It’s not shaping up to be a good year for “Star Wars.” Although the animated series “Maul – Shadow Lord” earned rave reviews from critics and fans alike, many questioned why the Disney+ series “The Mandalorian” needed to head to the big screen, especially considering that “Star Wars: Starfighter” will hit theaters in less than a year from now. Although the movie failed to perform at the box office, it’s possible that Lucasfilm can still turn this into a win.

‘Star Wars’ Might Make A Fortune In Merchandising

On paper, it does make at least a little bit of sense. People who are not familiar with “Star Wars” probably know who Grogu – ahem, Baby Yoda – is. After all, the little green guy is everywhere. He’s on everything from T-shirts to throw blankets. He even popped up at Build-A-Bear, where fans can dress him in a little Grogu onesie or get him a frog wristlet before he decides to, you know, eat it.

Merchandising has always been the backbone of the “Star Wars” economy, and so it makes sense that Lucasfilm would want to take this opportunity to partner with as many brands as possible to get the name out there. The Republic of Tea is now selling at least three different tea tins. Bath & Body Works is selling everything from candles to cologne in “Force Flow” and “Bounty Hunter” scents. And don’t even get me started with whatever’s going on at Burger King.

‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ Was Never A Story For The Big Screen

The problem is, “The Mandalorian” has always been a TV show. While the first two seasons were well-received, the third one got bogged down by lore and pointless cameos (did we really need Lizzo and Jack Black in the same episode?) The show was already crumbling before they decided to turn it into a movie, and not a very good one at that.

“The Mandalorian and Grogu” felt like three episodes stitched together, and while that wouldn’t matter if they were good episodes, this feels like a pointless side quest in their overall story. Both Din Djarin (the titular Mandalorian) and Grogu basically end up right back where they started, except now Din has a shiny new ship. There’s no tease of a bigger threat on the horizon. There’s no major character growth. Overall, the movie is pretty inconsequential in the long run.

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And that honestly might be fine for kids who just want to see Din Djarin beat up the bad guys (there’s a lot of that in this film). But it doesn’t contribute anything more to the franchise. It looks like a “Star Wars” film. It sounds like a “Star Wars” film. But it lacks the soul and character of the other films that really make them magical. Trust me – I just watched the sequel to “Zootopia” last night, and kids’ movies can absolutely have heart and eye-rolling slapstick comedy that was meant for five-year-olds.

‘Star Wars’ Is All Anyone’s Talking About

But if Lucasfilm put out “The Mandalorian and Grogu” just hoping that they were going to get “Star Wars” back on everyone’s minds, they’ve certainly done that. The press coverage about how this movie absolutely bombed at the box office has been unavoidable. It’s probably not the press that Disney wanted, but the movie is out there now.

I can imagine that, considering the film is going to make its way to Disney+ eventually, most people are just waiting to continue to watch the movie like they’ve watched the last three seasons: at home on the couch with a bucket of popcorn that does not resemble Din Djarin’s head. It started on the small screen, and that’s where it should have stayed (along with a tie-in to Thrawn to get people at least excited for what may come next in Mando’s story, but I digress).

Despite countless headlines about how “Star Wars” is over for good, the movie probably awakened a new generation of fans who are now binge-watching the rest of the films on Disney+. They might have even roped in a few new fans of “The Mandalorian” as well. If they wanted to go all-in on the Baby Yoda merchandising and get some new Disney+ subscribers by putting out a lackluster film, then they’ve succeeded in that regard.

Will ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ Create New ‘Star Wars’ Fans?

Let’s face it: “Star Wars” needs some new fans, and that needs to start with the younger generation. The sequel trilogy was an absolute disaster, and the fact that there hasn’t been a “Star Wars” movie in theaters since 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker” proves it. There are kids who have never seen a “Star Wars” movie in theaters, and it’s possible that Lucasfilm wanted to rope fans in with “The Mandalorian and Grogu” before “Starfighter” is released next year and (possibly?) gives fans a look at what the future has in store for Rey and whoever else they plan to bring back.

But Lucasfilm might actually be shooting itself in the foot with this one. The more extraneous material they release – like this movie – the harder it is for a “casual” fan to catch up. I can’t tell you how many times people have asked me how this movie connects to the original trilogy (“The guy is like… the brother of Boba Fett, right?”) or if Grogu and Baby Yoda are the same character. People legitimately do not know about “Star Wars.”

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They know Darth Vader. They know Yoda. They know Luke Skywalker. All of those characters have become pop culture legends, and maybe it should have stayed that way. For twenty years, there were six films in the Skywalker Saga, and that was it. Then Disney started pumping out a movie a year, and several live-action shows that the average viewer stopped keeping track of. “Andor” got plenty of buzz, but ten or twenty years from now, I don’t think anyone will be talking about that or “The Mandalorian.”

If “The Mandalorian and Grogu” wanted to get “Star Wars” back on everyone’s lips, then they’ve certainly done that. And although it failed to show up at the box office, plenty of fans will certainly catch it on Disney+ whenever it hits streaming (which might be sooner rather than later at this rate). Between merchandising and other brand partnerships, “Star Wars” is everywhere again.

Let’s just hope that Shawn Levy’s “Starfighter” can deliver. Rebellions are built on hope, and so, apparently, is this franchise.

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Despite becoming one of the defining American films of the 2000s, the Coen Brothers’ Oscar-winning neo-Western No Country for Old Men also sparked a major legal battle involving one of its biggest stars. Years after the film swept the Academy Awards, lead Tommy Lee Jones sued Paramount Pictures over millions in allegedly unpaid compensation for the movie’s success. It’s a strangely ironic little footnote to a modern classic already obsessed with the true cost of greed.

