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

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

10

‘Children of Blood and Bone’ (2018)

Image via Henry Holt Books for Young Readers

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

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

9

‘The Name of the Wind’ (2007)

Image via Gollancz

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

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

8

‘The Blade Itself’ (2006)

Image via Gollancz

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

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

7

‘Prince of Thorns’ (2011)

Image via Harper Voyager/Mark Lawrence

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

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

6

‘The Lies of Locke Lamora’ (2006)

Image via Bantam Spectra

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

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

5

‘Between Two Fires’ (2012)

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

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

4

‘A Memory of Light’ (2014)

Image via Tor Fantasy

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

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

3

‘The Crippled God’ (2011)

Image via Tor Fantasy

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

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

2

‘A Dance with Dragons’ (2011)

Image via Bantam Spectra

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

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

1

‘Oathbringer’ (2017)

Image via Tor Fantasy

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

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

At one point, Bob Odenkirk decided he was no longer content just being the slimiest lawyer on television and the world’s most deplorable conman, he wanted to become John Wick. Well, it’s nice to have dreams, right? And he was good at it! Who knew? Nobody proved that Saul Goodman could absolutely kick your ass, turning the Better Call Saul star into one of action’s most unlikely leading men. If you thought Nobody was it, think again.

Normal is officially charting on HBO Max after arriving on the platform on August 14. The 91-minute action thriller reunites Odenkirk with Nobody writer and John Wick creator Derek Kolstad, while Kill List and Free Fire filmmaker Ben Wheatley directs. And at roughly an hour and a half, it doesn’t exactly overstay its welcome. It’s Odenkirk, a small town hiding something nasty, the creator of John Wick and the director of Free Fire smashing everything together for a wild ride.

For Sheriff Ulysses (Odenkirk), his provisional posting to the quaint Midwestern town of Normal was meant to be a welcome respite from both his marital woes and recent moral injuries in the line of duty. But when a botched bank robbery interrupts the municipality’s tranquil pace, a dark secret is inadvertently exposed, and Ulysses soon discovers that the town (and its mayor, played by Henry Winkler) is anything but its namesake.

Who Stars in ‘Normal’?

The similarities to Nobody are hardly accidental. Odenkirk co-wrote Normal alongside Kolstad, who wrote the original John Wick and created the franchise before going on to write Nobody. Wheatley brings his own taste for chaotic violence to the director’s chair, resulting in a movie Rotten Tomatoes describes as delivering “over-the-top carnage.”

Normal also features Lena Headey (Game of Thrones) as Moira, Ryan Allen (Between) as Deputy Blaine Anderson, Billy MacLellan (Nobody) as Deputy Mike Nelson, Reena Jolly (SkyMed) as Lori, Brendan Fletcher (The Revenant) as Keith, Peter Shinkoda (Daredevil) as Joe, Jess McLeod (One of Us Is Lying) as Alex, and Derek Barnes as James.

Critics have largely enjoyed Odenkirk’s latest excursion into action territory. Normal currently holds a 77% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes alongside a 76% verified audience score, with the critical consensus praising Odenkirk’s “gruff yet playful presence” and Wheatley’s commitment to ridiculous, bloody entertainment.

Normal is streaming now on HBO Max.

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Release Date

April 16, 2026

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Runtime

91 minutes

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The biggest weekend in domestic box-office history delivered a massive $400 million-plus haul, thanks mainly to Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s record-breaking $360 million debut. This wasn’t like the “Barbenheimer” event three years ago, when Oppenheimer and Barbie delivered more than $220 million in combined revenue in one weekend. Later this year, Warner Bros. and Disney are hoping for a repeat of the “Barbenheimer” event when Dune: Part Three and Avengers: Doomsday clash at the box office. Both films began pre-sales months before release; based on current revenue, they could produce another $400 million-plus weekend and possibly a new record.

Avengers: Doomsday has generated $35 million in advance ticket sales so far, according to Global Box Office. The movie is projected to gross between $260 million and $300 million in its opening weekend, with room for change given how much time there is until its release in December. By comparison, Avengers: Endgame set an opening-weekend record in 2019, grossing $357 million. This record was beaten by Spider-Man: Brand New Day in July. Marvel and Disney are leaving no stone unturned in bringing the MCU back to its former glory; despite the success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the franchise has been damaged in recent years by the underperformance of movies such as The Marvels, Thunderbolts*, Captain America: Brave New World, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

How Much Is ‘Dune: Part Three’ Projected to Gross in Its Box-Office Debut?

