Organizer
Gadget news
The Abandons review: New Netflix western is no Yellowstone, but Gillian Anderson shines
11:01 am | December 4, 2025
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Netflix Streaming | Comments: Off

Who knew Taylor Sheridan's titan reign at Paramount was going to be such a disaster for Netflix? Well, just about everybody – and the new western series The Abandons completely proves that.

Let's set the scene. Instead of the usual Kevin Costner-style male dominated environment, two matriarchs rule this version of the Wild West. Wealthy tyrant Constance Van Ness (Gillian Anderson) rules the town of Angel's Ridge with an iron fist, determined to control every last inch of it.

Unfortunately for her, poor rancher Fiona (Lena Headey) is a woman who stands her ground. She's fighting to keep her found family's ranch in their hands, resulting in a fatal clash between the two women. Or a 'mother-off', as the kids on TikTok might say.

It sounds like an almighty spectacle, and in some respects it is. The action is big scale on a big budget, the ensemble is fully invested and the production of all seven episodes is absolutely outstanding.

But then there's the overarching storyline, and the overall effect. When you're releasing a western series in the 21st century, it will naturally be compared to 'Sheridanverse' juggernauts like Yellowstone, Landman and 1923. If you watch them all and remember The Abandons, I'd be very surprised.

The Abandons is cursed by an environment way out of Netflix's control

If any main streamer or broadcaster releases a western these days, we're watching it with intense scrutiny. A decade ago, nobody would have batted an eyelid, but the genre has been single-handedly resurrected by Sheridan and Paramount's partnership. As he continues to churn out smash hit shows, that doesn't really leave room for anyone else.

For Netflix, this means that any content that isn't an automatic smash hit is likely to be forgotten, and I think The Abandons falls into this category. It's had more success with new western-romance shows like Ransom Canyon, and I think if the streamer wants to be an industry leader in the genre, that's where it should direct its efforts.

This makes it sound like The Abandons is absolutely dreadful, and it's anything but. However, it doesn't stray to far from "fine". Every element of its composition is solid and delivers what it needs to, but exceptional? Memorable? I'm not so sure about that.

Part of the problem is due to how the overarching storyline unfolds. In episode 1, we're thrown into a myriad of plots that aren't properly explained – and I don't mean that we should naturally be kept in suspense, like a murder mystery.

As an example, Fiona comes from Ireland and has managed to congregate a found family on the Abandons ranch over the course of a few years. How she got to the US, and how they all found each other, becomes convoluted too quickly.

I'm all for a bit of "show don't tell," but I need enough of an understanding to full sink my teeth into the western illusion. Instead, I'm flailing around like a bystander caught in the middle of a gunslinging duel. This effect continues over the series, and that's not amazing incentive to keep on binging.

Gillian Anderson and Lena Headey mother the house down

Constance Van Ness and her sons ride horses into town

This image alone got me to tune in. (Image credit: Netflix)

However, it's not all doom and gloom – let's do my favorite thing in the world and talk about Gillian Anderson. I don't think this is her best role of the year (that would be in Trespasses on Channel 4 in the UK), but she never turns out a bad performance. Obviously, because she's Gillian Anderson.

Constance Van Ness is everything you want in an archetypal villain, and remains calculated, cold and cruel in every decision she makes. She's quite literally on her high horse here, metaphorically (and sometimes physically) kicking every person and mutt who dares to get in her way. For a Gillian Anderson fan, it's everything that you could possibly want, and I see new YouTube fan edits in her future.

Of course, Lena Headey isn't far behind Anderson. Fiona is as tenacious as she is decisive, almost single-handedly driving the plot forward with dangerous inciting incidents and turning points. At the same time, she's guarded and elusive, and the urge to learn more about her becomes overbearing. Scenes between the two are actually few and far between, but when they happen, they're golden.

Obviously, anything these two are in automatically holds more weight, but to say the good in The Abandons rests solely on their shoulders isn't fair. Their ensemble cast is strong, and the ranch, Angel's Ridge and the natural countryside beauty are almost all characters in their own right.

I don't think the new Netflix western will be the most satisfying TV binge this December, but you won't be wasting your time by watching, either. It's certainly a budget version of a Taylor Sheridan show (metaphorically speaking, not in production value), but if you're a fan of our leading ladies, The Abandons is a slam dunk.

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.

Can’t wait for Virgin River season 7? Watch new Netflix Christmas movie My Secret Santa – you won’t be disappointed
11:01 am | December 3, 2025
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Netflix Streaming | Comments: Off

I'll tell you what wasn't on my Christmas list to Santa this year – unironically enjoying (nay, loving) a Netflix festive film. I've watched a lot of bad ones in this job, but My Secret Santa is undoubtedly the best of the sappy genre.

In a nutshell, it's Mrs. Doubtfire if Robin Williams decided to be a Santa drag king instead of a sassy Scottish pensioner. Instead of a man desperately trying to win his estranged wife back, single mom Taylor (Alexandra Breckenridge) needs fast cash to send her daughter to an elite snowboarding resort.

By being employed there, she'd get a staff discount, but the only opening is for a seasonal Father Christmas. Bing bang boom... she gets the job in a full Santa makeover.

Of course, romance is in the air too. Matthew (Ryan Eggold) recognizes former singer Taylor in a record store, and just so happens to be the new general manager at the resort – you can already guess how it's going to end just by reading this synopsis.

Whichever Netflix casting agent had the foresight to merge Virgin River and New Amsterdam's leading actors together deserves a massive festive bonus, in my eyes. Together Breckenridge and Eggold deliver a genuinely well-crafted tale that perfectly slots into the cozy sub-genre they've both whittled into shape over the years.

