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 Transformers first
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen 2009
Film
Sam Witwicky leaves the Autobots behind for a normal life. But when his mind is filled with cryptic symbols, the Decepticons target him and he is dragged back into the Transformers' war.
The sides of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
- More robots, bigger battles
- Pyramids under attack
- A college kid with alien symbols in his head
Good for you if
- you want even more robots and explosions.
- you like a desert battle at the pyramids.
Bad for you if
- you'd rather a story centred on people. Sam's college life is a short break between robot battles.
- two and a half hours of explosions is too much for you.
About: war · courage
Transformers: Dark of the Moon 2011
Film
The Autobots continue to work for NEST, now no longer in secret. But after discovering a strange artifact during a mission in Chernobyl, it becomes apparent to Optimus Prime that the United States government has been less than forthright with them.
The sides of Transformers: Dark of the Moon
- A secret on the moon
- Chicago under attack
- Wingsuits between skyscrapers
Good for you if
- you want a whole city as a battlefield.
- you like wingsuits through falling buildings.
Bad for you if
- you need it all to be believable. The first Moon landing was really a mission to an Autobot ship.
- over two and a half hours of explosions is too long for you.
About: war · courage
Transformers: Age of Extinction 2014
Film
As humanity picks up the pieces after the battle of Chicago, a shadowy group reveals itself in an attempt to control the direction of history…while an ancient, powerful new menace sets Earth in its crosshairs. With help from Cade Yeager, Optimus Prime and the Autobots rise to meet their most fearsome challenge yet.
The sides of Transformers: Age of Extinction
- An inventor finds Optimus in a barn
- Robots hunted by humans
- Robot dinosaurs
Good for you if
- you want robot dinosaurs, nothing else.
- you like nonstop destruction.
Bad for you if
- you need things to make sense. Here alien robots turn into trucks and dinosaurs.
- nearly three hours of explosions is far too long for you.
About: family · war
Pacific Rim 2013
Film
Using massive piloted robots to combat the alien threat, Earth's survivors take the fight to the invading alien force lurking in the depths of the Pacific Ocean. Nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless enemy, the forces of mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes who now stand as Earth's final hope against the mounting apocalypse.
The sides of Pacific Rim
- Giant robots against giant monsters
- Pilots sharing one mind
- Hong Kong at night in the rain
Good for you if
- you want giant robots punching giant monsters, that's all.
- you like neon Hong Kong at night, lit by glowing blue kaiju blood.
Bad for you if
- you want sharp, talky writing. Here the fights in the rain carry the film.
- you roll your eyes at big speeches like "today we are cancelling the apocalypse".
About: teamwork · trust · survival
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
Star Wars: The Clone Wars 2008
Series
Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Mace Windu and other Jedi Knights lead the Grand Army of the Republic against the droid army of the Separatists.
The sides of Star Wars: The Clone Wars
- Jedi generals leading clone troopers
- Anakin Skywalker and his apprentice Ahsoka
- A war across many planets
Good for you if
- you like lightsaber duels and space battles in every arc.
- you like exploring the planets and peoples of the Star Wars galaxy.
- you like seeing Ahsoka grow up and Anakin slowly change.
Bad for you if
- you don't watch animated series.
- seven seasons is too much for you.
About: war · loyalty · duty
Avengers: Infinity War 2018
Film
As the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, a new danger has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos. A despot of intergalactic infamy, his goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts of unimaginable power, and use them to inflict his twisted will on all of reality. Everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment - the fate of Earth and existence itself has never been more uncertain.
The sides of Avengers: Infinity War
- A villain who thinks he's right
- Every hero at once
- A fight across several planets
Good for you if
- you want battles on several planets at the same time.
- you want the biggest possible version of everything.
- you like seeing heroes from different films finally meet.
Bad for you if
- two and a half hours of battles is too much for you.
- you hate a story left unfinished. This is the first of two parts, and Endgame picks up where it stops.