Meanwhile, Global Box Office is reporting that Dune: Part Three has generated $10 million in advance sales already. This sets the movie up for a franchise-record opening, putting it on track to become the trilogy’s first installment to gross more than $100 million in its first weekend. By comparison, Dune: Part Two grossed $82 million in its domestic debut in 2024, and finished its global run with around $715 million. The first Dune was controversially released day-and-date on HBO Max, which dented its overall box-office performance. Despite the setback, it ended up grossing more than $430 million worldwide, including revenue from a re-release in 2024. All three movies in the acclaimed sci-fi series have been directed by Denis Villeneuve, with Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya in the lead roles. The third film will also feature Anya Taylor-Joy, Florence Pugh, Javier Bardem, Rebecca Ferguson, Robert Pattinson, Jason Momoa, and others. Dune: Part Three and Avengers: Doomsday will face off on December 18. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

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Release Date

December 18, 2026

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Director

Denis Villeneuve

Writers

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Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, Frank Herbert

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Although it has been an extremely strong year at the box office, 2026 has still had its fair share of flops, from Jessie Buckley‘s divisive performance in The Bride! and director Travis Knight‘s Masters of the Universe to the critically panned AI-based thriller Mercy and the inevitable flop The Death of Robin Hood. But perhaps the most notable flop of the year came from the new DC Universe, as talented young star Milly Alcock headlined as Kara Zor-El for the first time.

Opening to just $38 million domestically and $68 million worldwide, Supergirl marked a significant drop compared to last summer’s surprise smash Superman, as it whimpered out of theaters with just $126 million worldwide, against a reported budget of $170 million. So poor was this result that DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran felt the need to publicly comment, admitting that “Supergirl didn’t meet our box office expectations,” but adding, “it’s just one component of a broader, long-term strategy at DC Studios that we remain confident in.” For James Gunn, who was an executive producer and creative supervisor on Supergirl, this is far from his first flop.

Back in 2021, Gunn faced a similar box office disaster as writer and director of The Suicide Squad, a sequel to David Ayer‘s Suicide Squad from 2016. The film boasted a $185 million budget and a stacked cast of famous faces, from Margot Robbie and John Cena to Idris Elba. However, it only made $168.7 million in total global revenue, falling far short of expectations and becoming one of the most high-profile flops of 2021. Gunn himself acknowledged the failure, although he was quick to admit that the COVID-19 pandemic and a poor streaming release strategy harmed its chances.

‘The Suicide Squad’ Has Bounced Back

Five years later and in the shadow of Supergirl‘s collapse, The Suicide Squad has surprisingly bounced back. At the time of writing, the film is one of the ten most-watched on Netflix worldwide. Other films to have ranked in the current top ten include the 2026 Indian film Cocktail 2, Kevin Hart‘s latest Netflix comedy 72 Hours, the 2003 rom-com gem What a Girl Wants, the 2015 sci-fi favorite Extinction, and Louis Leterrier‘s The Last House.

Stay tuned to Collider for the latest streaming stories.

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Release Date

August 6, 2021

Runtime

132 minutes

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Director

James Gunn

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Producers

Charles Roven, Peter Safran

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In a perfect world, both audiences and critics would be in love with a particular TV show. However, we sadly don’t live in a perfect world, and the television landscape is littered with numerous shows that are either loved by professional critics but hated by audiences, or loathed by the critics, but are beloved by viewers. Then, there’s a third angle: TV shows are lauded by critics, but, upon watching them, are actually kind of bad.

So, we’re going to take a look at the TV shows that were darlings of the critics, but were actually kind of bad. It’s not that I absolutely hated these shows. I tried to give all of them a chance (and may do so again in the future), but I just simply couldn’t get into these shows.

‘Quantico’ (2015–2018)

Image via ABC

We talk a lot about thrillers on this site, but I think one sub-genre that we don’t talk enough about is terrorism thrillers. These are shows in which the storyline is centered on a terrorist plot in which a law enforcement officer must prevent. 24 was probably the standard-bearer of the sub-genre, and it was a huge hit for Fox. So, in 2015, ABC, which was desperate for dramatic hits at the time, decided to create their own 24-inspired terrorism thriller, Quantico; and, to put it nicely, it was spectacularly mid.