If anything, it almost makes up for the fact we're not getting Virgin River season 7 this month (if you squint hard enough, I'm sure Eggold would look enough like Martin Henderson).

My Secret Santa cements Alexandra Breckenridge as the Queen of Netflix

If you suggest I'm solely writing this review as an excuse to write a love letter to Breckenridge's work and further my cause to try and interview her in 2026, I don't know what you're talking about.

She carries My Secret Santa squarely on her shoulders, and she completely pulls off what is, rationally speaking, a completely implausible story. This is the kind of tale she was born to tell, and the movie's happy-go-lucky vibes underpinned by more authentic real-world problems suits her warm and engaging personality incredibly well.

In essence, I don't actually care about Taylor's character arc or her capers while wearing the baggy pants of Father Christmas – I'm just always buying what Breckenridge is selling. It's impossible to not be entranced by her screentime, exuding natural charm in everything she does. You want to be her, you want to be best friends with her... even when she's pretending to be an old man.

As far as Christmas movies go, this one is pretty original

Matthew and

I don't think Alexandra Breckenridge has ever looked better. (Image credit: Netflix)

The biggest compliment I can give My Secret Santa is that it feels current without trying too hard. There are no shudder-worthy TikTok jokes, no trends being jumped on, and nobody trying too hard to fit into a mould that isn't inherently them. Yes, the ending is undoubtedly cringe, but it's in keeping with the spirit of Christmas movies.

Tia Mowry isn't a natural fit as a villain, and there's no huge stakes aside from Taylor's daughter not being able to snowboard. However, we're here to get invested into a romantic connection, not be plunged into terror. Obviously, it's all a bit naff (lacking in taste and style, for my non-Brits), but that comes with the territory.

I can't believe I'm writing this, but I'm already contemplating watching My Secret Santa again (which is essentially the equivalent of pigs flying). I got so much joy, warmth and feel-good vibes from Netflix's latest festive offering, and that's how you know it's a job done well.

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.

Spartacus: House of Ashur review – all shock and no substance in this Starz legacy sequel
5:00 pm | December 1, 2025
Author: admin | Category: Computers Entertainment Gadgets Streaming | Comments: Off

I can only think of one time in my life where I've felt so sick watching something I've had to turn off my TV (Raw, the body horror movie by Julia Ducournau). Now, there's a second entry in that list – the new Starz show Spartacus: House of Ashur.

Think Gladiator if Ridley Scott didn't have to adhere to cinema age rating criteria. Blood is well and truly spilled in this version of Ancient Rome, and it's enough to make even the most hardened of horror fans turn green.

Having said that, the legacy sequel (Spartacus originally ran on the network from 2010-2013) is only a horror in how it's delivered. Starz has gone heavy on the spectacle here, and all the gory action distracts us from the fact there's not much that's noteworthy under the show's surface.

There are a few new breakout stars as our returning cast members (Nick E. Tarabay as Ashur, mainly) slip back into their roles like no time has passed. But is this enough to save a show that's reliant on tricks and showmanship?

In a word, no... or at least, not for me. I often found myself wanting to fast-forward through any scenes that didn't have a sword being plunged into somebody's stomach, and I cringed at the gratuitous sex and assault scenes that I knew a historical drama just couldn't resist including.

Shock-factor isn't always an indicator of something good, no matter how entertaining the moment itself is. In fact, I'd probably enjoy episodes more as bitesize bites on TikTok.

Lift the lid on Spartacus: House of Ashur and you'll start to see the problems

Even the above trailer has had to be heavily redacted so it can actually be posted on YouTube. The gore and guts are easily Spartacus: House of Ashur's big selling point, and this means returning fans will definitely not be disappointed.

There are certainly some astonishing and creative maiming, even if the VFX don't always make them look believable. Without giving anything away, my favorite (if that's the right thing to call it) is at the end of episode 2, where Achillia (Tenika Davis) finally gets her own back on the male gladiators who have been expectedly sexist.

Here's the first big dichotomy. The sequel introduces a female gladiator to its ranks as the big 'we have can diverse casting just as effective as Bridgerton's' moment. It's actually a historically accurate decision, but more importantly, it's effective.

Davis is easily the best part of Spartacus: House of Ashur, running literal rings around her co-stars. She's clearly put in a lot of hours of training, and Achillia's attitude to Ancient Rome isn't just refreshing, but a necessary palate cleanser. Claudia Black's Cossutia isn't too far behind, effortlessly swinging from wife to warrior.

As for the rest of the show's female characters, there's a lot left to be desired. It's almost a given that a historical drama will falter to showing degradation unnecessarily because, a) it actually happened and, b) it's an easy way to create on-screen tension.

But wouldn't it be a novel idea to be as forward-thinking narratively as shows are in their casting? Rewrite history for the right reasons, people!

As for the rest, it's all convoluted

Achillia leads a group of male gladiators

Tenika Davis' Achillia is one to watch. (Image credit: Starz)

But let's move onto the meat of the show, as it very much were. Aside from Ashur and right-hand man Korris (Graham McTavish), our men are not as interesting once they've put down their spears and shields. A good 90% of their time is taken up with combat training, so anything else we see (e.g. emotional narrative) is incredibly heavy-handed.

Outside of the impactful fighting, nothing else really lands. There's no point in time that I'm concerned with finding out what happens next, or wondering whether the overall storyline is going to take me somewhere else. Instead, I'm wondering who will have blood gushing out of their legs next.

Still, there are small wins. Episode 1 kicks us off with a surprise Lucy Lawless cameo and Ashur keeps a firm hand on the tiller as the new Dominius. But as I've hammered home by now, we're essentially sitting ringside for a 10-episode long fight we can just about stomach.

