2018)

Image via Henry Holt Books for Young Readers

Children of Blood and Bone is the first in a YA trilogy by Tomi Adeyemi. Taking inspiration from her Nigerian heritage, the story is set in a fantastical world inspired by West Africa, where an oppressive empire has separated people into two classes: the Kosidán majority and the Divîners. The Divîners were formerly a race of magic-users and are recognizable by their stark-white hair. However, the empire somehow disrupted the source of their magic, leaving the Divîners unable to access it.

In the midst of political turmoil, a young Divîner girl named Zélie teams up with the Kosidán princess, Amari, on a quest across the land of Orïsha to restore magic to her people. The magic system in this book is simple, but very easy to digest, and the story actually plays upon a lot of real-life issues that Adeyemi feels passionately about. It’s got a really fresh and interesting setting, a good message behind it, and it’s easy to access for youths and adults alike. While not the best book of the last 20 years, it has found a sizable following and has done very well with critics. Fans will be glad to know that Children of Blood and Bone is set to receive a movie adaptation very, very soon.

9

‘The Name of the Wind’ (2007)

Image via Gollancz

The Name of the Wind is the first book in Patrick Rothfuss‘ The Kingkiller Chronicle duology. Though it was initially planned as a trilogy, it has been 15 years since the second book came out, so the third is unlikely to be released any time soon, if at all. The book opens up with the introduction of Kvothe, an innkeeper who was quite a famed figure in his youth. He recounts his story to a Chronicler, talking about why he became famous and how he is to blame for the terrible things to come.

The book switches between third-person “present day” sequences and first-person flashbacks, though flashbacks make up the majority of it. Kvothe tells the story of how he began life as part of the Edema Ruh, a travelling group of entertainers, and how he came to study at the University, where he learned magic. The book includes enough mysteries to string the reader along and keep them hanging on every word. Not only is it adventurous, but it sets up a lot of questions and teases the answers. It hooks people really easily. It’s unfortunate that those answers may never come.

8

‘The Blade Itself’ (2006)

Image via Gollancz

Joe Abercrombie‘s The Blade Itself belongs to the grimdark subgenre. Grimdark fantasy is basically any fantasy (typically high fantasy) where basically nothing is good. People are manipulative, selfish, or rude, and the world is constantly in a state of war. It’s a genre that exposes the worst of humanity, even if it takes place in a completely fictional world.

This book is the first in a trilogy, and the first in a shared universe, as well. The story is primarily about three major empires at war with each other on two fronts, with three key figures caught in the middle of it all. They offer different perspectives of the conflict, and their stories begin separately from each other, though they do eventually intersect. If you like gore, grittiness, or the most depraved parts of human nature, this is a great fantasy book you should totally check out.

7

‘Prince of Thorns’ (2011)

Image via Harper Voyager/Mark Lawrence

Prince of Thorns, written by Mark Lawrence, is set in the Rhineland region of Europe, centuries after a nuclear war destroyed the planet and reverted the world back to the Dark Ages. What remains of humanity comes in the form of the Broken Empire, a group of approximately 100 kingdoms and realms sprawling across Europe, Western and Southern Asia, and Northern Africa. In the midst of it all is Prince Jorg Ancrath, a 14-year-old who is a self-described sociopath. He leads a band of mercenaries across the ruined landscape, trying to escape his father’s legacy.

Jorg Ancrath is objectively a horrible person. At just 14, he is morally bankrupt and utterly reprehensible, yet he is so much fun to read. Written in a first-person perspective, the book allows audiences to really see his thought process, showing his deep trauma and how little he cares for anyone other than himself. The first in a trilogy, this book isn’t even all that long, and is pretty average in terms of novel length. Still, it’s perfectly paced and worth every word. It’s dark, gritty, completely messed up, but so enjoyable, all at the same time.

6

‘The Lies of Locke Lamora’ (2006)

Image via Bantam Spectra

The Lies of Locke Lamora, written by Scott Lynch, is the first novel in the Gentleman Bastard sequence. It’s a sort of urban fantasy rather than an epic fantasy adventure. The setting is the fictitious city of Camorr, which resembles Venice with its weaving canals and elaborate architecture. The plot unfolds into two storylines: the first is set in the “present,” where a crew known as the Gentleman Bastards take on a new threat in Camorr’s criminal underworld. The other storyline is mostly about the history of Camorr and its dark underbelly.

This book in particular was a massive hit for urban fantasy fans, as were its sequels, but you just can’t beat the original. It’s such a great story because, unlike many of the other books on this list, it isn’t about large-scale wars of empires or resurrected forms of magic or ancient threats from millennia ago; it’s just an Ocean’s Eleven-style adventure through a dark and layered world.

