11 best movies new to Netflix, Amazon, HBO Max & Hulu: October 2022

October! It’s a great time for movies. Many people spend the month watching horror (we do that kind of thing year-round), but there’s no wrong way to do it, and plenty of excellent movies new to streaming this month for your viewing pleasure.

These are two of the most hilarious American comedy of the century. Popstar Popstar Never Stops. And SpyAs the top 2022 show-stopper,, they make their triumphant return to streaming. Ambulance. Romantic comedy at its best La Ronde swings its way over to HBO Max, while the Ocean’s trilogy lands at Netflix for those looking for heist-y good times.

That doesn’t even cover the outstanding collection of excellent ’80s horror being added to the Criterion Channel. Seriously, if you’ve been considering signing up for the service, now would be the time.

That’s not all — there are tons of great movies new to Netflix, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and other streaming platforms this October. These are the top 11 movies.

Ambulance

Photo: Andrew Cooper/Universal Pictures

One of the very best movies of 2022 (it might be my personal favorite) has left Peacock and arrived at Prime Video, exposing a whole lot of new people to one of Michael Bay’s best movies. Bay’s tightly contained thriller is lean and mean, with captivating car chases, groundbreaking drone camera work, and a deliciously unhinged performance from Jake Gyllenhaal. —Pete Volk

From our review:

Ambulance’s greatest strength is how quickly it builds tension. To get to the action quickly, the plot and characters are laid out with speed. The pressure and pace increase steadily. The film’s structure has an inherent momentum that Bay supercharges with his relentless filmmaking energy. It is truly a breath-taking film in the middle third, when the initial stage of the chase culminates and tensions within the ambulance reach an explosive climax. But it’s simply not possible to sustain that level of excitement over such a long running time, and the air goes out of the movie toward the end, especially after some overdeveloped plot mechanics require the ambulance to stop and start again more than once. Bay and screenwriter Chris Fedak didn’t learn Speed’s lesson: Never, ever stop rolling.

Ambulance Is streaming on Prime Video Oct. 1.

Annihilation

Image by Paramount Pictures

Adapted from the first book in Jeff VanderMeer’s bestselling Southern Reach trilogy, Alex Garland’s Annihilation stars Natalie Portman as Lena, a biology professor who volunteers to take part in an expedition into “The Shimmer” — an anomalous quarantined zone filled with wildlife mutated by a fallen asteroid — in search for answers to her husband’s disappearance. Lena faces a new kind of life, which threatens her humanity, as she is joined by a group of four women: a psychologist; a physicist; a geomorphologist and a paramedic.

With an exquisite cast of performances, vivid special effects, a brilliant score by composer Ben Salisbury and Portishead’s Geoff Barrow, and a remarkable finale, AnnihilationIt is sci-fi meditation about the terrifying power of nature, and the cycles between destruction and renewal. —Toussaint Egan

AnnihilationIs streaming on Paramount Plus Oct. 1.

Night of Fright

Dreamworks image

Craig Gillespie’s 2011 remake of Night of FrightAnton Yelchin plays Charley. Charley is a smart, geeky teenager that lives with Jane (Toni Collette) in an area near Las Vegas. Charley discovers soon that Jerry (Colin Farrell), an attractive and brooding stranger who moves in next to him, is actually a vampire and has been killing everyone in the area. Charley must confront Jerry (David Tennant), an affable Vegas Strip magician who is interested in the occult and his girlfriend Amy (Imogen Pots), in order to save his hometown. Farrell delivers a fantastic and unsettling performance as Jerry, and the late Anton Yelchin is as charismatic in his turn as the film’s leading man. —TE

Night of FrightIs streaming on Hulu Oct. 1.

La Ronde

Image from the Criterion Collection

Max Ophüls’ 1950 masterpiece is one of the finest musicals, comedies, and romance movies ever made. Anton Walbrook, the legendary master of ceremonies, takes you on an unforgettable love journey, jumping from one romantic connection to the next in a dizzying variety of romantic connections. It’s a joyous and infectious anthology story, the likes of which we haven’t seen since. It’s been on the Criterion Channel for a while now, and I’m overjoyed more people will now get a chance to see one of my favorite movies ever made. —PV

La Ronde Is streaming on HBO Max Oct. 1.

The Ocean’s trilogy

Warner Home Video

Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s movies are a lot of things: great hangout movies with a terrific ensemble cast, fun capers with daring heists, and laugh-out-loud funny comedies. While your mileage will vary between installments as each franchise grows, all three movies are great popcorn entertainment. —PV

The Ocean’s trilogy Is Netflix streaming available? Oct. 1.

