14 Must-See Films You Might Have Missed This Year

28 Years Later 

In this highly anticipated sequel, director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland return to the post-apocalyptic world of 28 Days Later. Set nearly three decades after the initial outbreak of the Rage virus, the film follows a group of survivors who have managed to carve out a semblance of life on a remote island. However, when one member ventures back to mainland Britain, they uncover unsettling truths that threaten their fragile existence. With a stellar cast including Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jodie Comer, the film promises to reignite the tension and horror that made its predecessors so iconic.

Available to watch at AMAZON.CO.UK, TV.APPLE.COM & SKYSTORE.COM

Mickey 17

Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17 is a big-hearted, darkly comic sci-fi that asks one big question: what happens when your life can be restarted on demand? Robert Pattinson plays the titular expendable clone whose “deaths” and reboots reveal a messy, bureaucratic future where being replaceable is business as usual. Bong mixes satire with tenderness – there’s humour in the premise but also genuine philosophical weight about identity, labour and what makes someone a “self”. Visually striking and structurally adventurous, the film balances spectacle with intimacy: amid the scientific trappings it remembers to be human. Pattinson anchors it with a nimble, vulnerable turn, while the supporting cast (including Toni Collette and Naomi Ackie) add warmth and bite.

Available to watch at AMAZON.CO.UK & TV.APPLE.COM

Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy

Renée Zellweger returns to play Bridget Jones with the same warm, mortifying charm that has made the entire franchise a cultural touchstone. Mad About The Boy revisits Bridget’s life in her 50s: widowed, occasionally baffled by modern dating and thrust into the awkward theatre of mid-life reinvention. The script balances the series’ trademark self-deprecating humour with new emotional stakes – Bridget navigates grief, single parenthood and the question of what it means to start over. There are still cringe-worthy diaries and catastrophes but the new film also offers a gentler, wiser perspective: Bridget as a grown woman learning the delicate art of reinvention.

Available to watch at AMAZON.CO.UK, TV.APPLE.COM & SKYSTORE.COM

Maria 

Maria, directed by Pablo Larraín, offers an intimate portrayal of opera legend Maria Callas during her final days in 1970s Paris. Angelina Jolie delivers a compelling performance as Callas, capturing the complexity and vulnerability of the iconic singer. The film's cinematography is visually stunning; led by Edward Lachman, it enhances the emotional depth of the story. Maria premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and has been praised for its artistic direction and Jolie's impressive on-screen work.

Available to watch at NETFLIX.COM, TV.APPLE.COM & SKYSTORE.COM

Weapons

A darkly clever and unsettling thriller, Weapons marks Zach Cregger’s (Barbarian) return. When 17 schoolchildren vanish at exactly 2:17 a.m., only one survives – trapped in a trance-like state, or so it seems. Featuring an all-star ensemble including Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men), Julia Garner (Ozark), Alden Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story), Benedict Wong (Doctor Strange) and Amy Madigan (Field of Dreams), the film has been hailed as one of the year’s smartest horrors. Eerie, genre-defying and psychologically rich, it delivers twists, mounting dread and a tightly woven narrative brimming with emotional depth.

Available to watch at AMAZON.CO.UK, TV.APPLE.COM & SKYSTORE.COM

Materialists

Céline Song’s Materialists is an elegant love story for the algorithm age. Dakota Johnson plays Lucy, a woman who treats matchmaking like a science experiment – profiles, data, optimised outcomes – until an unexpected match arrives and everything unravels. The film is a wry and intelligent look at commodified romance: it skewers the idea we can package feelings into formulas while simultaneously sympathising with people who try. There’s an undercurrent of melancholy too – a recognition that people are messy and some things simply refuse to be quantified – but Song’s direction keeps the tone buoyant and humane. If you’ve been oversaturated with sterile rom-coms, Materialists feels modern and alive.

Available to watch at AMAZON.CO.UK, TV.APPLE.COM & SKYSTORE.COM

The Last Showgirl 

Pamela Anderson has had quite the year. The Last Showgirl follows Shelly, a seasoned Las Vegas showgirl portrayed by Anderson, as she faces up to the end of her decades-long career when she discovers her revue is set to close. Directed by Gia Coppola, the film delves into Shelly's journey of self-discovery and adaptation in the face of change. Anderson's performance earned her nominations for Best Actress at the Golden Globe Awards and the Screen Actors Guild Awards earlier this year. 

