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This month’s on-demand TV highlights range
from the first cow to the last mercenary, via
aliens, submarines and stupid furry pants
Jungle Cruise
In this Disney family adventure
based on the real-life theme-park
ride, Emily Blunt plays an intrepid
chemist who enlists Dwayne
Johnson’s grizzled riverboat
captain to find a mythical healing
tree in the Amazon basin... but
a villainous German submariner
is determined to beat them to it.
All sounds perfectly plausible.
Film / 30 July, Disney+ Premier AccessThe Last Mercenary
The Muscles from Brussels may
be a tad wizened and creaky these
days, but fans of action flicks will
be cheered to see Jean-Claude Van
Damme back on the screen – even
if it is in a French-language Netflix
movie. JCVD plays a super-merc
forced out of retirement for (you
guessed it) one last job: to save his
son from mobsters.
Film / 30 July, NetflixTed Lasso
On paper, Ted Lasso never should
have worked. The premise – brash
American football coach takes
over ailing English soccer team,
despite knowing nothing about
the sport or the country – is about
as hackneyed as they come; but
the first season’s wit and warmth
won the critics (and us) over. Bring
on the second.
S2 / 23 July, Apple TV+War of the Worlds
This ultra-loose Anglo-French
adaptation of the HG Wells classic
is a wee bit different to most. Low
on spectacle, high on tension, it’s
back for a second series promising
to reveal more about the creepy
Boston Robotics-esque interlopers
that have set their sights on taking
over our planet. Note to aliens: it’s a
dump, don’t bother.
S2 / 16 July, Disney+ (Star)Masters of the
Universe: Revelation
Kevin Smith, famous for making
films where stoned slackers talk
about He-Man and Skeletor, has
been handed the keys to the cult
cartoon franchise for a miniseries
of his own. Smith says it’ll have
a more mature direction than the
original... even though Prince Adam
is still wearing furry underpants.
S1 / 23 July, Netflix
First Cow
Not your usual sort of Western,
First Cow explores the friendship
between a baker and a Chinese
wanderer in 19th-century Oregon.
Deciding to make their fortune by
selling cakes, they’re faced with
a problem: there’s only one cow in
the territory and it’s the property of
Toby Jones’ avaricious landowner.
Well, they could just go vegan...
Film / 9 July, Mubi
Black Widow Film / 9 July, Disney+ Premier Access
Scarlett Johansson reprises her role as Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, in a
blockbuster Marvel origins movie where the elite Soviet-spy-turned-superhero
returns home to confront her demons and make peace with former comrades while
being pursued by a seemingly unstoppable enemy. She mostly does this in a leather
jumpsuit, aided by a supporting cast of Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz and David Harbour.
It hits cinemas at the same time; expect to pay £20 for home comforts.