Point Break

Image: Twentieth Century Fox

There’s another Kathryn Bigelow movie coming to streaming in October (more on that later in the month), but first let’s talk about one of her biggest commercial successes: the whirling surfer heist bromance Point Break.

Keanu Reynolds and Patrick Swayze star as star-crossed brothers, which is a proven narrative device that has been used in many films including the great RRR. In this one, Reeves is a former college football star turned undercover FBI agent (with the pitch-perfect name Johnny Utah) who is sent to investigate Swayze’s group of bank robbers. Although they instantly fall in love, their careers get in the way.

The script was written by Bigelow and her husband James Cameron. It was a huge success. Swayze, Reeves, and Lori Petty are all excellent in their respective roles — and the three trained intensely with a former pro surfer to pull off some of the things they have to do with this movie, leading to some incredibly memorable action sequences aided by beautiful locations in Utah, Oregon, and on California beaches. –PV

Point Break Available on Netflix October 1.

Popstars Never Stop Never Giving Up

Image: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

Pop icon Conner “Conner4Real” Friel steps on stage in a varsity jacket to an adoring crowd. He breaks out into the opening verse of his hit single “I’m So Humble”:

Bar none I am the most humblest/Number one at the top of the humble list/My apple crumble is by far the most crumblest/But I act like it tastes bad out of humbleness/The thing about me that’s so impressive/Is how infrequently I mention all of my successes/I pooh-pooh it when girls say that I should model/My belly’s full from all the pride I swallow

Adam Levine’s Hologram appears on stage, and sings the refrain. Instantly, there are dozens upon dozens of holograms on the stage dancing together and being silly. Then, we go to The Mariah Carey and reflect on how important this song is to her.

“I’m So Humble” — I instantly connected with that, because I’m the most humble person I know.

That’s the opening credits sequence of Lonely Island’s PopstarThis is one of the most hilarious movies of the decade, and the best feature-length skit that the SNL alumni have ever made. The reliable trio of Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer (the latter two directed) play a famous former boy band group who have long since split up, with Samberg’s Conner as the only one to make a real solo career for himself. This movie’s got heart in the same way many of these comedies about adult-sized children do, but the real treat is the nonstop barrage of hilarious gags from start to finish, with pitch-perfect parody songs and a endless array of mind-blowing celebrity cameos. It’s a blast. —PV

Popstars Never Stop Never Giving Up Is streaming on HBO Max Oct. 1.

Spy

Image: 20th Century Fox

American movies have had a slow decade. Sure, there are some great comedy movies you can watch at home, but as the biggest blockbusters in the world have become more and more comedy-oriented, there’s been less space for true comedies in theaters.

All that is needed to conclude this sentence Spy One of the greatest American comedy of the century. Paul Feig’s parody of spy movies (Bridal Maids, Geeks and FreaksThe film stars Melissa McCarthy in a perfect role as a desk employee for the CIA. Her partner Jude Law is murdered by Rose Byrne’s daughter, and McCarthy is absolutely delightful. Add in scene-stealing turns from Jason Statham as an overconfident Bond parody, Allison Janney as McCarthy’s skeptical boss, and appearances by Bobby Cannavale, Peter Serafinowicz, and Miranda Hart, and you’ve got a rollicking good time (with terrific action shot by Day Shift Director J.J. Perry —PV

SpyIs streaming on Peacock Oct. 1.

Day of Reckoning for the Universal Soldier

Image: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Polygon subscribers will already know that this film is one my favorites. If you’ve delayed checking it out, now’s your chance.

This is what I said when the addition was made to HBO Max July.

Day of Reckoning for the Universal Soldier It was a wake-up call for me. I had not (and still haven’t) seen any of the other movies in the franchise, and at the time I was unfamiliar with its young star, Scott Adkins. But something about John Hyams’ twisted sci-fi/horror/action story got its hooks into me and never let go.

Scott Adkins plays a soldier who wakes up in a coma and is haunted by the horrific murder of his daughter and wife. He is determined to find the culprit… Luc Deveraux, Jean-Claude Van Damme, the main character from the Universal Soldier films. With influences from filmmakers like Gaspar Noé combined with the grimy aesthetic of a direct-to-video action-horror flick, Day of Reckoning This movie is unique in its combination of talents and genres. It’s one of my favourite movies. Note: This movie is extremely violent and not recommended for those with a weak stomach. —PV

Day of Reckoning for the Universal Soldier Is streaming on Prime Video Oct. 1.