Aww, Roomies! Congratulations are in order for actress Paige Hurd and Charlotte Horns basketball player Royce O’Neale as the couple said “I do” during a beautiful wedding ceremony. Folks online loved seeing the couple exchange their vows, but one moment that really melted hearts came when Paige honored her godfather DMX with a special tribute on her big day.
Paige Hurd Celebrates Her Wedding Day While Remembering DMX
Fans are grabbing tissues for two reasons — first, because Paige Hurd and Royce O’Neale officially tied the knot, and second, because Paige made sure to honor her godfather DMX on her special day. Videos that DMX’s ex-wife Tashera Simmons shared on social media gave fans a glimpse into the couple’s lavish ceremony, including sweet moments after they said “I do,” Royce’s fire entrance, and Paige walking down the aisle to an instrumental version of DMX’s ‘X Gon’ Give It To Ya.’ Tashera shared the moment Paige made her entrance on her Instagram Story and captioned it, “Beautiful way to incorporate her godfather.”
Fans Get Emotional Over Paige Hurd’s Heartfelt DMX Tribute
Once The Shade Room reposted the videos from Paige and Royce’s wedding, fans agreed that Tashera was right — Paige honored DMX in the perfect way! Meanwhile, other folks couldn’t get enough of Paige’s wedding footage in the comment section, with many reminiscing about Paige’s roles in ‘Beauty Shop,’ ‘Everybody Hates Chris,’ and ‘Power Book II: Ghost.’
Instagram user @kitareignllc wrote, “Going down the aisle to DMX… Just perfect.”
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Instagram user @heidibabyy_ wrote, “DMX would’ve definitely walked her down 🥹🫶🏼 blessing.”
While Instagram user @jaee.cole wrote, “Literally grew up on our screen. She was just on Beauty Shop. We done got old y’all 😩💕”
Then Instagram user @kyng_slym wrote, “The DMX TRIBUTE ON THE STRINGS 😢 IM NOT CRYING 😩”
Another Instagram user @cashmase wrote, “Locking it in with the love of your life is the real championship ring. I love this for them. 🙌🏾”
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Instagram user @xoxo__luvtee wrote, “This was beautifully done and DMX’s song incorporated ❤️❤️❤️”
Then another Instagram user @ginadenell wrote, “😍😍 the dress, the decor, the floral.. everything!!”
While another Instagram user @cherelle_xoxox wrote, “Playing DMX w/strings while walking down the isle was *chef’s kiss*”
Finally, Instagram user @magicalandmelanated wrote, “Awww, Dmx would be so proud and happy for her. She looks amazing 😍”
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From Couple To Newlyweds: More About Paige & Royce’s Love Story
Paige and Royce announced their engagement in March 2025 after Royce popped the big question during a romantic Cabo getaway in February of that year. As PEOPLE previously reported, the couple first crossed paths in 2024 before surprising social media in January 2025 when they posted up together in holiday photos. While chatting with PEOPLE, Royce revealed that he always had a crush on Paige and grew up watching her in TV shows and movies.
“She was my lifelong crush. Couple years ago me and my friends were talking, I mentioned to them one day I will meet her, date her and marry her. Of course they thought I was joking, but I was serious — it was just the fact we had to meet each other in person,” Royce said.
Tom Holland has offered a mysterious new tease about Spider-Man: Brand New Day, revealing that the true meaning behind the film’s title may not become clear until its final shot.
Speaking in the new Disney+ documentary Generations: The Evolution of Spider-Man, Holland suggested that the “brand new day” referenced in the title is not where Peter Parker’s latest story begins.
“The ‘Brand New Day’ of this movie, it isn’t the beginning,” Holland said. “It’s the last frame of this movie.”
The cryptic comment has immediately sparked theories about how the upcoming Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures film could end. While the title initially appeared to reference Peter beginning a new life following the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Holland’s statement suggests the movie may instead conclude with a major transformation or new beginning for the character.
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At the end of No Way Home, Doctor Strange’s spell caused the entire world to forget Peter Parker. Peter was left completely alone, separated from MJ and Ned while continuing to protect New York City as Spider-Man.
Some fans believe the final frame could show Peter finally accepting his new life and moving forward from everything he lost. Others think the ending may reveal that the physical changes and evolving powers teased in the film are permanent, creating a dramatically different version of Spider-Man moving forward.
A more extreme theory connects Holland’s comments to unconfirmed rumors involving the symbiote and Peter potentially being brought back from the dead. Other fans have suggested the “brand new day” could introduce another Spider-Man, including the long-awaited arrival of Miles Morales in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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None of those theories have been confirmed, and Holland’s carefully worded tease could ultimately point toward a more emotional conclusion rather than a massive franchise changing twist.
The comment does make one thing clear. Whatever happens during the final moments of Spider-Man: Brand New Day appears likely to establish the next chapter of Peter Parker’s journey in the MCU.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, Spider-Man: Brand New Day stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Mark Ruffalo, Jon Bernthal and Sadie Sink.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrives in theaters on July 31, 2026.
Kara KeoughBosworth, daughter of former “Real Housewives of Orange County“ star Jeana Keough, recently shared that her mother had been diagnosed with tongue cancer. While doing so, the 37-year-old shared a GoFundMe link. Now, following the emotional revelation, Tamra Judgehas offered her support ahead of Keough’s appearance on the newest season of “RHOC.”
5RW3/Rachel Worth / WENN/Newscom/MEGA
Following the revelation about Keough’s cancer diagnosis, Judge took to her official social media channels, including X, to offer her support. She did so by saying, “We love you, Momma Jeana. Keeping you in our prayers every step of the way. If you’re able to support her.” She then shared how others can help her former ‘RHOC” costar, writing, “Here’s the GoFundMe link: gofund.me/4d69c67ca.”
Judge added, “Every donation, no matter the size, truly helps.” Judge’s support comes after she appeared on multiple seasons of “The Real Housewives of Orange County” with Keough, including the third through fifth seasons, when they were both full-time cast members.
