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 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them first
Gellert Grindelwald has escaped imprisonment and has begun gathering followers to his cause—elevating wizards above all non-magical beings. The only one capable of putting a stop to him is the wizard he once called his closest friend, Albus Dumbledore. However, Dumbledore will need to seek help from the wizard who had thwarted Grindelwald once before, his former student Newt Scamander, who agrees to help, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world.
The sides of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
- A dark wizard escaping
- Paris in the 1920s
- A young Dumbledore
Good for you if
- you like more of the wizarding world's past.
- you like magical Paris and a cemetery in flames.
Bad for you if
- you lose track when there are too many characters and plots.
- you want a story that ends here. This one stops on a cliffhanger for the next film.
About: power · family secrets · choosing sides
Young hobbit Frodo Baggins, after inheriting a mysterious ring from his uncle Bilbo, must leave his home in order to keep it from falling into the hands of its evil creator. Along the way, a fellowship is formed to protect the ringbearer and make sure that the ring arrives at its final destination: Mt. Doom, the only place where it can be destroyed.
The sides of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
- A small hero with a huge task
- A world with its own history and languages
- A fellowship that may not hold
Good for you if
- you love a world so detailed it feels like it existed before the film.
- you want landscapes that make you want to walk for days.
- you like battles with armies and monsters.
Bad for you if
- three hours is too much, and it's only the first part.
- you need it to move. There is a lot of walking.
About: temptation · friendship · courage · power
Frodo Baggins and the other members of the Fellowship continue on their sacred quest to destroy the One Ring--but on separate paths. Their destinies lie at two towers--Orthanc Tower in Isengard, where the corrupt wizard Saruman awaits, and Sauron's fortress at Barad-dur, deep within the dark lands of Mordor.
The sides of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
- The siege of Helm's Deep
- Gollum talking to himself
- A fellowship split in three
Good for you if
- you want a night battle in the rain that lasts and lasts.
- you want more of this world: talking trees, horse lords, the marshes.
- you like following three stories at once.
Bad for you if
- three hours, in the middle of a trilogy, is too much for you.
- you roll your eyes at big, sincere speeches. Sam's speech about the good left in this world is one.
About: hope · temptation · war
Cars fly, trees fight back, and a mysterious house-elf comes to warn Harry Potter at the start of his second year at Hogwarts. Adventure and danger await when bloody writing on a wall announces: The Chamber Of Secrets Has Been Opened. To save Hogwarts will require all of Harry, Ron and Hermione's magical abilities and courage.
The sides of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- A mystery inside the school
- A flying car
- Spiders in the forest
Good for you if
- you want to go back to Hogwarts and see more of it.
- you like a whodunit with children as detectives.
- you want a cosy film for a rainy day.
Bad for you if
- over two and a half hours is long for young viewers.
- giant spiders and a snake in the dark are too much for you or the kids.
About: prejudice · friendship · courage
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 2012
Film
Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit enjoying his quiet life, is swept into an epic quest by Gandalf the Grey and thirteen dwarves who seek to reclaim their mountain home from Smaug, the dragon.
The sides of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
- A homebody dragged into an adventure
- Thirteen dwarves at the dinner table
- Riddles in the dark
Good for you if
- you want to go back to Middle-earth.
- you like a lighter, cosier tale than The Lord of the Rings.
- you like dwarves singing and washing the dishes.
Bad for you if
- nearly three hours, for the first of three films, is too much.
- it takes a long time before the journey really starts.
About: home · courage · greed
As armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the outcome--one member of the Fellowship of the Ring is revealed as the noble heir to the throne of the Kings of Men. Yet, the sole hope for triumph over evil lies with a brave hobbit, Frodo, who, accompanied by his loyal friend Sam and the hideous, wretched Gollum, ventures deep into the very dark heart of Mordor on his seemingly impossible quest to destroy the Ring of Power.
The sides of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
- The biggest battles of the trilogy
- Two hobbits climbing a mountain
- Saying goodbye
Good for you if
- you want the siege of Minas Tirith and the charge of the Rohirrim on a big screen.
- you like an ending that takes its time to say goodbye.
- you've loved this world and want to see it through.
Bad for you if
- over three hours, with several endings, is too much for you.
- you roll your eyes at big, sincere speeches. Aragorn rallies an army at the Black Gate.
About: friendship · sacrifice · home
Harry Potter has lived under the stairs at his aunt and uncle's house his whole life. But on his 11th birthday, he learns he's a powerful wizard—with a place waiting for him at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As he learns to harness his newfound powers with the help of the school's kindly headmaster, Harry uncovers the truth about his parents' deaths—and about the villain who's to blame.