‘No Country for Old Men’ Is One of the Defining Films of the 2000s

Released in 2007, No Country for Old Men follows welder-turned-hunter Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) after he stumbles across a briefcase holding $2 million in the wake of a drug deal gone wrong. That discovery puts him directly in the path of Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), the cattle-gun-wielding, coin-tossing hitman who is now an iconic part of movie history. Watching it all unfold is Jones as Sheriff Ed Tom Bell in one of the strongest performances of his career — a performance that led to him suing a studio.

While Bardem’s villain understandably became the face of the movie, Jones is undoubtedly the film’s emotional center. Bell spends the movie grappling with a changing America that no longer makes sense to him, attempting to come to terms with a world where violence and cruelty have evolved beyond his ability to stop them. It’s a masterclass performance that gives the Coen Brothers crime movie much of its soul. And without Jones, the film wouldn’t be the elegy for the American West that makes it so good in the first place.

No Country for Old Men was a massive critical success almost immediately. The Western won four Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor for Bardem. Critics hailed it as one of the Coens’ greatest works, and it quickly entered the contemporary canon alongside a run of other modern Westerns like Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood and Andrew Dominik’s The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford — both 2007 releases, as well. Commercially, it was also far more successful than many expected, going on to gross over $170 million worldwide. In fact, it’s that very success that ultimately led to its legal problems.

Tommy Lee Jones Sued Paramount Over Millions in Unpaid Bonuses

In 2008, Jones filed a lawsuit against Paramount Pictures claiming the studio failed to properly pay him box office bonuses and compensation promised in his contract. According to the suit, Jones had accepted a lower salary in exchange for bonuses on the back end based on the film’s box office. It quickly devolved into a court case. And as later filings revealed, Jones was actually onto something: Paramount’s lawyers had allegedly made a major drafting mistake in his contract.

The bonus structure accidentally allowed him to get a bigger payout… even when the movie didn’t actually hit the threshold the studio intended. Instead of receiving bonuses after worldwide grosses doubled certain targets, Jones’ deal scored him payouts at half them instead. That error meant Jones was owed, even though the film had only earned around $160 million at the time. (For context, the previous Best Picture winner — Martin Scorsese’s perfect crime movie The Departed — had brought in nearly $300 million.)

After arbitration, Jones reportedly received a $17.5 million payout from Paramount. The studio’s former attorneys also settled with Paramount, losing $2.6 million over the mistake. Paramount then attempted to offset some of the financial loss by passing portions of the payout onto the film’s investors. That sparked another lawsuit involving Marathon Funding, a financing company that claimed Paramount improperly deducted Jones’ bonus from profit participation revenue.

Paramount won that separate dispute, but the damage had already been done: the entire situation exposed just how messy the financial side of filmmaking can be — even among the best movies. Looking back now, the whole saga feels oddly perfect for a film like No Country for Old Men. After all, the movie itself is fundamentally about people destroying themselves over money they can never truly control. Offscreen, things looked pretty similar. It’s an interesting wrinkle in the legacy of one of the greatest films of the century so far — but also a fitting one.

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Release Date

November 21, 2007

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Runtime

122 minutes

Director

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Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Writers

Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

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Calling something a better binge watch than Breaking Bad sounds almost illegal because that show practically trained viewers to say “one more episode” at 2 a.m. Its escalation is legendary. Walt’s (Bryan Cranston) lies stack, Jesse (Aaron Paul) keeps getting wounded by other people’s ambition, and the story tightens until stopping feels like breaking a spell.

This list looks at binge momentum from a wider angle. Some shows move faster. Some create deeper paranoia. Some make the viewer desperate to understand the next piece of the system, the family, the conspiracy, or the moral collapse. Breaking Bad remains one of TV’s greatest rides, but these shows can be even harder to pause when the right viewer falls into them. And I understand I’ve ranked some of these shows as better binges than Breaking Bad before but that’s some nuance for another day.

10

‘Narcos’ (2015-2017)

Image via Netflix

Narcos follows the rise and fall of Pablo Escobar (Wagner Moura) through the Colombian cocaine trade, with DEA agents Steve Murphy (Boyd Holbrook) and Javier Peña (Pedro Pascal) chasing a man whose money, violence, politics, and public image keep turning him into something larger than a normal criminal target. That gives the show a different kind of binge speed from Walter White’s slow climb. The machine is already roaring.

The series keeps pulling you forward through manhunts, betrayals, raids, prison power moves, political deals, and the horrifying casualness of cartel violence. Escobar walking through neighborhoods like a folk hero, Peña chasing dirty compromises, the hunt narrowing around La Catedral, and the later shift toward the Cali Cartel all give the binge a documentary-thriller charge. Breaking Bad makes empire-building feel personal. Narcos makes it feel geopolitical, which gives every episode a bigger, nastier horizon.

9

‘Ozark’ (2017-2022)

Image via Netflix

Ozark follows Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman), a financial adviser who launders money for a Mexican cartel, then drags his wife Wendy Byrde (Laura Linney) and their kids to the Missouri Ozarks after a deal goes bad. From that point, every family conversation doubles as a survival calculation. Marty is trying to keep everyone alive through numbers. Wendy starts discovering that power might suit her more than escape ever did.

