As we enter March, we’re starting to get a steadier stream of movies releasing in theaters. This weekend saw the double dose of “The Bride” and “Hoppers” ready to entertain families and adult audiences alike. If neither of these are your speed, there’s plenty to watch at home on Prime Video, including a Steven Spielberg adventure, a horror reboot and an animated relaunch from 2024.
Hera are the three best movies to watch on Amazon’s Prime Video this weekend.
“Final Destination: Bloodlines”
It’s hard to pull off a horror legacy sequel/reboot. Many have tried, and many have failed.
“Final Destination: Bloodlines” is far from a failure.
Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein bring audiences back to the franchise filled with crazy, Rube Goldberg-like deaths in a reboot written by Guy Busick and Lori Evans Taylor. The sixth “Final Destination” family cursed is courtesy of the survival of Iris Campbell, a woman who had a premonition of catastrophe at the grand opening of a high-rise restaurant.
A “Final Destination” movie is only as good as its kills, and the kills in “Bloodlines” are exquisite. Each death scene is intricate, carefully crafted and utterly hilarious, always keeping the audience on their toes and steering into exactly what makes this franchise so fun. Add this to a genuinely touching tribute to franchise veteran Tony Todd and you have the best “Final Destination” movie yet.
“Hook”
“Hook” is one of Steven Spielberg’s more divisive films, and one of his more uneven. But even an uneven Spielberg entry contains more than a little bit of magic.
“Hook” sees Spielberg, with writers Jim V. Hart and Malia Scotch Marmo, put a new spin on “Peter Pan,” showing an aging Peter (the boy who’d never grow up having grown up to be a wet blanket) as he is forced to return to Neverland and rescue his kids from Captain Hook. Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman shine as Peter and Hook, while Dante Basco delivers a scene-stealing performance as Lost Boys leader Rufio (Rufio, Ru-Fi-Oh!).
This may not be the slam dunk you’d hope for when you hear “Steven Spielberg,” “John Williams,” “Robin Williams” and “Peter Pan” all in one sentence. Still, “Hook” has a fair share of charm that makes it worth the revisit.
“Transformers One”
I must admit that I went into “Transformers One” with low expectations. I haven’t had the best track record with the “Transformers” film franchise, and trailers for this relaunch made me think I would again be left cold.
But Josh Cooley’s animated adventure, written by Eric Pearson, Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari, genuinely surprised me with its depth. This look at the early days of the Transformers, with Optimus Prime and Megatron still allies and friends on their native Cybertron, is fun and light when it wants to be. But the film also knows how to lean into the heavier side of this story, showing the genuine pain and intensity that comes with this Autobot/Decepticon origin story.
The film is anchored by two wonderful voice performances. Chris Hemsworth plays a phenomenal Optimus Prime, while Brian Tyree Henry steals the show as a completely menacing take on Megatron. “Transformers One” is a great animated adventure, and a great movie all around.
