While you’ve probably made a big dent in your movie watch list during alert level 4 lockdown and wondering how you’ll spend your nights now, along comes your first two months of Sky Movies on us when you buy Standalone VodafoneTV and add Sky Starter + Sky Movies before 30 June 2020.*
This is your ticket to a huge collection of movies featuring some of the biggest stars on the planet and there’s a movie to suit every mood – from drama, romance and timeless classics, to thrills, horror and action. Or perhaps, like the rest of the world you’d prefer to watch end of the world drama movies like 2011 film Contagion, which was the 270th most-watched Warner Bros. film in December 2019, and the second most watched so far in 2020!
The movie selection is refreshed every month so if you manage to make your way through everything on offer in May, you’ll have a new selection to enjoy in June! What are you waiting for, grab VodafoneTV online now!
For families with littlies
Shrek, Shrek 2
Genre: Animated adventure comedy
Rating: PG
Watch if they loved: Kung Fu Panda, Cars, The Incredibles
One of the best kid’s movies, and probably one of the greatest movies of all time (It won an Oscar in 2002 for Best Animated Feature), Shrek is a hilarious film that entertains all ages, despite being aimed at kids. Many won’t know that the movie was based on a picture book from 1990 and works as a sort of reverse Beauty and the Beast.
The story goes that once upon a time, in a faraway swamp, there lived an ogre named Shrek whose precious solitude is suddenly shattered by the invasion of fairy tale characters. Determined to save his home, Shrek cuts a deal with Lord Farquaad and sets out to rescue the beautiful Princess Fiona to be Farquaad's bride.
With a really great soundtrack (check it out on Spotify) and an iconic cast (Mike Myers as Shrek, Cameron Diaz as Fiona, Eddie Murphy as Donkey, and Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots) it’s no wonder the movie stands the test of time – with next year being its 20th anniversary!
And you can follow the adventures of Shrek and Fiona in Shrek 2, which takes you to the land of Far, Far Away, and may even be better than the first movie - upping the stakes and star power adding, Julie Andrews, Jennifer Saunders, Simon Cowell and more to the voice case!
Penguins of Madagascar
Genre: Animated adventure comedy
Rating: G
Watch if they loved: Madagascar, Ice Age, Over the Hedge
If you’ve not been roped into watching the Madagascar films with your kids, you’re missing out. The animated series has some great jokes in there for adults as well as lots of hilarious moments for the kids to enjoy.
Penguins of Madagascar takes some of the more fun and devious characters - penguins Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private - from the original Madagascar movie and sends them on their own adventure. The story takes place right after the events of Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, and takes the penguins across the world, form the comfort and safety of the zoo, to Venice, the Artic, the Sahara Desert China and Ireland.
The Smurfs, The Smurfs 2
Genre: Animated adventure comedy
Rating: G
Watch if you loved: Alvin and the Chipmunks, Gnomeo and Juliet
Originally a Belgian comic book series, The Smurfs found fame on TV back in the 80s when the Saturday morning cartoon series aired for almost a decade. 20 years later we got the first Smurfs movie, which follows the story of Clumsy, Papa Smurf, Smurfette as they are chased out of their village but evil wizard Gargamel, and end up tumbling out of their magical world and into New York City.
The rest of the movie sees them trying to get back to their world before Gargamel tracks them down. Spoiler alert – there is The Smurfs 2 movie, so the Smurfs do manage to make it back to their world. In the sequel Gargamel causes problems again as he kidnaps Smurfette to force her to cast a spell that will transform Naughties into Smurfs. The rest of the Smurfs then go on a mission with their human friends Patrick (Neil Patrick Harris) and Grace (Jayma Mays) to rescue Smurfette.
Fun for the kids and an easy watch, the first two movies in the Smurf series will keep you all entertained for a few hours.
Mr Peabody and Sherman
Genre: Animated action adventure
Rating: G
Watch if they loved: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, The Good Dinosaur
Based on characters from the Peabody's Improbable History segments of the animated television series The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, Mr. Peabody is the most accomplished dog in the world. Along with his boy Sherman, they use their time machine to go on outrageous adventures.
When Sherman takes the time machine out for a joyride to impress his friend Penny, they accidentally rip a hole in the universe, wreaking havoc on the most important events in history. Mr. Peabody must come to their rescue, ultimately facing the most daunting challenge of any era: figuring out how to be a parent.
These guys may be lesser known characters to you and you’re kids but that doesn’t stop the movie from delivering puns, physical comedy and even some semi-educational historical titbits.