That family-cartel setup makes the show ridiculously easy to chain-watch. Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner)’s rise from local hustler to the show’s most bruised moral force gives the series its emotional kick, while Darlene Snell (Lisa Emery), the Kansas City mob, cartel pressure, casino politics, and family betrayal keep tightening the noose. The blue-gray dread can feel almost punishing, yet that mood is part of the addiction. Ozark gives viewers the “ordinary family pulled into crime” hook and keeps asking how long ordinary can even survive once everyone starts adapting too well.

8

‘Peaky Blinders’ (2013-2022)

Image via BBC

Peaky Blinders follows Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy), a World War I veteran who turns his Birmingham street gang into a political and criminal force. His brothers Arthur (Paul Anderson) and John (Joe Cole), his aunt Polly (Helen McCrory), and the rest of the Shelby family are tied to him through blood, trauma, ambition, and the constant fear that Tommy’s next plan might finally cost too much.

The show is insanely watchable because it understands momentum as attitude and consequence. Tommy walking through smoke in that coat, Arthur exploding in pubs, Polly reading everyone before they speak, Alfie Solomons (Tom Hardy) turning every scene into controlled madness, the fights with Sabini (Noah Taylor), Changretta (Adrien Brody), Mosley (Sam Claflin), and rival gangs all build a binge rhythm that feels almost musical. Breaking Bad is cleaner as a moral descent. Peaky Blinders is messier, louder, sexier, and easier to devour when the mood is crime-family obsession. Not to mention it is now spiralling into a spin-off starring Stranger Things’ Charlie Heaton as one of the leads.

7

‘Hannibal’ (2013-2015)

Image via NBC

Hannibal follows Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), an FBI profiler whose empathy lets him mentally reconstruct murders, and Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen), the brilliant psychiatrist and cannibal who becomes both his doctor and his nightmare. Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne) uses Will’s gift to solve cases, while Hannibal quietly turns that gift into a psychological trap.

The series has a strange pull. Every episode feels like stepping into someone’s beautiful bad dream. The murder tableaux, Abigail Hobbs (Kacey Rohl), Bedelia Du Maurier (Gillian Anderson)’s fear, Will’s hallucinations, Hannibal’s dinner parties, the blood-soaked friendship between predator and patient, all of it creates a binge that feels intimate and cursed. This is the pick for viewers who want crime TV with obsession instead of procedural comfort.

6

‘The Americans’ (2013-2018)

Image via FX

The Americans follows Philip Jennings (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell), who look like a normal married couple in 1980s suburban Washington, D.C., but are really Soviet spies running missions under false identities while raising two children who think their parents are travel agents. Their neighbor Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich) works for the FBI, which turns every driveway chat into a loaded gun.

The show becomes more addictive the longer the marriage gets tested. Philip is more emotionally worn down by the disguises, seductions, and killings, while Elizabeth holds tighter to the mission even as motherhood complicates everything. Paige (Holly Taylor)’s slow awareness of the family secret turns the whole series into a parental nightmare. Martha (Alison Wright), Nina (Annet Mahendru), Oleg (Costa Ronin), Claudia (Margo Martindale), and Stan all add different kinds of pressure. The reason it can out-binge Breaking Bad is the domestic paranoia.

5

‘Mr. Robot’ (2015-2019)

Image via USA Network

Mr. Robot follows Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek), a cybersecurity engineer and hacker recruited by fsociety, an underground group trying to erase consumer debt by attacking a corporate giant called E Corp. He is brilliant, isolated, angry, and mentally unstable in ways the show slowly turns into part of the storytelling itself. That first season alone has the kind of twisty momentum that makes viewers suspicious of every frame.

The binge becomes deeper once the show moves beyond hack-the-system fantasy and starts digging into trauma, identity, capitalism, loneliness, and control. Darlene (Carly Chaikin)’s bond with Elliot builds a nice emotional core for the show, while Mr. Robot (Christian Slater) keeps shifting from revolutionary guide to something far more personal. Episodes like the prison reveal, the silent heist, the stage-play therapy hour, and the final run make the series feel carefully locked together.

4

‘Dark’ (2017-2020)

Image via Netflix

Dark begins in a small German town where four families are connected by secrets, grief, and a cave that links different time periods. Jonas Kahnwald (Louis Hofmann) becomes the emotional entry point after his father’s suicide, but the story quickly expands through parents, children, grandparents, alternate versions, and loops that make every family tree feel like a crime scene.

And therefore, this show is binge-watching as obsession. You keep watching because one face, one photograph, one name, or one date can completely change what you thought you understood. The 1953, 1986, 2019, and later timelines turn memory into a puzzle with emotional consequences. Martha Nielsen (Lisa Vicari) and Jonas’s connection, Ulrich Nielsen (Oliver Masucci)’s desperate search, Claudia Tiedemann (Julika Jenkins)’s long game, Noah (Mark Waschke)’s menace, and the repeated question of whether anyone can break the cycle all make the series feel massive without needing endless seasons.

3

‘Succession’ (2018-2023)

Image via HBO

Succession follows the Roy family, owners of the media empire Waystar Royco, as aging patriarch Logan Roy (Brian Cox) keeps his children Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook), Roman (Kieran Culkin), and Connor (Alan Ruck) trapped in a permanent audition for power and love. Every episode turns inheritance into humiliation. Every joke has a bruise under it.

As a binge, it is brutal fun because the emotional damage keeps changing outfits. Kendall wants to become the killer his father demands, then keeps crumbling under his own need. Shiv treats distance as intelligence until she realizes the room has already moved without her. Roman turns pain into jokes so quickly that his worst moments can sneak up on you. Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) and Greg (Nicholas Braun) bring corporate survival comedy into a family tragedy, which gives the show insane tonal energy. This is less “one man breaks bad” and more “an entire bloodline was trained to mistake cruelty for competence.” That kind of damage is disgustingly bingeable.

