A movie can have kingdoms, prophecies, monsters, curses, gods, ghosts, impossible landscapes, swords, spells, and lore stacked to the ceiling, and none of it matters if the story ever starts pausing to show off instead of pulling you forward. The best fantasy movies never make that mistake. They understand that wonder is strongest when it is attached to movement.

That is why the Lord of the Rings franchise or Harry Potter franchise became what they did. And those are the kind of movies this list is about. Not just the best fantasy movies in some broad museum sense. I mean the ones that grab hold early and keep tightening.

10

‘Stardust’ (2007)

Image via Paramount Pictures

I will always go to bat for Stardust because it understands something a lot of fantasy forgets: charm is not softness. Charm can be propulsion. This movie moves because it keeps turning every fairy-tale idea into a story problem with actual momentum behind it. Tristan (Charlie Cox) goes searching for a fallen star for the dumbest, most human reason possible: romantic humiliation and the need to prove himself. That is a great start. Then the movie makes the star a woman, gives her opinions, puts witches after her, puts dead royal sons in the sidelines mocking everything, and suddenly the whole thing has comic velocity.

That is why it stays so watchable. Yvaine (Claire Danes) keeps changing the emotional center of the story because once Tristan starts actually knowing her, the original goal becomes embarrassing. Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer), meanwhile, comes in with exactly the right amount of wicked glamour. Every time the witches get involved, the movie sharpens. And then Captain Shakespeare (Robert De Niro) shows up and the film somehow gets even more lovable without losing pace. Stardust works because every fantasy element is there to complicate love, survival, identity, or succession. Nothing just sits there looking whimsical.

9

‘The Northman’ (2022)

Image via A24

This movie hooks because it does not flirt with myth. It commits to it at full intensity. From the opening, The Northman tells you that this is not going to be one of those fantasy-adjacent epics where revenge sits politely in the background while the movie arranges prestige imagery around it. And then, what makes it work from start to finish is that revenge never becomes abstract. The movie keeps dragging it through new emotional terrain.

First there is the boy seeing his father die and his mother taken. Then there is the years-later transformation into a man who has built his entire identity around returning to that moment and answering it with blood. Then the film starts complicating him. Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård) is shaped by murder, exile, prophecy, and a vow so absolute. Olga (Anya Taylor-Joy) changes the energy. The farm changes the energy. The truth about his mother changes everything because revenge stops being a clear inheritance story and becomes something much nastier. Suddenly Amleth is not just avenging purity and gets caught in a lineage of corruption, appetite, and violence that predates him.

8

‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ (2006)

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Pan’s Labyrinth follows Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) moving through tasks, creatures, and riddles while fascist violence is sitting in the next room, at the dinner table, in the forest, in the face of Captain Vidal (Sergi López). Every fantasy beat matters more because it is positioned against cruelty that is painfully human. What makes the movie impossible to shake is that the real-world thread stays just as gripping. Vidal, just like most monsters of fantasy, does not belong to fantasy at all. He belongs to power, patriarchy, and fascism in their ugliest plain form. The film keeps cutting between worlds and both worlds keep tightening. That is why it never lets go.

And it never loses that grip. The toad sequence is strange and gross and immediately tells you this underworld runs on rules, not soft dream logic. Then the Pale Man scene arrives and basically brands itself into your brain forever. Ofelia is such a strong center too because she behaves like a child with imagination, fear, and will. You believe that she wants to be brave and also that she is terrified.

7

‘The Green Knight’ (2021)

Image via A24

I love this movie because it hooks by refusing to explain away its strangeness. It starts with a challenge that sounds simple enough. Gawain (Dev Patel) takes the Green Knight’s blow and must seek him out a year later to receive one in return and then lets that promise haunt everything afterward. The genius of the movie is that it keeps turning the journey into a test not just of bravery, but of self-concept.

Who does Gawain think he is? Who is he pretending to be? What part of knighthood is courage and what part is theater?

That question gives every episode on the road weight. The scavengers matter. The ghost matters. The lord’s castle matters. The sash matters. The giants matter. None of it feels like random fantasy decoration because every encounter presses on Gawain’s insecurity from a different angle.

6

‘The Princess Bride’ (1987)

Image via 20th Century Studios

Almost 40 years later, The Princess Bride still keeps people hooked. The movie circles the fact that sincerity and wit can be romantic, funny, dangerous, ridiculous, and surprisingly moving without ever feeling unstable. The setup is perfect. Buttercup (Robin Wright) and Westley (Cary Elwes) fall in love in the most storybook way possible, Westley disappears, Buttercup is pushed toward a political marriage, and then suddenly the film becomes a kidnapping tale, a sword-fight comedy, a revenge story, a miracle story, and a fairy tale that keeps one-upping itself without losing shape.

Every character helps. Inigo’s (Mandy Patinkin) cleanest emotional motor with his six fingers makes every scene with him gain force. Fezzik (André the Giant) adds warmth. Vizzini (Wallace Shawn) adds manic comic pressure. Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon) keeps the stakes mean. Miracle Max (Billy Crystal) shows up late and somehow the movie gets bigger without getting baggier. That is hard to do. And the reason this works on almost everyone is that the movie never acts above its own pleasure. It wants you delighted. It wants you invested. It wants you laughing and then suddenly surprisingly touched. That confidence is what makes the whole thing fly.

