The 36 Best Movies of 2026 So Far

Scarlet

Read our review: “Spectacular visuals, imaginative worldbuilding, and topical themes elevate a broadly drawn plot in Mamoru Hosada’s very loose Hamlet adaptation. This animé epic from the Japanese auteur behind Mirai and Belle is worth seeing on a big screen.” – Kayti Burt

Read our full review.

Goat

From our review: “Goat tells a basic and familiar underdog sports story, but in a warm-hearted and endearing manner, with likable characters you can easily root for, even if adults in the audience can easily predict how things will play out for them. And it really soars on the animation front, with some especially clever and dynamic visuals that help make the centerpiece games really special, and allow this world of anthropomorphic animals to feel unique, even with plenty of competition on that front.” – Eric Goldman

Read our full review.

Project Hail Mary

From our review: “Thrilling, heartfelt, and hilarious, Project Hail Mary is a rollicking sci-fi blockbuster. Lord and Miller faithfully adapt Andy Weir’s novel, carrying forward the author’s celebration of science, teamwork, and bravery on a huge scale, bolstered by great performances from Ryan Gosling and James Ortiz and Greig Fraser’s fantastic work behind the camera. Some pacing issues inherent in closely adapting the novel’s structure do make for a somewhat rough landing, but through the lens of Grace and Rocky’s partnership being the real mission we want to see succeed, Project Hail Mary is a memorable celebration of how much we can accomplish when we work together.” – Tom Jorgensen

Read our full review.

They Will Kill You

From our review: “They Will Kill You is another winner from director Kirill Sokolov that shows Zazie Beetz has all the chops to be an action star in her own right. With great stunt choreography and camerawork, it’s a shining example of how modern action ought to be constructed. With a supernatural, satanic twist that it fully capitalizes on, it’s a gonzo, gruesome, gutsy little gem.” – Chase Hutchinson

Read our full review.

Faces of Death

From our review: “The question of how and why you would even attempt to remake Faces of Death is given a compelling answer in this new remake. Using a postmodern meta take on both the original film and how it was perceived, the movie reflects a world where rather than hunting down a specific VHS tape to see people supposedly really die, you can now find exactly that type of content immediately by simply going on the internet…and that is far from a comforting thought!” – Eric Goldman

Read our full review.

The Christophers

From our review: “In Steven Soderbergh’s deceptively simple The Chistophers, Ian McKellen delivers a blistering, abrasive performance as an aging artist fighting the tides of change, while being gradually conned by Michaela Coel as a beguiling art student who hopes to forge his unfinished work. Part caper and part artistic self-reflection, the movie plays like a late-stage masterwork, but one that Soderbergh has arrived at decades early, leaving the door open to infinite possibilities.” – Siddhant Adlakha

Read our full review.

Mother Mary

From our review: “David Lowery’s latest is a visually fascinating chamber piece with great performances from Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel. The story of old wounds between former friends and creative partners isn’t the most relatable mannequin on which to assemble a film, so the story of icon Mother Mary and couture designer Sam doesn’t have enough range to carry the film through its final moments. However, everything else, from the sound design to the cinematography and the operatic fantasy of this pop star ghost story (a subgenre I wouldn’t have pegged as “up my alley” but here we are) makes Mother Mary a great piece of art.” – Clint Gage

Read our full review.

Apex

From our review: “Baltasar Kormákur delivers a compelling survival thriller with both Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton throwing themselves into their adversarial roles. Theron crafts a relatable and grounded performance bolstered with emotional sensitivity and physical prowess, while Taron Egerton proves his worth as a weirdly menacing antagonist. Immersively conceived and nerve-rackingly realized, Apex is a visually-commanding action film bursting with impressively dynamic stunt sequences.” – Hanna Ines Flit

Read our full review.

The Sheep Detectives

From our review: “The Sheep Detectives is a very sweet, and often quite moving, family comedy about grief and death. I know that sounds weird, but director Kyle Balda and screenwriter Craig Mazin are mostly successful at threading that needle, with the broad humor of some of the human characters being the film’s weakest aspect. The sheep characters Lily and Sebastian have compelling arcs that highlight the movie’s themes of acceptance and growth. As dark as the story can sometimes get, there’s still enough warmth and wit to make The Sheep Detectives appropriate for younger audiences.” – Jim Vejvoda

Read our full review.

