What do you want to watch tonight?
Each title says who it's good for, and who it isn't. Tap what you want tonight, or say no to one and why.
Closest to Captain America: Brave New World first
Captain America: The Winter Soldier 2014
Film
After the cataclysmic events in New York with The Avengers, Steve Rogers, aka Captain America is living quietly in Washington, D.C. and trying to adjust to the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue that threatens to put the world at risk. Joining forces with the Black Widow, Captain America struggles to expose the ever-widening conspiracy while fighting off professional assassins sent to silence him at every turn. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America and the Black Widow enlist the help of a new ally, the Falcon. However, they soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable enemy—the Winter Soldier.
The sides of Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- A conspiracy inside the agency
- A masked killer from the past
- A fight in an elevator
Good for you if
- you like a spy thriller where nobody can be trusted.
- you like close, hard-hitting fights.
- you like uncovering who's really giving the orders.
Bad for you if
- you need the science to hold up. A super soldier frozen for seventy years takes on flying aircraft carriers.
- you roll your eyes at speeches about freedom and doing the right thing.
About: trust · freedom · friendship
X-Men: Days of Future Past 2014
Film
The ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods as they join forces with their younger selves in an epic battle that must change the past – to save our future.
The sides of X-Men: Days of Future Past
- Sending a mind back to 1973
- Old and young mutants at once
- A kitchen scene in slow motion
Good for you if
- you like a time-travel mission with high stakes.
- you like two generations of characters in one film.
- you like a dark future racing against the past.
Bad for you if
- you need time travel to follow strict rules. Wolverine's mind is simply sent back to 1973.
- you'd rather skip politics. Mystique's hunt runs through peace talks in Paris and Nixon's White House.
About: second chances · hope · fear
Captain America: Civil War 2016
Film
Following the events of Age of Ultron, the collective governments of the world pass an act designed to regulate all superhuman activity. This polarizes opinion amongst the Avengers, causing two factions to side with Iron Man or Captain America, which causes an epic battle between former allies.
The sides of Captain America: Civil War
- Heroes fighting each other
- Two friends on opposite sides
- A battle at an airport
Good for you if
- you like a fight where you don't know who to cheer for.
- you like seeing a dozen heroes pick a side.
- you like friends turning against each other.
Bad for you if
- two and a half hours is too long for your evening.
- you need superhero physics to make sense. Ant-Man grows to giant size mid-fight.
About: loyalty · control · guilt
Black Adam 2022
Film
Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the Egyptian gods—and imprisoned just as quickly—Black Adam is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world.
The sides of Black Adam
- An ancient champion freed after 5,000 years
- The Justice Society sent to stop him
- A country living under occupation
Good for you if
- you like a hero who throws soldiers around with lightning.
- you like a champion who kills and refuses to be a hero.
- you like slow-motion fights and gods' powers on a big scale.
Bad for you if
- you want people over plot.
- you'd rather a patient story than fight after fight.
About: justice · freedom · vengeance
Marvel's The Defenders 2017
Series
Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist join forces to take on common enemies as a sinister conspiracy threatens New York City.
The sides of Marvel's The Defenders
- Four street-level heroes teaming up
- A secret organisation called the Hand
- New York under threat
Good for you if
- you like hallway fights with fists, kicks and a glowing fist.
- you like Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist sharing a room.
Bad for you if
- you can't stand bloody hand-to-hand fights.
- you want the scale of a Marvel film, not fights in New York back streets.
About: teamwork · duty · New York
Justice League Unlimited 2004
Series
The galaxy's most powerful superheroes return to battle the allied villains and criminal plots that endanger the universe.
The sides of Justice League Unlimited
- Dozens of DC heroes on one team
- A watchtower orbiting Earth
- A government that fears its own heroes
Good for you if
- you like superhero battles from Earth to other worlds.
- you like a huge cast where minor heroes get their own episode.
- you like asking who watches heroes this powerful.
Bad for you if
- you don't watch animated series.
- you want patient pacing, and each episode packs a whole fight into twenty minutes.
About: trust · power · teamwork
The Incredible Hulk 2008
Film
Scientist Bruce Banner scours the planet for an antidote to the unbridled force of rage within him: the Hulk. But when the military masterminds who dream of exploiting his powers force him back to civilization, he finds himself coming face to face with a new, deadly foe.
The sides of The Incredible Hulk
- A scientist hiding in Brazil
- An army that wants his body
- A fight in Harlem
Good for you if
- you like monster fights in the street.
