Get Ready for the Fall Film Releases

After far too long with major movie releases remaining few and far between, it’s great to see so many big budget films lined up for the fall. As is often the case these days, most of them are part of a franchise or continue a story that has been told before. To get the most out of these movies, it helps to know their origins, so it’s well worth taking the time to do your homework and watch their predecessors. Not only does this help you to know what’s going on, but you’ll also be able to spot the knowing nods to previous films and get the in-jokes.

Here’s our top ten rundown of big fall releases and where to find their origin stories on the streaming services.

1. Dune – based on Frank Herbert’s ‘unfilmable’ novel, Dune is a sci-fi epic that has been lovingly crafted by Arrival director Denis Villeneuve. To see just how ‘unfilmable’ it has been up until now, check out David Lynch’s effort from 1984, which made back just $30m of its $40m budget. Available on HBO Max and Apple TV.

1. Venom: Let There Be Carnage – at the other end of the scale, Tom Hardy’s Marvel monster alter-ego, Venom, turned a $100m budget into $856m in 2018, making this sequel inevitable. The original is widely available on streaming services, and the sequel probably won’t make much sense without it.

1. Halloween Kills – the Halloween franchise dates all the way back to 1978, when Jamie Lee Curtis first took on Michael Myers in John Carpenter’s classic horror film. There’s been no less than eleven films since then, but JLC is still battling away, looking great at 63 years old. Stream the original on Netflix and Paramount+, or rent on most platforms.

1. The Card Counter – Not a franchise as such but a very familiar idea, with expert card players featuring in many streamed films. To understand the power of card counting, check out the Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman casino-beating classic Rainman, which can be streamed on fubo, amc+, Roku and many other services.

1. The French Dispatch – Wes Anderson is an acquired taste, so before you dive into his latest offering, it would be good to develop those taste buds with some of his earlier work. Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) and The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) are a good place to start and are both widely available to rent.

1. Boss Baby: Family Business – the original Boss Baby was one of the surprise hits of 2017, raking in over half a billion dollars at the box office. Much of the original voice cast return with some new voices including Jeff Goldblum and Eva Longoria. Stream on Netflix and DirectTV and rent on most services.

1. Last Night in Soho – like Wes Anderson, Edgar Wright has a distinctive style that is worth getting up to speed with before you see his latest release. Check out the stylish Baby Driver on Fubo, FXNOW and Direct TV, or the so-called Cornetto Trilogy, including Shaun of the Dead, which are widely available.

1. The Eternals – stepping up after the end of Marvel’s epic phase three, The Eternals introduces a whole bunch of new heroes. In true Marvel style, it all flows from what has gone before, so if you’ve been living under a rock, you should at least catch up on the Infinity Saga on Disney+ before you watch.

1. West Side Story – remaking a fifty-year-old classic is a brave thing to do, but if anyone can pull it off, it’s Steven Spielberg. Stream the original on The Criterion Channel or BroadwayHD ahead of the all-singing, all-dancing Christmas release.

1. Ghostbusters Afterlife – one of the most anticipated releases of the year is seen by many as the official third Ghostbusters movie, with Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Sigourney Weaver all reprising their original roles from one of the greatest films of all time. Stream the original on DirectTV or rent on most platforms.