5

‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ (2000)

Image via Sony Pictures Classics

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon hooks with longing. Not vague beauty. Longing. The first theft of the Green Destiny opens a whole chain of desire, discipline, resentment, and fate that keeps tightening until the movie becomes emotionally unstoppable. You have Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-fat) carrying years of restraint. You have Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) carrying those same years from the other side. You have Jen (Zhang Ziyi) exploding into the story with talent, arrogance, hunger, and the refusal to accept the cage her life is supposed to become.

That triangle of emotional energy is why every action scene matters. The fights are gorgeous, yes, but they are never empty grace notes. Jen’s rooftop flight is thrilling as she is showing off power she has not emotionally earned control over yet. Her duel with Shu Lien is thrilling because it is basically discipline and fury arguing with weapons. The desert flashback with Lo (Chang Chen) changes the whole movie because suddenly Jen is no longer just reckless disruption. You understand the appetite underneath her rebellion. And then the ending comes and the movie leaves you with that ache only great fantasy can deliver: the feeling that beauty, freedom, and tragedy were all braided together from the beginning.

4

‘Spirited Away’ (2001)

Image via Studio Ghibli

Spirited Away grabs hold the second Chihiro (Rumi Hiiragi) enters a world that is operating on rules she does not understand and adults around her are already being punished for greed and stupidity. That is a perfect fantasy hook. Even viewers don’t understand or can expect what would happen next. And what makes it great is that the film keeps deepening rather than simply escalating. Every new element pulls you further in. Haku (Miyu Irino). Yubaba (Mari Natsuki). The bathhouse. No-Face. The stink spirit. The train ride. Kamaji. Zeniba. The reason the movie never loosens its hold is that each of those things changes Chihiro. She is constantly working, adapting, observing, and becoming a person with more steadiness than the frightened child we met at the start. That growth gives the fantasy world emotional structure.

And what I love most is that the movie never behaves as though mystery needs to be solved into flatness. The world stays strange. Spirits arrive with their own textures and moods. The train sequence is one of the most hypnotic passages in fantasy because it slows down without losing grip at all. You are still locked in. Maybe even more than before.

3

‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ (2001)

Image via New Line Cinema

The Fellowship of the Ring hooks because it gets the order of things exactly right. First it makes the Shire feel worth loving. Then it threatens it. That is why everything after works. Frodo (Elijah Wood) is asked to carry a ring that immediately begins bending the atmosphere around him. And then once the journey starts, the film just keeps feeding you reasons to stay in. Bree, Weathertop, Rivendell, Moria, Lothlórien, Amon Hen — every stop changes the emotional shape of the story.

The Fellowship itself is the key. Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), Boromir (Sean Bean), Gandalf (Ian McKellen), Merry (Dominic Monaghan), Pippin (Billy Boyd), Sam (Sean Astin), the film keeps making the group dynamic richer, so when danger comes you are not just responding to spectacle. You are responding to people whose strengths, weaknesses, loyalties, and temptations matter. Boromir is a huge part of why the movie has so much pull late. His weakness is not random. The ring has been pressing on exactly the wound he carries, and when he breaks and then tries to answer that failure with courage, the film suddenly becomes devastating. That is why The Fellowship of the Ring is not just great setup but a full-blown emotional journey with its own heartbreak. And it’s only the beginning of a trilogy and then prequels.

2

‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ (2015)

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Yes, it belongs here. Mad Max: Fury Road is a fantasy by force of world, myth, and pure invented reality, and it hooks harder than almost anything. This movie is basically one long chase. Every stretch of movement introduces a new problem, a new emotional pressure, or a new visual idea. It is perhaps the best revival of a franchise in the past two decades. One of the reasons it stays addictive is its characters and on top of which are Furiosa (Charlize Theron) and Max (Tom Hardy).

Once you understand what Furiosa is trying to do, not just flee, but take these women out of a life of ownership and rape and turn escape into possibility, the movie gains a heart hot enough to power all the spectacle. Max, on the other hand, gets dragged into purpose rather than striding nobly toward it. That reluctance helps. It lets Furiosa become the film’s blazing center. You have to watch it to know what it does.

1

‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl’ (2003)

Image via Walt Disney Pictures

This is number one because it may be the most entertaining fantasy movie of the modern blockbuster era, full stop. It hooks immediately because it starts with atmosphere and mystery the right way: the ship in the fog, the child, the gold medallion, the pirate song hanging in the air before we even fully understand what it means. Then it grows outward with ridiculous confidence. Will (Orlando Bloom) wants Elizabeth (Keira Knightley). Elizabeth wants more than the life she is boxed into. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) enters the frame already operating like he belongs to a better, weirder movie than everyone else and then the film brilliantly becomes his movie without ever losing the others.

