December of 2019 is going to be a fateful time for Netflix, with Disney+ having gone
live in the middle of November.
Here are few titles jumping from to Disney in December, plus a few more leaving Netflix
not owned by the House of Mouse.
If you haven't seen this particular Marvel Cinematic Universe offering yet, now's as
good a time as any.
The third installment of the Thor series is one of the higher-rated and more widely acclaimed
installments in the entire MCU.
Even those who typically don't get into superhero films tend to make an exception for this one,
with its expert blend of action, heart, and humor.
"Wanna use a big wooden fork?"
"No."
"Yeah, not really useful, unless you were fighting off three vampires that were huddled
together."
As with all MCU films, it does help to have seen a few others before diving into Ragnarok,
but the film is a fairly well-contained story that outside context only enhances, rather
than being a necessity.
Directed by Taika Waititi, Ragnarok sees the God of Thunder learning some new and uncomfortable
hidden truths about Asgardian history and his father, Odin.
A conflict with a new and powerful enemy sends Thor to the secret world of Sakaar, ruled
over by the Grandmaster, and home to his ruthless gladiator games.
Along with old friends and new alliances, Thor must survive and find a way to flee Sakaar
to save his homeland from the threat of Ragnarok, the prophecy that foretells the destruction
of the entire Asgardian race.
Thor: Ragnarok will be leaving Netflix on December 4th.
With a box office take of $1.3 billion, there aren't many sci-fi fans left who haven't seen
Star Wars: The Last Jedi at least once.
If you somehow missed it, this is probably the last opportunity to stream it on a third-party
platform before it reemerges on Disney+ forevermore.
Writer/director Rian Johnson makes a concerted effort to both enrich Star Wars lore, and
to play with expectations, giving fresh perspectives of what we know about the Jedi and the universe
in which Star Wars exists.
"The Force is not a power you have.
It's not about lifting rocks, it's the energy between all things."
The Last Jedi immediately picks up where The Force Awakens left off, with Rey beginning
a proper education in the use of the Force.
In doing so, she'll discover many truths about the Jedi, Luke Skywalker, and his relationship
with Kylo Ren.
Meanwhile, division begins to roil within the Resistance, and the First Order is on
the hunt, hoping to destroy the Resistance's high command at last.
As Rey begins to realize that nothing is what it seems, how will she go forward, both for
her own sake and that of the Resistance?
Star Wars: The Last Jedi leaves Netflix on December 25th.
Seeing the 1982 feature The Dark Crystal before it leaves Netflix is of particular importance
if you have watched, or want to get around to watching, Netflix's revival series The
Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.
The modern series is set well before the events of the film, and chronicles the downfall of
the world and near-extinction of the species known as the Gelfling.
The movie may be going away, but not necessarily forever.
Jim Henson's Muppet works and characters are owned by Disney, but The Dark Crystal film
and its characters are owned entirely by The Jim Henson Company, which is still an independent
studio.
The license will likely be re-upped at some point in the future, especially if a second
season of the revival series is greenlit.
As for the film, The Dark Crystal, directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz, is a high-fantasy
story about the planet Thra, a world on the edge of total destruction.
A thousand years before, the evil vulture-like Skeksis shattered a magic crystal in order
to use it for themselves as a source of eternal life.
Thra's last living Gelflings, Jen and Kira [KEE-rah], undertake a quest to find the missing
shard and heal the crystal in hopes of destroying the Skeksis and returning Thra to its former
thriving and lush green state.
The Dark Crystal departs Netflix on December 31.
Schindler's List likely needs no introduction; the 1993 historical drama appeared on Leonard
Maltin's list of the 100 most important films of the 20th century and won a small avalanche
of awards, including six Oscars.
Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film is an adaptation of the historical fiction novel
Schindler's Ark.
While it depicts actual events, and the central characters did exist, some of the narrative
lacks firm historical record and has been filled in with supposition.
The film tells the story of Oskar Schindler, a factory owner who saved over a thousand
Jewish people from death at the hands of the Nazi regime by trafficking them through his
business.
Schindler begins as a faithful Nazi party member enjoying status among the SS, employing
Jews recruited from the ghetto for cheap labor.
When the ghetto is purged, however, the violence is so extreme that Schindler's allegiance
is forever altered.
Afterwards, he begins working with his Jewish business partner in secret to secure the safety
of as many Jews as possible.
Schindler's List will leave Netflix on December 31.
Wet Hot American Summer, released in 2001 to underwhelming reviews and a brutal box
office, has developed a reputation as a nostalgic cult classic in the years since.
Part of that is due to a talented cast that's only gone on to huge success in the intervening
years since the film's release.
Among them are Christopher Meloni, David Hyde Pierce, Janeane Garofalo, Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler,
and many more.
The film focuses on the last day of summer camp at the fictional Camp Firewood in 1981,
where the various kids and camp counselors fall in love, get into hijinks, and plan talent
shows...
"It sounds like pretty well-worn territory."
"The whole thing feels kinda trite.
I say we forget it."
"Is that how everyone feels?"
"Yeah."
Well, they also try to save the camp from being crushed by a piece of NASA's Skylab
that happens to be plummeting through Earth's atmosphere.
Wet Hot American Summer will also be departing from Netflix on December 31.
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