Jeana’s Daughter’s Emotional Post About Her Mother
Kara took to Instagram in July 2026 to highlight her mother amid her cancer diagnosis in addition to launching the GoFundMe. She began, “She is kind to everyone—even to people who have nothing to offer her in return. She is generous to a fault. She gives people the benefit of the doubt, even when they’ve proven, over and over again, that they don’t deserve her grace.”
From there, she went on to say that the 70-year-old’s home is always welcome to everyone, noting, “She has a gift for making people feel seen, included, and loved.”
Kara continued, “But that’s Jeana. Everyone who knows her knows this: she’s almost impossibly optimistic in the face of terrifying things—wildfires, cancer, uncertainty. Yet somehow she’s always been afraid of the simplest thing: being vulnerable enough to ask for help. So I’m asking for her.”
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Near the end of the post, she mentioned the GoFundMe, asking those who had been “touched” by her mother to “Please consider reading her story. The link is in my bio. Thank you for helping us carry her through this.”
Keough joined “The Real Housewives of Orange County” in 2006 as one of the original cast members. She continued appearing in that capacity until season five, when she opted to leave the show after the third episode. However, she then returned for the show’s sixth season in a friend of role.
She opened up about her exit in a 2016 appearance on “Oprah: Where Are They Now,” saying the show had become too toxic for her. According to Keough, “I quit the show because it became not so favorable for me. I knew how to behave on camera, and they didn’t. I don’t think I missed out on anything by leaving.”
Keough continued by mentioning some of her former costars, saying, “I felt like it kind of saved my soul a little bit because Vicki is so sad. How she’s portrayed and how her boyfriend’s portrayed, and I would never want to be that sad.”
Additionally, the former “RHOC” star spoke about Judge having poured wine on her during the show’s sixth season. She stated, “Tamra had it all in her mind to do this. She knew it. She’s like stomping around and doing her little acting bit. She just did it for drama.”
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Now, in celebration of the show’s 20th anniversary, Keough is set to appear alongside several other former “RHOC” stars.
Judge took to Instagram in March 2024 to share a new photo alongside Keough. She captioned the photo, “We love a blast from the past! No red wine or cyst and deceased papers were thrown.”
The reunion came after a 2015 interview in which Judge expressed regret for throwing wine on Keough. She told Bravo’s The Daily Dish, “I still hear about it, still hear about it. And there’s been a lot of other franchises that have done it since mine — I think I was the first to do that, and I just cringe.”
Bravo released the official trailer for “The Real Housewives of Orange County” season 20 in June 2026, ahead of its July 9 premiere. Not only does the short clip tease the changing dynamics among the cast, but it also shows Keough and several other alums at a finale party, seemingly thrown by Judge.
Additionally, according to Deadline, the “RHOC” original cast member will be featured on the upcoming “The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Roaring 20th,” which premieres August 9.
The biggest movie of 2026, and perhaps this side of the pandemic, is just a few months away now, and the first proper look at it is here. Marvel Studios has released the first trailer for Avengers: Doomsday, bringing the MCU’s biggest heroes back together for the first time since Avengers: Endgame. And finally, we see the man himself because Tony Stark is gone. Doctor Doom has arrived.
We’ve waited long enough to see Earth’s Mightiest Heroes return and the trailer makes sure we see plenty of them, but obviously we’re here for Doom. And this doesn’t look like an upbeat version of what we’ve seen before, this is the Avengers in trouble and splintered. And we see more of the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Thunderbolts and, of course, our beloved Steve Rogers.
For those looking to do their homework ahead of time — and you might need the months ahead for this — the most relevant titles likely include Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Thor: Love and Thunder, Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts, Deadpool & Wolverine, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. On the Disney+ side, Loki Seasons 1 and 2 are perhaps the most pivotal because they’ll explain exactly how these multiverses are crashing into each other.
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Collider Exclusive · Marvel Personality Quiz Which MCU Hero Are You? Spider-Man · Daredevil · Iron Man · Punisher · Thor · Cap
Six heroes. One destiny. Answer 10 questions to discover which Marvel Cinematic Universe hero shares your personality, values, and fighting spirit. Will you swing, fly, or thunder your way to glory?
🕷️Spider-Man
😈Daredevil
🤖Iron Man
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💀Punisher
⚡Thor
🛡️Cap
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01
What drives you to do what’s right? Choose the answer that feels most like you.
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02
It’s 2 AM. Where are you? Your answer says more about you than you’d think.
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03
How do you handle a villain who keeps escaping justice? Every hero has a method. What’s yours?
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04
How do you feel about keeping a secret identity? The mask — or the lack of one — says everything.
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05
You’ve lost someone important because of your heroism. How do you carry that? Every hero pays a price. The question is how they pay it.
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06
What’s your role when working with a team? Who you are under pressure is who you actually are.
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07
Where do you draw the line between justice and revenge? The answer defines what kind of hero you really are.
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08
When you’re not saving the world, what does life look like? The person behind the mask is always the more interesting story.
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09
What keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
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10
The battle is lost. You’re outnumbered, outgunned, and exhausted. What do you do? This is your tiebreaker — choose carefully.
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Your Hero Has Been Identified Your MCU Hero Is…
Based on your answers, the Marvel hero who matches your spirit, values, and instincts has been revealed.
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Queens, New York
🕷️ Spider-Man
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You carry the weight of the world on shoulders that are younger than they should have to be — funny, loyal, and endlessly self-sacrificing.
You do the right thing not because it’s easy, but because no one else will.
You understand that responsibility isn’t a burden you choose — it’s one that finds you.
Whether it’s a neighbourhood mugging or a multiverse crisis, you show up.
Peter Parker’s lesson — that great power demands great responsibility — isn’t a slogan to you. It’s the code you live by, even when it costs you everything.
Hell’s Kitchen, New York
😈 Daredevil
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You fight in the shadows between law and chaos, guided by a fierce moral compass that refuses to let the guilty walk free.