That balance is why it never slips. Jack is funny, yes, but he is also slippery in a plot-driving way. Every alliance with him is unstable. Every scene gets better because he is always trying to tilt it. Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) is the perfect villain. And then there is the pure propulsion of it. Port Royal, Tortuga, the Black Pearl, the island, the mutiny history, the underwater walk, the final duel — the film just keeps delivering without that sag so many blockbusters get after the midpoint. It understands exactly when to give you romance, when to give you comedy, when to reveal the supernatural hand, and when to let a character’s choice matter more than the spectacle around it.

Chappell Roan is facing unexpected backlash after a tense hotel encounter involving Jude Law’s young daughter spiraled into a public dispute. 

What began as a quiet moment between a fan and a rising pop star quickly turned into a he-said-she-said situation involving security, responsibility, and celebrity accountability. 

Now, Law’s ex, Catherine Harding, is pushing back hard against Roan’s version of events, offering her own detailed account of what really happened.

Chappell Roan Denies Security Involvement In Hotel Encounter

The situation first gained attention on Saturday when professional soccer player Jorginho revealed that his wife’s daughter, Ada, was confronted by one of Chappell Roan’s bodyguards during a hotel encounter in São Paulo. 

As The Blast reported, he said his stepdaughter simply smiled after recognizing the singer at breakfast, but a guard allegedly approached them “in an extremely aggressive manner,” accusing them of harassment. 

The incident left the child “extremely shaken” and in tears, prompting Jorginho to criticize the situation and question how a simple moment of admiration could lead to such a reaction.  

Shortly after, Roan addressed the claims on her Instagram story. The singer made it clear she had no involvement in the alleged interaction. 

“I’m gonna tell my half of the story of what happened today with a mother and child who were involved with a security guard – who is not my personal security,” she said.

Roan emphasized that she wasn’t even aware that anything had happened in the moment. 

“I didn’t even see. I didn’t even see a woman and a child. No one came up to me, no one bothered me,” she explained, adding that she had simply been sitting at breakfast.

She also firmly denied instructing anyone to approach the family. “I did not ask the security guard to go up and talk to this mother and child. I did not.”

While acknowledging the situation may have caused discomfort, Roan expressed sympathy, saying, “If you felt uncomfortable that makes me really sad. You did not deserve that.”

Roan Faces Pushback From Catherine Harding

Despite Chappell Roan’s denial, Harding quickly challenged that version of events, insisting the man involved was not just random hotel staff.

“I know that Chappell has responded, saying that ‘It wasn’t her security and that she didn’t do it’ well, 100% this wasn’t a security guard of the hotel that’s what I can say, he looks after artists,” Harding said in an Instagram video.

While she admitted uncertainty over whether the individual was directly employed by Roan, she maintained that his presence alongside the singer raised important questions. 

“Now I don’t know if he’s her personal security guard but he was with her, so that is all I know,” the wife of soccer player, Jorginho, explained.

Harding also raised the issue of responsibility, suggesting that public figures are accountable for those working around them. 

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“But at the same time you have a responsibility when you are a celebrity that the people who work for you and act on your behalf are acting on your behalf,” she said.

Chappell Roan Incident Leaves Jude Law’s Daughter Distressed

According to Harding, the encounter itself was far from aggressive until the security guard stepped in. 

She explained that her daughter had simply noticed Chappell Roan and reacted innocently. 

The doting mom revealed that the 11-year-old didn’t have her phone or try to take any picture of Roan. Rather, she just looked at the music star and smiled. 

However, the situation escalated when a man approached their table. Harding described him as “aggressive and intimidating,” claiming he began criticizing her parenting.

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“He said we should not harass people and all these other things,” she recalled, noting that she tried to explain that her daughter was just excited.

Harding also pointed out that her child understood boundaries, especially given her background with famous parents, but said the guard refused to listen.

She added that the experience ultimately changed their plans, revealing they skipped Roan’s concert altogether.

Harding Hopes Roan Learns Lessons From The Experience

Even as Chappell Roan expressed regret over how the situation was perceived, Catherine Harding made it clear she hopes lessons are learned moving forward.

“I hope [Chappell] did not know, I hope she did not send her security over to do this,” she said, while still acknowledging admiration for the singer’s talent.

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At the same time, she stressed that behavior like that should not be tolerated, adding, “I hope that maybe if it wasn’t her that maybe she learns not to allow the people who work for her not to treat people like this.”

In contrast to the tense exchange, Harding later shared a positive moment involving Lewis Capaldi, who posed for a photo with her daughter during Lollapalooza in São Paulo. 

Alongside the image, she wrote, “Thanks for your kindness.”

Fans Share Mixed Reactions To The Chappell Roan Situation 

Shortly after Harding aired her displeasure about the situation, fans trooped to the comments section to air their thoughts. 

Some rallied behind the 34-year-old, noting that Roan’s story didn’t add up.

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One fan revealed they weren’t shocked, as the singer was known to be “rude” to her fans. A second person shared, “No security guard yells at people for no reason. They do what they’re told. They follow orders from whoever is paying them. Now guess who’s paying them.”

