And with that, Halloween is over. It’s time to put away the costumes and extra candy until next year. It also means a break from horror movies, though true fans can watch genre films all year. With two months left on the calendar, the final movie releases of the year range from prestige plays and blockbusters to sequels and musicals.
Below are five great moves to watch after Halloween this year. There is a specific theme to these recommendations. Each of the five movies is connected to a theatrical release in November or December. For example, Gladiator is a relevant selection because Gladiator II, the sequel, opens on November 22. Read on for the rest of the selections.
The Lion King (2019)
Animated films don’t get much better than The Lion King. The 2019 photorealistic-animated Lion King had big shoes to fill, but director Jon Favreau, the visionary behind The Mandalorian, delivered a satisfying attempt with stunning visuals and powerful music. The story is nearly identical, which might be a pro or con depending on your preference. A young cub named Simba (JD McCrary) will one day become the ruler of the Pride Lands after his father, King Mufasa (James Earl Jones).
Simba’s uncle, Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor), betrays Mufasa and exiles Simba. Years later, an adult Simba (Donald Glover) is living with Timon (Billy Eichner) and Pumbaa (Seth Rogen). After a chance encounter with his best friend Nala (Beyoncé Knowles-Carter), Simba returns to Pride Rock to reclaim his destiny from Scar as the rightful heir to the throne. Learn more about Mufasa’s upbringing in Mufasa: The Lion King, a prequel coming out in late December.
Stream The Lion King on Disney+.
Gladiator (2000)
Before Paul Mescal heads to the arena in Gladiator II, revisit Russell Crowe’s Oscar-winning performance in Gladiator. Crowe plays Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North and loyal servant to the true emperor of Rome, Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris). Marcus picks Maximus as his royal successor, much to the chagrin of Marcus’ son, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix).
Taking matters into his own hands, Commodus murders his father and declares himself as the new emperor. When Maximus refuses to bow down, Commodus executes Maximus’ wife and son. Furthermore, Maximus is sold into slavery and trained to become a gladiator. Maximus must win the crowd in Rome’s Colosseum to gain his freedom. Though Maximus doesn’t care about freedom. All he wants is vengeance against Commodus, which he will get in this life or the next.
Stream Gladiator on Paramount+.
Interstellar (2014)
Christopher Nolan loves to put his audience in a mental pretzel. Memento, Inception, and Tenet must be watched multiple times to truly understand the plot. Interstellar, which celebrates its 10th anniversary on November 7, is another mind-blowing mystery from Nolan. In the near future, humanity faces extinction due to a catastrophic crop blight, meaning the population must find a new planet to inhabit.
Enter Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), a former NASA pilot who leaves his kids behind to embark on a secret mission through a wormhole near Saturn. Cooper and a group of scientists plan to explore three new planets that could serve as the new Earth. The thrilling adventure is a technical marvel, backed by Nolan’s most emotional script. After streaming Interstellar, consider heading to IMAX theaters this December for the re-release.
Stream Interstellar on Paramount+.
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Wicked is shaping up to be one of the movie events of the year. Before the movie, there was the Tony Award-winning musical. Prior to the musical, there was a book. However, everything in the Wicked Universe stems from the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its groundbreaking live-action film from 1939.
In The Wizard of Oz, Judy Garland stars as Dorothy (Judy Garland), a young girl transported to the magical land of Oz after a tornado strikes her Kansas home. Dorothy is greeted by Glinda (Billie Burke), the Good Witch of the North, who tells her to follow the Yellow Brick Road to Emerald City to meet the Wizard (Frank Morgan). Along the way, Dorothy gains three allies: Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), Tin Man (Jack Haley), and the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr). Together, they’re off to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, who can hopefully solve all of their problems.
Stream The Wizard of Oz on Max.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
The end of the year is always the perfect time for a Lord of the Rings rewatch. 2024 has been a good year for Tolkien fans thanks to Amazon’s The Rings of Power and the anime The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, the latter arriving in December. The War of the Rohirrim has a special connection to Helm’s Deep, the epic battle site in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
Picking up after The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers continues Frodo’s (Elijah Wood) quest to destroy the One Ring. Elsewhere in Middle-earth, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) head to the kingdom of Rohan, where they prepare for war against the legions of Saruman. It’s no hyperbole to say the Battle of Helm’s Deep remains one of the greatest combat sequences ever filmed.
Stream The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers on Max.