2

‘Better Call Saul’ (2015-2022)

Image via AMC

Better Call Saul follows Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk), a hustling Albuquerque lawyer who wants respect, especially from his older brother Chuck (Michael McKean). Viewers already know he becomes Saul Goodman, the flashy criminal attorney who helps Walt and Jesse in Breaking Bad, so every kind gesture, shortcut, scam, and humiliation lands with extra dread. You are watching a man walk toward a name that feels like a surrender.

Jimmy and Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) make the binge emotionally dangerous. Their chemistry is charming at first because they understand each other’s mischief, ambition, and resentment better than anyone else. Then that same chemistry starts feeding choices they can no longer laugh off. Chuck’s courtroom collapse, the Mesa Verde scams, Lalo Salamanca (Tony Dalton)’s terrifying charm, Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks)’s grief-driven discipline, Howard (Patrick Fabian)’s fate, and Kim leaving all cut deeper when watched in sequence. The parent show delivers the louder fall. Better Call Saul makes the viewer mourn the person who almost got out.

1

‘The Wire’ (2002-2008)

Image via HBO

The Wire follows a Baltimore investigation into Avon Barksdale (Wood Harris)’s drug organization, with detectives Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West), Kima Greggs (Sonja Sohn), Bunk Moreland (Wendell Pierce), and Lester Freamon (Clarke Peters) trying to build a real case while the department keeps pushing for easy numbers. Out on the streets, we have D’Angelo (Larry Gilliard Jr.), Bodie (J.D. Williams), Wallace (Michael B. Jordan), Stringer (Idris Elba), Avon, and Omar (Michael K. Williams) making the drug world feel human, strategic, funny, terrifying, and heartbreaking.

The binge pull comes from accumulation. A corner conversation matters later. A political compromise changes police work. A school policy shapes a kid’s future. A newsroom shortcut damages public truth. The Wire gives the viewer a whole ecosystem of drugs and detectives. Once that clicks, stopping after one episode feels impossible because every piece of Baltimore is talking to every other piece.

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The Wire

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Release Date

2002 – 2008-00-00

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Network

HBO

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Directors

Ernest R. Dickerson, Ed Bianchi, Steve Shill, Clark Johnson, Daniel Attias, Agnieszka Holland, Tim Van Patten, Alex Zakrzewski, Anthony Hemingway, Brad Anderson, Clement Virgo, Elodie Keene, Peter Medak, Rob Bailey, Seith Mann, Christine Moore, David Platt, Dominic West, Gloria Muzio, Jim McKay, Leslie Libman, Milcho Manchevski, Robert F. Colesberry, Thomas J. Wright

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The Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast is mourning the loss of actor Anthony Stewart Head following his death at age 72.

Head famously played Rupert Giles, the leader of the “Scooby Gang” and Buffy Summers’ (Sarah Michelle Gellar) mentor, on the hit show from 1997 to 2003.

The actor’s family confirmed his death on Friday, June 5, revealing, “It is with heavy hearts that we announce the death of our extraordinary father, Anthony Head.”

Head’s two daughters, Emily and Daisy, added that he “passed away peacefully of complications due to pneumonia, surrounded by his family.”

Head’s death is the latest heartbreak to affect the Buffy family following Nicholas Brendan’s death in March and Michelle Trachtenberg’s passing in February 2025.

In the wake of the most recent tragedy, Head’s Buffy castmates, including David Boreanaz, who played Angel on the hit series, and Gellar, who played the show’s lead, took to social media to honor his legacy.

Scroll down to see which Buffy stars have paid tribute to the late actor:

David Boreanaz

“RIP,” Boreanaz wrote via his Instagram Story with a praying hand emoji while reposting Head’s death announcement. “He was so kind and generous of a soul.”

Eliza Dushku

Eliza Dushku, who played slayer Faith, shared a photo of Head via her Instagram Story on Friday. “Tony H ~ For every scene & time shared, I give thanks. Rest in love and peace, kind sir. A dear one,” she wrote.

Related: Sarah Michelle Gellar Says Nicholas Brendon’s Death Is a ‘Tragedy’

Sarah Michelle Gellar is once again remembering her longtime Buffy the Vampire Slayer costar Nicholas Brendon following his death at age 54. “It’s a tragedy. It’s a tragedy when you lose anyone at any point. It’s a bigger tragedy when you lose someone way sooner than needs to be,” Gellar, 48, said during a Rome press […]

Sarah Michelle Gellar

Gellar, who played the titular character Buffy, quoted the show while paying tribute to her TV mentor. “‘Tell Giles I figured it out and I’m OK.’ Well I don’t have it figured out and I’m not OK,” the actress wrote via Instagram. “But I know I’m the lucky one because I knew you.”

Gellar shared a series of photos from her time with Head while filming the hit series, including one with Buffy costar Seth Green and Head’s two daughters.

“Thank you to Daisy and Emily who not only shared their dad with me, but with the world,” Gellar added.

James Marsters

“There’s a hole in the World. Anthony Head has passed on from us,” James Marsters, who played vampire Spike, wrote via Instagram. “He was an unflaggingly kind and steady presence on the set of Buffy, and the best actor in the cast.”

The actor gushed about his late costar, adding, “He was the best of us. I was lucky to have known, and learned from him. He left the world a better place for his presence. Thank you Tony for all you gave.”