About: sacrifice · power · loss
Aliens 1986
Film
Ripley, the sole survivor of the Nostromo's deadly encounter with the monstrous Alien, returns to Earth after drifting through space in hypersleep for 57 years. Although her story is initially met with skepticism, she agrees to accompany a team of Colonial Marines back to LV-426.
The sides of Aliens
- Ripley goes back with the marines
- A colony gone silent
- A queen and a mother
Good for you if
- you like the scary original turned into a war film.
- you like marines counting their ammo in a corridor.
- you like creatures coming from the walls.
Bad for you if
- films from 1986 feel dated to you.
- you can't take gore. Marines are torn apart and acid blood eats through armour.
About: motherhood · survival · courage
Edge of Tomorrow 2014
Film
Major Bill Cage is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously demoted and dropped into combat. Cage is killed within minutes, managing to take an alpha alien down with him. He awakens back at the beginning of the same day and is forced to fight and die again... and again - as physical contact with the alien has thrown him into a time loop.
The sides of Edge of Tomorrow
- A coward who relives the same day
- A war hero who trains him
- Dying again and again
Good for you if
- you like a war film that keeps restarting.
- you like the dark comedy of dying over and over.
- you like figuring out the loop with the hero.
Bad for you if
- constant deaths, even quick ones, ruin it for you.
- you need time travel explained by real science. Here an alien's blood resets the day.
About: courage · repetition · growth
Avatar 2009
Film
In the 22nd century, a paraplegic Marine is dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission, but becomes torn between following orders and protecting an alien civilization.
The sides of Avatar
- A whole alien world to explore
- A soldier who changes sides
- Nature against machines
Good for you if
- you want to be swallowed by the screen, especially in 3D.
- you love getting lost in a world with its own plants, animals and rules.
- you like forests that glow and mountains that float.
Bad for you if
- you want sharp dialogue more than images.
- nearly three hours is too much for one evening.
About: colonisation · nature · belonging
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 Matrix Reloaded 2003
Film
The Resistance builds in numbers as humans are freed from the Matrix and brought to the city of Zion. Neo discovers his superpowers, including the ability to see the code inside the Matrix. With machine sentinels digging to Zion in 72 hours, Neo, Morpheus and Trinity must find the Keymaker to ultimately reach the Source.
The sides of The Matrix Reloaded
- A fight against a hundred Agents
- A highway chase
- A man who built the Matrix
Good for you if
- you like a highway chase that never seems to end.
- you like slow-motion fights with endless copies of one man.
Bad for you if
- long philosophical speeches lose you.
- you want clear answers. It ends on a cliffhanger.
About: choice · control · faith
Alita: Battle Angel 2019
Film
When Alita awakens with no memory of who she is in a future world she does not recognize, she is taken in by Ido, a compassionate doctor who realizes that somewhere in this abandoned cyborg shell is the heart and soul of a young woman with an extraordinary past.
The sides of Alita: Battle Angel
- A cyborg girl with no memory
- A violent sport on wheels
- A city under a floating sky city
Good for you if
- you like fluid, inventive cyborg fights.
- you like a big-eyed heroine in a detailed future city.
- you like a manga world brought to life.
Bad for you if
- you want a complete story. It ends on a cliffhanger.
- you'd rather skip teen romance. Alita falls hard for Hugo.
About: identity · love · injustice
Mad Max: Fury Road 2015
Film
An apocalyptic story set in the furthest reaches of our planet, in a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, and most everyone is crazed fighting for the necessities of life. Within this world exist two rebels on the run who just might be able to restore order.
The sides of Mad Max: Fury Road
- One long chase across the desert
- A warrior woman leading an escape
- Cars, fire and a flamethrower guitar
Good for you if
- you want two hours that almost never stop moving.
- you like orange deserts and blue nights that look like paintings.
- you like a desert world with its own rules, from war boys to a warlord who rations the water.
Bad for you if
- brutal crashes and wounds ruin a film for you.
- you want a story told in words. Nobody here talks much.
About: freedom · survival · water
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 2016
Film
A rogue band of resistance fighters unite for a mission to steal the Death Star plans and bring a new hope to the galaxy.
