12 Best Movies to Watch on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Before Their Release (April 2022)

May is just around the corner, which means there are plenty of movies to stream before they’re removed from your favorite streaming service at the end of the month. Still not sure what to check off your list of movies to watch this week? Don’t worry, we’ve put together our list of the best movies to stream between now and the end of April.

Horror thrillers like Bram Stoker’s Dracula to classic action movies like Blood sport And The rockThere are plenty of interesting entertainments to choose from.

Here are the 12 best movies you need to watch before they hit streaming in late April.

If martial arts films are celebrations of bodies in motion, there are few better examples than Jean-Claude Van Damme’s. Blood sportVan Damme plays U.S. Army Captain Frank Dux, a talented martial artist who is invited to an underground fighting tournament in Hong Kong. When his superiors won’t give him permission to attend, Dux simply goes, which leads to 1) two Army investigators (including Forest Whitaker) chasing him to Hong Kong; 2) Dux falling in love with a reporter (Leah Ayres) who is investigating the tournament; and 3) Dux fighting a lot of guys.

Allegedly based on the apocryphal achievements of the real Frank Dux, Blood sport is instead seen as an effective demonstration of Van Damme’s charisma, on-screen fighting skills, and good looks, as well as the incredible performance of all-time baddie Bolo Yeung as the villainous Chong Li. Prepare yourself for many, many impressive examples of JCVD ​​doing the splits.Pete Volk

Blood sport leaves HBO Max April 30.

Douglas Sirk’s 1959 drama Imitation of life The film follows the story of Lora (Lana Turner), an aspiring actress and single mother, her black housekeeper Annie (Juanita Moore), and their young daughters Susie and Sarah. As Lora struggles to build her career, Annie finds herself devastated by her relationship with her daughter, who struggles with her identity and wants to pass as white. Told over a decade, Sirk’s latest film is a poignant and devastating portrait of love and parenting at the intersection of race, class, and gender, and a moving work of cinema. -YOU

Imitation of life leaves Criterion Channel April 30.

A silly comedy about a group of minor superheroes who must save the day when a Superman replacement (Greg Kinnear) goes missing, The mysterious men is a surprisingly scathing critique of the intersection of capitalism and superhero culture, and it’s not without its fair share of fart gags. Featuring a hilarious cast that includes Ben Stiller, Wes Studi, William H. Macy, and more, the acclaimed ad director’s one and only feature film is a riot.PV

The mysterious men leaves Peacock May 1st.

A classic Michael Bay film and a classic 90s action film, The rock Stars Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage and Ed Harris are at the top of their game in an action thriller set on Alcatraz. When a group of rogue Marines led by a charismatic general (Harris) steal chemical weapons and take over the iconic prison island, the FBI sends in its top chemical weapons expert (Cage) and a former MI6 agent (Connery) to save the day. As in many Bay films, behind the big explosions and tough-guy machismo lies a moving story about forgotten people: in this case, Harris’s largely sympathetic cause, which involves getting money for his soldiers and the families of men who died on secret missions that the government won’t acknowledge. Of course, his sympathetic cause is undermined by his extreme methods, but that’s to be expected in this kind of film.PV

The rock leaves Amazon Prime Video April 30.

Bruce Willis stars in Terry Gilliam’s 1995 science fiction film 12 monkeys James Cole, a prisoner of the state in 2035, is sent back in time to stop a man-made virus from devastating humanity. Accidentally transported several years before the virus’ arrival, James is deemed insane by Dr. Kathryn Railly (Madeleine Stowe) and incarcerated in a mental asylum. Escaping the facility, James must uncover the identity of the leader of the mysterious anarcho-environmentalist group Army of the Twelve Monkeys before he dooms the planet. Inspired by Chris Marker The Jetty and the subject of an infamous lawsuit between Universal Pictures and architect Lebbeus Woods, 12 monkeys is a thrilling apocalyptic drama with a punchy ending that will leave audiences in shock. -YOU

12 monkeys leaves Peacock May 1st.