You use every tool available — your mind, your body, your faith — to protect those the system overlooks.
You’ve looked into the darkness and chosen not to become it, though the line has never been easy.
Matt Murdock’s duality — champion in the courtroom, devil in the alley — mirrors your own.
Relentless, conflicted, and unwilling to stop. That is exactly you.
Stark Industries, Malibu
🤖 Iron Man
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Brilliant, driven, and occasionally insufferable — but always the person who solves the unsolvable problem.
You lead with your mind and back it up with resources, innovation, and a stubbornness that borders on heroic.
You started out looking out for yourself, but somewhere along the way the world became your responsibility.
Tony Stark’s arc — from ego to sacrifice — is your arc too.
You build, you plan, and when the moment comes, you’re willing to give everything. Because in the end, you’re Iron Man.
New York City
💀 The Punisher
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You’ve been through fire that would break most people — and it did change you, completely. What’s left is unyielding, relentless, and operating by a code forged in grief.
You don’t ask for forgiveness, and you don’t expect gratitude.
You see a corrupt, broken world and you’ve decided to do something about it, consequences be damned.
Frank Castle’s war is born from love twisted by loss — and so is yours.
Uncompromising and unflinching — the world may not agree with your methods, but your conviction is absolute.
Asgard · Protector of the Nine Realms
⚡ Thor
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Powerful, proud, and on a lifelong journey to become worthy of the legend you carry.
You lead with strength but have learned — sometimes painfully — that true greatness comes from humility and growth.
You’re larger than life, yet more vulnerable than you let on.
Thor’s story is one of transformation: from arrogant prince to worthy king, from isolated warrior to beloved protector.
You bring the storm when it’s needed — and the warmth when it matters just as much.
Brooklyn, New York · The Avengers
🛡️ Captain America
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You believe in something bigger than yourself — and you fight for it even when the world has moved on and nobody else will.
You don’t bully the small guy, and you never stop when it gets hard.
Steve Rogers didn’t become a hero when he got the serum — he was always one. So were you.
Your strength isn’t in your fists; it’s in your refusal to compromise what’s right, no matter the cost.
In a world full of people taking the easy road, you’re the one who picks up the shield and stands up — every single time.
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Who Is Involved in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’?
Joe Russo and Anthony Russo are returning to direct, having previously helmed Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame, so it’s both a triumphant return and also a safe pair of hands for Marvel.
As Team Argentina and Team Spain faced off on the 2026 World Cup pitch, they received an onslaught of cheers from a sea of famous faces.
The highly anticipated FIFA championship tournament held on Sunday, July 19, featured Argentinian star Lionel Messi hoping to lead his team to another victory over Spain.
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“We will give it our all,” Messi, 39, said in a pregame press conference, also acknowledging that he once gave 19-year-old Spanish athlete Lamine Yamal a bath in a now-viral photoshoot almost two decades earlier. “Looking at that photo is crazy. Well, that’s life, right? I took a photo with him when he was a baby, and now here we are facing each other in a World Cup. Lamine is an amazing player, someone whom I follow closely because he plays for a club I love.”
The big match was held at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, where the likes of Tom Cruise, Kylie Jenner, Beyoncé and more celebrities turned out to catch the game that ended in Spain’s favor.
Keep scrolling for the best photos from the stands:
Adam Driver on the red carpetImage via Cover Images
This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.
During a recent episode on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, MCU boss Kevin Feige confirmed that Marvel has been trying for years to recruit Adam Driver for a role, saying, “It’s no secret that we’d like to [work with Adam]. But it’s a tradition, to zoom with him and then he passes. He’s usually up front about how he’s feeling.”
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Release Date
July 13, 2000
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Runtime
104 minutes
Director
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Bryan Singer
Producers
Avi Arad, Lauren Shuler Donner, Ralph Winter, Richard Donner
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This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.
During their conversation, Sink revisits her time on Stranger Things, comparing the secrecy of Season 5 to this new Marvel-level of confidentiality, but shares what she knew from the jump. She talks about when she first learned about the role, working with director Destin Daniel Cretton on the character, and when she finally had a good sense of what she’d be doing in Brand New Day. She also addresses fan theories, avoiding any Holland-style press slip-ups, and more. You can watch the full interview in the video above or read the transcript below.
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Sadie Sink Compares Working on ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ to ‘Stranger Things’
Sink starred in 4 seasons of the hit Netflix series.
COLLIDER: I’m so happy for you that you can finally start talking about the movie, but you’re not really talking about the movie.
SADIE SINK: I’m not really talking about much. [Laughs]
How would you compare the secrecy of Spider-Man to your time on Stranger Things? Is it even more intense?
SINK: At this point, it is even more intense. Last season was hard with the coma of it all. I couldn’t really say much about Max’s fate, so that was kind of hard to keep a secret. But this, I can’t even say who I’m playing, which is pretty extreme.
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Tom has a famous history of accidentally revealing spoilers. Was there a time that he told you something you should not have known?
SINK: No, I don’t think so. But he definitely told me stories of him, I guess, giving away some spoilers, and warned me not to do that.
He does have a history of that. I’m sure you have a family member or a friend that you needed to tell information to because you couldn’t just keep it bottled up. Which family member or friend ended up being the one you spilled to?
SINK: Well, the castmate that I lived with during Season 5 of Stranger Things, she was kind of around for all of it, so she might have been the first person that I told because I had to tell someone, and we lived together. And then a little bit of family here and there, but that’s kind of it. In the beginning, I was really terrified to say anything.
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Sadie Sink on the “Sheer Volume” of Fan Theories About Her Secret ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Character
“There was a new character every day.”
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man mutates in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.Image via Sony Pictures / Marvel Studios
I’m sure you’ve looked at fan theories online. Is there one that has really amused you?
SINK: There’s not one specific one that’s amused me. I think it’s just like the sheer volume of theories that were kind of coming in every week. That was funny just because there was a new character every day, it seemed.
