This April you can catch The Flash, The Fabelmans and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem on Showmax. Here’s what to expect from this line-up filled with superheroes, memoirs and heroes in a half shell.
The Flash
The #20 biggest movie of 2023, DC’s The Flash sees worlds collide when Barry Allen uses his super speed to change the past. But his attempt to save his family creates a world without superheroes, forcing him to race for his life in order to save the future.
The Flash is directed by multi-award winner Andy Muschietti (the It films), with Ezra Miller reprising their Justice League role as Barry Allen. The stacked support cast includes Oscar nominees Michael Keaton and Michael Shannon as well as cameos from the likes of Ben Affleck, George Clooney, Jeremy Irons, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, and more.
CNN.com says The Flash “wears its love for the comics that inspired it on its crimson-streaked sleeve. Funny, action-packed and effectively touching…” while Rotten Tomatoes calls it, “one of the best DC movies in recent years.”
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, after years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtle brothers set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts. Their new friend April O’Neil helps them take on a mysterious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.
Among other accolades, Mutant Mayhem has been nominated as Best Animated Film at the 2024 Annie and Critics Choice Awards, as well as Best Superhero Movie at the 2024 Critics Choice Super Awards, where Ayo Edebiri (The Bear) is up for Best Actress in the category. Also listen out for the likes of Paul Rudd, John Cena, Jackie Chan, Post Malone, Ice Cube, Emmy winner Maya Rudolph, Emmy nominees Seth Rogen, Giancarlo Esposito and Rose Byrne, and YouTube phenomenon Mr. Beast.
Mutant Mayhem is the best reviewed film (or series) in the franchise yet, with a 95% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus says, “With its unique visual style and a story that captures the essence of the franchise’s appeal, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is an animated treat for the whole family.”
The Fabelmans
Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical masterwork The Fabelmans was nominated for seven Oscars last year and won 30 awards, including Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Director.
The film follows young Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle from The Predator and American Gigolo, in a Critics Choice Award-winning role) as he grows up in post-World War II-era Arizona and falls in love with filmmaking.
Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea, My Week with Marilyn) and Judd Hirsch (Ordinary People, Independence Day) were up for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor Oscars for their roles as Sammy’s artistic mother, Mitzi, and her uncle Boris respectively. The cast also includes the likes of Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, and even four-time Oscar-nominated director David Lynch as four-time Oscar-winning director John Ford.
The film has a 92% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus says, “Part memoir, part ode to the power of the movies, The Fabelmans finds Steven Spielberg digging at the family roots that helped make him a beloved filmmaker – and proves he hasn’t lost his magic touch.”