Mortal Kombat II

From our review: “Mortal Kombat II gets an 8 from me. It might not be Oscar-caliber cinema, and hardcore fans of the game with encyclopedic knowledge of the game may have a bone to pick, but it’s big and loud and gruesome and not afraid to have fun. The bar for video game movie sequels isn’t very high, but this one not only clears the bar, it twirls it around like a bo staff.” – Max Scoville

Read our full review.

I Love Boosters

From our review: “I Love Boosters, Boots Riley’s candy-colored indictment of capitalism, is as sharp as it is deranged. Living somewhere along the spectrum of magical realism, the entire film is a brilliant balancing act of comedy and call-to-action that sprinkles a little philosophy in-between. Expertly executed production, set, costume and prop design bring Riley’s unique vision to life, while just as vital are the performances of our ensemble, led by Keke Palmer. Her turn as Corvette is the earnest heartbeat of a delightfully insane film.” – Alyssa Mora

Read our full review.

Pressure

From our review: “Pressure is quality dad content. War movie fans and WWII buffs should appreciate the film’s devotion to detail, while mainstream audiences will be treated to a taut, compelling story about the very real men behind the icons who ensured an Allied victory. Brendan Fraser makes Eisenhower flesh and blood, while Andrew Scott adds another whipsmart protagonist to his filmography with his nuanced portrayal of meteorologist James Stagg.” – Jim Vejvoda

Read our full review.

Backrooms

From our review: “Backrooms expertly expands on the conceptual groundwork of the YouTube series with smart visual composition, beautifully terrifying production design, a complex protagonist, and a return to Kane Parsons’ roots of computer generated sequences that pack a serious punch. The film also opens the doors to some compelling pathways to deepen the lore even more, if newcomers are willing to meet the film on its level, where it isn’t going to spoon-feed anyone. Parsons’ film is a harrowing trip to the dark heart of fractured memory, loneliness, and inner turmoil. It takes what’s psychologically horrifying about the liminality of life and transmogrifies it into something truly terrifying. That’s something the concept has always done well, and its future seems bright with Parsons at the helm of the nightmarish maze.” – Lex Briscuso

Read our full review.

Obesssion

From our review: “Obsession should and will put Barker on the map as a horror filmmaker you need to watch. Thanks to fantastic turns by Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette, you’ll be addicted to this sour Valentine’s Day counterprogramming. The film plays on familiar romance and monkey’s paw tropes, turning a wish against the wishee, but Barker’s execution takes things to the next level. In the film’s simplicity lay the chance to go for broke, putting all efforts into the lengths Nikki is willing to go for her beloved. With that focus and Barker’s fearlessness, Obsession becomes one hell of a maximalist ride.” – Matt Donato

Read our full review.

Masters of the Universe

From our review: “Masters of the Universe is so much funnier than I expected, and the fight scenes are choreographed and photographed in a way that gives the sequences just enough flair to make them stand out (even if they’re not revolutionizing superhero style fisticuffs on screen). While Nicholas Galitzine and Idris Elba provide the thematic structure to the film, Jared Leto’s Skeletor gives a delightfully weird and cartoonish energy to every scene he’s in. It’s a film that appreciates the source material, silly names and all, and proves the best way to add to a 50-year-old franchise that’s about toys as much as anything else is to not take it too seriously.” – Clint Gage

Read our full review.

Carolina Caroline

From our review: “The story of a small-town girl falling for a career criminal and going on a cross-country crime spree with him is one we’ve certainly seen before, but Carolina Caroline provides its own spin on the subject that makes it well worth checking out. Samara Weaving and Kyle Gallner have long proven themselves as actors whose presence always enlivens any movie they’re in. Here, they’re excellent together in a movie that does a great job of selling you on the genuine emotion behind its scenario rather than pushing it to over-the-top extremes.” – Eric Goldman

Read our full review.

The Furious

From our review: “In a just world, The Furious will be an unprecedented hit for Lionsgate Films; not only is it worthy, but it’s an antidote to the formulaic action movies Hollywood likes to churn out. Tanigaki brings electric energy and crowd-pleasing visuals to a rough-and-tumble ready-to-rumble actioner that walks the walk over and over. It’s a winning formula: the stuntman director, a cast of world-class martial artists, and an unlimited tank of adrenaline. It’s another instant addition to my collection of international genre favorites, and one I’ll be revisiting whenever I need a healthy excitement boost.” – Matt Donato

Read our full review.