Nuance, meaning and complexity? Not present here. Full-throttle entertainment, gore and fighting to the death? Amped up to the max. Whether that's a good or bad thing remains to be seen.

Not signed up to Starz yet and live in the US? Use the below deal to get you started:

Starz subscription: was $10.99 a month now $2.99 at Starz
Want access to one of the best US network's originals and film library? Starz is offering a great discount that gets you 73% off the usual monthly price of $10.99 for your first three months to stream hit series like Outlander, American Gods, Now Apocalypse and more. This is a limited-time offer, but Starz hasn't said when it expires so make sure to be quick if you're interested. You can also get a more than half priced annual plan for just $11.99 right now, which works out to be just $1 a month. View Deal

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.

Wicked: For Good turns the musical’s sobering second half into the most unmissable movie of 2025
8:00 pm | November 18, 2025
Author: admin | Category: Computers Entertainment Gadgets Streaming | Tags: | Comments: Off

At the end of my Wicked: For Good screening, when the lights came up, there was hardly any mascara left on everyones' eyelashes. The second half of director Jon M. Chu's Oztastic vision is an emotional rollercoaster in entirely new ways, and for me, it's completely defied expectations (see what I did there?).

The second half of the movie-musical was always going to be the more difficult half to adapt. All of the joyous narrative and dance numbers have been and gone in Wicked, with the storyline turning much darker as Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) is officially dubbed The Wicked Witch of the West.

If you've seen the stage show, you'll know what I mean... but if you've read the book, the original Wicked story was even more macabre. With each adaptation, the Wicked ending has become more palatable and optimistic, and Chu's take on Elphaba and Glinda's (Ariana Grande) farewell is the most light-hearted yet (thanks to a few new changes).

For Wicked: For Good, this means packing an emotional punch so strong that you forget green witches and flying monkeys aren't actually real life. Erivo and Grande are completely invested in delivering the best ending to the tale they love so much, and that only adds to the overall polish of the movie's epic scale.

There is no way I thought the second half would be as good as the first, and now I completely stand corrected. It's Erivo's musical performances that take things to the next level the most, and it's clear we're watching a once-in-a-generation star do what she does best

Wicked: For Good packs the emotional punch the first movie skimmed over

As we pick up the story in the second half, Madame Morrible's (Michelle Yeoh) PR campaign on creating The Wicked Witch of the West has worked wonders, and the whole of Oz is in fear. Elphaba continues to battle for animals and Ozians to live in peace while being persecuted at every turn.

Meanwhile, Glinda and Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) are each secretly trying to help, despite putting on a front of being happy and in love. And the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum)? Well, he's just kicking about, harboring a bunch of talking animal prisoners in the tower.

It should go without saying, but you'll really need to watch Wicked first here – there's no recapping events, and the movie is really relying on your existing knowledge as the pace picks up. What is particularly worth pointing out is that the joy has gone from this part of the story, as Oz and Elphaba's life turns to chaos.

Emotionally, things don't let up much. Elphaba can't catch a break, the animals are terrified, Fiyero can't be with the woman he loves, Glinda realizes Fiyero never loved her and Boq (Ethan Slater) is trapped in Munchkinland by Nessarose (Marissa Bode) as she morphs into the Wicked Witch of the East.

While this might feel hard-going, it's actually the perfect accompanying film for Wicked's first half. Even a fictional land like Oz can't live in ignorant bliss forever, and if we want our big happy ever after, there has to be a huge emotional payoff.

Luckily for us, Erivo and Grande are the perfect pair to steer this ship.

Cynthia Erivo's performance of 'No Good Deed' is one for the ages

Glinda and Elphaba look at each other

Ariana Grande (Glinda) and Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba) in Wicked: For Good. (Image credit: Universal Pictures)

It was clear in the first movie that Grande and Erivo were made for each other as far as performance partnerships go, but I'm going to argue a potential hot take: Wicked: For Good is Erivo's film, not Grande's.

Obviously, this part of the story is much more focused on Elphaba anyway, but Erivo is running away with a performance that literally defies gravity. The pièce de résistance is her earth-shattering rendition of 'No Good Deed', which not only had the audience in fits of applause, but made me feel as though I was levitating while watching. I couldn't move or focus on anything aside from her astounding voice and emotional range.

That's not to say Grande has blended into the background, though. The pair's harmonies feel bound together by fate, and this makes their duet of 'For Good' the film's big tear-jerking moment as Glinda and Elphaba must say goodbye. We all saw this coming (even though it hurts every time), but don't worry too much – some small changes have been made for the better (e.g. Peter Dinklage's Doctor Dillamond has a much better fate).

While Yeoh and Goldblum are hitting the same show-stopping strides that we'd expect them to, Chu's direction won't be for everyone. Subjectively, I think he's remained incredibly consistent and portrayed Oz in exactly the way that we need to see it. On a broad visual scale, Wicked: For Good continues to be epic cinema with the most detailed scenes and sets, and even if you turned the sound off, you'd walk away from it totally satisfied.

The we've got the events of The Wizard of Oz running in tandem with Elphaba's own journey. Not only do I love how this reframes the original 1939 movie, but Chu has played it shrewd with how much he's chosen to hold back.

Dorothy is kept vague, while the Scarecrow and Tin Man are the most fleshed out for reasons that become clear throughout the movie (no spoilers here, don't worry). Colman Domingo voices our cowardly lion, but you'd never know it – not least because he has about two lines in the entire film. Clearly, these are not our stars of the show.

A week after watching it, I'm as enchanted as entranced by Wicked: For Good as I was while sitting wide-eyed in front of the screen. It's undoubtedly the most unmissable movie of 2025, and behind Avatar: Fire and Ash, it's easily the biggest spectacle of the year too.

