What To Watch This Weekend: 'Wicked: For Good,' 'Rental Family,' 'Sisu 2,' 'Pluribus,' More Must-See

HOLLYWOOD, CA — From hive-mind horror to musical redemption, this weekend’s watchlist spans animated odysseys, war-fueled vengeance and the bittersweet bonds of chosen family — all streaming now or debuting in select theaters.

“Wicked: For Good” closes the curtain on Oz with a soaring finale. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo reprise their roles in Jon M. Chu’s lavish musical sequel, where friendship, fate and defiance collide in a spellbinding crescendo.

“Rental Family” offers a gentler kind of catharsis. Brendan Fraser stars as a washed-up actor hired to play pretend kin in Tokyo, in Hikari’s soulful dramedy about connection, performance and the families we invent to survive.

“Sisu: Road to Revenge” finds Jorma Tommila’s indestructible Finnish warrior back in blood-soaked action. Director Jalmari Helander delivers a lean, brutal sequel that’s equal parts pulp and pathos — a war cry wrapped in grit and snow.

“Pluribus” plunges into a near-future America where a viral signal has fused humanity into a collective consciousness. Vince Gilligan’s Apple TV+ thriller stars Rhea Seehorn as one of the last minds resisting the merge — a chilling meditation on identity, memory and the cost of autonomy.

“In Your Dreams” is a kaleidoscopic animated adventure from Netflix, where two siblings chase the Sandman through surreal dreamscapes to save their parents’ marriage — a whimsical, heartfelt tale for all ages.

Also newly available on streaming: “Train Dreams,” “One Battle After Another” and “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” — three standout theatrical releases worth revisiting, now just a click away.

Ready to dive in? Scroll down for the full lineup — and step into the shimmering world of storytelling, where every frame is an escape.

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What To Watch This Weekend

“Wicked: For Good”

Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo; directed by Jon M. Chu

“Wicked: For Good” casts a dazzling spell as the second chapter in Jon M. Chu’s cinematic adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical. Picking up where the 2024 film left off, the sequel deepens the emotional stakes and expands the magical world of Oz with grandeur and heart. Ariana Grande returns as Glinda, bringing a shimmering blend of charm and vulnerability, while Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba remains the film’s emotional anchor — fierce, wounded and resolutely defiant.

Chu orchestrates the spectacle with precision, balancing sweeping musical numbers with intimate character moments. The production design is lush, the choreography kinetic, and the score — featuring new arrangements by Stephen Schwartz — soars with renewed vitality.

While the narrative occasionally leans into exposition, the film’s core — the evolving friendship between Glinda and Elphaba — remains potent and affecting. Jeff Goldblum’s Wizard adds a sly menace, and Michelle Yeoh’s Madame Morrible is chillingly composed.

Shot concurrently with its predecessor, “Wicked: For Good” benefits from narrative continuity and a cast fully immersed in their arcs. It’s a triumphant conclusion that honors the source material while carving its own cinematic legacy — a spellbinding finale that lingers long after the curtain falls.

“Rental Family”

Brendan Fraser, Takehiro Hira; directed by Hikari

“Rental Family” is a tender, offbeat dramedy that explores loneliness, identity and connection through a uniquely Japanese lens. Brendan Fraser stars as Phillip Vandarpleog, a down-on-his-luck American actor who finds unexpected purpose in Tokyo by joining a company that rents out actors to play family members for clients in need. Fraser brings warmth and quiet melancholy to the role, anchoring the film with a performance that’s both humorous and deeply human.

Director Hikari — who co-wrote the screenplay with Stephen Blahut — crafts a story that’s gently surreal yet emotionally grounded. The film’s Japanese ensemble, including Takehiro Hira and Mari Yamamoto, adds rich texture and authenticity, while Akira Emoto lends gravitas as a client with a haunting request.

Shot with understated elegance by cinematographer Takurô Ishizaka and scored with ethereal tones by Jónsi and Alex Somers, “Rental Family” balances whimsy with poignancy. It’s a film that asks what it means to belong — and whether love can be performed into existence.

