As brutal as the streaming wars have become, Netflix is still holding strong with a steady stream of original movies and series tailor-made to keep us all entertained. While the content should be flowing, the Netflix homepage still does a so-so job of telling you about all the solid things the streamer has to offer. So, we've put together a short list of some highlights that are worth checking out anytime, but especially during the holiday season when you're at home and just looking for something to watch.
Onimusha
Based on Capcom game series of the same name, studio Sublimation and new director Shinya Sugai Onimusha The series follows a fictional version of legendary swordsman Musashi Miyamoto (Akio Otsuka) as he embarks on a journey through Edo-period Japan to rid the country of a growing demonic threat.
Netflix Onimusha maintains its direct references to the games' history, and its story is much more like a fantastical dramatization of Miyamoto's real life than a faithful adaptation of the games. But if you like flashy, lively period pieces that temper their historical accuracy with heavy doses of gory action and magical mystery, Onimusha could be your thing.
blue eyed samurai
As OnimushaBlue Spirit's studio blue eyed samurai from co-creators Michael Green and Amber Noizumi is set during Japan's Edo period. It chronicles the journey of a solemn warrior on a mission to bring peace to the country by taking down hordes of dark-hearted villains.
But while OnimushaDemons are quite literal, blue eyed samurai pits its deadly heroine against monsters who are all too human and more accepted by society than she could ever hope to be. blue eyed samurai It definitely leans into the tropes of the genre, and its story takes a couple of episodes to really get going. But the show's animated action is magnificent, and there's a consistent strength in the performances of its main cast that brings these characters to life in a fantastic way.
Akuma Kun
Set more than three decades after Junichi Sato's original anime adaptation of Shigeru Mizuki's manga. akuma-kun, the new revival of the series from Toei Animation is a family story of sorts that focuses on different generations of magical child prodigies working together to save the world from supernatural threats. Although they seem like normal children, both Shingo (Alex Cazares) and his adopted son Ichirō Umoregi (Michael Johnston) are part of a long line of powerful demon summoners known as “Akuma Kun” who are only born once every 10,000 years.
In the past, it was up to Akuma Kuns like Shingo to harness the power of demons in hopes of creating a paradise where humans and monsters could live in peace. But the mortal world has become a very different place in the time when Shingo was the only Akuma Kun, and although he and his son don't always see eye to eye, working together is the only way they can hope to keep the forces of darkness. cornered
The crown
Using its most recent season to shift focus from Imelda Staunton's Queen Elizabeth to Elizabeth Debicki's Princess Diana, The crown was able to be revitalized and reestablished as a dynamic period drama capable of truly humanizing the British royal family.
In its sixth and final season, The crown shifts gears once again as it becomes a somber account of Diana's final days in 1997 and an exploration of how her untimely death devastated the nation as a whole. While previous seasons of The crown Deftly toeing the line between nuanced and soap opera spectacle, these latest episodes lean toward the overwrought and maudlin with varying degrees of effectiveness.
The squid game: the challenge
The goal of Hwang Dong-hyuk's original Squid Game The series was intended to deliberately criticize the capitalist systems that keep the poor trapped in cyclical poverty, but that hasn't stopped Netflix from turning the deadly competition of the same name into an actual reality TV show.
The squid game: the challenge is not a particularly imaginative competition, and its attempt to create compelling narratives from the contestants' confessionals pales in comparison to the gripping storytelling of the original. But the show is a morbidly fascinating example of how Netflix milks all the money it can from one of its brightest properties and, in doing so, lets viewers know what its priorities are.
Scott Pilgrim takes off spends a large amount of time (an episode or so) repeating familiar events from Bryan Lee O'Malley's original graphic novels.
Once it's done playing the hits, though, the Science Saru-produced series becomes a thoughtful expansion of the world around Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) that provides supporting characters like Knives Chau (Ellen Wong) and Gideon Graves. (Jason Schwartzman) a new level. of complexity.
By slightly leaving out Scott's love affair with Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Takes off You have the flexibility to experiment with new perspectives. And while the show is definitely a love letter to live-action Edgar Wright Scott Pilgrim vs. the worldIt's a testament to how sometimes animation really is. he Way to go if you want to do a comic justice.
Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix
Instead of directly adapting the story of far away 3, Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix brings together characters from several different Ubisoft properties to tell a dazzling crossover story about revolutionaries resisting oppressive government rule. By using video game icons like Rayman to illustrate how fascist regimes need their populations to be overstimulated and fed constant streams of propaganda, Captain Laserhawk makes explicit its intention for viewers to walk away thinking about why they swear allegiance to the brands they love.
Like the animated adaptation from which it is derived, Castlevania: night It weaves a substantial amount of mythology from Konami's video game series into its chronicle of the Belmont family's centuries-long quest to rid the world of demons. But after several seasons of castlevania Taking an overview of humanity's fight for survival in a world besieged by demons, Night It brilliantly changes the formula with an expanded focus on the smaller crucial moments that shape the story arc.