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Have you seen the movie yet?
SINK: I have, yes.
I’m sure going in, you had an idea of what you were making. How did the finished film compare to what you thought it would be while you were making it?
SINK: Weirdly, I think it was exactly what I thought it would be, which doesn’t always happen. But for this, it felt like everything that we thought we were making on set, like the tone, all really translated beautifully, I thought.
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But the one thing that is always going to be different is the visual effects component, because stuff that’s not there ends up being there in the final cut, so that’s always fun to see.
Marvel Fans Knew About Sadie Sink’s ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Casting Before She Did
“I don’t know where they got this information.”
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man fighting Mark Ruffalo’s Savage Hulk in Spider-Man: Brand New Day Image via Sony Pictures / Marvel Studios
I read that you read online that you were one of the people possibly going to be in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and then it was two days later that you actually got a phone call. What the hell was this like for you? What was it like reading the script for the first time?
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SINK: The casting was so bizarre because I did see the fan theories online saying that I had a role in the new Spider-Man movie. You see those every once in a while, and you’re like, “I don’t know where they got this information.” But then they actually did call a couple of days later, which was just wild to go from reading something to it actually being a possibility.
Then I had to wait a long time until I finally got to read the script. Obviously, I knew about the character and everything and had spoken to Destin [Daniel Cretton] about it, but it wasn’t until I got to London that I finally got to read it and get a better sense of what I’d be doing.
I don’t actually know the specifics of the arc, but when you got cast, how much were you told about, “This is what we think could be your character?”
SINK: They were pretty transparent with me. I had a good sense of what I’d be doing.
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Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theaters on July 31.
Action movies tend to be fun, even if fun is a subjective sort of thing, and different action movies are going to be different levels of entertaining for different people. It’s a bit like how, with horror, most people would appreciate certain horror films as being genuinely scary, but not everyone is going to be scared by such films in the same way, or to the same extent.
That’s a way to stress a good deal of subjectivity being involved with the creation of a ranking like this. Action movies that feel especially fun to one person are unlikely to be, in their entirety, counted among the most enjoyable or broadly entertaining in the eyes of another person. Also, “most fun” is different from “best,” which is why there are plenty of iconic action films that you won’t see mentioned below.
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10
‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ (2023)
Image via Lionsgate
The first John Wick movie might be the best, or most important, or like, have the most interesting non-action parts of any John Wick movie, but the sequels are perhaps more entertaining if you’re really just after action. The first film has the titular character dealing with the loss of his wife, and then the murder of his puppy, and that launches him on a whole revenge-fueled rampage, the aftermath of which propels the narrative of the subsequent movies.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is a finale for the main series, at least for now, and it succeeds at going bigger – and getting more explosive – than any of the John Wick movies that came before it. There are too many good action sequences to even try and mention them all, and it’s instead easier to highlight the fantastic variety on offer, since you get great shootouts, impressive stunts, and tons of exciting hand-to-hand combat, too.
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9
‘Kung Fu Hustle’ (2004)
Men in suits and top hats fighting a martial artist in Kung Fu HustleImage via Sony Pictures Classics
Since it’s one of the goofier and more broadly comedic martial arts movies out there, Kung Fu Hustle feels like it’s required to be here. The story here has a hero’s journey and an attempt at training to better oneself thing going for it that sounds incredibly conventional on paper, but then you get to the execution of Kung Fu Hustle, and it’s anything but conventional or expected.
The fight choreography impresses in much the same way it might impress in a more serious-minded martial arts film.
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At the same time, it’d also be unfair to characterize Kung Fu Hustle as solely a parody of martial arts movies, just because it does take care with its action scenes, and the fight choreography impresses in much the same way it might impress in a more serious-minded martial arts film. There are two worlds here, so to speak, and perhaps you get the best of both of them. The fun that can be had here, thanks to the collision of action and comedy, is undeniable.
8
‘Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah’ (1991)
Godzilla from 1991’s Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah.Image via Toho
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While there are plenty of great monster movies without Godzilla, so many all-time iconic ones do indeed have the king of the monsters at their center. See Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah for one of many examples, though it’s being included here because of how endearing and goofy it is, as an action-packed romp. Basically, it’s like The Terminator (altering the past to improve the present/future), but with giant monsters instead of cyborgs.
Tonally, you get a bit of everything when you watch all the Godzilla movies, with this particular film being one of the most fun. It’s also got a real emphasis on action and high-concept sci-fi ideas central to the whole thing, and that inevitably keeps the entertainment value high. Maybe Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah is too silly for some, but if it’s somehow not silly enough for you, then you can always go back to some Showa era entries that are arguably even goofier (like Godzilla vs. Megalon).
7
‘RRR’ (2022)
Image via DVV Entertainment
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The runtime of RRR is a big reason why it really does feel, like, big and everything, but then you get to how over-the-top the action is, and that proves to be an undeniable factor in the whole bigness thing here, too. There are two main characters in RRR that are loosely based on real people, though here, they’re basically made into superheroes, and both have their own reasons to become revolutionary warriors before they meet and team up.
Those real-life people didn’t meet in reality, but RRR isn’t too concerned with historical accuracy. It’s a bit like historical fan-fiction done on an epic scale, with the broader conflict here having some ties to India’s history, since that conflict involves the British colonial rule in pre-independence India. That does ensure the film has its serious and more dramatic moments, but so much of this is concerned with being a broadly entertaining and endlessly exciting action blockbuster. It succeeds in just about everything it sets out to do, well and truly feeling like one of the best epic movies released in recent memory.
6
‘The Raid 2’ (2014)
Image via Sony Pictures Classics
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2011’s The Raid felt a bit like a linear video game, and it also kind of had literal levels, since it took place inside a high-rise apartment and involved SWAT officers having to battle their way out of there. You could maybe compare The Raid 2 to more of an open-world game, because this one was far grander in scope, with all the fighting and violence happening across a much wider set of locations, and over a longer period of time, too.