The sides of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
- Rebels stealing the plans
- A ragtag team on a one-way mission
- A battle on a tropical beach
Good for you if
- you like a war film inside Star Wars.
- you like heroes who know what it will cost.
- you like a darker, grittier side of the galaxy.
Bad for you if
- you don't care for space. Star Destroyers, X-wings and the Death Star fill the screen.
- two hours and a quarter is a lot for your evening.
About: sacrifice · hope · rebellion
Independence Day 1996
Film
Strange phenomena surface around the globe. The skies ignite. Terror races through the world's major cities. As these extraordinary events unfold, it becomes increasingly clear that a force of incredible magnitude has arrived. Its mission: total annihilation over the Fourth of July weekend. The last hope to stop the destruction is an unlikely group of people united by fate and unimaginable circumstances.
The sides of Independence Day
- Giant saucers over every city
- The White House blown up
- A president's speech
Good for you if
- you want the classic alien invasion on a world scale.
- you like Will Smith's one-liners, like the punch that comes with "Welcome to Earth".
- you like a rousing speech before the final battle.
Bad for you if
- you lose track of big casts. It cuts between a pilot, a cable engineer, a president and a drunk crop duster.
- you need the science to hold up. A cable engineer decodes alien signals off a TV feed.
About: unity · survival · courage
Spider-Man: No Way Home 2021
Film
Peter Parker is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the high-stakes of being a super-hero. When he asks for help from Doctor Strange the stakes become even more dangerous, forcing him to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man.
The sides of Spider-Man: No Way Home
- A secret identity gone public
- Villains from other worlds
- Friends paying the price
Good for you if
- you like a superhero film that hits hard in the last act.
- you like Peter, MJ and Ned sticking together once the whole city knows who he is.
- you like a teenage hero who's still funny under pressure.
Bad for you if
- you'd rather not watch a teenage hero pay a heavy personal price for one spell gone wrong.
- two and a half hours is too long for your evening.
About: responsibility · loss · forgiveness
Stargate SG-1 1997
Series
The story of Stargate SG-1 begins about a year after the events of the feature film, when the United States government learns that an ancient alien device called the Stargate can access a network of such devices on a multitude of planets. SG-1 is an elite Air Force special operations team, one of more than two dozen teams from Earth who explore the galaxy and defend against alien threats such as the Goa'uld, Replicators, and the Ori.
The sides of Stargate SG-1
- An ancient ring that opens onto other planets
- An Air Force team exploring the galaxy
- Alien parasites posing as gods
Good for you if
- you like a new planet through the Stargate every week.
- you like O'Neill, Carter, Daniel and Teal'c as a team that jokes under fire.
- you like firefights with the Goa'uld between the science.
Bad for you if
- ten seasons is too much for you.
- you find late-90s TV effects dated.
About: exploration · loyalty · ancient myths
Man of Steel 2013
Film
A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.
The sides of Man of Steel
- A baby sent from a dying planet
- A farm boy hiding his strength
- A city levelled by a fight
Good for you if
- you like flying and fighting at full force.
- you like a Superman raised by two fathers, Jor-El and Jonathan Kent.
- you like Hans Zimmer's rising score as Clark learns to fly.
Bad for you if
- you want a sunny Superman. This Clark spends years hiding who he is, afraid of how the world will react.
- you can't stand endless destruction. Smallville and Metropolis are levelled in the last hour.
About: identity · hope · fathers
Furious 7 2015
Film
Deckard Shaw seeks revenge against Dominic Toretto and his family for his comatose brother.
The sides of Furious 7
- A crew hunted by a killer
- Cars dropped from a plane
- A goodbye to Paul Walker
Good for you if
- you like stunts that ignore physics and don't care.
- you like cars jumping between skyscrapers.
- you can be moved by a film made while its cast mourned Paul Walker.
Bad for you if
- you can't do more than two hours of chases and fistfights in one evening.
- you roll your eyes at speeches about family, again and again.
About: family · loyalty · goodbye