The two-part franchise is ending on the biggest high possible, and I'm going to miss indulging in the sweetness and whimsy of the world Chu and his cast have made. Sure, there are minor pacing issues if you're really looking for them, and you're definitely not getting away without shedding a tear.

But, as the title suggests, you will truly be changed for good.

Stream Wicked now on Amazon Prime Video in the US and UK while you wait (and on Netflix in Australia). Not signed up? Use the deal below:

Prime Video: 30-day free trial

If you’re new to Amazon Prime, or you click the above link and see the option to 'Start your free 30-day trial', then you'll be able to become a temporary Amazon Prime member, which gives you access to Prime Video. Just be aware that the Prime Video free trial will mean you have to put up with ads. View Deal

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.

Wicked: For Good turns the musical’s sobering second half into the most unmissable movie of 2025
8:00 pm |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Entertainment Gadgets Streaming | Tags: | Comments: Off

At the end of my Wicked: For Good screening, when the lights came up, there was hardly any mascara left on everyones' eyelashes. The second half of director Jon M. Chu's Oztastic vision is an emotional rollercoaster in entirely new ways, and for me, it's completely defied expectations (see what I did there?).

The second half of the movie-musical was always going to be the more difficult half to adapt. All of the joyous narrative and dance numbers have been and gone in Wicked, with the storyline turning much darker as Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) is officially dubbed The Wicked Witch of the West.

If you've seen the stage show, you'll know what I mean... but if you've read the book, the original Wicked story was even more macabre. With each adaptation, the Wicked ending has become more palatable and optimistic, and Chu's take on Elphaba and Glinda's (Ariana Grande) farewell is the most light-hearted yet (thanks to a few new changes).

For Wicked: For Good, this means packing an emotional punch so strong that you forget green witches and flying monkeys aren't actually real life. Erivo and Grande are completely invested in delivering the best ending to the tale they love so much, and that only adds to the overall polish of the movie's epic scale.

There is no way I thought the second half would be as good as the first, and now I completely stand corrected. It's Erivo's musical performances that take things to the next level the most, and it's clear we're watching a once-in-a-generation star do what she does best

Wicked: For Good packs the emotional punch the first movie skimmed over

As we pick up the story in the second half, Madame Morrible's (Michelle Yeoh) PR campaign on creating The Wicked Witch of the West has worked wonders, and the whole of Oz is in fear. Elphaba continues to battle for animals and Ozians to live in peace while being persecuted at every turn.

Meanwhile, Glinda and Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) are each secretly trying to help, despite putting on a front of being happy and in love. And the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum)? Well, he's just kicking about, harboring a bunch of talking animal prisoners in the tower.

It should go without saying, but you'll really need to watch Wicked first here – there's no recapping events, and the movie is really relying on your existing knowledge as the pace picks up. What is particularly worth pointing out is that the joy has gone from this part of the story, as Oz and Elphaba's life turns to chaos.

Emotionally, things don't let up much. Elphaba can't catch a break, the animals are terrified, Fiyero can't be with the woman he loves, Glinda realizes Fiyero never loved her and Boq (Ethan Slater) is trapped in Munchkinland by Nessarose (Marissa Bode) as she morphs into the Wicked Witch of the East.

While this might feel hard-going, it's actually the perfect accompanying film for Wicked's first half. Even a fictional land like Oz can't live in ignorant bliss forever, and if we want our big happy ever after, there has to be a huge emotional payoff.

Luckily for us, Erivo and Grande are the perfect pair to steer this ship.

Cynthia Erivo's performance of 'No Good Deed' is one for the ages

Glinda and Elphaba look at each other

Ariana Grande (Glinda) and Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba) in Wicked: For Good. (Image credit: Universal Pictures)

It was clear in the first movie that Grande and Erivo were made for each other as far as performance partnerships go, but I'm going to argue a potential hot take: Wicked: For Good is Erivo's film, not Grande's.

Obviously, this part of the story is much more focused on Elphaba anyway, but Erivo is running away with a performance that literally defies gravity. The pièce de résistance is her earth-shattering rendition of 'No Good Deed', which not only had the audience in fits of applause, but made me feel as though I was levitating while watching. I couldn't move or focus on anything aside from her astounding voice and emotional range.

That's not to say Grande has blended into the background, though. The pair's harmonies feel bound together by fate, and this makes their duet of 'For Good' the film's big tear-jerking moment as Glinda and Elphaba must say goodbye. We all saw this coming (even though it hurts every time), but don't worry too much – some small changes have been made for the better (e.g. Peter Dinklage's Doctor Dillamond has a much better fate).

While Yeoh and Goldblum are hitting the same show-stopping strides that we'd expect them to, Chu's direction won't be for everyone. Subjectively, I think he's remained incredibly consistent and portrayed Oz in exactly the way that we need to see it. On a broad visual scale, Wicked: For Good continues to be epic cinema with the most detailed scenes and sets, and even if you turned the sound off, you'd walk away from it totally satisfied.

The we've got the events of The Wizard of Oz running in tandem with Elphaba's own journey. Not only do I love how this reframes the original 1939 movie, but Chu has played it shrewd with how much he's chosen to hold back.

Dorothy is kept vague, while the Scarecrow and Tin Man are the most fleshed out for reasons that become clear throughout the movie (no spoilers here, don't worry). Colman Domingo voices our cowardly lion, but you'd never know it – not least because he has about two lines in the entire film. Clearly, these are not our stars of the show.

A week after watching it, I'm as enchanted as entranced by Wicked: For Good as I was while sitting wide-eyed in front of the screen. It's undoubtedly the most unmissable movie of 2025, and behind Avatar: Fire and Ash, it's easily the biggest spectacle of the year too.

