Looking for new movies to watch this week? We have all the titles to be aware of, starting with Babylon starring Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt. The other big movie of the week is the extremely creepy Smile, which just snaked its way to streaming.
Babylon is a late-breaking addition to this list, and a perk of Paramount Plus membership. Meanwhile, Peacock will be getting the more explicit version of M3GAN, while the highly-nominated indie flick The Whale is available right now.
And while you might not want to pay for à la carte movie streaming, you may not be able to hold back, as this week's drops include the very-recently released Knock at the Cabin. Other titles on this list include gems that had limited releases, giving a wider audience a chance to see their brilliance. If you're willing to brave your local multiplex, check out our Cocaine Bear review to learn more about the latest box office arrival.
Elsewhere, Prime Video has one of the best horror movies of 2022, and Netflix has a ghost — but not the scary kind.
Here, are the top 9 new movies to watch online this week (now with their Rotten Tomatoes scores, as available).
Babylon (Paramount Plus)
If you waited to pull the trigger when Damien Chazelle's Babylon hit digital a few weeks ago, you're now being rewarded (if you're a Paramount Plus subscriber). This epic tells big Hollywood tales from multiple angles, as an aging star (Brad Pitt), a rising actress (Margot Robbie), a young executive (Diego Calva) and a trumpeter (Jovan Adepo) find their careers in jeopardy for one reason or another. All the while, the silent films are becoming talkies, and that creates its own set of frustrations.
One of the most divisive films for the Tom's Guide team, Babylon goes for excess in every way possible, including its three-hour and nine-minute run time. This makes streaming a perfect place to watch Babylon, as you can break it up into chapters or just duck out if its rambling third act loses you. Personally? I absolutely loved Babylon's highs and wished an editor had removed its lows.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 56%
Watch on Paramount Plus right now (released today, Feb. 21)
The Whale (Digital)
The Fraserssance, the much-welcome return of Brendan Fraser, is largely due to his performance in Darren Aronofsky's The Whale. A tragic story of Charlie (Fraser), a severely obese teacher whose living a rough life in his apartment, where his only help comes from Liz (Hong Chau), his nurse and only friend — who is incredibly worried about his health. Charlie gets a possible chance at something good when his daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink) emerges into his life, but she's not exactly excited to see him.
A bit divisive at the Tom's Guide offices, The Whale is a film that some of us loved while one of us walked out on it due to the unrelenting nature. That said, Fraser won a ton of applause and nominations for his compelling performance, and Chau is inarguably great in this movie.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 65%
Buy digitally on Prime Video and other services right now (released today, Feb. 21)
Smile (Prime Video)
It Follows, one of the most instantly-beloved horror movies in recent history, has an offspring. No, Smile isn't It Follows 2, but instead a horror movie that can't help but show its influence. Therapist Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) is struggling to keep her sanity after witnessing one of her patients take his own life. But the details of this incident linger, particularly a creepy smile that seems to suggest some kind of demonic possession.
A fantastic thriller filled with tragedy and perfectly-timed (and not overused) jump scares, Smile will surprise some with its depth. That said, it has some of the more ludicrous dialogue this side of M3GAN.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 80%
Watch on Prime Video right now (released today, Feb. 21)
Knock at the Cabin (Digital)
M. Night Shyamalan's latest flick is already headed home, as it's now available for digital purchase online. While Knock at the Cabin practically starts at that titular moment when the mammoth Leonard (Dave Bautista) comes knocking, it first offers a serene and misleading moment of peace as seven-year-old Wen (Kristen Cui) is on her own.
But once Wen realizes something is wrong, and goes to warn her adoptive parents Eric (Jonathan Groff) and Andrew (Ben Aldridge). Unfortunately, it's too late, as Leonard and his three peers (Nikki Amuka-Bird, Abby Quinn, Rupert Grint) arrive with a grave demand and promises of the end of the world.