5

‘Between Two Fires’ (2012)

Image via Ace

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Between Two Fires is a low fantasy novel set in France during the Hundred Years’ War and the Bubonic Plague. As you can imagine, this means the streets are riddled with corpses, and there’s a general aura of misery that hangs thick over everyone and everything. The fantasy aspect comes in the form of demons, which prowl the French countryside, as if everything else going on weren’t bad enough.

In the midst of one of the darkest periods of France’s history, a lone knight saves a young girl from a fate worse than death. Directionless in life, the knight decides to see the girl to safety, evading and battling demons in the process. This horror/fantasy/historical fiction hybrid is one of the bleakest stories out there, but it’s absolutely brilliant at the same time. Christopher Buehlman really knocked it out of the park with this one.

4

‘A Memory of Light’ (2014)

Image via Tor Fantasy

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A Memory of Light is the final book in the enormous The Wheel of Time saga, coming in as the 14th entry. This is also one of the longest ones at well over 1,000 pages. The series was primarily written by Robert Jordan, beginning all the way back in the 1990s. Unfortunately, Jordan died at a relatively young age due to a heart attack following the release of the 11th book, prompting fellow author Brandon Sanderson to take over. While Sanderson did technically write the book, much of the credit is given to Jordan, provided he had the original notes and had already outlined the book in meticulous detail long before his passing.

The most remarkable part about this book is the chapter titled “The Last Battle,” which goes on non-stop for over 200 pages. It’s a huge feat to tackle, but a rewarding and exhilarating experience. It’s so exciting that it’s easy to lose track of time while reading it, to the point that before you know it, the chapter is over and the sun has set. Every part of the complex plot comes together, and it leaves off with a bittersweet ending that fans loved. It’s the best book in the Wheel of Time series and easily one of the best books of the 2010s.

3

‘The Crippled God’ (2011)

Image via Tor Fantasy

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The Crippled God is the tenth and final installment in Malazan: Book of the Fallen, the main sequence of a massive literary universe kickstarted by Canadian author Steven Erikson. Malazan is a big hit in the fantasy fandom, though books one and 10 of the series are generally considered its strongest points. It can be daunting for some people due to how much lore is behind the series, but most fans are perfectly fine with this.

The story of the series is about the Malazan Empire, and about how it rapidly expanded to cover an entire continent. Now, they’re setting their sights on another continent. That’s the extremely short version of the story, anyway. As far as conclusions go, this one is absolutely epic. It’s rife with massive battle sequences, the kind that no TV or movie adaptation could ever hope to capture. It’s perfectly written and very cinematic.

2

‘A Dance with Dragons’ (2011)

Image via Bantam Spectra

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A Dance with Dragons is the fifth and final book in the unfinished A Song of Ice and Fire series, which, of course, became the massive television phenomenon, Game of Thrones. Though there were two sequels planned to wrap up the series, it’s been 15 years, and George R. R. Martin is still dragging his feet, so it’s unlikely fans will ever see the literary conclusion. In any event, this book is absolutely fantastic. Sure, it has some weaker parts, and no, it’s not as good as the others in the series, but it’s the only one that actually came out in the last 20 years, save for its previous installment, A Feast for Crows. The latter is considered the low point of the series, though, so that certainly wasn’t going to make the list.

Like the prior installments, this book is about a civil war in Westeros, where nine royal families are competing for a throne, all while a primal threat from centuries ago is quietly building up strength in the North. This book is pretty large, at about 900-1,100 pages depending on which format you get it in. Still though, it was a marked improvement over the book that came before it in both scale and story, and it definitely earns a spot as being one of the best fantasy books of the last 20 years.

1

‘Oathbringer’ (2017)

Image via Tor Fantasy

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Oathbringer is the third book in the ongoing The Stormlight Archive series by Brandon Sanderson. The series is part of Sanderson’s shared literary universe known as the Cosmere. Basically, each stand-alone or series in the Cosmere is set on a different planet within the same galaxy. Each planet has its own unique magic system. This monstrous tome of nearly 1,300 pages is set on the barren world of Roshar, which is constantly bombarded with hurricane-like events known as highstorms. There is little to no plant life, and any animals are typically crustaceous, even on land.

The overall story of the series concerns a war between the crustaceous race of humanoids called the Singers and humanity, with the stakes being extinction. Each side has resurrected an ancient and lost form of magic to use to their advantage. Each book in the series also features flashback sequences from one character per novel, with this one focusing on the backstory of military leader Dalinar Kholin. There are tons of epic battles in this book, profound moments of moral wisdom, excellent character development, and some quippy humour, too. This is one of Sanderson’s finest efforts, and a real jewel in the crown of the Cosmere as a whole.