Starring Priyanka Chopra, Quantico follows an FBI rookie who, all of a sudden, becomes the prime suspect in a terrorist attack on New York City’s Grand Central Terminal, and, according to the terrorism thriller textbook, our protagonist must clear her name. Critics loved Chopra’s performance, and the incredibly diverse cast, but the dual timelines made the show hard to follow for the average viewer. After three seasons, Quantico faded into the television purgatory.

‘FBI’ (2018–Present)

Image via CBS

Dick Wolf is no stranger to the crime procedural sub-genre, and he has created some absolute gems, from the genre-transforming Law & Order universe to the criminally underrated New York Undercover. I love Dick Wolf’s work, which pains me to write that FBI, the police procedural that premiered on CBS in 2018, is not among his best despite critical acclaim.

If you’ve watched a Dick Wolf series, you pretty much know how FBI works. Set in its New York City field office, the series follows a unit of FBI special agents as they work to protect the citizens of the city from bad guys. While I agree with the critics that the performances are great, I can’t help that FBI feels eerily like a knock-off version of Law & Order. Everything, from the episode structure to how the characters interact with each other, just seems like Law & Order-like. I wanted FBI to be different, to take more risks, and it just sticks to the tried-and-true, which isn’t bad, but if you want that, just go watch Law & Order.

‘Supergirl’ (2015–2021)

Image via The CW

This is a CW show, so I’m going to be grading this show on a steep curve. Everyone knows that CW superhero shows are hit-or-miss, and for a time, Supergirl seemed like a hit, until it wasn’t. Supergirl follows the cousin of Superman, Kara Zor-El/ Kara Danvers (Melissa Benoist), as she defends National City (what an interesting name for a city) from the bad guys who want to do harm to it.

The first three seasons of Supergirl were pretty good (for a CW show, anyway), and I got into the plot. But afterward, it was all downhill from there. The storyline began to make no sense, and the characters became pretty bland. It’s a shame, because Supergirl could have been among the great superhero shows on the small screen. Instead, it’s another in a line of examples as to why superheroes belong on the big screen, not on TV.

‘Homeland’ (2011–2020)

Image via Showtime

There’s always one show in every list I write that brings me chest pain for criticizing it, mainly because I enjoyed said show during its initial run, but, rewatching it, I can see the flaws more clearly. Here, it’s Homeland, the Showtime espionage thriller that had me in a chokehold in the 2010s, but I can now understand why it’s not seen in such a great light today.

Each season of Homeland is different, but the main plot centers around Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes), a CIA operations agent who embarked on an unauthorized operation in Iraq and, as punishment (I guess), was re-assigned to the agency’s Counterterrorism Center. It’s here where most of the action of the series takes place, and the series has received numerous industry awards and nominations. But, where I have a problem with Homeland is how it constantly misrepresents Muslims. Yes, this was a time in which the War on Terror was at its peak, but it still wasn’t a fair portrayal of the faith, and the criticisms that this show got for its portrayal of Muslims are warranted.

‘Ten Percent’ (2022)

Image via Prime Video

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We normally don’t accommodate comedies with miniseries. While there are a few examples of comedic exploits turning into miniseries (Beef is a great example of this), comedies normally get multiple seasons to pull in an audience. So, it was weird when Ten Percent, a British comedy streamed on Prime Video, only got one season on the series. Then, I rewatched it, and I could see why.

While the series was filmed in Britain, the show is actually based on a French series, Dix pour Cent, which is set in a talent agency in London that is thrown into turmoil when the agency’s founder dies unexpectedly. While critics did like the fact that it was pleasant, I had the pleasure of watching the original French show, and once you watch that one, you’ll quickly see that this is a carbon copy of that series. The British version of Ten Percent did little to differentiate itself from its French counterpart, which is jarring because the British are pioneers when it comes to comedy, and it’s usually other countries copying them, not the other way around. Why would they do this? No wonder it was done after just eight episodes.

‘Star Wars Resistance’ (2018–2020)

Image via Lucasfilm

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I’m going to preface this by saying that Star Wars rarely works as a comedy. Especially after the genius grittiness of Andor, Star Wars is at its best when it stays in its space opera roots. So, when I decided to re-watch Star Wars Resistance, I was completely taken aback by the comedic scale of this series, and it just didn’t work for me.