The two-part franchise is ending on the biggest high possible, and I'm going to miss indulging in the sweetness and whimsy of the world Chu and his cast have made. Sure, there are minor pacing issues if you're really looking for them, and you're definitely not getting away without shedding a tear.

But, as the title suggests, you will truly be changed for good.

Stream Wicked now on Amazon Prime Video in the US and UK while you wait (and on Netflix in Australia). Not signed up? Use the deal below:

Prime Video: 30-day free trial

If you’re new to Amazon Prime, or you click the above link and see the option to 'Start your free 30-day trial', then you'll be able to become a temporary Amazon Prime member, which gives you access to Prime Video. Just be aware that the Prime Video free trial will mean you have to put up with ads. View Deal

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.

Awful Christmas movies are my guilty pleasure, and new Netflix movie A Merry Little Ex-mas is gift-wrapped rubbish
11:01 am | November 12, 2025
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Netflix Streaming | Tags: | Comments: Off

Gone are the days of It's A Wonderful Life! and Miracle on 34th Street – it's a given that modern Christmas movies are unironically bad, and the new Netflix film A Merry Little Ex-mas is no exception.

This sounds like a dig, but I don't really mean it as one. Sure, I'd prefer to spend my time watching the best movies creators have to offer, but Christmas films in the 2000s play by their own rules. We're almost willing them to be awful, totally zoning out and thinking about absolutely nothing while we binge them in the cold winter months.

Starring Oliver Hudson and Alicia Silverstone as a couple who are trying to "consciously uncouple" (aka divorce) during the festive period, A Merry Little Ex-mas delivers the no-thoughts goods. It's the same way you have to occasionally read a rubbish book just to feel something again... there are no stakes and nothing important to note. Just you, a cosy blanket, and vibes.

Given I actually get paid to talk about film and TV for a living, and have to earn that responsibility, I need to dig a little deeper into A Merry Little Ex-mas via the standard industry criteria (e.g. saying "it's vibes" doesn't quite cut it). As you might expect, it doesn't score very highly in those areas.

A Merry Little Ex-mas has nuggets of gold amid its seasonal rubbish

First, let's set the scene. Kate (Silverstone) and Everett (Hudson) are getting divorced simply because they seem fatigued by each other. While the entire town knows about it, each is keeping a secret: Everett is dating someone new (Jameela Jamil), while Kate plans to move away to Boston after their youngest goes off to college.

Kate wants the family to have one last Christmas as a unit, adhering to all the traditions they've made over the years. As their secrets spill out, however, a normal Christmas is the last thing that Kate and Everett have, and it's incredibly clear that their feelings for each other haven't gone away either.

From my brief synopsis, you can probably work out exactly how A Merry Little Ex-mas ends, and I can basically guarantee that you are correct. This is one of the many problems the new movie has, if we're really scrutinizing it.

Not only can we see the conclusion coming with our eyes closed, but the overarching storyline and B-plots are all too ridiculous to believe. As an act of rebellion to try and make Everett jealous, Kate immediately dates a young guy called Chet (Pierson Fodé), who is the most stereotypical American muscle man you've ever seen.

The fact this chiseled dude just happens to be working at every business in town and on board with Kate's jealousy plan is as unbelievable as the fact Tess (Jamil) moved her luxurious life to suburban American for a man she's only know for just four weeks.

Every decision everybody makes is a questionable one, including the team's collective decision to make Harry Potter great again (you'll see what I mean, but really? In 2025?) There's nothing believable enough to sink your teeth into, you just have to go off of pure whimsy.

Our cast are putting in solid performances, but there's nothing remarkable. You'd think putting grown-up Cher Horowitz from Clueless and Sabrina the Teenage Witch (Melissa Joan Hart) in a film together as BFFs would be a slam dunk, but Joan Hart isn't included as much as she could be.

The cast of A Merry Little Ex-mas sit on the couch together

It's quite literally all smiles and rainbows. (Image credit: Netflix)

But that doesn't mean everything in A Merry Little Ex-mas should be written off. If you're a Hallmark fan, or live to consume rubbish, the new Netflix movie is literally made for you.

Every frame looks like the quintessential American holiday you want to immerse yourself in, both picture-perfect and wholesome at every turn. Add a level of 'hamming' to proceedings (by which I mean everything that happens borders on being camp) and you've the perfect cocktail of Sunday viewing.

There's also an incredible amount of representation that isn't made into an unnecessarily big deal. Kate has two dads, who own the local hardware store and are responsible for the biggest amount of laughs in this otherwise humorless film.

They shower her in nothing but love, and it's clear they've been an integral part of the grandchildren's childhoods too. It's a beautiful relationship to watch, and a timely reminder of how the 2020s blended family can be easily included onscreen.

My star of the show? Jameela Jamil. She's been so busy being brilliantly herself (her Substack is must-subscribe reading), that I think we've forgotten just how brilliant of an actress she is. Tess is the antithesis of who she really is, but you'd never be able to tell if you didn't know her. I'm aware that's how acting works, but you get my point.

Will I be rushing to press play on A Merry Little Ex-mas again? No, and I doubt I ever will. Was it a nice, mind-numbing way to spend a Sunday evening curled up in bed? You bet.

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.

The Seduction is the new HBO Max series you need to stream in November – and it’s as explicit as you’d expect
5:00 pm | November 10, 2025
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets HBO Max Streaming | Comments: Off

The best prequels are the ones that have clear ties to an existing world we know and love, but ultimately have a separate identity... and that's something the new HBO Max series The Seduction has achieved effortlessly.