Emma Caulfield

Emma Caulfield, who portrayed Anya, shared a throwback photo with the late actor via Instagram. “This was taken on the London Underground in 2011,” she recalled. “I went to visit my friend Tony on the set of The Iron Lady. We had lunch, hit up a record store, had dinner and drinks and laughed until our sides hurt. It was a perfect day.”

Caulfield shared, “There were many of these moments with this amazing human who I was lucky enough to call my friend for 27 years. He was kind and wise and a guide in troubled times. You were so loved. Impossible to caption. You are so missed. ❤️ ❤️❤️❤️ rest in peace with your beautiful Sarah-Emma.”

Charisma Carpenter

Charisma Carpenter, who played Cordelia Chase, paid homage to Head via a lengthy Instagram statement on Friday.

“Tony brought life to a character who, for so many, was the father figure they needed but didn’t have at home. Fans far and wide are surely grieving, and for that, I am deeply sorry,” she began. “I was not as close to Tony as some of the others from the cast were, and it pains me that I have to say ‘were.’ Even so, I am still feeling affected by this loss, and my heart is truly with my fellow classmates who remained close to him and his family to this day. I’m holding them all in my thoughts and sending love.”

Carpenter shared a series of photos of Head on Buffy and quotes from the show as she remembered his legacy.

“I am especially sorry for the tremendous loss his daughters, Emily and Daisy, are enduring, and I wish to extend my deepest condolences to them. They are young women now, though they were just darling little girls when I met them decades ago,” she continued. “I have not seen them since, but I hear they embody every bit of the love, kindness, and commitment to others that their parents did.”

Carpenter called Head “an icon” who she was “fortunate” to have worked with at such a young age.

“I remember meeting him in the production office for the first time and being completely thrown off by his hippie-vibe demeanor, with a touch of punk-rock flair,” the actress recalled. “He had an earring, Converse high-tops, and a pair of loose-fitting, boldly striped pants. There wasn’t a trace of Giles to be found, which was a testament to his gifts.”

Carpenter noted that Head was “incredibly kind” to everyone he met, calling him the finest example of “a truly good human being.”

“Recently, for the first time, I watched his performance in one of my favorite BTVS episodes, ‘Lie to Me.’ His speech at the end could not feel more relevant today, not only in light of this news, but also given the state of the world,” she concluded. “I invite everyone to revisit it that cares to. Thankfully, we can. For that I am grateful. Rest well, Tony. You are loved.”

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Alyson Hannigan

The Willow Rosenberg actress described Head’s death as a cut “so deep I fear it can never heal.”

“Oh Tonal…I am so grateful to have had you in my life! I want to say a million wonderful things about you and yet I can’t seem to find the words that would do you justice,” Hannigan wrote via Instagram on Saturday, June 6. “ I love you so much and will miss you forever. RIP”

Gellar offered support by writing, “He loved you so dearly Aly.”

The blending of the science fiction and family genres has led the way to many beloved cinematic experiences over the years. There are vast creative possibilities and limitless potential within the sci-fi genre to tell stories of all types and styles, making it all the more endearing that many of these tales are equally accessible to be appreciated by children. For the past half-century of cinematic history, sci-fi family movies have been some of the most approachable and compelling out there.

Whether it be mysterious visitors from across the cosmos or massive leaps in technological advancement, these otherworldly concepts of sheer imagination lend themselves perfectly to the childlike wonder and whimsy of a family movie. Even more so, these concepts can serve as a great entry point for truly powerful thematic material and messaging that can land with older audiences just as effectively as with younger ones.

10

‘Frankenweenie’ (2012)

Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Tim Burton‘s stop-motion remake of his quirky sci-fi family short film from the ’80s, Frankenweenie remixes the classic Frankenstein story by following a young Victor Frankenstein, who uses his mad genius to resurrect his beloved dead dog Sparky. However, things quickly begin to go awry when Victor’s neighbors and peers discover what he has done, initially shocked at the return of Sparky before creating mayhem when they decide to reanimate their own deceased pets.

This unique Frankenstein adaptation stays true to some of the core themes and concepts of the original story while also making it much more approachable to younger audiences. It’s filled to the brim with Burton’s signature sense of wit and gothic charm, with a lot of the same appeal that has made several of his other stories and films family movie icons. The stop-motion animation is also a joy to watch, feeling highly impressive and intricate in its craft to a point where adults can also find great enjoyment in the film.

9

‘Honey, I Shrunk the Kids’ (1989)

Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

An absolute icon of ’80s family movies that succeeds not only thanks to the strength of its premise, but the striking execution in bringing it to life, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids has been pervasive in the history of family movie filmmaking ever since its release. The Joe Johnston film follows a scientist father (Rick Moranis) who accidentally shrinks his two children and two other neighborhood teens to the size of insects, forcing them to fight against the miniature dangers while the father searches for them.

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids does an exceptional job playing up the fantasy elements of its clearly sci-fi concept, showing both the danger and unexpected fun of being a few inches tall. On top of an exceptional leading comedic performance from Moranis and a great exploration of the concept’s potential, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids quickly became one of the most beloved family movies of the ’80s and persisted in culture throughout the ’90s and beyond.

8

‘Megamind’ (2010)

Image via DreamWorks Animation

Playing into the pervasive trend of superhero stories rising in popularity throughout sci-fi films of the 2000s, Megamind‘s family movie twist on superhero and supervillain archetypes has given it an effective niche that still feels relevant over 15 years later. The film follows the titular pompous supervillain Megamind (Will Ferrell), who faces an identity crisis after finally defeating his life-long arch-nemesis. He soon begins to realize that most of the fun of being a villain was facing off against a hero, so he creates a new hero to face.

