10 movies everyone’s watching on Showmax now

Life is hard enough as it is. So hard that when you get home and flop on your couch, beanbag or bed, the last thing you need to do is make even more difficult decisions. You’ve already had to decide what to eat and the last thing you should be fussed with is what to watch. That’s why you need to bookmark this handy list of what’s popular on Showmax right now because it may save you hours of browsing, or at the very least change your life. 

Get comfortable, relax and build a snack fortress around you. Now pretend the remote is a microphone and that your heart will go on as you wait for your food to beep or ding-dong (dancing in your socks is optional). Now pick your favourite movies from this ready-to-roll slate of 10 fun, exciting and eye-popping movies you can automatically add to your watchlist.  

1. Queen & Slim 

An unscheduled road trip takes a couple’s first date to the next level after a police officer pulls the modern day Bonnie & Clyde over in Queen & Slim. This is a timely romance crime drama that taps into the stigma surrounding police discrimination in the trigger-happy US. Graduating from a Tinder date to a nationwide manhunt, this stylish on-the-run crime drama is visually striking and emotionally taut. 

Anchored by sizzling on-screen chemistry, it’s Jodie Turner-Smith and Daniel Kaluuya who drive an impassioned cast with sharp co-lead performances as Queen and Slim. From compelling acting to vivid storytelling, this gripping caper is laden with characterful dialogue in its cross-section of life. A beautifully photographed and thought-provoking tale, Queen & Slim builds to a heartbreaking and unforgettable conclusion. 

2. Babylon

Babylon is a love/hate letter to Hollywood. Full of fire, flair and fury, it’s an examination of a critical turning point in the film industry… the introduction of sound. Damien Chazelle’s rambunctious film charts the silent movie age through its transition as talkies became the next big thing. Laden with the excesses of Tinseltown’s relentless drive for fame and fortune, Babylon follows the stories of a starlet, an acting veteran and a musical talent from an outsider’s perspective. 

Babylon stars Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt, each taking on self-reflective roles in an epic odyssey of the ugly/beautiful that is Hollywood. From being the original it-girl and ageing Casanova, they each find themselves on a gritty yet surreal journey in this captivating dramedy. 

3. Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning

Tom Cruise is Maverick and Ethan Hunt, two of the biggest action figureheads on the planet right now. In Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, the latest instalment of the hit espionage franchise, he finds himself pitted against a deadly new enemy known as the Entity. In order to destroy the AI threat, Hunt attempts to secure a key piece, which turns into a global hot pursuit as close friends are targeted and a slippery thief remains one step ahead.  

Action is only a heartbeat away in Mission Impossible, creating a steady stream of exciting set pieces to effortlessly blend wit, skill and technology. From deepsea mayhem and national security deception to locomotive cliffhangers, this explosive sequel knows how to get its hooks in. Supported by an ensemble cast in Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson and Vanessa Kirby, Dead Reckoning sets the scene for a nail-biting showdown.  

4. Equalizer 3 

Whether it’s Training Day or The Magnificent Seven, Denzel Washington is always a tour-de-force. Having been established as a dramatic actor, he’s proved himself over the years as a thinking man’s action star too. Reprising his role as the vigilante Robert McCall, his peaceful life in Southern Italy finds him coming out of retirement to protect his friends when the local mafia exerts its deadly influence.  

Set against a beautiful Italian town and spectacular vistas, Equalizer 3 is reminiscent of the Taken trilogy as McCall’s brutal brand of street justice escalates in this tense and thrilling neo-western. Another entertaining Equaliser instalment driven by the dynamic duo, Antoine Fuqua and Denzel Washington, it’s more of the satisfying, gut-busting action you’ve come to expect. 

5. Love Again 

Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Sam Heughan co-star in Love Again, a romance comedy drama about a woman whose texts to her deceased fiancé become the basis for new love when the phone is reassigned at work. Two years after his passing, Mira reaches into the beyond with nostalgic longing in a string of therapeutic texts that resonate with a journalist, the new owner of the phone.  

