This week's television and streaming lineup spans animated nostalgia, Shakespearean tragedy, prison drama and climate activism. Here are seven films worth your time.
What makes Toy Story 5 the standout choice?
Woody, Buzz and their collection of plastic companions return in a film that explores childhood imagination against the backdrop of digital distraction. Director Andrew Stanton, known for his work on WALL-E, steers the franchise toward themes of joy and loss that resonate with both children and adults. With retired Woody absent from the action, Joan Cusack's Jessie assumes the lead role as protector of her owner Bonnie's toy collection.
The central conflict emerges when Bonnie, feeling isolated by her technologically advanced peers, receives a tablet featuring a superior digital companion called Lilypad "Lilly" (Greta Lee). As Bonnie's interest in traditional play diminishes, the toys face an existential crisis. The film functions simultaneously as social commentary on technology's grip on childhood and as an elegy for a time when imagination and silliness held cultural value. Critics have noted the film's cautionary message about technology's impact on childhood, though responses to the overall work have been mixed.
The film, which runs 1 hour 42 minutes and carries a PG rating for thematic elements and rude humour, arrived in cinemas on 19 June 2026. It becomes available on Disney+ on 23 September 2026, following its theatrical run and a digital release on 18 August 2026.
How does Riz Ahmed's Hamlet reimagine Shakespeare?
Riz Ahmed delivers a commanding performance as the Danish prince in Aneil Karia's contemporary adaptation, which transplants the Bard's tragedy into the world of a wealthy British Hindu family of property developers. Rather than abandon Shakespeare's language, the film retains the original text while aggressively trimming the narrative to concentrate on Hamlet's psychological unravelling.
This bold editorial choice proves largely successful. The story follows the family heir as he spirals into anguish, fury and a quest for vengeance after learning that his uncle Claudius (Art Malik) murdered his father. By narrowing focus to Hamlet's trauma, the adaptation strips away subplot and ceremony, creating an intimate portrait of grief and rage within a contemporary setting.
The film airs on 19 September 2026 at 10.05am and 6pm on Sky Cinema Premiere.
What does Wasteman reveal about British prison culture?
Cal McMau's claustrophobic examination of incarceration in Britain presents a visceral portrait of institutional life. David Jonsson, who will soon take on the role of the next Black Panther in the Marvel universe, plays Taylor, a man imprisoned for manslaughter who struggles with addiction. With parole eligibility approaching, Taylor attempts to maintain a low profile and avoid trouble.
His strategy unravels when a new cellmate, Dee (Tom Blyth, delivering a menacing turn), arrives with ambitions to seize control of the prison's drug distribution network from its current operator, Paul (Alex Hassell). Dee coerces the vulnerable Taylor into assisting his criminal enterprise, forcing the protagonist into an impossible moral position. The film airs on 20 September 2026 on Netflix.
How does How to Live on Earth approach the climate crisis?
Benedict Cumberbatch's measured narration guides viewers through Fredi Devas's documentary, which functions as a global compendium of climate solutions. The film traverses continents—from China to Chad, Brazil to Singapore—examining strategies for environmental protection, sustainable food production and the economic valuation of biodiversity.
The 96-minute documentary maintains a cautiously optimistic tone despite depicting environmental devastation. The activists and scientists featured throughout offer glimpses of possibility amid the crisis. The film premiered globally on YouTube on 20 September 2026, following a UK theatrical release on 26 June 2026.
What is Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie?
This feature film extends a Canadian web series from 2007 and a Vice TV sitcom from 2017 that most viewers will not have encountered. The resulting work is a gloriously absurd homage to Back to the Future, following two Toronto musicians, Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol (performing as themselves), who devise a scheme to skydive from the CN Tower as a promotional stunt for a concert they have not yet booked.
Their plan spirals into chaos when an accidental journey in a time-travelling recreational vehicle transports them through temporal confusion. The film embraces its own ineptitude and silliness as core strengths. It airs on 20 September 2026 at 6.45am and 6.15pm on Sky Cinema Premiere.
What is The Love Hypothesis about?
Claire Scanlon's campus romance draws from a bestselling novel that began its life as Star Wars fan fiction centred on characters Rey and Kylo Ren. Tom Bateman, who is married to Daisy Ridley, stars as Adam, a Stanford biology lecturer nicknamed "Dr Evil" for his reputation among students. Doctoral candidate Olive (Lili Reinhart) persuades Adam to pose as her romantic partner, a deception designed to convince her best friend Anh (Rachel Marsh) that Olive has moved on from a crush Anh believes Olive harbours.
In exchange, Adam gains the appearance of romantic commitment, which he hopes will strengthen his case for continued university funding. Romantic entanglement inevitably develops amid the laboratory setting. The film arrives on 23 September 2026 on Prime Video.
How does 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple evolve the franchise?
Nia DaCosta assumes directorial control from Danny Boyle for the second instalment of the trilogy, steering the series away from its characteristic rabid horror toward pathos and tentative hope. Teenager Spike (Alfie Williams) falls into the hands of Jimmy (Jack O'Connell), a disturbed cult leader with Satanic beliefs and his network of followers. Simultaneously, Dr Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) develops an unexpectedly moving connection with Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry), an infected man whose humanity persists despite his condition.
The film balances emotional weight with dark comedy, creating a tonal shift that distinguishes it from earlier entries in the series. It airs on 25 September 2026 at 9pm on Sky Cinema Premiere.
