This summer, Hulu is adding several original movies and shows, including titles like “Not Suitable for Work” and “Alice & Steve.” Over on Disney+, fans can finally stream “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” the newest film in the popular “Avatar” series.
In the 1990s, movies successfully drew audiences in with adaptations of popular novels and plays. Films like The Pelican Brief and The Rainmaker appealed to fans of John Grisham’s legal thrillers, while teen comedies like Clueless (based on Jane Austen’s Emma) and 10 Things I Hate About You (a modern take on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew) attracted a younger crowd. This decade set the stage for today’s trend of adapting compelling stories from books into blockbuster films, especially intense legal dramas, nostalgic teen stories, and exciting action adventures. Books continue to be a major source of inspiration for filmmakers, and this was particularly true in the 1990s.
Inspired by a manga created by Naoki Urasawa, Pluto is based on a story by Osamu Tezuka. Instead of remaking the entire series, Pluto specifically retells the story arc The Greatest Robot on Earth, adding more drama and suspense.
As a huge Star Trek fan, I was really enjoying Strange New Worlds – it’s been one of the best things Paramount+ has done with the franchise, and I especially loved seeing a young James T. Kirk, played by Paul Wesley. Sadly, it looks like the show is ending after season 5, which is a real bummer. The good news is they’ve already finished filming both seasons 4 and 5, and season 4 is hitting screens on July 23rd.
As a huge Star Wars fan, I’ve been loving how The Mandalorian & Grogu really feels like classic Star Wars while still bringing fresh stuff to the table. I was genuinely surprised by the return of Rotta, Jabba the Hutt’s son – and Jeremy Allen White from The Bear voices him, which is awesome! It leads to a really intense showdown that Din Djarin, played by Pedro Pascal, gets pulled right into.
Crimson Moon’s new album, Prescription for Sleep: Ocarina of Time, is available now for $12. It reimagines music from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – originally composed by Koji Kondo – as relaxing tracks designed to help you sleep. While it doesn’t include the entire soundtrack, it features beloved themes like the opening title, Hyrule Field, and Zelda’s Lullaby.
I’ve always loved Gambit – he just oozed cool. It wasn’t just his powers, or even that amazing Cajun accent, but he was a total standout in X-Men: The Animated Series. But honestly, it felt like he deserved a real chance to shine as a hero, and X-Men ’97 finally gave him that moment. It was incredibly satisfying to watch, even though it came at a really heartbreaking cost.
What determines how long a movie franchise lasts? For this ranking, we’re measuring a franchise’s length of time starting with its very first movie released in theaters. This includes early animated films and older serials, as long as they were the first time the story appeared on the big screen.
I’ve noticed that sci-fi films can be really diverse in how they approach storytelling. Take Cloud Atlas, for instance – it’s a huge, sweeping story that unfolds gradually over nearly three hours, really pulling you in. But then you have movies like Avatar, which immediately throws you into this incredible world on Pandora and tells a pretty simple, easy-to-follow story. They’re both sci-fi, but they feel totally different!
Philip K. Dick is considered a hugely influential science fiction writer of the 20th century. His novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, was the basis for the famous film Blade Runner, which starred Harrison Ford. Tom Cruise starred in Minority Report, another film adapted from Dick’s work. Now, yet another adaptation of his writing is being developed.