5 must-watch movies & TV shows streaming right now

Welcome to Boston.com’s weekly streaming guide. Each week, we recommend five must-watch movies and TV shows available on streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO Max, Peacock, Paramount+, and more.

Many recommendations are for new shows, while others are for under-the-radar releases you might have missed or classics that are about to depart a streaming service at the end of the month.

Have a new favorite movie or show you think we should know about? Let us know in the comments, or email [email protected]. Looking for even more great streaming options? Check out previous editions of our must-watch list here.

Movies

“The Beach Boys”

Fresh off the streaming debut of the remastered Beatles documentary “Let It Be,” Disney+ is releasing another doc chronicling the story of 1960s music icons with “The Beach Boys.” Directed by Frank Marshall & Thom Zimny, “The Beach Boys” is an illuminating but frustrating film. The story of the Wilson family is a sad one, rife with lawsuits, mental breakdowns, and lost royalties. And while some of that is covered in the film, Marshall and Zimny have strategically decided to focus on the 1960s while almost completely eliding the last 40 years of the band’s trials and tribulations.

That decision can be excused — somewhat — as it would likely triple the movie’s length. And the film’s decision to focus on the 1960s means getting to see Brian Wilson and Co. dialed in to the creation of the iconic album “Pet Sounds” in the studio. Ultimately “The Beach Boys” is worth watching, even if it would have been better served by either hyper-focusing on just the production of “Pet Sounds” (a la Peter Jackson’s Beatles doc “Get Back”) or going broader with a multi-part docuseries.

How to watch: “The Beach Boys” is streaming on Disney+.

“Dune: Part Two”

After a successful run at the box office, “Dune: Part Two” made its streaming debut on Max earlier this week. Not only does Denis Villeneuve’s follow-up do justice to Frank Herbert’s groundbreaking novel, it eclipses 2021’s “Dune” both in scale and ambition. (See my full “Dune: Part Two” review to read more.)

“Dune: Part Two” picks up shortly after the conclusion of 2021’s “Dune,” finding Paul and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), fighting off Harkonnen troops on Arrakis. In 2021’s “Dune,” Chalamet’s Paul is adept at combat and statecraft, but nevertheless appears waifish and hesitant. The Paul of “Dune: Part Two” is a young man with enough strength and charisma for reasonably intelligent people to build a religion around — which is exactly what happens, as the Fremen believe Paul to be the long-prophesied Muad’dib.

“Dune: Part Two” is a storytelling triumph, masterfully adapting one of the most dense and influential sci-fi novels of all time without casting aside too much of the plot. It is a technical marvel, featuring some of the most beautiful camerawork of the year and a score from Hans Zimmer that will rattle your teeth. It tackles difficult-to-parse themes and refuses to let audiences off the hook with a wink to the camera or a self-deflating joke. Whether Villeneuve ends up making “Dune Messiah,” the director’s likely third (and final) film in the series, nothing can take away from this fulfillment of his grand creative vision. 

How to watch: “Dune: Part Two” is streaming on Max.

“Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior”

First things first, get your tickets for “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” the newest entry in George Miller’s postapocalyptic franchise and an unqualified masterpiece. (Read my full “Furiosa” review here if you want additional thoughts.) Once those are secured, rewatch 1981’s “Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior” to properly prepare for the experience.

Whether it was due to budget constraints or concern that his uncompromising vision wouldn’t be accepted by audiences, Miller’s original “Mad Max” is good, but not great, and bears little resemblance to 2015’s beloved “Mad Max: Fury Road.” Miller stepped up in a big way with “Mad Max 2,” which finds roving nomad Max (Mel Gibson) coming to the aid of a gasoline-rich settlement besieged by the grandiloquent Lord Humungus (Kjell Nilsson) and his marauding motorcycle gang.

Whereas the Australia of 1979’s “Mad Max” still bore a passing resemblance to contemporary society, “The Road Warrior” is completely detached from reality in the best possible way. Sentinels equipped with giant flamethrowers. Humans strapped to the front of ATVs like hood ornaments. A nonverbal 8-year-old boy with a mullet who throws a bladed boomerang known as “The Feral Kid.” What a picture!

How to watch: “Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior” is streaming on Max.

TV

“Dark Matter”

The impact of a midlife crisis usually ranges from harmless (a new sports car, a bad haircut) to destructive (job loss, divorce). In the first 20 minutes of “Dark Matter,” a Chicago-area college professor named Jason (Taron Egerton) who sees his colleagues excelling while he’s stuck in neutral, discovers a much darker worst case scenario: He is kidnapped, drugged, and dropped into an alternate universe by Jason2 (also Egerton), an alternate version of himself who is also going through a midlife crisis and decides to start living the original Jason’s life in his place.

Based on the 2016 novel by Blake Crouch (who also serves as showrunner), “Dark Matter” can drag in the early episodes, but picks up in the second half of its nine-episode run. There’s an element of John Woo’s John Travolta/Nic Cage drama “Face/Off” when Jason’s wife (Jennifer Connelly) begins to question why, despite his appearance, something about her husband seems off.

How to watch: “Dark Matter” is streaming on Apple TV+.

“The Sympathizer”

If, like me, you’re late to the party, this weekend is a great opportunity to catch up on HBO’s seven-episode miniseries “The Sympathizer,” which airs its finale on Sunday at 9 p.m. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen, “The Sympathizer” is a darkly comic espionage thriller about a North Vietnam spy dubbed “the Captain” (Hoa Xuande) embedded in the South Vietnam army during the Vietnam war. When the Captain flees Vietnam after the war and settles in Los Angeles, he easily adapts to Western life, but faces pressures to continue his communist mission.

The series comes from acclaimed South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook (“Oldboy,” “The Handmaiden,” “Decision to Leave”), who brings an auteurist flair to the proceedings. Also getting a chance to shine is Robert Downey Jr., playing four different roles, including a CIA handler and a Hollywood director based on Francis Ford Coppola.

How to watch: “The Sympathizer” is streaming on Max.

Kevin Slane

Staff Writer

Kevin Slane is a staff writer for Boston.com covering entertainment and culture. His work focuses on movie reviews, streaming guides, celebrities, and things to do in Boston.

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