A third person also commented, “So sorry to hear about that! Ada is an amazing girl, kind and very polite. Any approach in that tone toward a woman and a child is disrespectful and aggressive.”

On the other hand, many fans slammed Harding for blowing things out of proportion and being unsure about the facts. 

According to them, Roan had revealed that she hadn’t sent the security guard, and Harding should have let things be, since she said she wasn’t sure whose guard it was.

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“So you don’t even know if it was her, but maybe she sent the bodyguard? What you’re saying doesn’t make sense. Leave her alone,” one fan wrote.

Another noted, “If you’re saying you don’t know if it was her bodyguard, why are you blaming her? Enjoy your five minutes of fame. Clingy AF.”

Teen Mom’s Kailyn Lowry has tearfully spoken about where she stands with former fiancé Elijah Scott.

After Lowry, 34, said that she had “left” Scott during a June 2025 episode of the “Give Them Lala” podcast, the reality TV star posted a teaser clip via Instagram on Sunday, March 22, that showed her discussing the split in a two-part video sit-down titled “Sitting Down With Elijah.”

The teaser post was captioned, “Time to talk about it. Part 1 of this series airs at 8PM EST at Patreon.com/kaillowry.”

In the clip, Scott, who shares son Rio, 3, and twins Verse and Valley, 2, with Lowry, is seen telling her, “I always have put you and the kids first. Did I feel as though I got the same in return? No.” (Lowry also shares sons Elliott, 16, with ex-boyfriend Jo Rivera, and Lincoln, 12, with ex-husband Javi Marroquin, plus sons Lux, 8 and Creed, 5, with ex-boyfriend Chris Lopez.)

A response to the statement was not included in the teaser, however Lowry, who announced her engagement to Scott in August 2024 after dating him for two years, was then seen saying, “I would not be able to have that self-awareness if he didn’t cheat on me. I don’t really know why I didn’t feel supported by you. I don’t know why, pure selfishness?”

As tears fell down her face, Lowry was also recorded saying, “People lose empathy for me because they’re like, ‘Well, you put yourself in this position for this to happen.’”

The teaser wrapped with a suggestive nod towards reconciliation as the couple were then seen holding hands on two separate occasions as a healing heart emoji was posted to the screen.

Additional text then flashed right at the end, reading, “But we all deserve forgiveness.”

Related: Kailyn Lowry Says There’s ‘No Beef’ With BF Elijah Scott and Her Exes

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Courtesy of Kailyn Lowry/Instagram Kailyn Lowry is making it clear that boyfriend Elijah Scott doesn’t talk to her exes — but there’s no bad blood either. “There’s no beef but also no communication,” the Teen Mom 2 alum, 31, said in an Instagram Story Q&A over the weekend. “Nobody really crosses paths.” Lowry and Scott […]

Fans were quick to express anticipation over Lowry’s sit-down with Scott, with one person writing in the comments section, “I have my tissues ready!” and another wrote, “I’m already crying.”

Lowry confirmed her engagement to Scott during a 2024 episode of her “Coffee Convos” podcast with Lindsie Chrisley. She revealed during the episode that she had been engaged for quite some time but did not publicly share the news because Scott had asked her to marry him several times previously. She said at the time that she never “took him seriously” until he proposed with a ring.

That same week, Lowry told Us Weekly that Scott was an “angel” who stepped “seamlessly” into her older children’ s lives.

Some horror movies work because they scare you. Others work because they completely understand the genre they are playing with and then gleefully start setting it on fire. The Cabin in the Woods managed to do both, which is a big part of why it still feels so fresh more than a decade later. It arrived as a surprise in 2012 and has only become more beloved since, but now it’s getting ready to leave Prime.

Directed by Drew Goddard and co-written with Joss Whedon, The Cabin in the Woods begins like a familiar setup: five college students head to a remote cabin for a weekend away. It does not take long for the film to reveal that something much stranger is going on, with the group’s ordeal being manipulated from an underground facility for reasons far bigger and much weirder than they realize.

The cast includes Kristen Connolly as Dana, Chris Hemsworth as Curt, Anna Hutchison as Jules, Fran Kranz as Marty, Jesse Williams as Holden, Richard Jenkins as Sitterson, and Bradley Whitford as Hadley. Sigourney Weaver also has a small but memorable role in the cult classic horror flick.

Related

Lights, Camera, Retraction — The Collider Movie Quiz!

Sometimes actors quit; other times they’re fired. On this first day of spring, we’re recalling some famous roles that got a fresh start with a recast.

Is ‘The Cabin in the Woods’ Worth Watching?

Collider’s review stated that The Cabin in the Woods isn’t just another horror movie — it’s a smart, funny, and brutal takedown of the entire genre. Instead of simply pointing out clichés, the film digs into why those clichés exist and why audiences keep coming back for them. What makes the film stand out is how it balances its satire with actual entertainment. It’s genuinely funny, often violent, and constantly surprising.

