3 intense Netflix thrillers to watch this week (March 9-15)

The beginning of a new week Netflix this means that there are several high-profile movies currently streaming on the service. He is the one who makes the most noise War machinea a new action film starring Reacher’s Alan Richson. The sci-fi thriller is about a group of soldiers who face an otherworldly threat that has crashed into Earth. With Richson at the helm, War machine is a fast-paced action movie that packs a punch.

Speaking of thrillers, Netflix has some interesting movies worth streaming this week. Our top pick is a psychological horror based on a novel by a famous writer. The other two films are the Oscar-winning war thriller and the sequel to the 2023 hit.

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M3GAN 2.0

M3GAN becomes Terminator

In a post-Covid world, social media marketing is one of the most integral aspects of a film’s promotional campaign. A viral trend can lead to lucrative box office revenue. Look M3GAN is a fantastic example of success. It was a stroke of genius to play up the film’s camp by featuring the M3GAN dance during the film’s promo tour. The dance raised awareness of the film and helped the bottom line M3GAN It was a hit in 2023, grossing over $181 million worldwide on a budget of $12 million.

Commissioning M3GAN 2.0 it was an easy decision. Two years after the events M3GANa new AI humanoid, AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno), was created to be used as a weapon by the US military. However, AMELIA, a stronger version of M3GAN, realizes herself and escapes. Left with no other choice, Gemma must restart M3GAN to stop AMELIA. Two AI robots in a battle for humanity, what could go wrong?

M3GAN 2.0 went full Terminator 2—the first film’s villain repackaged as the sequel’s hero. As an action thriller, M3GAN 2.0 is a fun popcorn movie with fun action sequences. Unfortunately, it lost the campiness of the first film, which contributed to that poor box office returns of the sequel.

M3GAN 2.0

Release date: June 27, 2025
Execution time: 120 minutes
Director: Gerard Johnstone

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Zero Dark Thirty

An analyst will do anything to catch Osama bin Laden

In 2025, Kathryn Bigelow directed House of Dynamitehis first feature film in eight years. The political thriller depicted a fictional nuclear attack on the United States from the different perspectives of government and military officials. The thriller is considered the third and final film in Bigelow’s unofficial war trilogy. It was the first film of the group The Hurt Lockerthe winner Oscar for Best Picture. It was the second film we chose for this article Zero Dark Thirty.

After the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, the only mission of the government was to find the leader of Al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden. Zero Dark Thirty It begins in 2003 when CIA intelligence analyst Maya (Jessica Chastain) is tasked with finding bin Laden. For the rest of the decade, Maya would spend every minute of her time searching for bin Laden’s whereabouts. Along the way, more terrorist attacks occur and Maya loses several colleagues. It all ends with a covert mission in a compound that may serve as bin Laden’s residence.

Zero Dark Thirty’s The biggest criticisms are the creative liberties Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal took to portray this pivotal moment in American history. Some viewers may not be able to see past these historical inaccuracies. Controversies aside, Zero Dark Thirty is a riveting piece of questionable filmmaking. This is a thriller about the process and how obsession has a huge impact on our personal lives.

Zero Dark Thirty

Release date: December 19, 2012
Execution time: 157 minutes
Director: Kathryn Bigelow

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Misfortune

Kathy Bates gives a terrific performance in this Stephen King adaptation

After Rob Reiner’s tragic death in December, many pop culture fans, myself included, began digging into his filmography. Reiner’s run from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s is legendary. Starting in 1986, Reiner directed Stand by me, Princess Bride, When Harry meets Sally… Misfortuneand A Few Good Men. A director can go through his entire career and not have one film as memorable as those five films. Meanwhile, Reiner directed all of these films in succession.

It’s a movie I want to focus on MisfortuneOne of the best book-to-screen adaptations of Stephen King novels. Writer Paul Sheldon (James Caan), whose car crashes during a winter storm, finds himself in the care of bookish nurse Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates). After reading Sheldon’s plans for his next novel, Annie informs Paul that she plans to hold him hostage in her cabin. Needing time to heal, Paul agrees to rewrite the novel to suit Annie better. He must be careful not to reveal his escape plans or risk another violent encounter with Annie.

Thanks to an Oscar-winning performance from Bates, Annie Wilkes is right up there with Pennywise as King’s top villains. Bates is legitimately terrifying as an obsessive bigot and psychopath. Misfortune proves you don’t need a lot of set pieces to create suspense. All you need is a compelling script and a committed performer.