It appears to be the Netflix show this coming week as all the other streamers have seemingly sat this one out in terms of noticeable new releases. As for the Big Red N though, if you like legendary Viking explorers or legendary angry black women who take no crap from anybody, you’re in luck.
SERIES
Vikings: Valhalla S1
Netflix – 25 February 2022
The saga of the legendary Ragnar Lothbrok, his wife/queen Lagertha, and their sons, is over. After 6 seasons, Michael Hirst’s historical drama series ended its run in 2020. But the showrunner has more tales of Scandinavian legends to tell. Set a century after the events of the first series, Vikings: Valhalla is a new spin-off focusing on the adventures of iconic historical figures like explorer Leif Erikson, his sister Freydis Eiríksdóttir, Norwegian King Harald Hardrada, and the Norman king William the Conqueror. And it looks every bit as good as its predecessor.
Worst Roommate Ever S1
Netflix – 1 March 2022
Getting stuck with a bad roommate sucks. For most of us though, that would just mean having to live with bad BO or a person who doesn’t pull their weight with chores. Unfortunately for the people in this new five-part documentary series, their roommates were straight out of nightmares, from manipulative scammers to straight-up killers!
The Guardians of Justice S1
Netflix – 1 March 2022
Honestly, I have no idea what to expect from The Guardians of Justice. The brainchild of eccentric producer Adi Shankar (Castelvania, Power/Rangers), this “art house satire of the superhero genre” follows and aging alien superhero called Marvelous Man, the bitter and violent Knight Hawk, and idealistic do-gooder The Speeed, and will be a blend of “live action with traditional animation, claymation, cut out paper animation, and 8-bit video game footage in a kaleidoscope of pop art insanity”. On and it also features “the rise of Robo-Hitler, Cyborg T-Rexes with lasers, deadly ninjas, and a demonic squid alien invasion.” Yeeeeaaaahhh… The only thing we can gauge expectations from is this brief teaser.
Savage Rhythm S1
Netflix – 2 March 2022
I don’t speak Spanish, so I’m just going to copy the official blurb for this Colombian musical-drama series: “The opposite worlds of two dancers clash on and off the dance floor when their ambitions lead them down a treacherous path.” Yes, that doesn’t tell us much, but damn this announcement trailer is catchy as hell!
MOVIES
A Madea Homecoming
Netflix – 25 February 2022
HELLERLUJAH! Madea is back! I am admittedly not a fan at all of Tyler Perry’s massively popular “mad black woman”, but the character is a seemingly unstoppable, evergreen, cinematic tour de force. And now, after 11 previous films tackling everything from adultery to imprisonment to Christmas to even freaking undead zombies, Madea is back to once again throw down with that most difficult of opposition: Family.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage
AppleTV – 25 February
Speaking of things I wasn’t a fan of, I really disliked Venom: Let There Be Carnage. It was undercooked, nonsensical, totally screwed over an iconic villain and criminally wasted Michelle Williams. Yes, star Tom Hardy was having fun as Eddie Brock and his alien symbiote alter ego, but sometimes that fun devolved into bizarre Looney Tunes territory. That’s my opinion though. If you didn’t catch this comic book sequel in cinemas last year and want to form your own opinion on it, Venom: Let There Be Carnage is now available for rental on AppleTV.
The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure
Netflix – 2 March 2022
Contrary to popular belief, Korean cinematic offerings are not all zombies, revenge, and romance. The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure is a swashbuckling adenture film filled with action, mystery, comedy… and a CGI penguin? Looks like some silly fun.
The Weekend Away
Netflix – 3 March 2022
Ah, Eastern European holidays! The culture, the food, the partying, the waking up to find your best friend was murdered under mysterious circumstances and you’re looking like the prime suspect to police. Okay, that last one is a bummer if it should happen. Makes for a solid edge-of-your-seat novel-turned-movie starring Leighton Meester though.
Against the Ice
Netflix – 4 March 2022
In 1909, Danish explorer Ejnar Mikkelsen and mechanic Iver Iversen set out on sleds across the polar icecap to find a lost expedition of their countrymen, hoping the disprove the previously held belief that Greenland was actually two separate islands. Written by and starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) alongside Joe Cole (Gangs of London), this is the harrowing true story what happened out in that icy hell.