“With The Cabin in the Woods, Goddard and Whedon have made a strong rebuke against lazy storytelling by combining the lazy storytellers and lazy audiences into one body (the people at Evil Mission Control) and showing both the arbitrary nature of the plot elements (interchangeable menaces like creepy children and ghouls and clowns) and the glee and comfort we take in predictability of the structure (teens must die, they must die gruesomely, they have to die in particular order, etc). Few filmmakers will devise a horror film as blazingly original, remarkably intelligent, and painfully funny as The Cabin in the Woods, but it’s time for them to at least start trying.”

The Cabin in the Woods leaves Prime Video on March 31.

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Release Date

April 13, 2012

Runtime

95 minutes

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Director

Drew Goddard

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Writers

Drew Goddard, Joss Whedon

Producers

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Jason Clark

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• 

  Kristen Connolly

  Dana Polk

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• 

  Fran Kranz

  Marty Mikalski

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There was a time when the idea of an Angry Birds movie sounded like the most mid-2010s sentence imaginable. Then it came out, made real money, and somehow became one of the more memorable examples of the mobile-game adaptation boom. Nearly 10 years later, the film is still hanging around streaming libraries, but not for much longer. Prime subscribers have until March 31 to watch it there.

Released in 2016, The Angry Birds Movie turns the wildly popular game into a comedy adventure centered on Red, a permanently irritated bird living on Bird Island, whose suspicions grow when mysterious pigs arrive. The film was directed by Clay Kaytis and Fergal Reilly, and while it got a mixed response critically, it was a box office success that led to a sequel in 2019.

The voice cast includes Jason Sudeikis as Red, Josh Gad as Chuck, Danny McBride as Bomb, Maya Rudolph as Matilda, Bill Hader as Leonard, Peter Dinklage as Mighty Eagle, Kate McKinnon as Stella, Sean Penn as Terence, and Keegan-Michael Key as Judge Peckinpah.

Related

Lights, Camera, Retraction — The Collider Movie Quiz!

Sometimes actors quit; other times they’re fired. On this first day of spring, we’re recalling some famous roles that got a fresh start with a recast.

So… Was ‘The Angry Birds Movie’ Any Good?

Well, the fact a film as bad as this cost us another outing with Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe in The Nice Guys is devastating. The video game sensation crushed the Shane Black movie at the box office to the point that Gosling still brings it up now. Talk about PTSD. Collider’s review stated that The Angry Birds Movie struggles to justify its existence, delivering a forgettable and unfunny adaptation that fails to capture what made the game appealing in the first place. In an F review, it stated:

“While one could argue that plot shouldn’t matter so much at a film targeted towards kids, we know that the mark of a quality family film is one that should appeal to the whole family. The Angry Birds Movie, judging by the long silences at my screening, appeals to no one, not even the kids in the audience who probably aren’t the proper age for puns like ‘Pluck my life,’ and ‘Get flocking angry.’ The humor is all over the place, and it’s a film where they hope that shaking a pig’s butt or drinking pee-filled water will get the easy laughs from the youngest viewers while the adults in the audience count the second until they can leave.”

The Angry Bird Movie leaves Prime Video on March 31.

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Release Date

May 11, 2016

Runtime

97 minutes

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Director

Clay Kaytis, Fergal Reilly

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Before Paul Thomas Anderson made his mark at the 2026 Academy Awards, he made one of his most hypnotic and challenging films — and it’s quietly heading for the exit. The Master is not the kind of movie people casually throw on in the background, but that is exactly why its streaming departure stings a little more. It is strange, intense, and slippery in a way that keeps pulling people back, even when it refuses to give easy answers. If it has been sitting on your Prime watchlist for months, now is the time.

Released in 2012, The Master stars Joaquin Phoenix as Freddie Quell, a damaged drifter in post-WW2 America who falls under the influence of Lancaster Dodd, the charismatic leader of a philosophical movement played by Philip Seymour Hoffman. The cast also includes Amy Adams as Peggy Dodd, Laura Dern as Helen Sullivan, Rami Malek as Clark, Ambyr Childers as Elizabeth Dodd, and Jesse Plemons as Val Dodd. It is not Anderson’s easiest watch, and it is definitely not his most crowd-pleasing. But it may be one of his most fascinating.

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Lights, Camera, Retraction — The Collider Movie Quiz!

Sometimes actors quit; other times they’re fired. On this first day of spring, we’re recalling some famous roles that got a fresh start with a recast.

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How Good Is ‘The Master’?

Collider’s review stated that The Master isn’t a film you simply watch once and walk away from — it’s something you sit with, wrestle with, and inevitably return to. Phoenix delivers a staggering portrayal of Freddie, avoiding exaggerated theatrics in favor of something far more unsettling — a man who feels genuinely broken, unpredictable, and impossible to fully read. Hoffman is equally compelling as Dodd, balancing charm, authority, and underlying fragility in a way that makes his influence believable, even when his ideology feels hollow.

