Sonal Pandya

While it is disappointing that Heartstopper never got a fourth season, viewers should be satisfied that the new movie Heartstopper Forever allows the coming-of-age tale to grow up and go out on its own terms. Writer Alice Oseman has adapted the sixth and final volume of their own webcomics. Over the past four years, we’ve watched characters Nick and Charlie met, become friends and fall in love. In the final movie, the two teenagers take tentative steps towards their futures and tackle misunderstandings in their relationship. The movie is a bittersweet ending to a show that makes audiences feel like part of this supportive world.

How do you follow up Oppenheimer and its seven Oscars? If you’re Christopher Nolan, you attempt to take on Homer and The Odyssey. The filmmaker’s undertaking tackles several genres at one go. It’s a literal Greek tragedy backed with adventure, drama, horror and a love story for the ages. All technical departments and the astonishing cast deliver an emotional adaptation that will likely uncover something new upon each viewing. The Odyssey is also the first feature shot entirely on IMAX cameras, and the result is definitely a thing of beauty.

The 1970s series of the same name was an American classic and this Netflix retelling introduces the story by Laura Ingalls Wilder through her semi-autobiographical books. The Ingalls family heads out to the American prairie and finds steady challenges in their decision to relocate. Showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine establishes the mood for the family drama that hints of both adventure and conflict. With young stars Alice Halsey and Skywalker Hughes, the new Little House series is both nostalgic and optimistic for a time gone by that was once filled with promise.

Lucky’s leading lady, Anya Taylor-Joy, has the word ‘resilience’ written all over. Which is why she was perfectly cast for the projects Furiosa: A Mad Max Story and The Queen’s Gambit. Now, Taylor-Joy leads Apple TV’s Lucky both as star and executive producer in a wild and thrilling chase in which she is the emotional heart. Playing the vulnerable but wily con artist, the actress is the best part of the series adaptation of Marissa Stapley’s novel. The limited series by Jonathan Tropper and Cassie Pappas makes sure that viewers are kept on the edge of their set as Lucky reaches the end of her nine lives. With a cast of veteran actors, Lucky manages to captivate.

The Invite, directed by Olivia Wilde, opens with an Oscar Wilde quote, “One should always be in love. That is the reason one should never marry.” The Hollywood comedy is set in a San Francisco couple who invite their neighbours over one evening. It exposes the two couples to own up to some uncomfortable admissions and realise some suppressed truths about themselves. With only four actors in the cast, The Invite works as an engaging play that delivers steady one-liners and insights as the characters experience every emotion under the sun. Wilde impressively guides the feature to an absorbing ending that perfectly sums up human relationships.

The Enola Holmes franchise is growing up. With the third film, the intrepid young detective played by Millie Bobby Brown is about to marry Lord Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge) when disaster strikes. The team behind the award-winning Adolescence comes together for a new mystery that takes viewers to Malta, where the remnants of the past affect the future. The young leads of the film franchise, Brown and Patridge, have grown up as the film’s prior flashbacks show. And while it’s great to see the familiar faces again, the Victorian mystery is missing some of that London magic. In Malta for her wedding to Tewkesbury, Enola has some cold feet but on her way to the church, her brother Sherlock Holmes (Henry Cavill) gets kidnapped. As Enola pieces together the when and why, she uncovers a plot that links back to Tewkesbury’s past. With the help of her husband and Dr. John Watson (Himesh Patel), they uncover a military cover-up that leads to a shocking truth and brings back a familiar villain, at least for Sherlock. Will Enola be able to save her family before it’s too late?

The key to the future lies in the past. That’s the message of the wildly thrilling third season that returns after a year and a half on Apple TV. Led by Rebecca Ferguson, the sci-fi series Silo has always been about rebellion. But this time, it delves into the question of why. Why are the residents of Silo 18 not allowed to go outside and who is controlling them? The answers to all of these begin in the past as the series based on Hugh Howey’s trilogy finally lifts the curtain on the founders. The more that Silo reveals, the more intriguing the origin story becomes, making the sci-fi series one of the most riveting series on the streaming service.

It’s a changing of the guard at The Bear in the fifth and final season of the FX series created by Christopher Storer. After four years and five incredible seasons, The Bear finally bids adieu and moves ahead in a way that only it can. Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Ayo Edebiri have gotten us so invested in these characters, along with its large ensemble cast, and the show does a great job of wrapping it all up in a satisfactory manner. Moreover, the Emmy-winning series stays away from the mistakes of the past seasons as it closes the lights out on the restaurant while staying true to its core premise.