It’s shocking for me to write this because, back during its original run, I liked Star Wars Resistance. I totally get why it has a 92% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes, as the story of Star Wars Resistance did set the stage for bigger adventures that were more kid-friendly. But, this is where it also lost me. I don’t want kid-friendly Star Wars. I want gritty Star Wars, and Resistance just doesn’t do it for me anymore.

‘The Morning Show’ (2019–Present)

I feel like TV morning shows have a cutthroat nature behind those scenes that would be ripped for exploration into a television series. That’s what Jay Carson thought as well when he adapted Brian Stelter‘s 2013 novel, Top of the Morning, into The Morning Show, for Apple TV. Starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, The Morning Show looks at the sad nature of what it’s like behind the scenes of a morning show.

The Morning Show is a textbook example of a “critical darling” series. It was beloved by critics, and was nominated for a number of awards, and most of them rightfully so. The performances of Aniston and Witherspoon were dynamite, and this series accurately hit on a number of topics that many viewers could relate to. Having said that, The Morning Show had one major flaw: it is really boring. It doesn’t matter how good the writing is or how great the performances are, if a show works best as sleep-inducing background noise, it doesn’t work as an entertaining program. The Morning Show could have been among my favorites, but you can’t cook a steak without seasoning and expect it to taste great.

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ (2022–Present)

Image via Prime Video

Oh, I’m pretty sure I’m going to get some hate in the comments for including this show, but let me explain why it should be here, and I’ll let you form your own opinions. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power was critically loved, but it’s incredibly overrated, and I didn’t think the storyline was really well fleshed out, especially in the mess that was the second season.

The Rings of Power was a good idea that had a ton of potential to be one of the best high fantasy shows on television, but its overwrought performances, thin plotline, and questionable accuracy to the J. R. R. Tolkien novels are what weighs this series down. There is a reason why the second season had a lower viewership than the first; fans saw through the smokescreen and saw the series for what it was: an underwhelming fantasy series that was over-hyped by critics.

‘NCIS: Sydney’ (2023–Present)

Image via Paramount+

As much as I’m a huge fan of the Law & Order universe, I am equally a fan of the NCIS franchise. The original NCIS will never be touched, but I have a soft spot in my heart for the spin-offs. They’re not as good in quality as the OG NCIS, but they hold their own and have managed to differentiate themselves from the original as so, they stand on their own two-feet and don’t need assistance from the parent series, except one: NCIS: Sydney.

If you’ve watched NCIS, you don’t need me to explain the plot. It’s the same flavor, except the NCIS agents are now in Instagram-scenic Sydney, Australia catching bad guys this time around. Unlike its siblings, NCIS: Sydney doesn’t offer anything different or exciting than the other spin-offs offered. It doesn’t have enough flavor to justify its existence, and while the action is just as good, you’re better off watching NCIS‘s better spin-offs.

‘Halo’ (2022–2024)

Image via Paramount+

This one is personal. As a fan of the Halo games, I wanted so long to see what a TV series based off of the video game series would be like. I have been on board ever since I learned it was in development in 2013. I waited like a kid on Christmas Eve for this series to drop. So, when it finally did in 2022, I grabbed my popcorn, my Gatorade, and settled in for a night of binge-watching. To say I was disappointed with the finishing product is a tremendous understatement. I was crushed.

Halo, the TV series, had tremendous promise, and, to be fair, I wasn’t expecting it to be perfect. Having written that, when you’re sourcing from a beloved video game franchise, you need to give that source material the justice it deserves, and Halo, the TV series, didn’t do that at all. It’s very derivative, the writing is uninspiring, and it’s too plot-driven for a franchise that’s centered on its characters. While the critics gave it hope, I gave up midway through Season 1. Halo, the TV series, is a bad show, and its first impression left a very bad taste in my mouth.

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Halo

Release Date

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2022 – 2024-00-00

Network

Paramount+

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Showrunner

Kyle Killen

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Directors

Jonathan Liebesman, Craig Zisk, Dennie Gordon, Roel Reiné, Debs Paterson

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A two-time Oscar winner with one of the finest filmographies of the 21st century, Emma Stone is one of a kind. After delighting in beloved big hits such as The Amazing Spider-Man, Birdman, and La La Land, Stone turned her attention to Greek writer and director Yorgos Lanthimos, a five-time Oscar nominee in his own right. The pair made magic on their first try, with the period comedy The Favourite earning 10 Academy Award nominations and a Best Actress win for Stone’s co-star, Olivia Colman​​​​​​.