For families with older kids
Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse
Genre: Animated action
Rating: PG
Watch if you loved: Marvel Movies, Spiderman movies
This movie won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature last year, which is really saying something about how good it is, considering the winner in this category is usually a Disney or Disney Pixar movie. Not only are the comic book inspired graphics amazing, the soundtrack is one of the best you’ll hear – giving rise to Post Malone and Swae lee’s Sunflower track, and the story is a fresh take on the classic Spiderman story, which has been made for the big screen four times since 2002.
In the movie Miles Morales, the character writer Brian Michael Bendis created in 2011 to take over the mantle of Spider-Man after Peter Parker was killed, gains superpowers from a spider bite and goes on to protect the city as Spider-Man. Soon, he meets alternate versions of himself and gets embroiled in an epic battle to save the multiverse.
Watch this movie and be glad you did – it’s generally considered the best of the Spiderman movies and will appeal to parents and kids of all ages.
Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw
Genre: Action
Rating: M
Watch if you loved: Any of Dwayne Johnson or Jason Statham’s movies
Long-time fans of The Fast and the Furious movies will know that Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham have great on screen chemistry – they’re both hard a snails, pretty monosyllabic and a fan of the one liners. So they quite rightly thought that branching off and doing their own blockbuster would work wonders. And it did - with Fast and Furious fans flocking to the movies to watch some of their favourite characters in the spin-off.
Plot wise it’s pretty crazy – as most of Johnson and Statham’s action movies tend to be. Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw (Statham) team up to prevent Brixton Lorr’s cybernetic ally enhanced soldier from releasing a lethal pathogen that could wipe out half of the world's population.
It’s fast, it’s fun and it stars New Zealand’s and our favourite, Cliff Curtis, as one of Hobbs’ many brothers.
Fighting with my Family
Genre: Comedy
Rating: M
Watch if you loved: Instant Family, Jumanji
Fighting with my Family is based on the true story of a WWE Superstar, and tells the story of professional wrestler Paige, who was born into a tight-knit wrestling family, and is given a once in a lifetime opportunity to join the WWE. The film also follows the story of her brother, Zac Zodiac, as he struggles with his failure to achieve similar WWE success as his sister.
The movie is light-hearted, funny, and heart-warming, but doesn’t shy away from the deterioration (and ultimately the strengthening) of Paige’s relationship with her family, most notably brother Zak. While the movie is based around wrestling, you don’t have to be a fan to enjoy this movie, although it may make you enjoy Dwayne ‘The Roc’ Johnson’s cameo a little bit more (Johnson also produced the movie).
Men in Black: International
Genre: Action comedy
Rating: M
Watch if you loved: Men in Black movies, Thor, Bumblebee
Fans of the Marvel movie will recognise the lead paring in Men in Black: International as Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) from the third Thor movie Thor: Ragnarok. They take over from Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones’ characters J and K in this, the fourth instalment in the MIB series, and this time, the action takes place outside of the USA, as The Men in Black have expanded globally.
To keep everyone safe, decorated Agent H and determined rookie M join forces when aliens that can take the form of any human arrive on Earth. H and M embark on a globe-trotting adventure to save the agency - and ultimately the world - from the aliens’ mischievous plans.
If you’re missing Will Smith at any point, console yourself with the fact Thor is saving the MIB this time, with Emma Thompson and Taken’s Liam Neeson also bringing more star power to the cast. If you’re a fan of the first three Men in Black movies, this one shouldn’t disappoint.
There you have it – 10 movies to keep you entertained this week. Let us know what you watch with the family by sharing with @vodafonenz on social.
If TV shows are more your thing, why not check out our list of the top 10 most popular TV shows to watch on VodafoneTV with Lightbox?
* Sky Movies Offer: available until 30 June 2020 when you subscribe to both Sky Starter and Sky Movies through the VodafoneTV customer portal. Available to Standalone VodafoneTV customers who do not already have a Sky Starter subscription. If you cancel your Sky Starter or Sky Movies subscription during the 2 month period, you forfeit the offer. After the 2 month promotional period, standard charges apply for Sky Movies ($20.93 per month) unless you cancel prior. Terms apply, see vodafone.co.nz/sky-movies
Vodafone TV: requires an Unlimited Fibre or Ultra Fast HFC Broadband connection. Netflix and channels and apps may require additional subscription. Content, features and functionality vary according to subscription types. Apps and channels shown are subject to change. See Vodafone.co.nz/tv for more info.
