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New on Netflix and more: Top streaming picks for April 2026
From a new Netflix zombie thriller to classics like “The Truman Show” and “The Devil Wears Prada,” here’s what to stream this month.
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Before getting to this week’s streaming recommendations, I wanted to mention that four members of Boston.com’s staff (including myself) attended an early screening of the new Boston-filmed dark comedy “The Drama,” starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson. All of us enjoyed the button-pushing film – I gave it three stars in my review – while the Globe’s film critic gave it zero stars. If you see it this weekend, let me know what you think!
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With that bit of non-streaming business out of the way, here are the movies and TV shows (both new and old) we’re recommending this week.
New movies to watch on Netflix in April
“28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” (2026): In this followup to the also-excellent 2025 film “28 Years Later,” Spike (Alfie Williams) has fallen in with a tracksuit-clad gang of Satanists, while Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) has begun experimenting with ways to neutralize the rage-inducing virus that animates the film’s infected zombies. Regardless of where this film ends up in the year-end rankings, a show-stopping scene from Fiennes (pictured above) will undoubtedly rank among the best on-screen moments of 2026. (Netflix)
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“Atonement” (2007): In this Best Picture nominee set in the buildup to World War II, the well-to-do Cecilia (Keira Knightley) and the hired help (James McAvoy) begin an ill-fated romance, derailed by a mixture of false accusations, a jealous younger sister (Saoirse Ronan), and a deployment to Dunkirk. More than anything, “Atonement” makes clear that even at age 12, Ronan was (and is) a star. (Netflix)
“Mission: Impossible” (1996): The first edition of this long-running film franchise isn’t the best Mission: Impossible movie — that’s 2018’s “Mission: Impossible — Fallout.” But this is the one that started it all, and the one that’s most unlike the rest of the franchise. Brian De Palma’s film prioritizes the cerebral over the sensational, even though the action scenes in this film are top-notch, and set the template for Tom Cruise’s escapades over the next 30 years. The suspense of the laser room scene remains second to none. (Netflix)
3 classic movies now streaming
“The Devil Wears Prada” (2006): Apologies if calling this 2006 movie a “classic” makes you feel old. But with an upcoming legacyquel hitting theaters in May two decades after the original, Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep’s ode to the cutthroat world of glossy fashion mags like Vogue certainly qualifies. (HBO Max, Hulu)
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“Spaceballs” (1987): Speaking of long-awaited followups, Mel Brooks, who turns 100 in June, is apparently still involved with the sequel to this 1987 “Star Wars” spoof coming to theaters next year. Playing dual roles, as the incompetent President Skroob and Yoda parody Yogurt, Brooks is one of a kind. (Prime Video)
“The Truman Show” (1998): I would argue that Jim Carrey has never been better than he is in this Peter Weir comedy-drama, playing a man who doesn’t realize that he has been the star of his own reality show since birth. Wryly observing that the future of entertainment would likely be a camera-filled panopticon stuffed with product placement, “The Truman Show” was clearly ahead of its time. (Paramount+)
Play or Skip: Staff Edition
You’ve heard enough of my streaming picks already, so here’s what the rest of Boston.com’s staff is watching – besides “The Drama,” that is.
Have a show you can’t stop watching? Email me about it at [email protected], and your recommendation may appear in a future edition of The Queue.
- “John Wick” (2014): After proofreading my writeup of “John Wick” spinoff “Ballerina” last week, Boston.com producer Kelly Chan (who produces this newsletter!) decided to catch up with the 2014 Keanu Reeves original: “I watched the OG John Wick movie recently for the first time. Honestly, I don’t know why it took me this long to watch it, but it was pretty awesome and I can understand why they made so many of them (plus spinoffs).” (HBO Max)
- “Gallipoli” (1981): Boston.com assistant sports editor Hayden Bird shared that he is “still thinking about” Peter Weir’s classic 1981 World War I film: “It’s a devastating and yet beautiful movie that dispenses with the romanticization of war. Its almost dreamlike portrayal of early 20th century Australian life rapidly gives way to nightmarish futility, pivoting to a cynical calculus of trench warfare with sprinter’s speed.” (YouTube)
- “Sicario” (2015): Boston.com staff writer Ross Cristantiello highlighted the “breathtaking cinematography” and “truly tense setpieces” in Denis Villeneuve’s gritty crime drama set South of the border: “The film is deeply cynical about the prospect of projecting any sort of moral framework onto America’s ‘war on drugs,’ which I found interesting. Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro shine.” (Netflix)
End Credits
That’s a wrap on this edition of The Queue. If you’re a fan, please consider recommending this newsletter to your friends.
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PS: Thoughts and prayers to comedian (and Lexington native) Eugene Mirman, who was pulled from a fiery car crash in New Hampshire on Wednesday. Though Mirman has worked on Hollywood productions for decades, most famously voicing Gene Belcher on “Bob’s Burgers,” he has continued to live in Somerville with his family and has been a strong advocate for up-and-comers in the local comedy scene.
Until next time, good stream hunting, everyone!
— Kevin
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