Then came the utterly mesmerizing Poor Things, based on the eponymous 1992 novel by Alasdair Gray, and the slightly underwhelming but certainly ambitious Kind of Kindness, an avant-garde anthology movie featuring Stone alongside another Lanthimos favorite, Jesse Plemons. The latest of the pair’s four collaborations to date arrived in 2025 and proved one of the year’s most exciting sci-fi projects. The science fiction satire Bugonia, a remake of Jang Joon-hwan‘s 2003 South Korean comedy Save the Green Planet!, starred both Stone and Plemons, with the latter kidnapping Stone’s high-powered CEO, convinced she is an alien sent to destroy Earth.

Exploring the power of truth, conspiracy, and class in the modern age, Bugonia takes plenty of big swings, no bigger than its final twist, which many consider to be one of the best in recent cinema. Collider’s Ross Bonaime awarded the movie a strong 8/10 rating in his review, writing, “With Bugonia, Lanthimos elevates an already fantastic concept, making an essential film about the world we live in and just how insane and hopeless it can feel at times.” A year on and Bugonia is still proving popular. At the time of writing, the film is one of the ten most-streamed movies on HBO Max in the world.

How Much Did ‘Bugonia’ Make at the Box Office?

Lanthimos is known for pushing the boundaries of cinema on a relatively low budget. However, with Bugonia​​​​​​, the master of the strange was given his biggest allowance yet, estimated to be between $45 million and $55 million. Sadly, this meant that the film was a box office flop, falling short of its reported budget with a global haul of just $43 million, split between $17 million in domestic revenue and a further $26 million from overseas markets.

Stay tuned to Collider for more streaming updates.

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Release Date

November 7, 2025

Runtime

119 minutes

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Director

Yorgos Lanthimos

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Writers

Will Tracy

Producers

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Andrew Lowe, Ari Aster, Ed Guiney, Emma Stone, Jerry Kyoungboum Ko, Lars Knudsen, Miky Lee, Yorgos Lanthimos, Kasia Malipan, Will Greenfield

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The Punisher has been a difficult character to crack in Marvel Comics adaptations because the notion of a vigilante gunslinger is no longer as novel or as appealing as it was when Frank Castle debuted. Three different actors have portrayed Castle in live-action films, and each portrayal failed, despite the talent of their stars; these films ranged from being completely ignorant of the character’s real-world ramifications to being trapped in a generic revenge-thriller formula. The one spark of hope that fans of the Punisher earned after years of disappointment was in the second season of Netflix’s Daredevil, in which Jon Bernthal’s version of Castle appeared as a nemesis-turned-ally of Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox). While Daredevil suggested that Castle might be best utilized as a supporting character, The Punisher does justice to the source material with a modernized, emotional, and surprisingly timely approach to his complex mythology.

Although the fundamentals of Castle’s backstory were laid out in Daredevil, The Punisher offers a partial origin story through flashbacks that is necessary, given that it wasn’t nailed in any of the previous film interpretations. However, Castle is trapped in the present because he is haunted by the loss of his family, which has caused him to retreat into being a solemn recluse hunting down the criminals that murdered his loved ones. The hardest step Castle has to take is finding a new purpose after vengeance, as he does not feel that justice has been served by his bloodlust. Bernthal gives a damaged, multifaceted performance that highlights Castle’s struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder, and the two-season show delves into the societal evils that shaped his cynical perspective.

Netflix’s ‘The Punisher’ Reinvents Frank Castle

Although Daredevil had already indicated it, The Punisher confirms that Bernthal was born to play Castle because he understands the sadness and intensity that cause him to be constantly under strain. Bernthal’s Castle is just as obsessed with vengeance as the character is in most comic book depictions, but his fixation has become an addiction because of how in flux his moral code is; having concluded that anyone guilty of committing crimes similar to those made against his family deserves to be punished, Castle has set himself up on an unquenchable quest for revenge that will never be completed. Since the show picks up after Daredevil Season 2, which itself featured Castle already established as an anti-hero, there is no pleasure or spark within the routine that he has committed himself to. Castle works best as a character when he is grizzled and indigent, and The Punisher draws him out of repetition with a newfound mystery that links to his past.

