Credit: Lucas Gouveia/How-To GeekEven as we barrel down to the last days of what has been an exciting August for movies (The Last House, Don’t Say Good Luck, Big Chicken: A Fast Food Conspiracy among the highlights), Netflix‘s Top 10 has still been filling up with some solid choices for U.S. subscribers to the service—not to mention The Whisper Man still to come.
The Top 10 is where I’ve been digging lately, and the last several days have yielded some excellent movies, including the stunning animated superhero movie that reshaped a franchise; a remarkable true story about a stray dog and a grueling adventure race; and my top pick this week, another true story: an intense Mexican crime thriller built around a pair of patrol officers and the traffic stop of a lifetime.
3
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
The Oscar-winning animated reboot is always a pleasure to watch
Peter Parker’s spider-bite origin story has been done so many times that it’s ingrained in our collective psyches at this point. But one of its best and most creative tellings of the last decade is, without a doubt, Sony Pictures Animation’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which won Best Animated Feature at the 2019 Oscars and, at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, is the highest-rated of all Spider-Man films, period.
Quiz
Name that Spider-Man
Trivia challenge
Five web-slingers, one quiz — can you tell your Peter Parkers from your
Miles Morales?
Spider-ManMarvelMoviesCharactersActors
Spider-Man
Which Spider-Man famously said ‘With great power comes great responsibility’ in a
voice-over at the start of his first solo film?
Maguire’s Peter Parker delivering that iconic line as a voice-over, setting the moral tone for the
entire trilogy. It became one of the most quoted superhero movie lines ever.
opened with Maguire’s narration of that iconic line, cementing it as the defining motto of the character
for a generation of fans. It helped establish a morally grounded tone that the whole trilogy built on.
Characters
Which Spider-Man is a teenager from Brooklyn who discovers he has spider-powers
after being bitten, and whose story is told through a groundbreaking animated style?
Spider-Verse! Miles is an Afro-Latino teen from Brooklyn who takes up the Spider-Man mantle after the
Peter Parker of his universe is killed. The film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in
2019.
Afro-Latino teen from Brooklyn at the center of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which won the Academy
Award for Best Animated Feature in 2019. The film’s revolutionary animation style blended comic book
aesthetics with cutting-edge CGI.
Movies
Which Spider-Man appeared in a black-and-white noir universe and was voiced by a
major Hollywood actor known for his eccentric roles?
Spider-Verse! This version of Spider-Man comes from a gritty 1930s black-and-white universe and speaks
in a hard-boiled detective style. Cage even reprised the role in the live-action series Spider-Man Noir
on MGM+.
Into the Spider-Verse, a version of the hero from a grim 1930s black-and-white universe who speaks like
a classic film noir detective. Cage later reprised the character in a live-action series on MGM+.
Actors
Which Spider-Man actor was the first to portray the character as an active student
at the Midtown School of Science and Technology within the MCU?
War in 2016 and was explicitly shown as a 15-year-old high schooler balancing classes, homework, and
superheroics. Holland’s youthful portrayal was widely praised for finally capturing the nerdy, awkward
energy of the comic book Peter Parker.
Captain America: Civil War as a 15-year-old attending the Midtown School of Science and Technology.
Holland’s portrayal was praised for leaning into the geeky, high school energy of the original comics
more authentically than previous versions.
Spider-Man
Which Spider-Man famously used web-shooters that he built himself rather than
organic web-spinnerets that were a biological result of his spider bite?
used mechanical web-shooters he invented himself, just like in the original comics. Tobey Maguire’s
version had organic webbing, which was a deliberate departure from the source material by director Sam
Raimi. Garfield’s use of tech-made shooters was seen as a more comics-accurate touch.
web-shooters of his own design, staying true to the original comic books. Tobey Maguire’s version
famously had organic webbing — a controversial change made by Sam Raimi that divided fans at the time.
Marvel
Which Spider-Man lifted a massive amount of debris off himself in a deeply emotional
scene that became one of the most celebrated moments in superhero movie history?
machinery with no powers, Peter Parker digs deep and pushes the rubble off himself through sheer will,
accompanied by a stirring score. Many critics and fans consider it the defining heroic moment of the
Raimi trilogy.
debris with his powers failing him, Maguire’s Peter Parker pushes through by sheer determination in one
of the most emotionally stirring scenes in superhero cinema. The sequence is often cited as a high point
of Sam Raimi’s entire trilogy.
Characters
Which Spider-Man’s love interest was Gwen Stacy, played by Emma Stone, whose fate in
the sequel became one of the most talked-about moments of that era’s comic book movies?
Stacy, played by Emma Stone, in The Amazing Spider-Man series. In The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Gwen dies in
a tragic fall, mirroring her iconic death in the comics. The scene was emotionally charged, and
Garfield’s real-life relationship with Stone added extra weight to their on-screen chemistry.
was Gwen Stacy, played by Emma Stone, across The Amazing Spider-Man films. Her death in the sequel
directly echoed one of the most famous storylines in Marvel Comics history, and Garfield and Stone’s
real-life romance gave their on-screen pairing an authentic emotional depth.
Movies
Which Spider-Man tearfully told a dying Tony Stark ‘I don’t want to go’ after being
un-snapped in Avengers: Endgame and reuniting on the battlefield?
restored by Hulk’s snap, Peter rushes to a dying Tony Stark and tearfully says ‘We won, Mr. Stark’
before breaking down. Holland has spoken about how he improvised much of the emotion in that scene,
making it one of the MCU’s most gut-wrenching moments.
fatally wounded Tony Stark on the Endgame battlefield, delivering one of the MCU’s most heartbreaking
performances. Holland has mentioned in interviews that he improvised parts of the emotion in that scene,
which contributed to its raw, authentic impact.
