At Home with Tech

If you’re looking to expand your movie choices beyond the MCU, here are some fun options with punch to consider streaming.

For years, I’ve been curating a list of movies for my family to stream. And let me tell you, it’s not been easy to find consensus on what we all want to watch. Most every weekend, I scrub through the movie options available on our various streaming services and look for a new title or two that might appeal to everyone.

I enjoy mind-bending science fiction, but my wife and I are both mindful to serve up appropriate content for our thirteen-year-old son, who gravitates today towards the fun/action recipe of MCU-style filmmaking.

Four-Letter Words
Of course, we need to follow obvious guardrails when choosing appropriate content for our eighth grader. Even though he’s close to graduating to more mature content, PG-13 has been an uncrossable line for years. (The only exception so far has been the first “Matrix” movie.)

I’m sure you know there’s no way to avoid bad language in the PG-13 universe. It spans across the multiverse. I’ve stopped worrying. Plus, he hears it every day in school. That’s life.

It’s been at least a year since I stopped counting four-letter words in movies.

Slim Pickings
Everyone talks about the avalanche of streaming content available today. But I’ve still found it especially difficult to find fresh movie options. (Last year’s writers’ strike didn’t help.)

I also think my challenge is partially due to the reality that not many films are perfect for the early teen audience.

Sure, there are plenty of movies for kids… and loads of adult movies. But this in-between segment is relatively narrow.

What did They Say?!
Another limiting factor is many classic flicks haven’t aged well. Either the pacing is too slow (in comparison to today’s fast-cutting storytelling norms) or the characters feel like caricatures from a by-gone era of inappropriateness.

I like to think of myself as a movie buff, and there are still plenty of older movies out there that hold up just fine. But just the idea of a classic movie that may look a bit dated can often be a non-starter in my household.

Still, I am undeterred by these challenges. I want our son to have an appreciation for rich cinematic storytelling. So, I will continue looking for great movies for Cinema Lester on the weekends.

The MCU is the Gold Standard
All this said, I also need to meet the need today. And like it or not, Marvel movies hit that sweet spot.

I’ve enjoyed most of the MCU movies. And there certainly are a lot of them. But we’ve seen them all… some many times. So, I’ve had to look elsewhere to build up my list.

And it’s been hard to find other choices that follow the successful MCU formula of humor, decent character development and pounding action with great special effects.

I know Marvel has had trouble lately with their movies, but that doesn’t take away from the reality that their MCU-storytelling formula entirely cracked the code.

Fortunately, we’ve found other films that follow a similar storytelling style.

Two Tough Guys who are Fun
Action with jokes. Tough, but not too serious. Fast paced but grounded in a good story. PG-13.

Two actors today have successfully integrated that formula into some of their movies- Ryan Reynolds and Dwayne Johnson.

Movies with Ryan Reynolds

• “The Adam Project” (2022)
  This time-travel flick has surprising heart. Also stars Mark Ruffalo and Zoe Saldana.
• “Free Guy” (2021)
  Between all the action, it still takes the time to focus on the power of friendship.
• “Spirited” (2022)
  It’s a musical, but the Reynolds’ factor still carried it for my son. Also stars the great Will Ferrell.
• “R.I.P.D.” (2013)
  This one’s a failed “Men in Black” copycat. But’s it’s fun to stream. Also stars Jeff Bridges.

Reynolds’ edgy Deadpool is a real question for me, as I feel “Deadpool and Wolverine” will land a little early for our son. But who knows how Disney and Reynolds will handle the obvious challenge of introducing the highly inappropriate Deadpool to a broader audience. We’ll see later this summer.

Movies with Dwyane Johnson

• “Jungle Cruise” (2021)
  Also stars Emily Blunt.
• “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” (2017)
  Also stars Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan.
• “Jumanji: The Next Level” (2019)
  This sequel is even better.
• “Central Intelligence” (2016)
  Also stars Kevin Hart.

Movies with both Reynolds and Johnson

• “Red Notice” (2021)
  Two for the price of one. Also stars Gal Gadot.
• “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” (2019)
  This over-the-top flick wasn’t a successful spinoff from the long running “Fast and the Furious” franchise, but we liked it anyway. Also stars Jason Statham and Idris Elba.

Movies with Mark Wahlberg
A few Mark Wahlberg movies are well suited for the early teen segment.

• “The Family Plan” (2023)
  Silly but satisfying.
• “Uncharted” (2022)
  Also stars Tom Holland.
• “The Other Guys” (2010)
  Also stars Dwyane Johnson and Will Ferrell.

Yesterday’s Winners
Here are some older movies that fit into this action/fun niche (and still hold up to today’s current movie-making standards).

• “Men in Black” movies (1997, 2002, 2012, 2019)
• “The Fifth Element” (1997)
• “The Pirates of the Caribbean” movies (2003, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2017)
• “Ready Player One” (2018)

Movies that Should Make the List
The films below don’t make my official list. But that’s not because I don’t like them. They simply didn’t pass muster in my focus group of one. (They didn’t appeal to our son after he watched the trailer or part of the movie.)

• “Ghosted” (2023)
  Sure, it’s got Chris Evans, but the trailer didn’t do it for our son.
• “Green Lantern” with Ryan Reynolds (2011)
  Even Reynolds makes fun of this failure. Still, I liked it.
• “Hellboy” (2004)
  I loved this movie. Directed by the great Guillermo del Toro.
• “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” (2008)
  The sequel is visually stunning.
• “Shazam!” (2019)
  Our son lost interest halfway through.

This Movie is Not on Anyone Else’s List

• “The Flash” (2023)
  Starring Ezra Miller, this DC multiverse film entirely bombed at the box office. Plus, it tried to marry humor with the debilitating darkness that most every DC movie has been saddled with. (One can begin to understand why an entire DCU reboot is underway.) “The Flash” doesn’t work on many levels. But it is funny. And it has a lot of heart too. Plus, it uses the multiverse to bring back the great Michael Keaton as Batman. My son and I really enjoyed it.

The Force, Impossible Missions and Bad Feelings
Of course, we also enjoy pure action/sci-fi movies without the comedy. Obvious examples are the “Star Wars,” “Mission Impossible” and “Indiana Jones” ecosystems. (Sure, there are some light moments, but comedy is not central.)

So, I won’t include these movies, as they don’t fit into the narrow focus of today’s exercise to find more easy-breezy content that still has enough rough and tumble.

Limited List
As you can see, my list is not terribly long. And that’s why I’m always hunting for new choices for Lester Movie Night.

I’m sure I’ve missed some good options. Do you have any movies to recommend?

Danger
Thank goodness that in a pinch, we can always default to an episode or two of Netflix’s “Lost in Space” series (2018-2021.) That cinematic show remains absolutely perfect for our whole family to rewatch.

Fun. Exhilarating. Danger. Sometimes scary (but not too scary). Heartwarming. Clever. Family-focused. It’s everything you could possibly want.

Dear Hollywood: More of this please.