- you like a fugitive chased across the rooftops of a Rio favela.
Bad for you if
- you watch for characters more than chases. Banner spends most of the film running from the army.
- you need the science to hold up. A gamma accident turns a scientist into a green giant whenever his pulse climbs.
About: anger · control · love
G.I. Joe: Retaliation 2013
Film
Framed for crimes against the country, the G.I. Joe team is terminated by Presidential order. This forces the G.I. Joes into not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence.
The sides of G.I. Joe: Retaliation
- A special forces team framed by the President
- Ninjas fighting on a mountain cliff
- Dwayne Johnson leading the survivors
Good for you if
- you want shootouts, explosions and ninja fights from start to finish.
- you like a big toy box of tanks, missiles and gadgets.
Bad for you if
- you need characters with an inner life, not just a mission.
- you need a plot whose logic holds up.
About: betrayal · loyalty · conspiracy
24 2001
Series
Counterterrorism agent Jack Bauer fights the bad guys of the world, a day at a time. With each week's episode unfolding in real-time, "24" covers a single day in the life of Bauer each season.
The sides of 24
- One day of a season told hour by hour
- A counterterrorism agent racing the clock
- Moles inside CTU
Good for you if
- you like a ticking clock on screen in every episode.
- you like Jack Bauer doing whatever it takes before the hour ends.
- you like never knowing who the traitor is.
Bad for you if
- you can't sit through torture scenes.
- nine seasons is too much for you.
About: duty · sacrifice · betrayal
The Avengers 2012
Film
When an unexpected enemy emerges and threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins!
The sides of The Avengers
- A team that can't stand each other
- New York under attack
- Jokes in the middle of the fight
Good for you if
- you want a big final battle that goes on and on.
- you like a crowd of heroes, each with their own moment.
- you want to laugh between the explosions.
Bad for you if
- you want to follow one hero's inner journey. This one is about a team learning to fight together.
- two hours and twenty minutes of assembling a team is too long for your evening.
About: teamwork · ego · trust
X2 2003
Film
Professor Charles Xavier and his team of genetically gifted superheroes face a rising tide of anti-mutant sentiment led by Col. William Stryker. Storm, Wolverine and Jean Grey must join Magneto and Mystique to unhinge Stryker's scheme to exterminate all mutants.
The sides of X2
- A mutant attack on the White House
- Enemies forced to team up
- A school raided at night
Good for you if
- you like Nightcrawler teleporting through the White House.
- you like many mutants each getting a moment.
Bad for you if
- you need the science to hold up. Magneto escapes a plastic prison by pulling the iron from a guard's blood.
- you want a superhero film under two hours. This one runs over two hours and ten.
About: prejudice · family · sacrifice
X-Men: The Last Stand 2006
Film
When a cure is found to treat mutations, lines are drawn amongst the X-Men led by Professor Charles Xavier, and Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants.
The sides of X-Men: The Last Stand
- A cure for being a mutant
- Jean Grey comes back changed
- A battle on Alcatraz
Good for you if
- you like a big mutant battle on a bridge and an island.
- you like mutants split over a cure that the government turns into a weapon.
Bad for you if
- you want a superhero film built on quiet character moments. This one is built around a war over a cure.
- you need the science to hold up. Magneto moves the Golden Gate Bridge to reach Alcatraz.
About: identity · choice · loss
Olympus Has Fallen 2013
Film
When the White House (Secret Service Code: "Olympus") is captured by a terrorist mastermind and the President is kidnapped, disgraced former Presidential guard Mike Banning finds himself trapped within the building. As the national security team scrambles to respond, they are forced to rely on Banning's inside knowledge to help retake the White House, save the President and avert an even bigger disaster.
The sides of Olympus Has Fallen
- The White House taken by terrorists
- A disgraced Secret Service agent trapped inside
- A President held hostage in his own bunker
Good for you if
- you like one man fighting room by room through the White House.
- you like a hostage clock ticking under the President's feet.
Bad for you if
- you can't stand close-range executions and brutal fights.
- you need the security details to hold up.
About: duty · patriotism · redemption
Geostorm 2017
Film
After an unprecedented series of natural disasters threatened the planet, the world's leaders came together to create an intricate network of satellites to control the global climate and keep everyone safe. But now, something has gone wrong: the system built to protect Earth is attacking it, and it becomes a race against the clock to uncover the real threat before a worldwide geostorm wipes out everything and everyone along with it.