Though its pacing may test some viewers, the film’s emotional payoff is quietly profound. “Rental Family” is a cross-cultural gem — strange, soulful and ultimately affirming.

“Sisu: Road to Revenge”

Jorma Tommila, Stephen Lang; directed by Jalmari Helander

“Sisu: Road to Revenge” is a ferocious sequel that doubles down on the brutal poetry of its predecessor. Jorma Tommila returns as Aatami Korpi, the indestructible Finnish commando, now driven by vengeance against the Soviet commander who slaughtered his family. Stephen Lang brings icy menace as Igor Draganov, a villain as ruthless as the terrain they battle across.

Director Jalmari Helander crafts a lean, relentless war-action film — 89 minutes of blood-soaked catharsis. The violence is stylized and savage, but never gratuitous. Each kill is a punctuation mark in Aatami’s grief-fueled journey. Mika Orasmaa’s cinematography captures the stark beauty of postwar Karelia, while Juri Seppä and Tuomas Wäinölä’s score pulses with dread and defiance.

Though the plot is spare, the emotional undercurrent is potent. Aatami’s quest to dismantle his family’s cabin and rebuild it elsewhere becomes a metaphor for reclaiming dignity from devastation. Richard Brake adds grit to the ensemble, and Helander’s direction balances pulp thrills with surprising pathos.

“Sisu: Road to Revenge” is not just a revenge tale — it’s a meditation on survival, memory and the cost of war. It’s brutal, absurdly entertaining and, somehow, deeply human.

“In Your Dreams”

Jolie Hoang-Rappaport, Simu Liu; directed by Alex Woo

“In Your Dreams” is a whimsical and emotionally resonant animated adventure from director Alex Woo, co-written with Erik Benson. The Netflix original follows siblings Stevie and Elliot as they journey through a surreal dreamscape in search of the mythical Sandman, hoping he can mend their parents’ crumbling marriage. Jolie Hoang-Rappaport voices Stevie with spirited vulnerability, while Simu Liu and Cristin Milioti bring warmth and nuance as the children’s parents.

Woo, a former Pixar artist, infuses the film with visual inventiveness and emotional depth. The dream world is a kaleidoscope of color and imagination — from talking cereal mascots to a nightclub run by nightmares — yet the story remains grounded in the children’s yearning for family unity.

John Debney’s score blends whimsy with melancholy, and the film’s needle drops — including “Mr. Sandman” and “Sweet Dreams” — add playful texture. Craig Robinson and Omid Djalili round out the voice cast with comedic flair.

Though the plot occasionally meanders, the film’s heart never wavers. “In Your Dreams” is a rare animated feature that speaks to both children and adults — a cathartic, funny and ultimately hopeful tale about love, loss and the power of imagination.

“Pluribus”

Rhea Seehorn, Karolina Wydra; directed by Vince Gilligan

“Pluribus” (stylized as “PLUR1BUS”) is a cerebral, post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller — and Vince Gilligan’s bold return to television after “Better Call Saul.” Set in a near-future America where a viral outbreak — triggered by extraterrestrial transmissions — has fused humanity into a hive mind, the Apple TV+ series is as unsettling as it is visionary. Rhea Seehorn leads as Carol, a woman who awakens to find herself one of the last individuals resisting assimilation. Her performance is fierce, layered and quietly devastating.

Gilligan’s direction — alongside episodes helmed by Gordon Smith, Zetna Fuentes and others — is taut and immersive. The series blends psychological tension with speculative world-building, evoking both Orwell and Cronenberg. Karolina Wydra and Carlos-Manuel Vesga offer compelling support, while Dave Porter’s score pulses with eerie resonance.

Shot in Albuquerque with a single-camera setup, “Pluribus” is visually striking — its sterile serenity masking a deep existential dread. The writing is sharp, often darkly funny, and unafraid to probe questions of autonomy, memory and collective identity.

Though its pacing may challenge casual viewers, “Pluribus” rewards attention with a haunting, high-concept narrative. It’s a chilling meditation on conformity and consciousness — and a worthy new chapter in Gilligan’s genre-defying legacy.