Leviticus

From our review: “Adrian Chiarella’s Leviticus is an involving, meaningful, and legitimately creepy horror movie. Chiarella’s story about gay youth being punished for simply being the way they are is emotional and thoughtful while also simply working well as a horror story, blending the real-life prejudices that inspired it with the supernatural curse laid upon its characters in a highly effective manner.” – Eric Goldman

Read our full review.

Minions & Monsters

From our review: “When you have a franchise as successful as Despicable Me/Minions, why not have some fun with it and push the boundaries? That seems to have been the approach with Minions & Monsters, and it pays off. Using the Minions to create an ode to early Hollywood that’s also an overall love letter to movies themselves and the power of storytelling is a surprising yet welcome turn of events. The film manages to incorporate the usual type of Minions gags to please their many loyal fans (most importantly kids) while also interjecting references and story elements that have a lot of extra entertainment value for older viewers. And look, if even a handful of people of any age end up using the seventh movie in the Despicable Me franchise as a springboard to learn more about the likes of Buster Keaton or Orson Welles, that’s a net positive.” – Eric Goldman

Read our full review.

The Invite

From our review: “Despite its noncommittal destination, The Invite makes for a nerve-racking journey for much of its runtime. With fine-tuned performances at her disposal, including her own, Wilde reclaims the title of director with ferocity and vigor, carving a stylized piece of cinema from a story that could’ve so easily been straightforward and simple in its telling. Instead, it becomes an entertaining mirror of romantic disillusionment in middle age and one of the more enjoyable adult dramas out of Hollywood this year.” – Siddhant Adlakha

Read our full review.

The Odyssey

From our review: “Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is a must-watch cinematic experience, an epic film version of an epic poem that adapts many of the out-there concepts of Homer through a new eye that frequently brings a sense of horror and existential angst to the story – and even a bit of humor too! Matt Damon is fine as the title character if not revelatory, but the extensive supporting cast frequently prop up individual moments, as do some of Nolan’s unique additions to the story. While Odysseus’ emotional journey here can be as choppy as a rough day at sea, and the “civilization is eroding” theme is undercooked, the film’s bigger observations on the effects of war on those who are forced to participate in it are well met. The Odyssey isn’t perfect, but it’s a pretty great moviegoing experience all the same.” – Scott Collura

Read our full review.

Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender

From our review: “Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender is a lovingly crafted and gorgeously animated movie that features a welcome return for Team Avatar. While the plot might be a little thin, the action scenes and settings are thrilling and deserved to be seen on the big screen instead of streaming after a scuttled theatrical release and unfortunate leak changed plans that would have made this more of an event for fans.” – Alex Zalben

Read our full review.

Her Private Hell

From our review: “Refn’s back on his business with Her Private Hell. At his best, he’s one of the most exciting and visually exquisite filmmakers working in the industry today. Everything you expect from the whole-hog Refn experience is back with a vengeance, including his brand of airy, somewhat interpretive storytelling that’s made titles like Only God Forgives and The Neon Demon so divisive. Her Private Hell is more of that, but in a way that’s still exciting despite its charitable highs and befuddling lows. At the very least, it’s splendid to look at throughout, and I don’t mean that as a snide jab. Her Private Hell could be screenshotted and framed, and headline its own gallery takeover, while the story will leave some viewers dazed and confused: The Nicolas Winding Refn Special.” – Matt Donato

Read our full review.

It Ends

From our review: “It Ends manages to be both creepy and amusing thanks to its likable cast and filmmaker Alexander Ullom’s ability to exploit minimal resources to maximum effect. This is a movie that takes place in a car. In the woods. That’s it! And yet it’s scary, the characters really grow on you, and it also poses some self-aware and probing questions that will at the very least have you putting on the Talking Heads’ album Little Creatures when you’re done.” – Scott Collura

Read our full review.

The Only Living Pickpocket in New York

Read our review: “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York is a tremendous sophomore feature from Mr. Segan, who’s just as charming a filmmaker as he is an actor. There’s a twinkly, winky nature about his ode to professions being left in the dust by contemporary society – even the underbelly ones. Turturro is a phenomenal actor, adding another classic turn to his already illustrious catalog. It’s a melting pot of experiences from comical to romantic to thrilling to richly ruminative. Everything flows together gracefully in step through a delicate and beautiful dance that speaks to the ever-changing beast that is New York City. And, sometimes, you know the ride is over…when all you can do is reflect on how good you’ve had it.” – Matt Donato

Read our full review.