Accused of a flat third act, Knock at the Cabin is actually one of my favorite movies of the year, which is due in no small part to a fantastic and gripping performance from Bautista. It should be noted that while the film is based on the Paul G. Tremblay's novel The Cabin at the End of the World, this movie veers into a different direction.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 68%
Buy digitally on Prime Video and other services right now (released today, Feb. 21)
Broker (Digital)
"Child trafficking is no joke" isn't a phrase that should be followed by a "but." That said, South Korean drama Broker finds humor in a bizarre situation that you won't expect. I won't spoil any of its surprises, but I'll admit that this film was maybe the biggest surprise I had at a movie theater since Barbarian.
Ha Sang-hyeon (Song Kang-ho, best known from The Host, Parasite and Snowpiercer) runs a hand laundry business by day, and has the shadiest night job. At night, he and his partner Gang Dong-won (Dong-soo) stake out the nearby church, where babies are often left by parents — and sell them on the black market of adoptions. The irregular details of one such night create a cat-and-mouse hunt where the pair are trying to sell a baby while police track them and try and outsmart them.
Broker would be a too-grim story were it not for the surprising companions that Ha Sang-hyeon and Gang Dong-won pick up, and how this operation turns into a road trip. Meditative and emotional, and surprisingly powerful, Broker is one of the best movies I've watched in a while.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
Buy digitally on Prime Video and other services right now (released today, Feb. 21)
EO (Criterion Channel, Digital)
Polish film director Jerzy Skolimowski's critically-acclaimed and Oscar-nominated documentary EO tracks a donkey named EO (yes, that sounds like Eyore, the Winnie the Pooh character) on a bizarre journey. After it leaves a traveling circus, EO wanders the Italian and Polish countrysides, encountering the best and worst that humanity has to offer.
Critics have raved about EO, calling it as must-see as it is strange, and remark that its visually-striking cinematography elevates the titular donkey to a star. Just be warned, EO encounters some very terrible people, and is met with some violence.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
Watch on Criterion Channel or buy digitally on Prime Video and other services right now (released today, Feb. 21)
Women Talking (Digital)
Based on Miriam Toews' novel of the same name, Women Talking (written and directed by Sarah Polley) is as unsettling as it may be relatable — and that's a tragedy into and of itself. It focuses on a group of women in an isolated Mennonite colony who discover that the men of their community have been raping and bruising them with unspeakable means. This leads to a communal debate over how they will react, as inaction feels impossible.
Polley has been lauded for Women Talking's powerful story, and how natural it is when the characters react to the events in a variety of ways. One of the Oscar-nominated films for Best Picture.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Buy digitally on Prime Video and other services right now (released today, Feb. 21)
M3GAN: The Unrated Cut (Peacock)
M3GAN — the Model 3 Generative Android who wormed her way into the hearts of horror and camp fans everywhere — is back. M3GAN, the film, is a cautionary and comedic horror movie about what happens when we rely too much on tech to take care of the young.
This unrated cut may deliver on the rumors of a gorier version that was intended to be released. M3GAN scriptwriter Akela Cooper explained that the trailers took off online, the studios reportedly wanted a PG-13 rating for a stronger box office success.
Rotten Tomatoes score: n/a
Stream on Peacock this Friday (Feb. 24)
We Have a Ghost (Netflix)
Titled as if a rebuke to that time Matt Damon's family bought a zoo, We Have a Ghost is the big Netflix Original movie of the week, and it's got familiar names, including Anthony Mackie as the father of the family whose house just so happens to be haunted by a ghost (David Harbour).
And those two stars aren't the only reasons we're intrigued. Director Christopher Landon landed in our "one to watch" stack for 2020's Freaky, and it's also got the currently-ubiquitous Jennifer Coolidge as a medium.
Rotten Tomatoes score: n/a
Watch on Netflix starting Friday (Feb. 24)
More streaming news from Tom's Guide
- All the new movies coming to Hulu in March 2023
- Check out our Formula 1: Drive to Survive season 5 review
- The 25 best Disney+ movies to watch right now
