A new month means a new wave of television shows and movies coming to Netflix and April 2022’s lineup does not disappoint. From all-star parodies of the entertainment industry to superhero movie trilogies, spring has definitely sprung on the premier streaming platform to entertain subscribers. And CBR has you covered in picking the perfect series or film to binge this weekend.
Here is a selection of some of the most notable shows and movies to arrive on Netflix the first weekend in April, from family-friendly animated movies to blood-soaked superhero sagas.
The Ring Offers an Ample Dose of Nostalgic Horror
With Sadako, the unrelenting killer ghost from The Ring, currently scaring players in the popular online game Dead by Daylight, now is the perfect time to revisit the horror classic. Fortunately, the 2002 American remake of the enormously successful Japanese film series has arrived on Netflix this month. The rules behind the ghost story are simple: Anyone who watches a VHS tape featuring the ghost is cursed to die in a week unless they pass on the curse to someone else.
Starring Naomi Watts in an early Hollywood movie role, The Ring was a tremendous success with audiences upon its initial release. With expert pacing and haunted horror, the movie also catapulted director Gore Verbinski to the big studio mainstream, leading to his run helming the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Inspiring a wave of American remakes of Japanese horror movies, The Ring stands as the best of these Hollywood adaptations two decades since its premiere.
The Blade Trilogy Keeps Comic Book Movies Bloody
While the vampire superhero Blade has only made an off-screen cameo in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Daywalker’s original film trilogy is now available in its entirety. Starring Wesley Snipes as the supernatural character, the three movies are quietly responsible for kickstarting the wave of modern superhero movies. And with Blade poised to play a larger role in the MCU, Snipes’ take on the character is practically required viewing to prepare for the hero’s arrival.
Of the trilogy, the 1998 original film still largely holds up as Blade battles his vampiric nature while confronting a coven of vampires plotting to subjugate humanity as livestock. Guillermo del Toro helms the vastly underrated Blade II, with the superhero leading a team to stop a new wave of monstrous bloodsuckers. And while Blade: Trinity may be markedly inferior to its predecessors, it does prominently feature a pre-Deadpool Ryan Reynolds in his first superhero role as Hannibal King.
The Bubble Is a New Comedy That Tackles Current Events
Prolific comedy filmmaker Judd Apatow takes inspiration from current events in his Netflix original film The Bubble, out just in time for April Fools’ Day. Boasting an all-star cast including Karen Gillan, Pedro Pascal, Keegan-Michael Key and Kate McKinnon, The Bubble follows a big-budget movie production reacting to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic with a closed set. However, with the cast and crew forced to endure each others’ company for a prolonged period, hijinks inevitably ensue.
With Apatow having helmed The 40-Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up, The Bubble promises to be another strong comedic project that plays to his strengths. The story is reportedly inspired by the production of Jurassic World Dominion, which similarly placed its cast and crew in a bubble during the height of the pandemic.
Richard Linklater’s Apollo 10 ½ Is an Animated Film For All Ages
After helming the universally acclaimed Before trilogy and School of Rock, celebrated filmmaker Richard Linklater switches gears for the animated Netflix original movie Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood. Linklater draws inspiration from his childhood in Houston during the Space Race in the 1960s, as children fantasize about Apollo 11’s moon landing in 1969. This nostalgic story is framed by a middle-aged man looking back on his perspective of that historic event in that fateful July.
Apollo 10 ½ features an animation style reminiscent of the rotoscoping techniques Linklater previously employed in movies like A Scanner Darkly, providing a unique take on American history. Heading the cast are Zachary Levi, Glen Powell and Jack Black for Linklater’s wistful, loose recollection of his childhood. Intended for audiences of all ages, Apollo 10 ½ is Linklater at his most effectively sentimental.
Tomorrow Rises Marks Another Successful Korean Series for Netflix
From Parasite winning the Academy Award for Best Picture to series like Squid Game becoming a bonafide global phenomenon, Korean productions are making waves worldwide. The latest Korean drama series that has arrived on Netflix is the supernatural show Tomorrow. After a young man endures an accident, he discovers that he has been transformed into a half-human, half-spirit working with a team of Grim Reapers.
Tomorrow is based on the popular Webtoon of the same name by Llama and features its protagonist straddling the worlds of the living and the dead. With its offbeat premise, the new series provides a supernatural twist on learning to embrace a second chance at life through its characters. For those looking for a great, paranormal series to obsess over, the sixteen-episode show is set to deliver.
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