The sides of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
- Discovering a school of magic
- Three friends against the rules
- An orphan finding where he belongs
Good for you if
- you love a world full of details: moving staircases, talking portraits, a hidden platform.
- you want to feel like a child discovering magic for the first time.
- you want a warm film to watch under a blanket.
Bad for you if
- two and a half hours is long for a family evening.
- you want something darker. This first one is a children's story.
About: belonging · friendship · courage
Howl's Moving Castle 2004
Anime
Sophie, a young milliner, is turned into an elderly woman by a witch who enters her shop and curses her. She encounters a wizard named Howl and gets caught up in his resistance to fighting for the king.
The sides of Howl's Moving Castle
- A young woman cursed into an old body
- A walking castle
- A vain wizard against a war
Good for you if
- you like a world of magic doors and fire demons.
- you like Miyazaki's hand-drawn images, a castle walking on bird legs and a field of flowers by a lake.
- you like a gentle love story with a curse to break.
Bad for you if
- you don't watch animated films.
- you want a plot where everything is explained.
About: self-worth · war · love
The Wheel of Time 2021
Series
The lives of five young villagers change forever when a strange and powerful woman arrives, claiming one of them is the child of an ancient prophecy with the power to tip the balance between Light and Dark forever. They must choose whether to trust this stranger – and each other – with the fate of the world before the Dark One breaks out of His prison, and the Last Battle begins.
The sides of The Wheel of Time
- Five young villagers from the Two Rivers
- A powerful woman of a magic order called the Aes Sedai
- A prophecy about the Dragon Reborn
Good for you if
- you like a huge fantasy world with its own magic, orders and history.
- you like a quest that starts in a small village and grows to the fate of the world.
- you want big battles and magic you can feel on screen.
Bad for you if
- you lose track of many characters, kingdoms and factions.
- you can't take bloody battles and monsters tearing people apart.
About: destiny · good and evil · power
Four kids travel through a wardrobe to the land of Narnia and learn of their destiny to free it with the guidance of a mystical lion.
The sides of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
- Four children through a wardrobe
- A witch and endless winter
- A lion who gives everything
Good for you if
- you like the magic of stepping into another world.
- you like talking animals and snowy forests.
- you want a classic family fantasy.
Bad for you if
- over two hours is long for a family evening.
- you roll your eyes at noble sacrifice and speeches about destiny.
About: sacrifice · siblings · courage
Aquaman 2018
Film
Half-human, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry is taken on the journey of his lifetime to discover if he is worth of being a king.
The sides of Aquaman
- A half-human heir to Atlantis
- Kingdoms under the sea
- A brother who wants war
Good for you if
- you like colourful underwater battles with sharks and giant crabs.
- you like brawls on a hijacked submarine and across Sicilian rooftops.
- you like discovering cities under the ocean.
Bad for you if
- you'd rather watch people talk than fight. Arthur's quest goes from one battle to the next, on land and under the sea.
- nearly two and a half hours is too long for one evening.
About: belonging · family · the ocean
A teenager finds himself transported to an island where he must help protect a group of orphans with special powers from creatures intent on destroying them.
The sides of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
- A house stuck in one day of 1943
- Children with strange gifts
- Monsters with no eyes
Good for you if
- you like odd kids with odd powers.
- you like a hidden world caught in a time loop.
- you like Tim Burton's gothic style.
Bad for you if
- you'd rather not be scared. Invisible monsters with tentacle mouths hunt the children for their eyes.
- you want a story that lingers on each child. Here there are a dozen gifts to meet and monsters to flee.
About: belonging · time · difference
His Dark Materials 2019
Series
Lyra is an orphan who lives in a parallel universe in which science, theology and magic are entwined. Her search for a kidnapped friend uncovers a sinister plot involving stolen children and turns into a quest to understand a mysterious phenomenon called Dust. She is later joined on her journey by Will, a boy who possesses a knife that can cut windows between worlds. As she learns the truth about her parents and her prophesied destiny, the two young people are caught up in a war against celestial powers that ranges across many worlds.
The sides of His Dark Materials
- A girl whose soul walks beside her as an animal
- A knife that cuts windows between worlds
- A church that steals children
Good for you if
- you like an Oxford of airships, witches and armored bears.
- you like Lyra chasing the mystery of Dust and of the children who vanish.
- you like Lyra and Will growing up fast, carrying choices far too big for children.
Bad for you if
- you want something light, and this is a dark fantasy about faith and death.
- you can't take children being kidnapped and cut from their daemons.
About: free will · faith · growing up · destiny
Captain Jack Sparrow’s got a blood debt to pay: he owes his soul to the legendary Davy Jones, ghastly Ruler of the Ocean Depths. To escape eternal servitude aboard the Flying Dutchman, ever-crafty Jack must track down the still-beating heart of Jones. But he won’t do it alone: Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann are drawn back into another one of his perilous quests—assuming they can evade execution for aiding a pirate.