Starring Diane Kruger, Anamaria Vartolomei, Lucas Bravo and Vincent Lacoste, we follow Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil's (Vartolomei) rise to power in the French cultural elite. If you think you've heard that name before, it's the character Glenn Close played in the 1988 movie Dangerous Liaisons (based on the book of the same name).

Therefore, it tracks that Vicomte de Valmont (Lacoste) was played by John Malkovich, with Madame de Rosemonde (Kruger), the old lady who frequently regaled on opulent couches with judging eyes. It took me the entirety of episode 1 to make this connection, and that's to The Seduction's huge credit.

We can see the lore links as the series continues (including to Michelle Pfeiffer's character Madame Tourvel), but the HBO prequel feels like an entirely different beast. Sure, all of the sex and scandal is still there, but it's much more calculated and considered this time around.

As far as legacy prequels go, The Seduction on HBO Max impressed me

Anybody who has an issue watching foreign language shows and movies is going to need to get off their high horse for this one. With all six episodes solely in French, The Seduction takes the drama of 16th century France all the way back to its native language and location, and I think the overarching story is a lot richer for it.

Enemies-to-friends Isabelle and Rosemonde are navigating a man's world, and finding out how to hold power within it. The result? Risky alliances, illicit affairs and plans that could bring entirely families crashing down with one wrong move.

All of our characters are enigmas, proving incredibly difficult to read. Isabelle hides her vulnerability to everyone around her, orchestrating multiple schemes at once to make up for the fact she doesn't trust a soul. Rosemonde has her own agenda, and that threatens in the only genuine friendship she has in her live at every turn.

Then we've got the boys. Valmont starts off causing the biggest betrayal of Isabelle's life, and that's ammunition against him for years to come. Positioned as an elitist playboy, it's difficult to tell whether his feelings for Isabelle are every genuine or not (and to be honest, I still don't buy them).

Gercourt (Lucas Bravo) is presented as our evil pantomime villain. However, I think it's a case of honesty – he isn't actually the most malicious, he's just not cloak and dagger about it. Regardless, he's the embodiment of the worst patriarchal traits in human form.

Between the four, personal vendettas make way for rich and intimate drama. Truthfully, this loses impact as the series reaches its conclusion, but the build-up is so well structured and dynamic that any lulls are easy to overlook.

Lucas Bravo is the real hero in The Seduction, and I'm thrilled for him

Lucas Bravo sits in a filled shirt with his left hand to his mouth

Lucas Bravo is Gercourt in The Seduction. (Image credit: HBO)

I've always had a sneaking suspicion that Lucas Bravo isn't the biggest fan of Emily in Paris – and every interview with him in the lead-up to Emily in Paris season 5 all but confirms that. He's existed under the Netflix character's shadow on a global scale for years now, but his performance in The Seduction comes with night and day difference.

Everything that constrains him in Emily in Paris (namely having to fit the on-off romantic interest TV mould) isn't present in The Seduction, leaving him free to play with stereotype and identity. Bravo is a ridiculously good villain, both vindictive and charming in a single breath. He acts solely on selfish whims, but yet he's weirdly not the worst of the bunch.

For me, he's the standout performance of the series. Perhaps that purely because I'm so thrilled that he's been given a chance to do something so different, but it's equally clear that he's been underused in previous roles. Vartolomei is the other clear standout, and if the Wonder Woman rumors surrounding her are true, I think she's more than proved her craft here.

Given that period drama could so easily fall into a safe TV series blueprint, The Seduction has pushed the boundaries. And don't get it twisted – there's sex in what feels like every other scene, and while it's always explicit, it's never gratuitous.

The Seduction premieres on HBO Max on November 14, with episodes airing weekly until December 19.

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.

Squid Game: The Challenge season 2 has already lost steam – just like the Netflix Original series
3:32 pm | November 4, 2025
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Netflix Streaming | Comments: Off

When the first season of Squid Game: The Challenge came out, I thought it was the best reality competition show I’d seen in years outside of The Traitors. But in just two short years, the Netflix gameshow has fallen from the best to the worst.

The recipe for why is actually very simple – in 2023, we were enthralled by the idea that Netflix’s biggest K-drama could be replicated with everyday people and exceptionally detailed gameplay following in the footsteps of what we saw in each episode of Squid Game season 1.

The new games that were introduced fused dynamic action with familiar tactics (e.g. the use of Battleships in the third game) and we genuinely grew to love the alliances and band of characters we saw on screen.

Almost none of that is represented in Squid Game: The Challenge season 2. The original show's games are still well replicated, but they’re mundane compared to the big classics we saw in season 1. New twists and turns mostly fall flat, and our cast is too weak to be memorable or build an invisible rapport with the audience.

And if that all isn’t bad enough, where on earth is Red Light, Green Light?

All of the reality TV sparkle has gone in Squid Game: The Challenge season 2

Squid Game: The Challenge season 2 has taken a risk by getting rid of the show’s most famous games (think Red Light, Green Light and Dalgona) and replacing them with brand-new gameplay. Half of our cast of 456 players are immediately eliminated by the new game Count, which is merely comprised of two teams counting 456 seconds before pressing a button.

It makes for the most anti-climactic premiere episode of TV I’ve seen this year, and I’m absolutely baffled for why Netflix would choose to use a counting game over the brutal run-and-stop elimination we’re all looking forward to. Annoyingly, it’s not coming any later in the series either.

Games such as Mingle in episode 4 win back some level of tension, but it might be too little, too late. In the first four episodes alone, we only see two and a half games played out, with dorm challenges or recordings of the contestants filling our screens in the meantime. Normally, if there is a strong cast and genuinely shrewd surprises, this wouldn’t be a problem.