This beloved animated superhero movie has only grown more appreciated in the years since its release, as its meta characters and fundamental understanding of hero-villain rivalries have made it a great, self-aware family experience. Today, the film is largely considered one of the most underrated films released by DreamWorks Animation and one of the all-time great superhero parody films.

7

‘Spy Kids’ (2001)

Image via Dimension Films

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The definitive family movie from fan-favorite filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, Spy Kids blended the 2000s craze with espionage and the world of super secret spies with young children using their perspective to save their family from a dastardly conspiracy and crazed villains. While the film spawned several sequels over the years, its distinct charm helps it exceed the quality of follow-up entries in the franchise.

The film follows a duo of children who believe that their parents are the most boring people on Earth, completely unaware of their previous lives as top secret agents who gave up their lives to raise them. However, when several old colleagues disappear, forcing the parents out of retirement, it doesn’t take long before the kids themselves are put up to the task to find their parents and save them from a dastardly villain.

6

‘Lilo & Stitch’ (2002)

Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

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While Disney has had its fair share of notable family movies delving into the sci-fi genre, Lilo & Stitch is easily their absolute best combination of classic family values with wild sci-fi characters and concepts. It follows Stitch, a chaotic genetic experiment from outer space who escapes confinement and crash-lands on the islands of Hawaii. Initially causing chaos, he finds an unexpected friendship with independent little girl Lilo, as their true bond gives them both new perspectives on life.

This exceptional animated comedy gets a lot of mileage out of the comedic banter and dynamic between its titular duo. With stellar animation and a great mix of heartfelt moments and top-notch comedy, Lilo & Stitch has cemented itself as one of Disney’s greatest and most acclaimed films of the 21st century so far. Even after a live-action remake that grossed over a billion dollars, nothing comes close to the exceptional filmmaking present within the original 2002 classic.

5

‘The Wild Robot’ (2024)

Image via DreamWorks Animation

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A striking evolution of 3D animation that proves just how much DreamWorks Animation has progressed as an animation studio in recent years, The Wild Robot is a glorious combination of the sci-fi, family, and adventure genres to create one of the definitive animated masterpieces of the 2020s. The film follows an intelligent helper robot who, after a shipwreck, is stranded on an uninhabited island. As it attempts to survive the harsh climate, it begins to form bonds and care for the various animals, most notably an orphaned baby goose.

While the gloriously beautiful animation does a lot to help elevate the film’s strengths, the clearest and most prominent quality is the exceptional characters. Roz the robot’s growth from an unfeeling helper into a genuine fighter and mother figure is incredibly endearing to watch on-screen. With a sequel on the way, The Wild Robot‘s legacy and prominence among modern sci-fi family movies only continues to grow.

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‘The Iron Giant’ (1999)

Image via Warner Bros.

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While the film was initially a box-office bomb, The Iron Giant thrived in the home video market, with many quickly understanding its qualities and brilliant combination of 2D and 3D animation. This glorious story of unexpected friendship between a boy and a 50 ft robot perfectly complements the Red Scare aesthetic and nuclear war fears underlying the plot. Brad Bird‘s initial animated outing continues to be celebrated over 25 years later as one of the greatest animated movies of all time.

Despite coming out in the early years of 3D animation, The Iron Giant‘s stylistic visuals have aged exceptionally well into the modern age, directly complementing the style of 2D animation without ever feeling distracting. The emotional moments hit hard, and the characters feel grounded in a place of reality amidst the wild sci-fi madness around them. It can be enjoyed by adults just as much as young children, making it a true one-of-a-kind.

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‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ (2018)

Spider-Man is a character that has had an overwhelming appeal with audiences and young children for generations, with many different film adaptations leaning into the character’s sheer charm and appeal. However, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse easily stands out as not just the best Spider-Man film, but one that fundamentally understands the strengths of the character and translates them to a fun, sci-fi family tale. It sees a variety of alternate universes coming together, with a whole team of Spider-People having to team up to return to their universes.

After so many great Spider-Man films, Into the Spider-Verse does the greatest job of recreating the magic and strengths of the comic on the big screen, with its stylish animation feeling at times like it was taken directly off the panel. It all works in tandem with an exceptional story of strength and growth, showing that anyone can find success and can have the title of Spider-Man and that the pains of our past can help drive us toward a greater future.

2

‘WALL·E’ (2008)

Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

One of the greatest films from Pixar’s golden era and a masterclass of beautiful animation mixed with powerful eco-messaging, WALL·E‘s overwhelming reputation as an animated masterpiece precedes it. The film follows an incredibly cute trash robot left as the lone inhabitant of Earth, with humanity having abandoned the planet after it has been overwhelmed by a high amount of trash and decay. However, plant life has managed to find a way to exist on Earth, with WALL·E going on a journey across the cosmos to return humanity to Earth.

WALL·E features some of the greatest worldbuilding and stage-setting in a sci-fi film, with the powerful visuals of a decaying Earth contrasting perfectly with the quaint, simple, and cute life of WALL·E himself. As his journey of love and curiosity grows, there is a consistent and seamless marriage between top-notch slapstick silent comedy and exceptional eco themes. While already massively acclaimed, WALL·E has attained an overwhelming legacy as one of the definitive family movie masterpieces of the 21st century.