Now, both movies in this series (if a series can be just two movies long… maybe it’s a duology, then?) are extremely violent, so if violence gets in the way of fun you might otherwise have, calling The Raid and The Raid 2 incredibly fun might not feel all that fitting. But if you don’t mind fight choreography that oftentimes feels gnarly and brutally real, these movies are essential, with The Raid 2 possibly being ever so slightly more entertaining than the already excellent The Raid.
5
‘Hard Boiled’ (1992)
Image via Golden Princess Film Production
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You could argue John Woo peaked, as a director, more than three decades ago, which might sound disappointing for someone who’s continued to direct over the last 30-ish years… but also, when that peak was achieved with a movie as good as Hard Boiled, is that really such a bad thing to say? For the kind of action movie it is, it’s basically perfect, being no-nonsense, unrelenting, potentially goofy (at least at times), and wonderfully over-the-top.
It’s about two guys, and they need to shoot a bunch of other guys. So they shoot away, and then other things explode, and there’s so much general destruction. Things end up at a hospital, and the action just keeps going on and on and on. It’s the best kind of mindless action movie, and for how generous it is, Hard Boiled really does feel like just about as classic as purely entertaining action-fests get.
4
‘Kill Bill: Vol. 1’ (2003)
Image via Miramax Films
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Now that it’s more widely available, Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair is likely the best way to experience Kill Bill, rather than watching Vol. 1 (2003) and Vol. 2 (2004) back-to-back. But Kill Bill: Vol. 1 is the one going here just because it’s more of a full-on action movie than Vol. 2, with its final act being the main reason why that’s the case, since it does for restaurants what the final act of Hard Boiled did for hospitals.
You get a few more serious scenes in Vol. 1, admittedly, but not too many, with most of the drama of the whole revenge saga being saved for the more emotionally intense and dialogue-heavy Vol. 2. The action in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 is some of the best you’ll ever see in an English-language martial arts/samurai movie, and as a homage to such genres, it really is quite wonderful.
3
‘Hundreds of Beavers’ (2022)
Image via Cineverse
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Hundreds of Beavers is one of the more underrated movies released in relatively recent memory, but then, admittedly, it also might be among the strangest films of the 2020s so far, too. It’s a black-and-white homage to slapstick comedies of the silent era, being about a man who has to survive on his own in Wisconsin during the 1800s (seemingly), and while he’s doing that, he makes enemies with the titular beavers.
There’s more to it than just a guy fighting a bunch of people in beaver costumes, but that is the source of much of the action in Hundreds of Beavers, and that action’s equal parts silly and glorious. The rest of the movie is also a lot of fun, and even if it’s most concerned with being a great comedy over anything else, the creativity of all the fight and chase sequences makes it work surprisingly well as an unusual kind of action film, too.
2
‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (1981)
Not including Raiders of the Lost Ark here would be bold, and maybe even foolish. Hell, only putting one Indiana Jones movie here might well be a different sort of foolish, but the original here is the greatest and most approachable. It’s also right up there as one of the very best things Steven Spielberg has ever directed, and much of what it does feels definitive, as far as action/adventure movies go.
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The MacGuffin here is the Ark of the Covenant, with Raiders of the Lost Ark showcasing an endlessly entertaining pursuit to find said object, set back in the 1930s, which was a time in cinema history when film serials were popular. Raiders of the Lost Ark itself seeks to homage and elevate those kinds of film serials, obviously doing so quite effortlessly, in turn becoming almost as timeless as films from the 1980s managed to get.
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‘The Blues Brothers’ (1980)
Image via Universal Pictures
Steven Spielberg might have a cameo in The Blues Brothers, but it is a very different sort of action movie from Raiders of the Lost Ark, and is more in line with previously mentioned comedy/action romps like Kung Fu Hustle and Hundreds of Beavers. Its plot concerns two men who try to get their blues band back together so they can throw a charity concert, hoping that’ll earn them enough money to save the orphanage they were raised in from being torn down.
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They’ve got a clear goal (a mission from God, even), and there’s something hilarious about the way they pursue it with such determination and casualness at the same time, while the most chaotic things imaginable keep happening around them. The Blues Brothers, on top of being very funny and action-packed, is also an all-timer of a musical. There’s a destruction-filled scene in a mall where one of the titular characters remarks, “This place has got everything,” and if you swap out the word “place” with “movie,” that’s a quote you can also apply quite effectively to The Blues Brothers.
Fox Sports announcer John Strong mistook Matt Damon for Brad Pitt while calling out celebrity guests at the 2026 World Cup.
“Brad Pitt among the fans here,” Strong, 41, said while announcing famous faces inside MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday, July 19, right before fellow announcer Stu Holden set him straight. “That’s Matt Damon,” his colleague corrected him before the pair laughed about Strong’s on-air gaffe.
As cameras moved on to other celebrity attendees, Strong admitted that star-spotting wasn’t his forte. “I’m letting you take the rest of these guys,” the announcer said in the mic. “I got cocky after the first three, and I missed an absolute sitter so I’m done.”
The live moment was shared by World Cup fans via X in the finals’ aftermath, with amused social media commentary included alongside the footage. “It’s been a hell of a weekend for Matt Damon. He has #1 movie at the box office, got to attend the World Cup Final, and just got mistaken for Brad Pitt on the TV broadcast,” wrote one X user.
The 2026 World Cup is officially here— and the stars are stepping out to root for their favorite teams. The global soccer tournament will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, with the qualifying teams competing in matchups throughout the three countries this summer ahead of the championship game at MetLife Stadium in […]
Indeed Damon, 55, was in attendance at Sunday’s event, stepping out with wife, Luciana Barroso, to witness Spain defeat Argentina 1-0 in extra time.
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Other famous faces in the crowd included Jay-Z and Beyoncé, Alix Earle, Blake Lively, Richard Gere and wife, Alejandra Silva, David and Victoria Beckham, Kylie Jenner, Timothée Chalamet, and Brittany and Patrick Mahomes.