The sides of Geostorm
- Satellites that control the weather
- A space station with a saboteur aboard
- Two brothers on Earth and in orbit
Good for you if
- you like tidal waves, freezes and lightning hitting cities all at once.
- you like a race through a space station falling apart.
- you like a ticking clock before the whole planet is hit.
Bad for you if
- you need the climate science to hold up.
- you roll your eyes at speeches about saving the world.
About: the climate · power · brothers
X-Men '97 2024
Series
The X-Men, a band of mutants who use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them, are challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future.
The sides of X-Men '97
- Magneto leading the X-Men
- A mutant homeland under attack
- Cyclops and Jean facing their past
Good for you if
- you like superhero fights drawn in the style of the 90s cartoon.
- you like a team pushed to its limit episode after episode.
- you like heroes torn between their cause and their families.
Bad for you if
- you don't watch animated series.
- you can't stand seeing a massacre on screen.
About: prejudice · loyalty · grief
Avengers: Age of Ultron 2015
Film
When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.
The sides of Avengers: Age of Ultron
- A robot that turns on its makers
- The team cracking apart
- A city lifted into the sky
Good for you if
- you like non-stop fights on a huge scale.
- you like a team with lots of personalities clashing.
- you want banter between the big moments.
Bad for you if
- you'd rather sit with one character's inner life. Here a dozen heroes share two hours between battles.
- you need the science to hold up. Tony Stark builds a killer AI by accident and a whole city is lifted into the sky.
About: fear · creation · responsibility
The Dark Knight Rises 2012
Film
Following the death of District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman assumes responsibility for Dent's crimes to protect the late attorney's reputation and is subsequently hunted by the Gotham City Police Department. Eight years later, Batman encounters the mysterious Selina Kyle and the villainous Bane, a new terrorist leader who overwhelms Gotham's finest. The Dark Knight resurfaces to protect a city that has branded him an enemy.
The sides of The Dark Knight Rises
- A hero coming out of retirement
- A city taken hostage
- A villain behind a mask
Good for you if
- you like set pieces on a huge scale, like a plane torn apart mid-air.
- you like a hero who gets back up, with a big sincere finish.
- you like brutal, close-up fights.
Bad for you if
- nearly three hours is too much for one evening.
- you lose track easily. Bane, Selina Kyle, a young cop named Blake and a fight over Wayne's company all run side by side.
About: pain · rising again · legacy
Iron Man 2 2010
Film
With the world now aware of his dual life as the armored superhero Iron Man, billionaire inventor Tony Stark faces pressure from the government, the press and the public to share his technology with the military. Unwilling to let go of his invention, Stark, with Pepper Potts and James 'Rhodey' Rhodes at his side, must forge new alliances – and confront powerful enemies.
The sides of Iron Man 2
- A hero who told the world who he is
- A rival with electric whips
- A heart running out of time
Good for you if
- you like a cocky hero who can't stop showing off.
- you like armour fights and a race track.
Bad for you if
- you lose track easily. Black Widow, Nick Fury, two villains and War Machine all join the story.
- you need the science to hold up. Tony invents a new element in his workshop.
About: legacy · ego · fathers
Superman 2025
Film
Superman, a journalist in Metropolis, embarks on a journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent.
The sides of Superman
- A Superman who stops a fight to save a squirrel
- Krypto, a badly behaved superdog
- Lex Luthor turning the public against him
Good for you if
- you want a hero who is simply, openly kind.
- you like giant monsters in the streets of Metropolis.
- you like a superhero film that jokes and has a dog.
Bad for you if
- you want your superheroes dark and brooding.
- you lose track when other heroes and villains crowd the screen.
About: kindness · identity · belonging
Serenity 2005
Film
A group of rebels travel the outskirts of space evading the sinister Alliance regime. Their lives of smuggling and cargo-running are interrupted by a psychic passenger who harbours a dangerous secret. Soon, the crew find themselves being pursued by an Alliance agent who will stop at nothing to find them.
The sides of Serenity
- A smuggling crew on a small spaceship
- A girl with a dangerous secret in her head
- An Alliance agent hunting them down
Good for you if
- you like a found family of smugglers who bicker and stay loyal.
- you like Joss Whedon's quick, funny banter under fire.
- you like spaceship chases and River fighting a whole bar alone.
Bad for you if
- you never saw Firefly and lose track of a crew of nine.
- you need spaceships that follow real physics.
About: freedom · loyalty · state control