Welcome to Streaming Rewind, a weekly breakdown of the new and noteworthy as we work to help readers wade through the absolute deluge of television series and movies in the streaming space.
Somehow, even when the only major releases are the return of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Prime Video, Only Murders in the Building on Hulu, and the long-awaited arrival of Terminator Zero on Netflix, there ends up being a whole host of things to discuss in the streaming world. And thus, this new feature was born! Who’s ready for the “we didn’t start the fire” of this week’s streaming information?
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Returns for Season 2
Like Season 1 before it, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 kicks off with an exposition-heavy premiere (our review noted that there were too many plots). If you were picking up what Rings of Power was putting down in Season 1, you’re probably going to continue to be into the show’s dense storytelling as the war for Middle-earth begins. There is, however, one character that the premiere fails a great deal.
(Netflix) #1 Is the Loneliest Number That You Ever Knew
As most viewers have gleaned, being #1 on the Netflix Top 10 can be a real crap shoot when it comes to indication of quality. The Union, starring Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg, topped the Netflix chart this week, but the star power isn’t enough to save the dull streaming entry. Our review highlights that the action/comedy/spy flick “wastes its stars and locales with an unexciting adventure that only offers the overly-familiar.”
Interview with the Vampire Is on Netflix Now
The best show currently airing recently had a complicated barrier: few people still have linear cable packages, and even fewer use AMC+ (the channel’s streaming service). Now, all excuses for not have seeing the show have gone up in proverbial smoke: Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire is now on Netflix. It’s also joined by lesser AMC titles like sister Vampire Chronicles series The Mayfair Witches but, given that it was basically universally panned, you’re relatively safe to devote your limited time to Interview with the Vampire. Get caught up before Lestat enters his rock star era.
The Legend of Vox Machina, Sonic 3, and Agatha All Along Get New Trailers
I can hear you from here wondering what the heck Sonic 3 has to do with streaming. No, Sonic 3 is not heading directly to streaming — it will have a theatrical release just like its previous two entries. However, there is a Paramount+ series set in the same universe that follows Knuckles’ transition period as a member of the Sonic family. Now, I can also hear you asking who would care about such a thing but, in the plainest possible terms, Knuckles is hilarious, actually? The show pays homage to so many classic comedies, with series lead Adam Pally basically just doing his best Chris Farley impression throughout its extremely bingeable six-episode arc. (Idris Elba is, of course, also quite funny as series’ straight “man” Knuckles.)
Meanwhile, The Legend of Vox Machina finally dropped its Season 3 trailer ahead of its October 3 release, reminding all of us that this new chapter is going to definitely hurt all of our feelings. Still, the Vox Machina gang is going to hell, so we can bet on plenty of shenanigans along the way.
Agatha All Along also dropped what we can only assume at this point will be the last trailer before the show’s September 18 premiere. While the previous trailers were muddled and left us wondering what Agatha All Along is actually about, this recent preview is their most coherent one yet, giving us hints of Joe Locke’s mystery character’s identity. (We still don’t know, but I’m not convinced he’s Wiccan.)
New (and Notable) to Streaming This Week (Aug 26-Sept 1)
- A Quiet Place: Day One — Paramount+ on August 27
- The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power — Prime Video August 29
- Terminator Zero — Netflix August 29
- Kinds of Kindness (Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest) — Hulu August 30
- The Deliverance (directed by Lee Daniels) — Netflix August 30
- The Fall Guy (which we all failed in theaters) — Peacock August 30
- The Watchers (Ishana Night Shyamalan’s directorial debut) — Max August 30
And if you missed these bad boys in theaters but still want to pay for ‘em, here are some On Demand titles that you can rent online.
- Hush on August 27
- Harold and the Purple Crayon on August 27
- Borderlands available on August 30
- Trap available on August 30
Of the above, Trap and Hush (Mike Flanagan’s 2017 home invasion tale, formerly on Netflix and now on PVOD for the first time) are worth your coin.
source https://www.ign.com/articles/streaming-rewind-the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-returns-why-netflixs-1-is-a-toss-up