Brad PittThomas SAMSON / AFP via Getty Images
Justin Bieber and Madonna also performed as part of the event’s Topps Final Halftime Show, while Tom Cruise delivered a pre-match speech to mark the end of this year’s tournament.
While Pitt, 62, wasn’t seen at Sunday’s final, he was spotted in California’s SoFi Stadium on Friday, July 10, as Spain defeated Belgium 2-1 as part of their run in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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Attending alongside friends Javiar Bardem and his wife, Penélope Cruz, Pitt brought girlfriend, Ines de Ramon, along for the match and at one point, the couple kissed as they celebrated Spain’s success.
Brad Pitt cuddled up with girlfriend Ines de Ramon during a visit to the French Open. The couple made a rare public appearance on Saturday, June 6, to watch Mirra Andreeva secure the first Grand Slam title of her tennis career with a 6-3, 6-3, win over Maja Chwalińska in the women’s singles final on […]
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Additional photos published by Page Six also showed Pitt, who first sparked romance rumors with de Ramon, 33, in November 2022, placing a hand atop his partners’.
The PDA flowed over in Damon’s corner on Sunday as Barroso, 49, was seen leaning into her husband as he held an arm around her waist. Prior to the game starting, the couple, who married in December 2005 and share four daughters together, posed on the red carpet together.
Henry Cavill is no stranger to the spy genre at this point. He’s been part of the espionage world in films like Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Argylle, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. He most recently teamed up with Jake Gyllenhaal in Guy Ritchie‘s In the Grey, which turned out to be one of this year’s most underrated action thrillers. Now, Cavill is headed back into the spy genre, and this time around, he’s got another really fun pairing lined up.
This time, he’ll be sharing the screen with Kevin Hart. Hart has made a career out of action comedies, and although lately it feels like he’s been making them with Dwayne Johnson every other year, his 2024 film Lift starred him at the center of a serious heist thriller without The Rock. Money Heist‘s Úrsula Corberó was also a part of Hart’s crew in that film. And this time, it’ll be just as fun to see Hart bounce off someone new for a change.
The Netflix Original spy action comedy starring Cavill and Hart is titled Spy Duo, and it was first announced earlier this year in May. Now we have a better idea of when cameras will start rolling. According to What’s On Netflix, filming is set to begin this August and will continue through November 2026.
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Collider Exclusive · Action Hero Quiz Which Action Hero Would Be Your Perfect Partner? Rambo · James Bond · Indiana Jones · John McClane · Ethan Hunt
Five legends. Five completely different ways of getting out alive — with style, with muscle, with charm, with luck, or with a plan so intricate it probably shouldn’t work. Ten questions will reveal which action hero was built to have your back.
🎖️Rambo
🍸James Bond
🏺Indiana Jones
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🔧John McClane
🎭Ethan Hunt
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01
You’re dropped into a dangerous situation with no warning. What do you need most from a partner? The first few seconds tell you everything about who belongs beside you.
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02
You have to get somewhere dangerous, fast. How do you travel? How you get there is half the mission.
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03
You’re pinned down and outnumbered. What does your ideal partner do? This is when you find out what someone is really made of.
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04
The mission is paused. You have one evening to decompress. What does your partner suggest? Who someone is when the pressure drops is who they actually are.
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05
How do you prefer your partner to communicate mid-mission? Good communication is the difference between partners and a liability.
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06
Your enemy is powerful, well-resourced, and has the upper hand. How should your partner approach them? The approach to the enemy defines the partnership.
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07
Things go badly wrong and you’re captured. What do you trust your partner to do? Who someone is when you need them most is the only thing that matters.
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08
What does your ideal partner bring to the table that you couldn’t replace? A great partner fills the gap you didn’t know you had.
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09
Every partnership has a cost. Which of these can you live with? No one comes without baggage. The question is whether you can carry it together.
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10
It’s the final moment. Everything is on the line. What do you need from your partner right now? The last question is the most honest one.
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Your Partner Has Been Assigned Your Perfect Partner Is…
Your answers have pointed to one action hero above all others. This is the person built to have your back — for better or considerably, spectacularly worse.
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Rambo
Your partner doesn’t talk much, doesn’t need to, and will have assessed every threat in your immediate environment before you’ve finished your first sentence. John Rambo is not a man of plans or politics — he is a force of nature shaped by survival, loyalty, and a capacity for endurance that goes beyond anything training can produce. He will not leave you behind. He has never left anyone behind who deserved to come home. What you get with Rambo is the most capable, most quietly ferocious partner imaginable — one who has been through things that would have broken anyone else, and who chose to keep going anyway. You’ll never need to ask if he has your back. You’ll just know.
James Bond
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Your partner will arrive perfectly dressed, perfectly briefed, and with a cover story so convincing it’ll take you a moment to remember what’s actually true. James Bond is the most professionally dangerous person in any room he enters — and the most disarmingly charming, which is the point. He operates in a world of layers, where nothing is what it appears and every advantage is used without apology. You’ll never be bored. You’ll occasionally be furious. But when it matters — when the mission is genuinely on the line and the margin for error has collapsed to nothing — Bond is exactly the partner you want. He has survived things that have no business being survivable. He does it with style. That is not nothing.
Indiana Jones
Your partner will know the history, the language, the cultural context, and exactly why the thing everyone else is ignoring is actually the most important thing in the room. Indiana Jones is brilliant, reckless, and occasionally impossible — but he is also one of the most resourceful, most genuinely knowledgeable partners you could find yourself beside. He approaches every situation with a scholar’s eye and a brawler’s instinct, which is an unusual combination and a remarkably effective one. He hates snakes and gets personally attached to objects of historical significance, both of which will slow you down at least once. It doesn’t matter. What Indy brings is irreplaceable — and the adventures you’ll have together will be the kind people write books about. Assuming you survive them.