“Anderson isn’t doing a critique on the controversial religion just like There Will Be Blood isn’t a comment on the early 20th-century oil industry. The Cause is merely a gateway to see how people can try to complement each other and end up causing more harm than good. Freddie and Dodd need each other but their need may end up destroying them both. But that’s only one piece of a very large puzzle, and I couldn’t solve it in one viewing. I will finish with this note: After I left The Master, I felt the exact same way as I did when I left There Will Be Blood. I was confused and overwhelmed, and I didn’t know precisely what to make of the previous two-and-a-half hours. The craft was undeniable, and the performances were superb, but I couldn’t appreciate the whole picture.”

Prime subscribers have until March 31 to catch The Master before it disappears.

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Release Date

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September 14, 2012

Runtime

137 minutes

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Director

Paul Thomas Anderson

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Published Mar 23, 2026, 7:01 AM EDT

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Rustle up the knowledge that you carry about Keri Russell, and see what you can recall about her shows and roles.

Image via Touchstone Television

Not every TV shows has been a success story — with some projects getting cancelled before any episodes even aired.

NBC’s The Playboy Club only debuted three episodes in 2011 before the show was canceled. The network cited low-ratings as the reason behind the decision to drop the show, which was ultimately replaced by Rock Center With Brian Williams and repeat episodes of Maria Bello‘s Prime Suspect.

“We’re thrilled with the creative direction of both shows as well as the potential for them to continue to build loyal audiences over the coming months,” the Chairman of NBC Entertainment Robert Greenblatt told Us Weekly in a statement at the time. “We’re proud of all of the producers, writers, actors, and directors who have worked so hard to bring these shows to life.”

Meanwhile over at The CW, two episodes of The Beautiful Life aired in 2009 before the show came to an abrupt end. The teen drama, executive produced by Ashton Kutcher, eventually was burned off on YouTube.

Related: TV Shows That Were Canceled Even Though They Were Already Renewed

Some shows have gotten renewed — only for that decision to be rescinded and for them to get canceled instead. The Society originally debuted on Netflix in May 2019 to critical acclaim. Due to delays because of COVID-19, however, the streaming service rescinded their decision to produce a second season of the hit series. “We’ve […]

“What we feel like we’re doing is creating, in some ways, an industry first,” Kutcher said in a statement. “A show that couldn’t find its legs on television, we believe can find its legs on the Web.”

Keep scrolling for more short-lived TV shows — including some that filmed episodes that never appeared on screen:

‘Promised Land’ (ABC)

Canceled After: 5 Episodes

The drama series, which premiered in 2022, followed two Latino families vying for wealth and power in California’s Sonoma Valley. The show was pulled from ABC five episodes in and the rest of the season aired on Hulu before it was ultimately canceled.

‘Hank’ (ABC)

Canceled After: 5 Episodes

Starring Kelsey Grammer, Hank centered around a Wall Street executive who lost his job and, as a result, reconnected with his small-town family. Five episodes aired in 2009 before ABC confirmed they had “no immediate plans” to release the remainder of the series..

‘Connecting’ (NBC)

Canceled After: 4 Episodes

Set against the backdrop of the COVID pandemic, Connecting followed the lives of a group of friends attempting to stay connected amid a lockdown. NBC only aired four episodes in 2020 before moving the rest of the season to Peacock.

‘Drive’ (Fox)

Canceled After: 4 Episodes

Drive introduced viewers to an illegal cross-country automobile road race. Despite a star-studded cast that included Nathan Fillion, Emma Stone and Melanie Lynskey, the 2007 show — the first one to host a live Twitter session during an episode — was canceled four episodes in.

‘Ironside’ (NBC)

Canceled After: 4 Episodes

Ironside, which premiered in 2013, served as a remake about a consultant for the police who was paralyzed from the waist down after being shot on vacation.

‘Sunnyside’ (NBC)

Canceled After: 4 Episodes

The 2019 series centered around a former New York City councilman who found his calling when he helped immigrants in need.

‘The Playboy Club’ (NBC)

Canceled After: 3 Episodes

Set in 1961, the series centered on the employees a.k.a Bunnies of the original Playboy Club in Chicago. The Playboy Club starred Eddie Cibrian, Laura Benanti, Amber Heard and Jenna Dewan, but was pulled after three episodes.

‘Smith’ (CBS)

Canceled After: 3 Episodes

The show followed a group of professional thieves who struggled to keep their work separate from the rest of their lives. Three episodes later, CBS pulled the plug and the rest of the season never aired.

‘Wicked City’ (ABC)

Canceled After: 3 Episodes

The procedural premiered in 2015 and focused on two LAPD detectives as they searched for a pair of romantically linked serial killers terrorizing the Sunset Strip. Wicked City starred Jeremy Sisto, Taissa Farmiga, Gabriel Luna, Evan Ross, Ed Westwick and Erika Christensen.

‘Viva Laughlin’ (CBS)

Canceled After: 2 Episodes

Viva Laughlin was a musical drama centered around a businessman whose ambition was to run a casino in Nevada. The show, which aired in 2007 for only two episodes, starred Mädchen Amick, Eric Winter, D.B. Woodside, Hugh Jackman and Melanie Griffith.