The sides of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
- A pirate owing his soul
- A captain with a face of tentacles
- A sword fight on a rolling wheel
Good for you if
- you like bigger, crazier set pieces than the first one.
- you like Jack Sparrow running from everything.
- you like sea monsters and cursed crews.
Bad for you if
- two and a half hours is more than you want for one evening.
- you lose track when many plots run at once.
About: freedom · debt · loyalty
King Kong 2005
Film
In 1933 New York, an overly ambitious movie producer coerces his cast and hired ship crew to travel to mysterious Skull Island, where they encounter Kong, a giant ape who is immediately smitten with the leading lady.
The sides of King Kong
- A film crew on a mysterious island
- A giant ape and an actress
- The Empire State Building
Good for you if
- you want dinosaurs, a giant ape and 1930s New York.
- you like a monster story that's really a sad love story.
- you like an ape fighting three dinosaurs.
Bad for you if
- over three hours is far too long for you.
- you need momentum. Kong doesn't appear until an hour in.
About: beauty · greed · nature
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 2005
Film
When his name emerges from the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter becomes a competitor in a grueling battle for glory among three wizarding schools. Signs of Voldemort's return emerge as Harry's friends help him prepare for the Triwizard Tournament.
The sides of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- A dangerous tournament
- Dragons, a lake and a maze
- First crushes at the ball
Good for you if
- you like seeing other wizarding schools arrive.
- you like trials where a teenager could actually die.
- you like a dragon chase over the rooftops.
Bad for you if
- over two and a half hours is long for young viewers.
- the ending turns frightening, too much for younger kids.
About: growing up · danger · rivalry
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 2013
Film
The Dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf have successfully escaped the Misty Mountains, and Bilbo has gained the One Ring. They all continue their journey to get their gold back from the Dragon, Smaug.
The sides of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
- Spiders in a dark forest
- Barrels down a river
- A dragon sleeping on gold
Good for you if
- you like a barrel chase down a river.
- you want a huge talking dragon.
- you like elves, a lake town and a lonely mountain.
Bad for you if
- you can't stand a film that stops on a cliffhanger. This one leaves you waiting for the next part.
- you lose track easily. Thirteen dwarves and three separate storylines run side by side.
About: greed · courage · pride
Harry, Ron and Hermione walk away from their last year at Hogwarts to find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes, putting an end to Voldemort's bid for immortality. But with Harry's beloved Dumbledore dead and Voldemort's unscrupulous Death Eaters on the loose, the world is more dangerous than ever.
The sides of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
- Three friends on the run
- A tent in the middle of nowhere
- A story of three brothers
Good for you if
- you like the friendship tested away from school.
- you like a quieter, wandering chapter.
- you like a dark chapter, with the three friends on the run and nowhere safe.
Bad for you if
- you want action. Much of it is waiting in the wild.
- you'd rather not commit to nearly two and a half hours, then Part 2, to see how it ends.
About: friendship · loneliness · hope
Princess Mononoke 1997
Anime
Ashitaka, a prince of the disappearing Emishi people, is cursed by a demonized boar god and must journey to the west to find a cure. Along the way, he encounters San, a young human woman fighting to protect the forest, and Lady Eboshi, who is trying to destroy it. Ashitaka must find a way to bring balance to this conflict.
The sides of Princess Mononoke
- A cursed prince heading west
- A girl raised by wolves
- Gods of the forest against an iron town
Good for you if
- you like an epic with gods, spirits and wolves.
- you like a story where nature fights back.
- you like Lady Eboshi, who cuts down the forest and shelters lepers.
Bad for you if
- blood and severed limbs may shock you or kids.
- you don't watch animated films.
- you won't read subtitles. It's in Japanese (a dub exists).
About: nature · hatred · coexistence
Warriors of the Wind 1984
Anime
After a global war, the seaside kingdom known as the Valley of the Wind remains one of the last strongholds on Earth untouched by a poisonous jungle and the powerful insects that guard it. Led by the courageous Princess Nausicaä, the people of the Valley engage in an epic struggle to restore the bond between humanity and Earth.
The sides of Warriors of the Wind
- A princess who flies a glider
- A toxic jungle and giant insects
- Kingdoms at war over an ancient weapon
Good for you if
- you like a heroine who glides over a toxic jungle full of giant insects.
- you like a heroine who would rather understand the jungle than burn it.
- you like a world after the end of the world, drawn in detail.
Bad for you if
- you find 1980s animation dated.
- you don't watch anime.
About: ecology · war · peace