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John McClane
Your partner was not supposed to be here. He does not have the right equipment, the right information, or anything approaching the right odds. He has a sarcastic remark and an absolute refusal to accept that the situation is as bad as it looks. John McClane is the greatest accidental hero in the history of action cinema — a man whose superpower is stubbornness, whose contingency plan is improvisation, and whose capacity to absorb punishment and keep moving would be alarming if it weren’t so useful. He will complain the entire time. He will make it significantly more chaotic than it needed to be. And he will absolutely, unconditionally, without question come through when it counts. Yippee-ki-yay.
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Ethan Hunt
Your partner has already run seventeen scenarios by the time you’ve finished reading the briefing, and the plan he’s settled on involves at least two things that should be physically impossible. Ethan Hunt operates at the absolute edge of human capability — technically, physically, and intellectually — and he brings the same relentless precision to protecting his partners that he brings to dismantling organisations that shouldn’t exist. He is not easy to know and he will never fully tell you everything. But he will carry the weight of the mission so completely, so absolutely, that your job is simply to trust him — and the remarkable thing is that trusting him always turns out to be the right call. The mission will be impossible. He will complete it anyway.
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‘Spy Duo’ Has the Right People Behind It
The film will follow Cavill and Hart as rival spies who cross paths in, of all places, a Lamaze class, where their wives strike up a friendship. From there, their secret double lives start colliding in increasingly hilarious and dangerous ways, and the two men find themselves forced into an unlikely alliance on the road to fatherhood. McG, the director behind The Babysitter and Charlie’s Angels, is set to direct.
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The producing lineup is stacked too. Hart will produce through his Hartbeat banner. Ryan Reynolds is also on board through his Maximum Effort company. Shawn Levy, the director behind action-comedy hits like Free Guy andDeadpool & Wolverine, is also producing through his 21 Laps Entertainment banner. Netflix hasn’t announced a release date yet, but with filming expected to wrap by the end of 2026, a 2027 release seems most likely. And because Spy Duo is a Netflix Original, it’s already confirmed that the movie will debut directly on Netflix rather than getting a traditional theatrical release.
Spy Duo is set to begin filming in August 2026. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Sci-fi and thrillers have always been a natural combination. There’s something inherently uncanny and tense about ideas of futuristic technology, space travel, or unknown life forms. Indeed, the subgenre’s best movies mine all these elements for maximum tension, resulting in truly shocking and anxiety-inducing masterworks.
With that in mind, this list looks at some of the iconic and timeless sci-fi thrillers that are great from beginning to end. Every tension-filled scene pushes the story forward, and there’s never a wrong note. The titles below are perfectly constructed and cleverly executed, sustaining the suspense the whole way through.
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‘Contagion’ (2011)
Gwyneth Paltrow as Beth lying on an autopsy table in ContagionImage via Warner Bros.
“There’s informed discussion on the blogosphere that this is a biological weapon.” One of the smartest and most realistic “plague” movies ever. In Contagion, a mysterious illness spreads with terrifying speed across the globe. We follow doctors, scientists, government officials, journalists, and ordinary citizens as they struggle to understand and contain the pandemic before it wipes out civilization.
Director Steven Soderbergh (a storyteller with amazing range) builds suspense through procedural detail, focusing on the mechanics of tracing infections and developing vaccines. Obviously, it all rings uncomfortably true now in the wake of COVID, and it’s a big part of why Contagion is so good. It was remarkably prescient, while remaining thrilling rather than dry. It helps that the ensemble cast is so great: Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Laurence Fishburne, Marion Cotillard, and Jude Law all turn in great work here.
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‘A Scanner Darkly’ (2006)
Keanu Reeves in ‘A Scanner Darkly’Image via Warner Bros.
“What does a scanner see?” Like Soderbergh, Richard Linklater has a varied filmography, including experimental dramas alongside blockbuster comedies. His strangest project, however, is this Philip K. Dick adaptation told through rotoscope animation. Set in a near-future America ravaged by addiction to the mysterious Substance D, A Scanner Darkly centers on undercover narcotics agent Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves), who gradually loses his grip on reality while investigating the very drug to which he himself has become addicted.
The movie strikes a fine balance between dark humor, outright tragedy, and sci-fi speculation, while also nailing the author’s profound distrust of authority. Surprisingly, the dreamlike animation ends up suiting the subject matter perfectly. Rather than just being a gimmick, the constantly shifting visuals reflect Arctor’s deteriorating mental state, making it increasingly difficult for the audience to distinguish reality from hallucination.
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‘Moon’ (2009)
Sam Rockwell is Sam Bell, the protagonist of ‘Moon’ (2009).Image via Sony Pictures Classics
“I want to go home.” Sam Rockwell leads this one as Sam Bell, a solitary worker nearing the end of a three-year assignment overseeing an automated helium-3 mining operation on the Moon. With only the station’s artificial intelligence, GERTY, for company, Sam eagerly anticipates returning home to his wife and daughter. However, after a serious accident outside the base, he uncovers a truth that forces him to question everything he believes about his identity.
This premise could’ve turned into a pulpy space thriller, but director Duncan Jones turns it into something a lot more interesting, in part thanks to his restraint. He avoids unnecessary action sequences or elaborate visual effects, instead leaning into psychological uncertainty. The genre elements never overwhelm the story’s human core, and Rockwell’s performance, lonely, confused, likable, and vulnerable, carries the whole thing.
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‘Children of Men’ (2006)
Clive Owen holding Clare-Hope Ahitey as they walk through a crowd in Children of MenImage via Universal Pictures
“As the sound of the playgrounds faded, the despair set in.” Set in a future where humanity has become infertile, Alfonso Cuarón‘s Children of Men follows disillusioned bureaucrat Theo Faron (Clive Owen) as he becomes responsible for protecting the world’s first pregnant woman (Clare-Hope Ashitey) in nearly two decades. Their desperate journey across a collapsing Britain places them at the center of political unrest, hunted by competing factions determined to exploit the miraculous pregnancy.
