In the game known as the streaming wars, Disney+ came out swinging, bringing with it a massive library of movies and TV shows—with new ones being added all the time. Watched everything on Netflix? Disney+ has a seemingly endless selection of Marvel movies and plenty of Star Wars and Pixar fare too. Problem is, there’s so much stuff that it’s hard to know where to begin. WIRED is here to help. Below are our picks for the best films on Disney+ right now.
For more viewing ideas, try our guides to the best films on Netflix, the best films on Amazon Prime, and the best shows on Apple TV+.
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Sally
More than 40 years after Sally Ride became the first American woman to go into space, Tam O’Shaughnessy—Ride’s life partner for 27 years—is telling the real story of Ride’s life. And the many sacrifices she felt forced to make in order to both pursue her dreams of conquering the final frontier and live life as a gay woman. Emmy-winning documentarian Cristina Costantini directs the film, which is the first time ever the true life of one of the world’s most famous women is told.
The Last Showgirl
Gia Coppola, granddaughter of filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, directs this raw and frequently heartbreaking story of Shelly (Pamela Anderson), a Las Vegas showgirl whose 30-year run in a classic revue is about to come to an end, forcing the 57-year-old to face what her future looks like and reconsider the choices she has made throughout her life. Though it’s set in the very specific world of the Las Vegas entertainment industry, it’s really a universal tale of the challenges of aging and how quickly middle age arrives for us all. While it’s not a flawless movie, the performances—yes, Anderson’s, but also Jamie Lee Curtis' as Shelly’s best friend Annette and Dave Bautista's as Eddie, the producer of the revue—shine.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
In 2018, when Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse hit theaters, it changed perceptions of what Spider-Man movies, and animated films, could be. No longer led by Peter Parker, a kid from Queens who gets bit by a radioactive spider, it was fronted by Miles Morales, a kid from Brooklyn who met a similar fate in another part of the multiverse. Across the Spider-Verse continues Miles’ story and his quest to save the multiverse, and his timeline, from a terrible fate. Fun, heartbreaking, and a thrill to watch, it’s one of the best Spider-Man movies ever.
The Abyss
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