Sometimes movie stars live up to their surnames - such as Anya Taylor-Joy, the young British-Argentine actor who’s consistently a delight to watch. Others, like Chris Pratt, thankfully prove the opposite. He’s the coolest nice guy working in Hollywood right now. And best of all, both have new - very different - movies out for you to watch at home. Enjoy!
Best new film on Netflix
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
This time of year we should all really be in a cinema watching the latest summer blockbuster but with that not happening, Netlfix dropping FALLEN KINGDOM - the most recent of the Jurassic World movies - goes some way to help. Although not a favourite of the franchise’s fanbase, here’s a film that at least thinks big. With its epic scale and often gothic grandeur, FALLEN KINGDOM is almost operatic.
The story begins in the immediate aftermath of its predecessor, with the ruins of the infamous dinosaur attraction being investigated by mercenaries. “Relax!” one of them says. “Anything in here will be dead by now!” Surprise, surprise that’s not the case, leading former park employees Claire and Owen (Bryce Dallas-Howard and Chris Pratt) to try and stop the leftover reptiles from being bought on the black market.
It’s a chase that takes them from the fictional Isla Nubla (off the coast of Costa Rica) to a creepy mansion in Northern California and it’s at the latter where things get really sinister. A turn from Toby Jones as a sleazy auctioneer, selling off dinos to the highest bidders, is wonderfully oily and there’s a marked shift in tone from the childlike awe of the previous film to the feel of a dark, grown-up thriller. That might make FALLEN KINGDOM less like family viewing but it sure helps this fifth film in the series feel like something new.
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JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM [12] is on Netflix now
Best new film on Amazon
Emma
Anya Taylor-Joy has shown us she can do dark and twisted in movies such as Split and Thoroughbreds but in EMMA - the latest adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic comedy of manners - she proves she’s equally adept at fresh and frothy too. Plus, she looks great in a bonnet. So whilst it’s true that there have been other adaptations of this story (even 90s favourite Clueless was based on it), none are quite so delicious to wallow in as this. Director Autumn de Wilde has gone big on pastels and pretty faces... and the result is stunning.
Emma Woodhouse (Taylor-Joy) is a young, privileged woman who - without much else to do - decides to help her protégé Harriet (Mia Goth) find a husband. There are plenty of available men around, from the dashing Mr Churchill (Callum Turner) to the sly Mr Elton (Josh O’Connor) but sure enough, the course of true love doesn’t run smoothly. Even confident Emma finds herself flustered when she realises her neighbour Mr Knightly (Johnny Flynn) might know her better than she knows herself.
READ: BAFTA TV Awards 2020 full list of nominations: Chernobyl, Celebrity Gogglebox and more
WATCH: Emma trailer
For a tale that’s over two hundred years old, EMMA still feels modern and relevant; as cheeky as a contemporary rom-com, as addictive as a dating show. It’s about class, it’s about the role of women, it’s about family, but thankfully things never get preachy. With accomplished comedy stars Miranda Hart and Bill Nighy in supporting roles, you know a laugh is always close by. Anya Taylor-Joy, meanwhile, plays the title character with such pizazz and energy, the whole story feels like a welcome alternative to the scariness of the real world.
EMMA [U] is available to rent on Prime Video now, and on DVD/Blu-ray from the 22 June
Coming soon
Eurovision: The Story of the Fire Saga
Missed the Eurovision Song Contest this year? Fear not because Rachel McAdams and Will Ferrell are here to help. Their dumb-but-fun spoof of the iconic music carnival hits Netflix at the end of this month, with the Hollywood stars playing an Icelandic duo hoping to win big. Pierce Brosnan and Demi Lovato co-star.
WATCH: Eurovision: The Story of the Fire Saga trailer
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