However, we’re presented with labored and anti-climactic developments between cast members we can’t remember from one minute to the next.

Let’s address the changes first. There are a variety of new dorm challenges introduced to try and stoke up drama between players – the most successful of these being a secret boiler room where players are sent to enact eliminations or receive coins to use in a snack-filled vending machine. We also see players presented with a chance to swap meals for “scratchers” or pass around Russian dolls, both of with lead to potential disadvantages in the next game.

Despite the fact that none of these make the level of impact that Netflix is hoping for, it all feels too pre-meditated – and that’s the same problem we see with the casting. In short, it’s all gone a bit too X Factor, putting the pedal to the emotional medal so hard that nothing feels genuine. Everything we’re seeing feels overly contrived, and Netflix is trying far too hard to keep our attention.

Where season 1 introduced players we could connect with (think mother-son duo Leanne and Trey), Netflix is clearly trying to fit the same character profiles, but with less success. As soon as I can remember that somebody exists, they’re killed off, and that’s always been the downside of a gameshow with such a big cast. The finalists don’t become clear until the last moment, but this time there’s nobody in the interim to tide us over.

What does this mean for Squid Game: The Challenge season 3?

Some Squid Game players stand in shock

(Image credit: Netflix)

In short, this all isn’t amazing news for the already-renewed Squid Game: The Challenge season 3. It feels as though season 2 is following the original series slump that came at the same point (at least, in my opinion), which wasn’t completely clawed back by the time season 3 dropped six months later.

But it’s not all hopeless. Game stalwarts like Marbles returns, offering up the most emotional turning point we’ve seen across all iterations of the game, and the production design is still beyond astounding. We know season 3 will likely replicate the jump rope horror from the first season of Squid Game, and that’s got the opportunity to be the jewel in Netflix’s reality TV crown.

In the meantime, I’d rather rewatch the original series than get ready for the rest of Squid Game: The Challenge season 2 in the coming weeks.

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.

Robin Hood is coming to Amazon’s MGM+ with an epic vengeance, but it doesn’t need to be so steamy
11:00 pm | October 31, 2025
Author: admin | Category: Computers Entertainment Gadgets Streaming | Comments: Off

Don't tell Amazon, but my heart sank when I first heard that yet another Robin Hood adaptation was coming to MGM+. But after watching it, I've mostly been won over. As it turns out, you can teach an old dog new tricks.

I've always been of the firm belief that the 2010 Robin Hood movie starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett is the best we've had (I didn't grow up watching the animated Disney movie from 1973, so I'm discounting that). However, newcomer Jack Patten in the titular role and Lauren McQueen as Marian are a breath of fresh air.

Straight off the bat, the new series has taken a huge risk by putting two unknown actors in its lead roles, and this is a large part of why I think the 10-episode series is so successful. They're perfectly counterbalanced by heavyweights Sean Bean (Sheriff of Nottingham) and Connie Nielsen (Eleanor of Aquitaine), though for me it's Nielsen who has the most to offer us (more on this later).

That's not all that's working, though. Creators Jonathan English and John Glenn have fleshed our the Robin Hood origin story to great effect, turning an elusive urban legend into Rob, a boy who wants to do right by the people he loves. This fantastic sense of basic narrative structure also means we have some epic cliffhangers... but there are issues in Sherwood Forest, too.

Robin Hood is the perfect example of good storytelling done well with unknown faces

Instead of a distant rogue who takes from the rich and gives to the poor (though we do see this a little bit as the series progresses), the notion of who we know Robin Hood to be is instantly called into question. This version of Rob has a nickname, complicated relationships with his home and family and a lot of love for their way of living that is constantly being threatened.

Our opening episodes deftly use their time to flesh Rob out into the 3D character he's never truly been before, and this is our starting point for seeing his story in a completely new light. Though he maintains an intimately close bond with Marian (Patten and McQueen's chemistry feels as natural as breathing), it's never explicit, and we're nurturing a beautiful Romeo and Juliet-style connection right along with them.

I can't give all the credit to our leads for the narrative satisfaction, though. It's incredible how many movies and TV shows these days don't get the basics right – I'm aware I sound about 87 saying this, but as a trained scriptwriter, it annoys me endlessly.

English and Glenn know exactly what they're doing here, and uprooting the story of Robin Hood from its very beginnings allows the overall plot to stay tight and on message. Yes, there are definitely episodes that are more boring than others (there's a lot of Rob and his 'merry men' sitting around despairing in the woods), but each episode cliffhanger is an absolute blinder.

Without fail, a curveball is swiftly delivered in each episode's last 30 seconds, turning what we've learned so far on its head. This means you can't do anything else with your time other than immediately watch next episode, and I love the feeling of investment those moments give me. Frankly, I'd say it's the best part of the whole series.

Amazingly, we don't need to see every time somebody gets it on

Marian and Rob kiss behind a tree

The Marian-Rob courtship remains innocent. (Image credit: Amazon)

While physical scenes between Rob and Marian are wholesome and harmless, I couldn't believe my eyes at how unnecessarily explicit the rest of Robin Hood is. This falls particularly on Priscilla of Nottingham (Lydia Peckham), who gets back at her dad by trying to hold physical power of the chief of the guards.

Add Rob's mates getting it on in the serving chambers of Eleanor's castle, and it all feels a bit icky. Entire scenes of dialogue are acted out in questionable positions, and you already know that the women are near naked while the men remain mostly clothed.

It's 2025, and we can get across the point that women are using their 'feminine wiles' as power without including graphic sex scenes that don't serve to drive the plot forward. It's certainly not a feminist move by any stretch of the imagination – even though there will be an intimacy coordinator on set, these are creative decisions being made by men, at the end of the day.

