It's Christmas Day and it's a great time to sit back with family and friends, generally overdoing it with food and drink – maybe even work your way through a supersized tub of Quality Street (except the yellow ones, never the yellow ones). However, it's also a time to put on a big-name film you might not have had time to see before.
Traditionally, that would have been one of the network TV movie premieres, which are scheduled throughout the day. However, thanks to numerous streaming services and a much faster turnaround between cinema and small screen, you can choose exactly what big budget blockbuster you fancy and when.
Here then are five of the biggest (at times silliest) popcorn movies of 2023 that you can settle down with this Christmas, with something for everyone. Enjoy.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
- Where: Sky Cinema, Now
- Available: now
- Stars: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black
- Directed by: Rocky Morton, Annabel Jankel
There was a time when video games and movies should never collide. There's a litany of awful game adaptations that, guilty pleasures aside, are cringeworthy at best. You can count the number of good ones on Homer Simpson's fingers.
At least, that was then. Now we're starting to see a real turnaround for gaming flicks and The Super Mario Bros. Movie is leading the way.
Thanks to being a co-production between Illumination (Despicable Me) and Nintendo, it ticks all the right boxes when it comes to keeping true to the source material. And, Chris Pratt aside (who we don't mind, in all fairness), it has enough to keep any Mario fan engaged one-and-a-half hour running time.
Also, Jack Black as Bowser is an inspired piece of casting, resulting in the funniest moment in Mario history.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
- Where: Disney+
- Available: now
- Stars: Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas
- Directed by: James Mangold
You can't have a Christmas without an Indiana Jones movie playing on the telly box, and what better way to spend the afternoon that watching the latest?
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny isn't quite on a par with the Spielberg-directed originals, but it has enough about it to make Crystal Skull seem like just a bad dream.
It has more than enough Saturday afternoon matinee-style thrills to make it an enjoyable romp, while it's great to see Harrison Ford back in the famous fedora one last time before enjoying a well-deserved rest.
Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire
- Where: Netflix
- Available: now
- Stars: Sofia Boutella, Anthony Hopkins, Charlie Hunnam
- Directed by: Zack Snyder
Otherwise known as Zack Snyder's Star Wars, the Rebel Moon movie series starts with this ambitious epic on Netflix with a second chapter due for spring next year. A third is currently in the works too.
Whether it's worth the hullaballoo and the amount of cash Netflix reportedly stumped up for the film ($90 million, it's claimed), that's for you to decide. But, it certainly looks impressive and boasts a great cast.
And it seems to be the "epic" that many hope for. Whether you like his movies or not, there's no doubting that Snyder (300, Man of Steel) is a very accomplished director when it comes to huge special effects.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
- Where: Paramount+
- Available: now
- Stars: Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Luna Lauren Velez
- Directed by: Steven Caple Jnr.
There was a time when Transformers were the hottest toy to get for Christmas – every boy and many girls wanted to find one under the tree.
Now they want PlayStations and vapes, but hey ho... at least we still have the movies.
Seen as a reboot somewhat, and based in the mid-90s, Rise of the Beasts features a new cast and director in Steven Caple Jnr. (Creed II). However, you still get plenty of Transforming robot fun and some huge set pieces to remind you of the simpler times of big, stupid action blockbusters.
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
- Where: Netflix
- Available: now
- Stars: Thandiewe Newton, Zachary Levi, Bella Ramsey
- Directed by: Sam Fell
It's only taken 23 years for a follow-up to one of Aardman Animation's finest films, but we've finally got Chicken Run 2.
Exclusive to Netflix, Dawn of the Nugget returns the studio to its roots. It's a stop-motion animated movie like the original, although many of the cast members have changed.
Julia Sawalha and Mel Gibson have been replaced by Thandiwe Newton (Westworld) and Zacharay Levi (Shazam!) as Ginger and Rocky respectively, while other newcomers include Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us).
The same British sense of humour remains, however, and the film is perfect for some Christmas afternoon giggles.
