From Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem to Heartstopper Season 2, Should You Add These To Your Watchlist?
Pre-historic creatures, mutant turtles, and… a trip to Paris?! The writers of Pop Culture Planet share what you need to add to your watchlist ASAP.
Heartstopper Season 2
Paris squad, assemble — Heartstopper is back for season 2!
While Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie’s (Joe Locke) relationship is the heartbeat of the show, the cast becomes even more of an ensemble this season. We follow Nick’s journey to come out to family and friends on his own time, while Charlie is battling for control after the trauma of his bullying. Elle (Yasmin Finney) and Tao’s (William Gao) budding romance is a particular highlight and Isaac (Tobie Donovan) is working on self-discovery. Meanwhile Darcy (Kizzy Edgell) and Tara (Corinna Brown) struggle to take their relationship to the next level. All this while adventuring through Paris, prom, and plenty of sparks flying — including the sweet romance between teachers Mr. Ajayi (Fisayo Akinade) and Mr. Farouk (Nima taleghani).
Just like season one, the story is very loyal to the source material by Alice Oseman. The show remains earnest, joyful, and wholesome, but also throws more realism into the mix as they worry about their identities, past trauma, and the future.
Both seasons of Heartstopper are streaming now on Netflix.
- Kristen Maldonado
Meg 2: The Trench
New Meg, old chum.
Meg 2: The Trench is the sequel to 2018 box office hit The Meg. The original film detailed the story of a gigantic prehistoric shark known as the Megalodon. The Trench continues upon the first film, with the same team conducting a research exploration into the deepest parts of the ocean. Their journey spirals into chaos when an illegal mining operation threatens their mission and sends them into a high stakes battle for survival. They must outsmart and outrun the prehistoric beast while fighting against unknown enemies.
For a movie title and marketing all leaning heavily on the shark aspect of the film, the shark wasn’t the star until the last twenty minutes of the film. The majority of the movie detailed the covert mining operation and the research teams attempts to shut them down. As you can imagine, there was violence, death, and lots of CGI. The introduction of other prehistoric creatures such as a giant octopus and some crocodile-like species also took away from the shark action. The running plot disintegrated before the last thirty minutes of the movie and ended the film with a long battle sequence. Overall, the film had plenty of action and fit the typical shark survival trope, but I wouldn’t be rushing to theaters to watch.
Meg 2: The Trench is playing in theaters.
- Jordan Bohan
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is a SHELL of a good time!
The teen voice cast is perfect, authentically capturing their turtle bond and today’s young people. Ice Cube delivers an impressive performance as Superfly and I love seeing how all the different mutants come into play. The animation is explosive and creative with relatable themes of acceptance and fatherhood, including what it means to have the weight of family on your shoulders. And if you’re a music lover, the soundtrack is full of bops!
We get to see a bit of the Turtles origin story introducing us to them as little Turtle tots that are TOO CUTE. They really need to give them a prequel! There’s even a mid-credits scene that sets the stage for what’s to come in a sequel. In a year of incredible animation, Mutant Mayhem is one of the best of the year.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is playing in theaters.
- Kristen Maldonado