These scenes also weirdly undermine Connie Nielsen's Eleanor of Aquitaine, who is undoubtedly the best written character in the entirety of Robin Hood. Every word that leaves Nielsen's mouth is a piece of sage wisdom, using her own wiles to coordinate attacks and alliances through international correspondence.

It's a masterclass in the continued underestimation of women throughout history, having their stories rewritten while in fact making their own in a man's world. Clearly, Nielsen has cornered the market for playing royalty, taking everything we love about Lucilla in Gladiator and expanding it in all the best ways. If Amazon gave us a spinoff focussed entirely on her, I wouldn't be mad about it.

I might be nitpicking here, but overall, I'm impressed. I won't be lobbying for more takes on the Robin Hood legend any time soon, but MGM+ has proved what is possible in the tired-out realm of adaptations.

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.

The Witcher season 4 review: Netflix nixes logic for confusing and overwhelming fantasy, but the payoff is worth it
11:01 am | October 30, 2025
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Netflix Streaming | Tags: | Comments: Off

After two years of waiting, The Witcher season 4 has finally returned to our screens – and boy does it feel like we've been waiting that long in the worst possible way.

The hit Netflix show is a complex one to keep up with at the best of times, and that's even more exaggerated when so much has happened in the interim. Liam Hemsworth has taken over from Henry Cavill in the role of Geralt of Rivia, we've got a whole host of brand-new roles who make up his rag-tag crew, and Vilgefortz (Mahesh Jadu) is far from finished wreaking havoc with his unhinged chaos magic.

Add in the remaining witches of Aretuza, the White Flame and the introduction of infamous savage Leo Bonhart (Sharlto Copley), and there's a lot of plates spinning. Unfortunately, I don't think season 4 does the best job of easing us back into the drama, and that's to the detriment of the first four episodes.

However, I implore you to stick with it, even when it feels like you need a specially-made dictionary to decode what's going on. Episodes 5-8 might just be some of the strongest in the franchise, and the stakes are getting bigger and better for what promises to be an explosive final (and fifth) season.

This is possibly the only time I'd advocate in favor of Netflix's split-season drop – while shows like Emily in Paris season 4 and Wednesday season 2 really didn't need to be released in two goes, The Witcher seasons 4 and 5 are part of the same ongoing story.

By the end of season 4, the fictional engines are finally up and running, but are now left to thaw while we wait for season 5 to be announced. Good things come to those who wait, but is this a step too far?

The Witcher season 4 starts off as a slog, and that's a storytelling problem

For at least the first two episodes of The Witcher season 4, I didn't know if I was coming or going. Unless you're a diehard fan of the books and games or have rewatched the previous three seasons in preparation, you're going to be as lost as a kid on their first day of high school.

As someone who doesn't fit into either of those categories, I think episode 1 has done a particularly poor job of bringing us up to speed. We're reminded that Geralt, Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) and Ciri (Freya Allen) have been separated after the fallout of the Battle of Aretuza, but the details are woolly.

Instead of a traditional 'previously on...' recap that would have worked a lot better – or a standalone recap on the platform like Netflix has done with The Witcher before – we're reminded of how things stand through a young girl reading a book about the legend of The Witcher. It's clear she's going to be important in season 5, but the creative risk isn't helpful to getting the simple understanding that we need.

By the halfway point of season 4, you're back in the swing of things. Geralt has become a side plot in his own story, and the action we are seeing often feels like the CGI budget has obviously been spent on Stranger Things season 5 instead.

While there's a distinct cutback on nudity and intimate scenes this season (which was a conscious decision from showrunner Lauren Schmidt-Hissrich), those that do still appear feel somewhat gratuitous. I hate to sound like my Nan, but it's the swearing that rubs me up the wrong way the most in season 4. There's often no linguistic blueprint from the show, swinging from Ye Olde English to "I'm gonna f**cking kill you" in seconds.

The second half of The Witcher season 4 is where it truly shines

Geralt's gang gathers around to listen to something

Geralt's new gang in The Witcher season 4. (Image credit: Netflix)

Get through these issues in the first four episodes, and you're onto a winner in the second four. Where I've been harsh on the first half of season four, I couldn't sing the praises of episodes 5-8 loud enough. They're some of the strongest in the franchise, upping their visuals, storytelling, and worldbuilding to deliver something we genuinely don't want to stop watching.

Rather than our final episode being the pinnacle of the season, I think it's actually episode 6. Here, we see Vilgefortz and Yennefer come face-to-face in the Battle of Montecalvo, something that's been hugely expanded on from the original books. The action sequences are dynamic and push creative boundaries, while there are plenty of genuine surprises in store (that may or may not change the game for season 5).

I've also got to take a moment for the new cast member who's the actual star of season 4: Laurence Fishburne. Though fans were quick to criticize his casting as thoughtful vampire Regis, Fishburne brings the perfect balance of wisdom and curiosity. It's honestly a wonder that he's not been cast in an old-world fantasy series before this, but now he's truly part of the furniture.

Now viewers are more settled back into The Witcher's lore and overarching narrative, these later episodes in the season also take more creative risks. Without giving too much away, we've got full-out musical numbers, animated sequences and unlikely alliances waiting for us, and I think each has spinoff potential (but more on that another time).

Is The Witcher season 4 the best outing Netflix has had so far? No – and that's largely because it's a placeholder for season 5. In order to give us the jaw-dropping ending we're all waiting for, the show has to give us a lot of context and build-up ready for that moment, and we have to ride out the underwhelming bits as a result.

If anything, think of this as season 4 part 1. Just like the Deathly Hallows or Mockingjay movies in Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, the calm comes before the storm... and what a storm The Witcher season 5 is going to be.

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.

Next Page »