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Into the Spider-Verse also has the distinction of bringing us a gaggle of Spider characters making their big-screen debuts; chief among them—and at the center of the franchise—is Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore), a Brooklyn teenager bitten by a radioactive spider and, well, you know what happens. There’s already a Spider-Man in Miles’ world (Chris Pine), but after watching him die at the hands of Kingpin (Liev Schreiber), he feels it’s his duty to take up the wall-crawler’s mantle. And then things get incredibly interesting.
Kingpin’s been building a particle collider to reach into other universes (I won’t spoil why), and in the process, the rip pulls in five other Spiders—Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson), Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), a talking pig named Spider-Ham (John Mulaney), Peni Parker (Kimiko Glenn), who pilots a mech-suit Spider character, and the brooding black-and-white Spider-Man Noir (Nicolas Cage). They all work together to mentor young Miles while also taking on Kingpin to get themselves home.
Cast
Jake Johnson, Kimiko Glenn, Hailee Steinfeld, Liev Schreiber, Luna Lauren Velez, Nicolas Cage, Lily Tomlin, Mahershala Ali, John Mulaney, Shameik Moore, Brian Tyree Henry
Runtime
117 minutes
Director
Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey
Writers
Phil Lord, Chris Miller
Sequel(s)
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Don’t Use), Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse
Franchise(s)
Spider-Man
Sequel
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse; Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse
Budget
$90 million
Studio(s)
Distributor(s)
2
Arthur the King
Mark Wahlberg, 435 miles, and a very determined stray dog
If you like good doggos as much as I do, and even better, true stories about them and some of the incredible things they can do, then this extreme-sport adventure movie that’s been floating around the Netflix U.S. Top 10 charts recently is for you. Arthur the King brings Swedish adventure racer Mikael Lindnord’s memoir, Arthur: The Dog Who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home, to life.
The heartwarming and heartbreaking true story stars Mark Wahlberg as Michael Light, an American extreme adventure racer (a grueling endurance race where teams trek, mountain bike, and paddle unmarked wilderness) who’s past his prime, but gets one last shot at the Adventure Racing World Championship in the Dominican Republic. In the midst of the race with his team, which includes Leo (Simu Liu), Olivia (Nathalie Emmanuel), and Chik (Ali Suliman), Light feeds a battered stray dog a meatball and unknowingly sparks a friendship for the ages.
The dog, which the team nicknames Arthur the King, miraculously follows the adventurers across 435 miles—swimming alongside their kayaks, running and riding along trails—and finishes the race with them, prompting Light to adopt the good boy and bring him home. Make sure to have tissues handy for this one.
Cast
Mark Wahlberg, Nathalie Emmanuel, Simu Liu, Ali Suliman, Juliet Rylance, Bear Grylls, Michael Landes, Paul Guilfoyle, Rob Collins, Elizabeth Chahin, Viktor Åkerblom, Zamantha Díaz, Cece Valentina, Roger Wasserman, Sharon Gallardo, Andrés Castillo, Angie Berube, Alani Ilongwe, Mauricio Adrian, Luis del Valle, Arturo Duvergé, Oscar Best, Iban Marrero, Carlton Mallard
Runtime
107 Minutes
Director
Simon Cellan Jones
Writers
Michael Brandt, Mikael Lindnord
Main Genre
Adventure
Studio(s)
Entertainment One
Distributor(s)
Lionsgate
1
Facing El Chapo
The traffic stop that caught the world’s most-wanted man
My top pick this week is another story based on true events, but there are no heroic dogs, and it couldn’t be further from heartwarming. Netflix has a successful track record of compelling content about Mexican and South American drug cartels, including Narcos, Narcos: Mexico, and the Emmy-nominated darling Griselda. Well, we can safely add Facing El Chapo to that list, as it’s a 91-minute Mexican thrill ride that, instead of focusing on the life of the notorious drug lord, hands the story to the men who caught him.
The Spanish-language film stars Ozark and Sense8‘s Alfonso Herrera, who plays Arturo Carmona, a federal police officer in Los Mochis, Mexico. While on routine patrol with his partner Héctor Rosales (Noé Hernández), they pull over a vehicle that had been reported stolen, but get the shock of a lifetime when they discover the world’s most-wanted criminal, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán (Héctor Kotsifakis), inside.
With backup nowhere nearby and Guzmán’s thugs closing in, the officers are forced to stash their prisoner at a roadside motel to wait for help. What follows is a long, sweaty wait, as Guzmán tries to bribe his way out of the situation while also threatening the officers’ lives and the lives of their families.
Facing El Chapo
Release Date
August 21, 2026
WHERE TO WATCH
Cast
Alfonso Herrera, Noé Hernández, Paola Fernandez, Antonio Fortier, Fernando Cuauhtle, Allan Durell, Gerardo Trejoluna, Isaac Bravo, Alejandra Vázquez De León, Regis Arroyo, Daniela Torres, Berenice Mastreta, Hector Kotsifakis, Juan Pablo Cruz García
Runtime
91 minutes
Director
Chava Cartas
Writers
Bernardo Esquinca
Producers
Francisco González Compeán
Main Genre
Action
Executive Producer(s)
Ximena Basaguren
There’s still a lot more to come for August
It ain’t over till it’s over, and August is definitely not over yet. There are still a handful of new movies coming to the service in the next week, including Adam Scott and Robert De Niro’s thriller The Whisper Man on the 28th. In the meantime, the picks above have been holding court on the Netflix charts and are worth your time. For all our coverage, check out How-To Geek’s streaming section.
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Simultaneous streams
Two or four
Live TV
No
Price
Starting at $8/month