The Punisher finds a clever way to explore Castle’s history in the military because it introduces the character of Billy Russo, a former member of his Force Recon team, played by Ben Barnes. Russo represents an alternative to Castle who initially seems to be better adjusted because he leads a recovery group for fellow veterans and has found new work as a private contractor; however, this masks an insidious lie that Russo has used to hide his guilt, as he has not been made to suffer as Castle has. That The Punisher is a series, and not a film, gives it more time to take a sincere look at veterans’ issues that Bernthal undoubtedly takes seriously, and it also makes an effort to question gun control tactics during a time in which mass shooting incidents are sadly all too common. In addition to acknowledging why Castle’s fatalistic techniques are ultimately not helpful, The Punisher examines how easy it is for vulnerable young men, especially veterans with mental health issues, to be seduced into joining radical groups that promote violence and hate speech.

‘The Punisher’ Is Marvel at Its Grittiest and Most Psychological

Bernthal has the presence to carry The Punisher on its shoulders, but the show has a surprisingly stacked ensemble that ensures it is more than just a solo adventure. Bernthal has been a longtime friend and collaborator with Ebon Moss-Bachrach, whose role as Ben Grimm in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was predated by his performance in The Punisher as the former NSA analyst David Lieberman, who goes by the codename “Mirco.” Lieberman is a veteran of a different sort who has also been denied the opportunity to connect with his family, which sparks parallels with Castle. It’s compelling to have another hero with a different skill set, and the real-life friendship between Bernthal and Moss-Bachrach makes their onscreen chemistry all the more authentic and adds a healthy amount of humor to an otherwise dark show.

Although many of the Netflix Marvel shows struggled as they went along because they had to connect to one another, The Punisher maintains a degree of quality throughout and justifies the episode count for each season. It even gets a boost of momentum in its second season thanks to the addition of Giorgia Whigham as Amy Bendix, a drifter who becomes a surrogate daughter for Castle. It’s also among the most dynamic streaming shows in terms of action, as the brutal, unglamorized brawls couldn’t be more different than the elegant choreography in Daredevil. It has been exciting to see Bernthal expand upon the character with his most recent appearances in the MCU, but The Punisher remains the most riveting and exhilarating depiction of the character on screen.

You generally consider a trilogy capper to be the cherry on the icing at the top of the cake, if in this scenario the cake is three epic films telling one grand tale. Well, in this baking analogy, this cake is overly sickly sweet, probably store bought and full of chemicals. But you know what, we still love it, and we’ll gorge ourselves silly on it. Anyway, enough of that, let’s talk about saving the world and saying goodbye to Tom Hardy.

Venom: The Last Dance is having, well, its last dance on Netflix in the United States. The movie officially leaves the streaming platform on August 25, which is sure to be a blow to fans who’ve made the movie one of the most popular in the world. The film even made its way to No. 1 all across the world. And whatever you think about the Venom movies, they made some serious money at the box office. The Last Dance earned $478.9 million worldwide, including approximately $139.8 million domestically and $339.2 million internationally.

In Venom: The Last Dance, Hardy returns as Venom, one of Marvel’s greatest and most complex characters, for the final film in the trilogy. Eddie and Venom are on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo are forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie’s last dance. Fair to say, though, things get worse when Knull — the ancient creator of the symbiotes — enters the picture. See, his forces need the Codex carried by Eddie and Venom, sending the pair on one final chaotic road trip.

Who Starred in ‘Venom: The Last Dance’?

Hardy is joined by Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave) as Rex Strickland, Juno Temple (Ted Lasso) as Dr. Teddy Paine, Rhys Ifans (The Amazing Spider-Man) as Martin Moon, Stephen Graham (Adolescence) as Patrick Mulligan, Clark Backo (Letterkenny) as Sadie Christmas, Cristo Fernández (Ted Lasso) as the bartender and Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings) as Knull. Kelly Marcel, who co-wrote the first two movies, made her feature directorial debut with The Last Dance and wrote its screenplay from a story developed alongside Hardy.

Venom: The Last Dance is streaming on Netflix until August 25.

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Release Date

October 25, 2024

Runtime

110 Minutes

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Director

Kelly Marcel

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