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+.
If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more.
Madame Web
OK, we’re not going to sugarcoat it: As far as MCU movies go, Madame Web is one of the series’ worst (it currently holds an 18 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes). It’s impossible to deny that some of the creative decisions made were very bad ones—so much so that even star Dakota Johnson has publicly voiced her disappointment in the project. But the movie has also got a handful of things going for it: namely, the always-captivating Johnson in the title role. (Plus Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Celeste O'Connor, Tahar Rahim, Mike Epps, Emma Roberts, and Adam Scott.) While the execution is far from perfect, it does offer a fresh take on a superhero origin story. In this case, New York City paramedic Cassandra Webb’s (Johnson) newfound ability to see the future—and change it.
Love+War
At a time when the business of news is changing, and journalists are coming under fire from high-ranking political figures, Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Lynsey Addario is a testament to the importance of a free press. For more than 20 years, Addario has been traveling the world to capture the realities of war and humanitarian crises for outlets like The New York Times and National Geographic. It’s a difficult job, and a dangerous one (she’s been kidnapped twice). But back home, Addario is a wife and mother of two who struggles daily with the sacrifices it takes to juggle the personal and the professional. In an industry dominated by men, Addario has made her mark—and this Nat Geo documentary offers a powerful look at exactly how she has accomplished it all.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Is the third time really the charm? In the case of the Fantastic Four, the answer is a resounding yes. Following two previous, and largely disastrous, attempts to bring the superhero quartet to the big screen—first when Tim Story did it in 2005, then when Josh Trank tried in 2015—Marvel seems to have figured out the formula for making their so-called “First Family” stick. The film stays true to the original comics with its period 1960s setting and finds astronauts Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) navigating the challenges of becoming both celebrities and superheroes after cosmic ray exposure gifted them with superhuman abilities. Just as the world starts finally feeling normal again, and Reed and Sue prepare to welcome their first child, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) descends and announces that Earth is set to be destroyed. It’s a typical comic book movie setup that is elevated by both the newness of these characters to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the likability of the actors playing them. A second film is already in development, but we’ll see the foursome pop up in next year’s Avengers: Doomsday, too.
Something Wicked This Way Comes
... continue reading