This coming week’s streaming releases include the VOD debut of Disney’s live-action Snow White headlines, Jason Statham’s latest action flick A Working Man, Apple’s TV series adaptation of sci-fi favourite The Murderbot Diaries, and more!
SERIES
Murderbot S1
16 May 2025 – Apple TV+
Martha Wells’ action-comedy book series “The Murderbot Diaries” is one of my personal favourite reads of the last few years, which is why I had a whole lot of trepidation when I heard that Apple TV+ was producing an adaptation. Silly me. Apple’s track record for high-quality sci-fi adaptations has been exceptional and it looks like they in top form once more, with Alexander Skarsgard giving a slightly different but still pretty great rendition as our favourite bot! For the uninitiated, the series follows the titular wry security android who secretly manages to hack his own inhibitor chip allowing him free will. Instead of using that agency for run away or plot world-shaking terror though, all the self-titled “Murderbot” wants to do is protect his clients and be left alone to binge watch his favourite soap opera shows. He definitely doesn’t want anything to do with showing human emotions and actually talking to people. Ugh! Unfortunately, for Murderbot, when his most recent batch of clients find themselves stumbling into a major corporate conspiracy, it prompts him to step up in unexpected ways.
Overcompensating S1
16 May 2025 – Prime Video
Up for some R-rated laughs and a whole lot of dramatic self-discovery? Then new drama series Overcompensating may just be what you’re after. A wild college-set ensemble comedy, the show follows the chaotic journey of Benny, a closeted gay former football player and homecoming king, and Carmen, a high school outsider. As both enter college, they become fast friends on a mission to fit in at all costs. With guidance from Benny’s older sister and her campus-legend boyfriend, Benny and Carmen juggle horrible hookups, flavored vodka, and fake IDs. Deeply funny and personal, the show explores the lengths to which we all overcompensate while on the path to finding out who we really are.
Sirens S1
22 May 2025 – Netflix
The cult of personality is something we see more and more often in today’s social media-driven world, and its front and centre in Netflix’s new star-studded black comedy Sirens. Devon (Meghann Fahy) thinks her sister Simone’s (Milly Alcock) relationship with her new boss, the enigmatic socialite Michaela Kell (Julianne Moore), has become excessive and creepy. When Michaela and her husband Peter (Kevin Bacon) host a cult-ish women’s retreat at their family’s lavish estate over a weekend, Devon sees it as an opportunity for an intervention. But she has no idea what a formidable opponent Michaela will be.
MOVIES
A Working Man
15 May 2025 – Prime Video
Look, I’m not even going to waste any time here. You all know what this story is about as for a while now Jason Statham has been spinning up his own little unrelated blue collar cinematic universe. He’s always playing some former military/special forces/espionage agent, now working some mild-mannered job to escape his past, only to have to whip out his old skills all over again to protect/avenge somebody. The last time we had this setup was with The Beekeeper and now Statham is teaming up again with that movie’s director, David Ayer, for The Working Man. Unfortunately for the duo, The Working Man didn’t even have a fraction of The Beekeeper’s surprise success at the box office, which means it has hit Prime Video earlier than anybody expected (it’s still playing widely in cinemas). Great for a Friday Action Night at home!
Gunner
19 May 2025 – Showmax
And if you’re still craving some more skop, skiet, en donner action, then maybe consider Gunner for a double-bill? Luke Hemsworth (the other other Hemsworth brother) stars as war veteran Colonel Lee Gunner, who takes his two sons on a camping trip to reconnect with them after being deployed overseas for a while. What begins as a bonding trip goes awry when they cross paths with a violent gang, whose leader takes Gunner’s kids and threatens their lives unless he does what they say: Break their drug kingpin boss (played by veteran Morgan Freeman) out of prison.
Turtles All the Way Down
22 May 2025 – Showmax
Isabela Merced, who kicked off her career with the likes of Dora the Explorer and Transformer, is a having a bit of a moment right now with her widely acclaimed performance on The Last of Us, and her introduction in the DCU as Hawkgirl in the upcoming Superman. But the young star is a lot more than just her colorful genre efforts. Turtles All the Way Down, adapted from the novel of the same name by John Green (whose books The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns have also had acclaimed adaptations), sees Merced star as Aza Holmes, a teenager navigating all kinds of anxiety issues. When she unexpectedly reconnects with her childhood crush (Felix Mallard), it sends Aza on a journey of complex emotions. But how can she have a romantic relationship when she can’t even control her own brain chemisty?
VOD RENTALS/PURCHASES
The following movies have recently become available for digital purchase/rental:
Snow White
Purchase: Apple TV – R200
Rental: Apple TV – R170
After a decade long trend of live-action adaptations of its animated classics that was kicked off with surprise hit Maleficent, Disney is reportedly putting all similar future productions on pause. The reason? Snow White. Even before the latest adaptation hit screens back in March, it was mired in controversy thanks to stars Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot’s opposing political views – Zegler being pro-Palestine and Gadot being pro-Israel. Zegler being very vocal about her criticisms of US President Donald Trump probably also didn’t help. What definitely didn’t help were the mixed reviews for the film, with our own Sam giving it a 5.5/10, praising Zegler’s performance and director Marc Webb’s lavish production design, but not impressed at all with Gadot and other odd creative decisions (like the nightmare fuel CGI seven dwarves). All of which led to the film being a box office dud, reportedly losing Disney up to $200 million. Was it all fair though, or was this just a film judged harshly because of the public miasma it found itself in, as well as an audience’s rapidly growing distaste for Disney’s live-action adaptation schtick? Well, now you can find out for yourself at home!