‘Do No Harm’ (NBC)

Canceled After: 2 Episodes

Do No Harm was a modern take on Robert Louis Stevenson‘s 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The 2013 series followed a doctor who tried to balance working as a neurosurgeon with the overwhelming task of suppressing his evil alter ego.

Related: TV Shows That Were Saved After Cancellation

In recent years, TV shows have found new life after being canned by networks, with last-minute and hard-fought saves. Thank You! You have successfully subscribed. Subscribe to newsletters Enter your email Please enter a valid email. Subscribe By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive emails from Us Weekly […]

‘Doubt’ (CBS)

Canceled After: 2 Episodes

Starring Katherine Heigl, Laverne Cox and Steven Pasquale, Doubt centered around a successful defense lawyer who became romantically involved with a client (who might or might not have been guilty of a brutal crime).

‘Made in Jersey’ (CBS)

Canceled After: 2 Episodes

Made in Jersey was a drama series about a working-class lawyer from New Jersey who used her street smarts to compete with her more polished colleagues at a prestigious New York law firm.

‘The Beautiful Life’ (The CW)

Canceled After: 2 Episodes

During its 2009 stint on The CW, The Beautiful Life revolved around a group of male and female models sharing a residence in New York City. The cast included Mischa Barton, Sara Paxton, Ben Hollingsworth, Corbin Bleu, Nico Tortorella, Ashley Madekwe and Elle Macpherson.

‘Swamp Thing’ (DC Universe)

Canceled After: 1 Episode

Based on the DC Comics character of the same name, Swamp Thing introduced Crystal Reed as a doctor who encountered the Swamp Thing — a plant-elemental creature who fought malevolent forces around a Louisiana swamp. One episode aired before DC Universe pulled the plug.

‘Emily’s Reasons Why Not’ (ABC)

Canceled After: 1 Episode

Based on a novel by Carrie Gerlach, Emily’s Reasons Why Not revolved around a successful career woman in Los Angeles who has been unsuccessful in finding The One. Heather Graham starred as the titular character in the 2006 series, which was canceled after one episode due to negative reception.

‘Osbournes Reloaded’ (Fox)

Canceled After: 1 Episode

Hosted by the Osbourne family, Osbournes Reloaded was a variety show that consisted of sketches, stunts, celebrity cameos, live action audience participation and live musical acts. There were also skits featuring the Osbournes that never saw the light of day after 14 percent of Fox affiliates threatened to preempt the show.

‘Us and Them’ (Fox)

Canceled After: Never Aired

Created by James Corden, Us & Them starred Jason Ritter and Alexis Bledel as a couple trying to make their romance work while combining their polarizing families’ lives. Fox ordered 13 episodes before ultimately cutting it down to seven. In 2014, the network chose not to air anything at all.

‘Manchester Prep’ (Fox)

Canceled After: Never Aired

Manchester Prep was originally a TV adaptation of Cruel Intentions, which ultimately became the 2000 sequel Cruel Intentions 2.

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Netflix has introduced its viewers to many unique TV shows over the years — but not every original series gets to explore their story beyond one season before getting canceled​. Julie and the Phantoms developed a quick cult following when it hit the streaming service in September 2020. The musical comedy, which was based on […]

‘Still Life’ (Fox)

Canceled After: Never Aired

Jensen Ackles starred in the show, which centered around a police officer who was killed on his first day as a cop.

‘Next Caller’ (NBC)

Canceled After: Never Aired

The sitcom followed an unlikely pair of radio disc jockeys forced to share the microphone for a relationship call-in show. NBC announced in 2012 that the show was cancelled after four episodes had been filmed, citing creative differences with star Dane Cook.

‘Coach’ (NBC)

Canceled After: Never Aired

The revival received a 13 episode straight-to-series order but after seeing the pilot, NBC pulled the plug on the entire series.

‘The Bachelorette’ Season 22 (ABC)

Canceled After: Never Aired

ABC pulled the plug on Taylor Frankie Paul’s season days before it was meant to air due to domestic violence allegations from Dakota Mortensen.

There are plenty of movies about money, greed, and collapse, but very few make boardrooms feel this terrifying. Margin Call turns financial jargon into a full-blown pressure cooker, locking viewers inside one long night as a company realizes it is on the edge of disaster. The result is not flashy in the usual Hollywood way, but it is still one of the most stressful dramas of the last 15 years. Prime viewers only have until March 31 to watch it there.

Written and directed by J.C. Chandor, Margin Call unfolds over a 24-hour period at a major investment bank during the early stages of the 2008 financial crisis. When a junior analyst discovers that the firm’s position could collapse the company, executives are dragged into a brutal overnight reckoning about how much they are willing to burn in order to survive.

The cast includes Scarpetta star Simon Baker as Jared Cohen, Kevin Spacey as Sam Rogers, Paul Bettany as Will Emerson, Jeremy Irons as John Tuld, Zachary Quinto as Peter Sullivan, Penn Badgley as Seth Bregman, Mary McDonnell as Mary Rogers, Demi Moore as Sarah Robertson, and Stanley Tucci as Eric Dale.

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Lights, Camera, Retraction — The Collider Movie Quiz!