Image via Universal Pictures

It’s impossible to discuss iconic and well-crafted sci-fi family movies without mentioning Steven Spielberg‘s legendary blockbuster masterpiece, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. This absolute icon of ’80s cinema exemplifies all the great strengths inherent to the sci-fi family genre, telling a timeless story of family friendship with galactic stakes and an overwhelming sense of charm from beginning to end. E.T. sees Spielberg going all out in terms of a crowd-pleasing entertainment, playing to his greatest strengths to create a true cultural moment for family filmmaking.

Time has only been kind to the strengths and influence of E.T. on wider culture. Indeed, the film has become the face of sci-fi family filmmaking as well as one of the most iconic movies of its decade. Its legacy and impact on filmmaking as a whole only continues to grow with each passing year, massively influencing every other sci-fi family movie for both the past 50 years and the next 50 years.

Of all the many reboots currently in production or post-production, few are as exciting as John Wick director Chad Stahelski‘s Highlander reboot. Following in the footsteps of the 1986 film of the same name, starring Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery, Stahelski will be looking to pack action and tension into this beloved fantasy tale, and will do so with a star-studded cast, who have been seen in action in recent first-look photos from behind the scenes.

Henry Cavill will star as Connor MacLeod alongside Academy Award winner Russell Crowe as Ramirez, with the pair joined by the star-studded ensemble of Dave Bautista (The Wrecking Crew), Karen Gillan (Guardians of the Galaxy), Jeremy Irons (Batman v Superman), Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond), Marisa Abela (Industry), and more. Directed by Stahelski and written by Kerry Williamson and Mike Finch, the movie will be released by Amazon MGM Studios and is reported to have an eye-catching production budget of roughly $180 million.

The stage is set for yet another exciting action flick from Cavill, in the shadow of his stint as Superman and other big-budget projects. To get in the mood for the Highlander reboot, fans have been heading back to one of the actor’s lesser-spotted actioners, and one of his biggest flops ever. Released in 2019, the Canadian action thriller Night Hunter by writer/director David Raymond stars Cavill alongside the likes of Ben Kingsley, Alexandra Daddario, and Stanley Tucci. Sadly, despite boasting an undeniably talented cast, the movie flopped in spectacular fashion, scoring less than $1 million in a limited theatrical release and a dismal 14% score from critics on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

‘Night Hunter’ Is Surprising the Streaming Charts

Such poor reviews will usually harm the reputation of movies, but streaming often provides a place for solace. Eight years after its poor commercial and critical reception, Night Hunter is redeeming itself on global streaming. At the time of writing, the movie is one of the ten most-streamed titles on Paramount+ in the world, going toe-to-toe with some of the most exciting options on the streamer, including the zombie apocalypse flick World War Z, Glen Powell‘s 2025 remake of The Running Man, and even Ridley Scott‘s long-awaited legacy sequel Gladiator II.

You can stream Night Hunter on Paramount+ now. For all the latest streaming stories, make sure to stay tuned to Collider.

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Release Date

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August 29, 2019

Runtime

95 minutes

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Writers

David Raymond

Producers

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Kevin Scott Frakes, Nadine de Barros, Larry Harding, Nasrat Muzayyin, Zorin Finkelsen, Francesca Dutton, James Lancaster, Mitesh Parikh, Niraj Parikh, Gaurav Talwar, Pulak Parikh, Rob Wood, Mark Catton, Rick Dugdale, Sundip K. Bhundia, Steven Ashley, Peter Aitken, James Milligan, Chris Pettit, Alastair Burlingham, Buddy Patrick, Robert Ogden Barnum, Dave Hansen, Tony Parker

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The 1990s brought forth a new wave of provocative, introspective, cutting-edge dystopian sci-fi features, and the sci-fi thriller Gattaca perfectly encapsulates the era. Written and directed by Andrew Niccol and boasting an all-star cast, Gattaca explores a society where humanity mastered genetic manipulation, dividing humans into two classes: the genetically engineered with what are viewed as the best genetic traits through natural selection (the “valids”), and the naturally born who are more susceptible to genetic defects, called the “in-valids.” Gattaca depicts a unique vision of the future by examining the potential dangers of genetic manipulation, along with the indomitable human spirit exceeding analytical potential.

‘Gattaca’ Brilliantly Portrays the Dangers of Eugenics

Niccol’s script for Gattaca brilliantly explores the dangers of a society overly reliant on eugenics and genetic manipulation. Geneticists have mastered artificial birth, and children are genetically designed to be born with superior, preferable genetic traits. Unfortunately, the practice causes discrimination and a class divide, as the naturally born in-valids are depicted as a lower class and not afforded the same privileges and opportunities as the genetically superior valids. Gattaca intriguingly shines a light on scientific breakthroughs occurring throughout the era.

In the 1990s, the Human Genome Project launched to map, identify, and sequence all the genes of human DNA and decipher humanity’s genetic code. 1996 also saw the creation of Dolly the Sheep, the first mammal that was artificially cloned through an adult somatic cell. Gattaca presents a dystopian vision of the future with these ideas taken to an extreme conclusion. Humanity’s supposed mastery over eugenics favors those with the stronger genetic traits, and the in-valids are considered inferior and forced into menial labor. Meanwhile, the valids are treated among society’s elites and allowed to participate in space travel, which brings the plot to protagonist Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke), who dreams of traveling to space.

