Harry Potter

Based on JK Rowling’s book series, the eight-movie franchise cost $1.2 billion to make and raked in over $7 billion at the box office. It follows young Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), an ordinary boy whose whole world is turned upside down when he discovers he’s really a talented wizard destined for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  

But it wouldn’t be entertaining if there weren’t evil forces trying to thwart Harry and his friends Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) at every turn, led by the evil villain Voldemort, who tried to kill Harry as a baby but only managed to leave a lightning bolt scar on his forehead.

The films become more spellbinding with each film (Philosopher’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince, Deathly Hallows Part 1 and Part 2) – and if you want to find out what your South African Patronus animal would be, take the Showmax Harry Potter quiz here… Watch now »

The Matrix

Arguably the most iconic sci-fi film in history, Keanu Reeves teams up with Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss to play Neo, Morpheus and Trinity as they take on the criss-cross worlds of The Matrix.

Imagine if everything you knew to be real was a computer programme and even you were part of this giant algorithm – and the machine overlords were determined to kill every last human. This is the world of The Matrix, where artificial intelligence outgrew its creators and started thinking for itself, taking over the world and enslaving humans.

Neo is revealed as “the one”, a man who will fulfil the prophecy and bring an end to the human-robot war. The problem is that Neo doesn’t believe in his abilities as much as Morpheus and Trinity, who give him support and help on his journey in the three movies – The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. Watch now »

The Dark Knight (and more)

Superhero fans, unite! Watch the best Batman of them all in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises) which introduces fans to a darker, more brooding Batman, played by Christian Bale. Grossing over $2.4 billion at the box office, it consistently ranks as one of the greatest trilogies ever made. 

Explore more of the DC universe with Birds of Prey, featuring Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Man of Steel with Henry Cavill as Superman and Ryan Reynolds behind the mask in Green Lantern. Shazam! is a comedic change of pace with a superhero the whole family can love.  

Joker, the 2019 Oscar winner featuring Joaquin Phoenix, is coming to Showmax on 5 July. 

Explore the DC Universe now »

Jason Bourne

Matt Damon brings Robert Ludlum’s amnesiac spy to life in this five-part series, starting with The Bourne Identity as Jason is pulled from the Mediterranean Sea with bullet wounds and no memory of who he is, how he got there and why someone tried to kill him.

It’s not just skop, skiet en donner, though – this is a cerebral action thriller that will have you questioning everything, from who Bourne really is, to why so many people fear him. Each film (apart from The Bourne Legacy, which focuses on a whole different agent – Jeremy Renner’s character Aaron Cross) adds more to the puzzle than it actually answers.

Watch Jason’s films in order – The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum and Jason Bourne. You can use your discretion with The Bourne Legacy.

The Hobbit

Before you watch The Lord of the Rings trilogy, brush up on the story of Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit movies (An Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug and The Battle of the Five Armies). They tell the story of Bilbo (Martin Freeman) as he goes on a journey with his wizard friend Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and dwarf Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), leader of a dwarf army hellbent on reclaiming his family’s honour by defeating the dragon Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch).

Peter Jackson, director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy was asked to return because the Tolkien family only trusted him to bring the novels to life again. And the films are every bit as epic. Finish the story with The Lord of the Rings trilogy, coming to Showmax in July.

Jurassic Park

It’s one of the best-known sci-fi fantasy franchises, based on the novel by Michael Crichton.

It all starts with Dr Allen Grant (Sam Neill) in Jurassic Park, an archaeologist hired to approve a theme park where scientists have brought dinosaurs back to life using genetically engineered DNA. It quickly turns into a nightmare when the dinos run wild and start chomping everyone in sight.

The sequels The Lost World and Jurassic Park 3 feature rescue missions: in the second, it’s the dinos that need saving and in the third, Grant returns to save a boy stranded on a deadly island.

Jurassic World is the first of the reboot movies and centres on Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), a Navy vet who specialises in animal behaviour. He’s trained raptors to respond to commands but discovers that his bosses have been lying to him when their new attraction – a hybrid dino – breaks free and eats anything in her path as she discovers that she’s top of the food chain on the island.

If you want something entertaining for the kids, Showmax also has the LEGO Jurassic World TV show The Secret Exhibit and animated LEGO movie The Indominus Escape.

These franchises should keep you busy for a while, but save some time for the Rocky movies, coming to Showmax in July, and the Blade and Rush Hour movies, coming in August. Check out Showmax and get a 14-day free trial » DM/ML