It’s a grim vision but an immersive one. Every detail of the world feels authentic, from overcrowded refugee camps to militarized cities slowly surrendering to hopelessness. Stylistically, Children of Men is also impressive. Cuarón’s celebrated long takes place alongside Theo as chaos erupts around him, resulting in some of the most breathtaking suspense sequences of the decade. It’s a masterclass in how to stage a chase scene.
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’12 Monkeys’ (1995)
Bruce Willis as James Cole and Brad Pitt as Jeffrey Goines in a hospital in 12 MonkeysImage via Universal Pictures
“There’s no right, there’s no wrong. There’s only popular opinion.” This quirky gem from Terry Gilliam sees Bruce Willis pushing himself into new acting territory as James Cole, a prisoner from a future devastated by a deadly virus. He is sent back in time to gather information about the catastrophe before it occurs. Instead of finding clear answers, however, Cole becomes entangled in a labyrinth of memory, madness, and shifting timelines.
The plot is dark but delightfully twisty, constantly keeping us off balance and hitting us with one shocking revelation after another. It’s also ambiguous, to the point that we’re often uncertain as to whether Cole really is a time traveler… or simply mad. Willis deserves props for his strong work in the lead role, supported by equally great turns from Madeleine Stowe, as well as an unforgettable, Oscar-nominated Brad Pitt.
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Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
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Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
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🚀Star Wars
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01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
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02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
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03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
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04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
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05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
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06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
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07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
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08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
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Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
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The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
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The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
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Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
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Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
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A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
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‘Primer’ (2004)
Shane Carruth as Aaron and David Sullivan as Abe looking at a machine in Primer.Image via THINKFilm
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“The permutations were endless.” Made on an extraordinarily small budget, Shane Carruth‘s Primer compensates for its lack of special effects and visual polish with intricate storytelling, convincing science, and a plot that rewards multiple viewings. The story follows engineers Aaron (Carruth) and Abe (David Sullivan), who accidentally invent a device capable of sending a person backward through time. Initially using the discovery for financial gain, the pair soon find themselves trapped within increasingly tangled timelines that threaten both their friendship and their understanding of reality.
Unlike more crowd-pleasing time-travel stories such as Back to the Future, Primerstubbornly refuses to simplify its science or its consequences. Carruth trusts viewers to piece together the puzzle through careful observation, which is exactly what makes it great. Rather than the usual tropes of the subgenre, the film is concerned with the psychological and ethical consequences of manipulating time, and nails it.
‘Ex Machina’ (2015)
Alicia Vikander as Ava looking at human faces on a wall in Ex-Machina.Image via A24
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“One day, the AIs are going to look back on us the same way we look at fossil skeletons on the plains of Africa.” Ex Machina begins with young programmer Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) winning a company competition to spend a week at the secluded home of brilliant technology CEO Nathan (Oscar Isaac). Once there, Caleb discovers that he has actually been recruited to evaluate Nathan’s newest creation: Ava (Alicia Vikander), an android who appears to be conscious.
From here,the movie draws on noir conventions but filters them through a clever sci-fi lens, raising difficult questions of intelligence, manipulation, and what it truly means to be human. The psychological tension remains high throughout, with every conversation between the characters altering our understanding of who they are and what they’re aiming at. It was all fantastic back in 2015 and has only grown more relevant in light of the recent strides in AI.
‘Inception’ (2010)
“You mustn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling.” With Inception, Christopher Nolan combined blockbuster spectacle with an ingenious sci-fi premise (though one with shades of Paprika). The story revolves around Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), a professional thief who specializes in infiltrating dreams to steal valuable information. Offered a chance to erase his criminal record, Cobb assembles a team to perform the seemingly impossible task of planting an idea inside someone else’s mind rather than extracting one.
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From here, we get killer action sequences, pioneering visual effects (the revolving hallway fight has become legendary), dreams within dreams, and a brilliantly thunderous score from Hans Zimmer. Then, to top it all off, Inception gives us one of the greatest final shots in cinema history. The spinning top trembles, and a thousand fan theories are launched, but Cobb instead turns to his family.
‘The Thing’ (1982)
Image via Universal Pictures
“Nobody trusts anybody now… and we’re all very tired.” Although its bleakness went unappreciated back in 1982, The Thing has rightly been canonized as one of sci-fi’s classics. It traps a group of American researchers in an isolated Antarctic outpost after they unknowingly encounter a shape-shifting extraterrestrial organism capable of perfectly imitating any living creature. Paranoia spreads through the station, and trust breaks down, threatening to tear the group apart.
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The extraordinary practical effects, courtesy of legend Rob Bottin, remain astonishing decades later, contributing to a relentless atmosphere of fear and uncertainty. Every revelation increases the danger, while Ennio Morricone‘s minimalist score reinforces the overwhelming sense of isolation. By the time the unforgettable ending arrives, The Thing has become far more than a creature feature: it’s a meditation on survival, mistrust, and humanity’s remarkable capacity for self-sabotage.
‘Alien’ (1979)
Executive Officer Kane (John Hurt) after the alien took over his face in ‘Alien’ (1979).Image via 20th Century Studios
“In space no one can hear you scream.” Alien is perhaps the perfect fusion of sci-fi and thriller. After responding to a mysterious distress signal, the commercial spaceship Nostromo inadvertently brings aboard a deadly organism that begins hunting the crew one by one. Cut off from help and trapped deep in space, the survivors must confront a predator unlike anything they have ever encountered. Famously,the movie is structured like a haunted house story in space, unfolding at a delectable slow-burn.
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Sigourney Weaver is fantastic as the lead, while H.R. Giger contributes some of the greatest monster design in movie history. The Xenomorph has a twisted life cycle, each stage more repulsive than the last, culminating in an adult form defined by an extended cranium, bladed tail, acid blood, and a mouth on its tongue. Almost 50 years later, it remains the scariest alien in the cinematic universe.
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