Available to watch at AMAZON.CO.UK, TV.APPLE.COM & SKYSTORE.COM

We Live In Time

A bittersweet romance with depth, We Live in Time traces a love story in fragments, looping through time’s highs and lows. Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield spark as Almut and Tobias, whose connection begins unexpectedly – and is tested over years by distance, loss and the way time stretches hope and heart. It’s one of those films that doesn’t shy away from tears but also shows love as messy, resilient and beautifully scaled.

Available to watch at  NETFLIX.COM, AMAZON.CO.UK, & SKYSTORE.COM

A Real Pain

A Real Pain is a road movie that sidesteps sentimental routes and embraces awkward honesty. Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin play mismatched cousins who travel across Poland to reconnect with their grandmother’s past; what seems like a neat family duty becomes a messy, humane examination of grief, identity and familial betrayal. The film is full of pinpoint comic timing and sudden emotional jolts – an unpredictably humane pairing of actors who make the awkwardness feel utterly real. It’s the sort of picture that quietly upends expectations: tender where you expect bleakness, funny where you expect solemnity. If you like indie dramas that trade showy catharsis for slower, truer emotional pay-offs, this one’s for you.

Available to watch at DISNEYPLUS.COM, AMAZON.CO.UK, TV.APPLE.COM & SKYSTORE.COM

The Brutalist

For fans of sweeping visuals, architecture, history and human tragedy, The Brutalist is a must-watch. It charts the rise and fall of a visionary architect in mid-20th-century Budapest, amidst war, love, betrayal and political upheaval. Lavish sets, ambitious scope, and morally complex characters make it feel epic in every sense. It’s the kind of film that looks and sounds grand – yet its emotional core is intimate: how artists survive (or don’t), what their legacies cost, and what they sacrifice for their dreams. Adrian Brody took home the Best Actor gong at this year’s Academy Awards for his starring role.

Available to watch at AMAZON.CO.UK, TV.APPLE.COM & SKYSTORE.COM

The Naked Gun

A comedy that delivers laughs and nostalgia, The Naked Gun reboots the classic franchise with Liam Neeson stepping into the shoes of Frank Drebin Jr., the son of the original bumbling detective. Directed by Akiva Schaffer, this action-comedy parody brings back the slapstick humour and absurd situations that made the original films beloved. Neeson's performance adds a fresh yet familiar touch, and the supporting cast, including Pamela Anderson and Paul Walter Hauser, deliver standout comedic moments.

Available to watch at AMAZON.CO.UK, TV.APPLE.COM & SKYSTORE.COM

The Gorge

Part rom-thriller, part creature myth, Scott Derrickson’s The Gorge is an odd, high-concept beast: two elite operatives (Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy) are posted opposite each other to guard a mysterious chasm and, from a distance, fall into an impossible intimacy – until something below the gorge starts to move. The film embraces the weird: tonal shifts, genre-bending set pieces and a willingness to risk uncomfortable juxtapositions. 

Available to watch at TV.APPLE.COM

Sinners

Michael B. Jordan (Creed) takes on dual roles in this haunting southern gothic from director Ryan Coogler (Black Panther). Set in 1930s Mississippi, Sinners follows twin brothers returning home to escape their past – only to be caught in the grip of something darker. The story draws loose inspiration from the legend of bluesman Robert Johnson, who supposedly sold his soul to the devil at a crossroads in return for fame. With strong turns from Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit), Jack O’Connell (Unbroken) and Delroy Lindo (Da 5 Bloods), this is a chilling supernatural tale steeped in folklore, faith and family secrets.

​Available to watch at AMAZON.CO.UK, TV.APPLE.COM & SKYSTORE.COM

Together

Michael Shanks’ Together turns couple goals into a full-on body-horror experiment. Dave Franco and Alison Brie play Tim and Millie, a pair whose move to the country for a fresh start spirals into a surreal nightmare when their bodies start… merging. It’s grotesque, darkly funny and oddly tender – a literal take on the way love can consume you. Shanks balances horror, comedy and emotional insight with style, while Franco and Brie are unflinchingly committed to the madness. The film is unsettling but also mesmerising: it asks uncomfortable questions about intimacy, co-dependency, and what it really means to be “one” with someone. 

Available to watch at TV.APPLE.COM