As Rob discovers more about love in his media coverage of Celine Dion’s return tour, he realises he has feelings for someone he’s never met with a little help from an unexpected love guru. A must for Celine Dion fans, Love Again explores the bounds of love and serendipity, recalling the wistful romance and wry comedy behind films like PS I Love You.  

6. Call Jane 

Call Jane is a historical drama set before the landmark Roe v Wade trial in 1973 that generally protected a woman’s right to have an abortion. Based on a true story, the film stars Elizabeth Banks as Joy, a housewife with an unwanted pregnancy. After appealing to a medical board for a “therapeutic termination”, Joy seeks help from a network of suburban women linked to underground abortions, known as the Jane Collective. 

A complex and important portrayal of the desperation of a woman trying to secure a crucial right in the 1960s, Call Jane is a thought-provoking chronicle compelled by a powerful true story. A nuanced and stirring drama about a timely empowerment issue, it’s driven by a strong lead performance from Banks.  

7. Kandahar 

Gerard Butler is a dependable action-ready everyman, caught somewhere between Russell Crowe and James McAvoy. In Kandahar, he plays Tom Harris, an undercover CIA operative whose cover gets blown when on a covert mission in Afghanistan. Loosely based on actual events, Harris and his translator attempt to evade enemies and survive the harsh Afghan desert in a bid to reach an extraction point. 

Kandahar is an authentic and spectacular action thriller, which features yet another dependable and rugged lead performance from Butler. Taking on a serious tone, this atmospheric, entertaining and slow-burning film centres on a breathless escape from mercenaries and an elite team as the fugitives navigate the war-torn desert. 

8. The Best Man 

Weddings are a time to celebrate but it’s often the mistakes that make the best stories. For special ops buddies Cal and Anders, there’s no room for mistakes as they become embroiled in a do-or-die mission, when a group of masked mercenaries seize control of a holiday resort hotel. Trying to rescue hostages and protect their drunk best friend from harm’s way, the groom and best man lock and load as the dangerous situation escalates. 

The Best Man stars an unexpected double team in Dolph Lundgren and Luke Wilson. Lundgren is synonymous with action movies, having become a regular fixture of The Expendables. It’s Wilson who’s most surprising, having toyed with horror but rarely ventured into full-blown action. The unlikely duo crank up the body count as the wedding reception sees the bad guys getting toasted. 

9. Supercell

Supercell is a coming-of-age disaster drama thriller about William, a teenager who runs away from home to follow in his legendary storm-chasing father’s footsteps. Tapping into the spirit of Twister with a Steven Spielberg sense of wonder, Supercell serves as a heartfelt family-orientated drama as the peril and suspense of disaster looms. The movie tracks a group of fearless adventurers who undertake a dangerous tour on a quest to “find the finger of God inside a target zone of 100 000 miles”. 

Introducing Daniel Diemer as young William, Supercell features the collective talents of Skeet Ulrich, Anne Heche and Alec Baldwin. As the team draws closer to the eye of the storm, they try to keep the three golden rules of storm-chasing. Rule #1: always make sure you have at least half a tank of gas. Rule #2: always, always, always make sure you have an escape. Rule #3: never get caught in the bear’s cage. 

10. Assassin Club 

Henry Golding was pegged as a frontrunner to play the next James Bond but Assassin Club makes him seem like the next John Wick. The dark action thriller centres on Morgan Ganes, an elite assassin who accepts a lucrative final contract to kill seven people across the globe. All linked by one thing, Ganes must confirm the kills by obtaining a finger from each target in order to uncover the mastermind behind it all. 

Assassin Club stars Henry Golding who’s ably supported by Noomi Rapace, Daniela Melchior and Sam Neill. Heavily influenced by John Wick, this stylish globe-trotting underground actioner hinges on high octane assassin action and recalls old-school 90s shoot ‘em ups.