The Sharp Sci-Fi ‘Gattaca’ Features an All-Star Cast

Gattaca features a stunning cast, showcasing the talents of many impressive Hollywood veterans. Ethan Hawke leads the visionary feature as Vincent Freeman, who was born through a natural birth. However, his projected lifespan is only about 30 years old. Unfortunately, Vincent’s status as an in-valid excludes him from achieving a higher status in society and fulfilling his dream of space travel. Vincent commits a type of fraud, posing as a valid, using the genetic material and identity provided by Jerome Eugene Morrow (Jude Law), a paraplegic valid who was paralyzed in a car accident. However, a murder committed at the Gattaca Aeronautical Corporation falsely implicates Vincent when his genetic material is found at the scene of the crime, and the walls begin to close in around him.

Hawke and Law deliver incredible performances, infusing their roles with a melancholic energy. Hawke brilliantly showcases Vincent’s desperation and unbreakable spirit to fulfill his dream. Meanwhile, Law brings a tragic sadness to his character, especially when it’s revealed how he became paralyzed later in the movie. Vincent eventually meets and falls in love with his co-worker, Irene Cassini, portrayed by Uma Thurman. Thurman is terrific as a valid citizen with a high risk of a heart defect, which excludes her from being assigned to a space travel mission. Her chemistry with her future husband, Hawke, is electric.

The movie also features familiar faces up and down the cast, including Alan Arkin and Loren Dean as a detective duo investigating the murder at Vincent’s workplace. Ernest Borgnine, Tony Shalhoub, Xander Berkeley, Elias Koteas, Blair Underwood, and the award-winning author Gore Vidal also appear in the movie in notable supporting roles and enhance the world’s immersion.

‘Gattaca’ Is Intellectual Sci-Fi Done Right

Image via Sony Pictures Releasing

Although Gattaca was not a huge success upon its release, it has aged remarkably in the nearly three decades since its original release. It’s a thinking person’s sci-fi movie, with a unique dystopian setting that looks real, grounded, and authentic. The world of Gattaca is very tactile and focused on DNA analysis, where surveillance comes through genetic material, like hair follicles, eyelashes, and fingerprints. Essentially, genetic material has become a type of currency and contraband in the world of Gattaca.

Niccol also demonstrates that, despite society’s ability to achieve control over eugenics and society being partial to artificial birth, it’s the valids who suffer the most from their predetermined genetic fatalism and are more subject to criminal outbursts. Meanwhile, it is Vincent who exceeds his genetic potential, despite his physical ailments and defects. Gattaca exceptionally depicts how, even with the advances in genetic sequencing and manipulation, science still cannot measure traits such as the capacity of free will and the triumph of the human spirit. Despite the plot’s melancholy style, Gattaca ultimately presents an uplifting underdog story arc for Vincent in an incredibly bleak, dystopic setting, elevating the movie into a must-watch sci-fi feature worth revisiting.

Kit Harington admitted it was “gross” to film sex scenes with Sophie Turner for their horror movie The Dreadful given their past on Game of Thrones.

“It was weird,” Harington, 39, confessed in a recent interview with fellow Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage for CNN’s Actors on Actors.

Harington and Turner, 30, essentially grew up together on the set of Game of Thrones, in which they played Jon Snow and Sansa Stark, respectively. For most of the show’s run, Jon and Sansa believed they were siblings before it came out that they were actually first cousins.

Still, the pair’s bond on and off the Game of Thrones set made it awkward when Turner asked Harington to play her lover in The Dreadful. (Turner produced and starred in the gothic horror film, in which Harington portrayed a sinister stranger who reemerged in the lives of Anne and her mother-in-law Morwen.)

Related: Sophie Turner Jokes She Got Her Sex Education on ‘Game of Thrones’

For Sophie Turner, Game of Thrones wasn’t just a job — it was an education. The British actress, 29, was just 13 years old when she was cast as Sansa Stark on the hit HBO fantasy drama, so naturally she learned a lot of life lessons on set, including, she jokes, “more than enough” about sex. […]

“She sent me the script and I said, ‘Sophie, there’s a lot of us getting it on,’” Harington revealed. “She hadn’t seen that. She just said, ‘Yeah, Kit would be good for this part.”

Harington initially had doubts about accepting the role in The Dreadful because he’s “known [Turner] since she was a child” and considers her like “a younger sister.”

“We did it. It was gross but it was fine,” he insisted. “She’s an amazing actor. I know we all know that but she was a child when she [started on Game of Thrones]. She is phenomenal!”

Turner revealed during an appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers last year that she was equally horrified by the thought of shooting love scenes with Turner.

“I’d just got the script for this amazing gothic horror called The Dreadful, and I was reading through all the characters,” she explained to host Seth Meyers. “And I’m producing it, so the director was asking me, ‘Who do you think?’ And immediately, the first person I thought of was Kit.”

She went on, “So, I sent the script to Kit, and he kind of sent me a message back going like, ‘Yeah, I’d love to, but this is going to be really f***ing weird, Soph.’ And I was like, what is he talking about? Then I was reading it, and I’m like, ‘Kiss, kiss, sex, kiss, sex scene.’ And then I’m like, oh shoot, that’s my brother. But it’s such a good script that he’s like, ‘We kind of have to do it.’”

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Related: Celebs Get Real About Sex Scenes: Awkward Moments, Arousal, and More

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When it comes to filming sex scenes for TV shows and movies, actors have had a variety of good and bad experiences. Intimacy coordinator Brooke M. Haney previously opened up to Us Weekly about how filming steamy scenes between actors goes down on set. Contrary to what some fans may think, Haney said that it […]

Turner joked that the great script for The Dreadful didn’t make filming the love scenes any less awkward.

“We put it out of our minds, and then we get on set, and it’s the first kissing scene,” she recalled. “And we are both retching, like really, it is vile. It was the worst, another really bad moment in my career.”

The Dreadful was released in February.