Sometimes actors quit; other times they’re fired. On this first day of spring, we’re recalling some famous roles that got a fresh start with a recast.

How Good Is ‘Margin Call’?

Collider’s review stated that while the 2008 financial collapse has all the makings of gripping cinema, Margin Call struggles to turn that real-world catastrophe into something truly insightful. J.C. Chandor’s film has all the surface-level ingredients of a prestige drama — a stacked cast, sharp suits, and a high-stakes setting — but beneath that polished exterior, it often feels more like a hollow exercise than a meaningful exploration of one of the most defining crises of our time.

“Unfortunately Margin Call wastes the rest of its talented cast by making them nothing more than plastic figures moving around a poorly constructed play set (Note to toy manufacturers: do not make the Financial Firm Play Set). The devil is in the details and Chandor wants to make a movie without devils or even people. We need a good film about the financial collapse, but if Margin Call is the best we can get, then fuck me…”

Prime subscribers have until March 31 to stream Margin Call before it leaves.

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Release Date

February 11, 2011

Runtime

109 minutes

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Director

J.C. Chandor

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Writers

J.C. Chandor

Producers

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Cassian Elwes, Corey Moosa, Joshua Blum, Kirk D’Amico, Neal Dodson, Rose Ganguzza, Zachary Quinto, Randy Manis, Anthony Gudas, Laura Rister, Michael Benaroya, Robert Ogden Barnum, Joe Jenckes

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Taylor Frankie Paul’s Bachelorette suitor, Doug Mason, reacted to calls for him to star as The Bachelor.

A Saturday, March 21, Instagram comment, shared via Bachelor fan account Scoop’s Instagram Stories the following day, showed a Bachelorette fan writing, “Doug Mason for Bachelor.” Doug then responded, “Let’s goooo.”

Doug was a contestant on Taylor’s cancelled season 22 of The Bachelorette amid the 31-year-old’s ongoing police investigation.

Fans have also taken to Doug’s Instagram page to advocate for his potential turn as the Bachelor, with one person writing on a March 14 photo carousel, “Doug for the next bachelor ❤️🌹!!!!” The photos were unrelated to Doug’s reality TV involvement, depicting the California-based lifeguard surfing.

Related: Bachelorette’s Taylor Spoke With Cast About Dakota ‘Several’ Times

Taylor Frankie Paul had been honest about her on–off relationship with Dakota Mortensen while filming The Bachelorette. “There were several conversations had [about Taylor’s status with Dakota], and the writing was on the wall,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly, referring to Taylor and her Bachelorette contestants. “Many feel like their time was wasted.” Taylor, […]

Another fan wrote on a February 24 Bachelorette promotional photo shared by Doug, “I don’t think this aged well… but hoping you’re the next BACHELOR!!”

Doug has not publicly commented on the status of his relationship with Taylor, 31, who Us Weekly confirmed on Wednesday, March 18, is the subject of an “active police investigation confirmed by the Draper Police Department” amid fresh alleged domestic assault allegations involving her and her ex Dakota Mortensen.

Doug did, however, publicly address Taylor’s situation via an Instagram video shared on Friday, March 20. “In light of everything that has happened, I am just sending prayers to Taylor because that was her moment and her moment was blocked,” he told fans. “All we can do right now is just be hopeful, and I am headed off to run to watch the sunrise.”

He concluded the video, “I hope you guys have a great day, and let’s stay positive and show nothing but support for people in need.”

A fan account for The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, through which Taylor initially rose to fame, reposted the video, which sparked a response from Taylor in the comments section: “Aw my heart goes out to him. So sweet.”

ABC cancelled Taylor’s Bachelorette season following TMZ releasing footage of her physically assaulting and throwing chairs at Dakota during a 2023 incident. The footage showed Taylor’s daughter upset in the background. (Taylor shares daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 5, with ex-husband Tate Paul, and she also shares a son, Ever, with Dakota, who was born in 2024.)

At the time, Taylor was charged with aggravated assault, two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, child abuse with injury and criminal mischief as a result of the incident. Taylor ultimately pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, while the other four charges were dismissed with prejudice and she later reached a plea deal.

In light of ABC’s cancellation, a rep for Taylor told Us that she is “very grateful for ABC’s support” while she “prioritizes her family’s safety and security.”

A statement shared with Us by Taylor’s rep read, “After years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm.”

It continued, “There are too many women who are suffering in silence as they survive aggressive, jealous ex-partners who refuse to let them move on with their lives. Taylor has remained silent out of fear of further abuse, retaliation, and public shaming. She is currently exploring all of her options, seeking support, and preparing to own and share her story.”

Dakota also addressed the footage, releasing his own statement at the time. “Anyone who has seen the video will understand, this is a deeply upsetting situation,” it read. “I am, unfortunately, used to these baseless claims about me and our relationship, which I categorically deny. I am focusing on our son and his safety, and hope that Taylor will do the same.”

Us Weekly later confirmed that Dakota has since been granted a temporary protective order against Taylor and given temporary custody of their son.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.