Netflix pretty much never has a week off, but even by its standards there are big weeks for releases, and there are slightly smaller ones. You can tell this is a good week for the huge streamer, because my round-up normally includes Prime Video but doesn't really need to this time around.
That's right, Netflix has three huge additions of its own this week, and I'd argue that any of them could be the headliner, so whether you're looking for an action thriller, a creepy new series or a throwback to what you loved about Stranger Things, keep reading to find out what you'll be bingeing this week.
Apex
- Streaming from: 24 April
I've been looking forward to this one right from the first teaser trailer, and not just because I'm a huge fan of Taron Egerton. He's really been going for fun villainous roles recently, and Apex looks like it's going to take that to a whole new level, with Egerton playing a creepy Aussie who has Charlize Theron in his sights in the outback.
He sets her a crazed challenge, giving her the duration of a song to get as far from him as possible, before he starts to hunt her down as a twisted bloodsport. Luckily, it looks like she's grittier and more determined than he could ever know, and we'll get some gnarly fights, chases and survival sequences in what looks like a super fun new thriller for Netflix.
Unchosen
- Streaming from: 21 April
If you're looking for a thriller that veers into far darker and more psychological territory, then it's a good week for you, since Unchosen is also coming out, with a scary look at what life in a cult can actually look like. It stars Sex Education's Asa Butterfield as a controlling husband whose wife yearns for something she can't even really identify.
Her life is strictly regimented by the structures of the Christian cult that she's part of, but when a stranger comes to the community asking for sanctuary, she feels a bond with him that she can't quite understand. From there, it looks like things will get very twisty and potentially a little twisted, too. It seems like proper grown-up fare, and could be a sleeper hit.
Stranger Things: Tales From '85
- Streaming from: 23 April
Netflix was never going to let Stranger Things go completely – this is the biggest streaming service in the world, and it knows how to milk a franchise. That might be a slightly harsh framing, of course, and it overlooks the fact that Stranger Things: Tales From '85 looks pretty charming, filling in a gap between seasons when the kids were still kids.
It'll tell a story involving a couple of new characters, exploring how our main cast moved on from some of the events of the show's second season, and its animation style is really lush and detailed. We'll be hugely interested to see how the show lands, and what it signals about people's interest in the franchise.
