By Dave B.

In Shadow (2019, currently on Netflix), as three empires battle for control of a strategic city, the commander of one of the empire’s armies challenges a rival to a duel to settle once and for all who the city belongs to. This serves as the opening move in a series of complicated plans that pit the stratagems of a king and a general against the indomitable will of a lowly servant who just wants to return home. 

By Dave B.

​In Michael Bay’s 6 Underground (Netflix), a team of people have faked their deaths to free themselves to take down some of the world’s most brutal dictators and warlords. They begin their task by attempting to stage a coup against the leader of the fictional country of Turgistan, who regularly bombs his own people with chemical weapons.

By Dave B.

​HBO’s Watchmen takes place in the same world as the “The Watchmen” comics and movie, from which it’s name is derived. The world of Watchmen is similar to our own and shares historical parallels, but is distinct in that differences in some critical events led to the widespread adoption of masked vigilantism as a way to fight crime. In Watchmen, vigilantes in masks have been outlawed, but the Tulsa, Oklahoma police themselves wear masks and adopt secret identities in the normal course of their duties, nominally for the protection of themselves and their families. When it is discovered that the all-powerful Dr. Manhattan is on Earth and living under the guise of a normal human, carnage ensues as various groups vie for his power. As a backdrop to all of this, the legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre’s unresolved legacy looms large.

By Dave B.

​Seis Manos (Netflix) follows three martial arts students in a small Mexican town as they team up with a local police officer and an American DEA agent to find justice for the murder of their master who was slain by a man who was genetically mutated by magical tears from a statue. Their mission is further complicated by a mysterious visitor from their master’s past who holds the key to unlocking the truth behind untold mysteries. Does all of that make sense? 

By Dave B.

​Mortal Engines (2018, currently on HBO) takes place on a post-apocalypse Earth where mobile cities vie for resources, with huge metropolises devouring smaller towns. London, having exhausted the resources of England has crossed to continental Europe, intent on finding a path through to the comparatively untouched hunting grounds of Asia. Hester Shaw, the movie’s heroine, will stop at nothing to stop London’s relentless onslaught while fulfilling her own need for revenge against the most influential member of London society. 

By Dave B.

Overlord (2018, currently on Amazon Prime) takes place on the eve of D-Day. American paratroopers insert behind enemy lines to take out a radio jamming tower in a small French town. After a disastrous paradrop, the soldiers find a secret Nazi facility that is conducting horrific experiments in an attempt to create undefeatable super-soldiers that will turn the tide of the war. The American troops must find the courage and wherewithal to accomplish their mission while confronting monsters from their nightmares. 

By Dave B.

​In Season Two of Jack Ryan (Amazon Prime), the titular hero is out for revenge. Determined to bring to justice a vicious killer, Ryan uncovers a global conspiracy that takes him from Venezuela, to London, and to the very halls of American power. As Ryan races against the clock to save a friend, he finds himself embroiled in an election that will determine the fate of a beleaguered people, and possibly, the world.

By Dave B.

In Season 6 of Rooster Teeth’s RWBY (2018, currently on Amazon Prime), on the world of Remnant, four young heroines find themselves at a crossroads after discovering the truth behind the origins of both their most fearsome enemy and their most powerful ally. Team RWBY must confront some terrible truths and their own demons, to find the will to continue the fight against the evil that is consuming their world. 

By Dave B.

In Aquaman (2018), the titular hero, born of both sea and land, must save both realms from a cataclysmic war sure to devastate both sides. To do this, he must claim his birthright and become more than a hero by facing daunting trials and uncovering his destiny.

By Dave B. 

​In The Predator (2018, currently on HBO), a ragtag group of soldiers with some significant emotional issues, battle the legendary alien threat and their own government. Through a bewildering array of locales, the group uses their combat skills to stay one step ahead of their foes while attempting to acquire a mysterious gift from an erstwhile enemy and save a kid. The stakes: the future of the humanity itself.