No Netflix series will probably be awaited with as much curiosity in 2023 as the live-action adaptation of “One Piece” – which is finally in the starting blocks this week. However, that’s not the only exciting new launch on the streaming service…
A new Netflix week is upon us and once again, the new releases announced so far for the coming seven days on the streaming service are quite manageable. That’s not surprising this week, as everything is dominated by the big “One Piece” series event on Thursday, which will overshadow most of the other launches anyway. Nevertheless, there are also some promising titles worth watching, which we would like to give you an overview of, as we do every Sunday.
Here are the Netflix highlights of the week from August 28 to September 3, 2023 – sorted by weekdays:
MONDAY: WORK OFF WATCHLIST …
As is so often the case, Netflix lets you take your time at the beginning of the week to work off some of the accumulated stuff on your watchlist, for example. That’s because no notable titles were announced in advance for Monday.
TUESDAY: … OR OFF TO THE CINEMA
The same goes for Tuesday this time around, so you can devote even more time to your Pile of Shame or make a pilgrimage to the movies to catch, say, the Johnny Depp cinematic comeback “Jeanne du Barry – The King’s Favorite” or (even better) the touching romantic masterpiece “Past Lives – In Another Life. “
WEDNESDAY: FUN PANDEMIC CHRONICLE WITH SCOOTE
Who would have thought that the often ridiculed but still mega-successful techno group Scooter, of all people, would provide one of THE documentary highlights of the year? But in fact “FCK 2020 – Two and a Half Years with Scooter”, for which the band was accompanied during the Corona lockdown, offers immensely fun entertainment for fans and non-fans alike, not least because of its equally vain and unflattering frontman H.P. Baxxter.
Interesting docu-fare is also promised by the Netflix productions “Invictus Games: Invincible at Heart,” about an event created by Prince Harry to help wounded soldiers heal through sports, and “How Do You Live to 100? – The Secrets of the Blue Zones,” which travels to five unique regions of the world where people live longer than average.
On the fiction side, the Mexican remake of the French comedy “The Great Seduction”, in which the inhabitants of a small fishing island leave no stone unturned in their efforts to revive the economy of their island, is also international.
Thursday: THE NEW “ONE PIECE” & A COMEDY TO JOIN
When Netflix announced that it wanted to turn “One Piece” into a live-action series, skepticism was high; after all, both the manga template and the anime adaptation, which has now become an absolute phenomenon with over 1,000 (!) episodes, are idolized by numerous fans worldwide. The trailers for the Netflix version of the story about the up-and-coming pirate Monkey D. Ruffy (Iñaki Godoy), who is endowed with extraordinary abilities, and his search for a legendary treasure could not really dispel this skepticism. And yet, many are still eager to see what the actual outcome will be. We will finally get the answer on Thursday.
Those who can’t do anything with “One Piece” and would like to help steer the course of a story themselves should rather turn to the RomCom “Choose Love”, the next interactive special from Netflix after projects like “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend” and “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch”.
FRIDAY: “DISENCHANTMENT” FINALE & JOHNNY-DEPP-HORROR
Friday is September 1 and as always at the start of the month Netflix has concentrated streaming supply in the bag. In terms of in-house productions, the fifth season of the fantasy spectacle “Disenchantment,” which concludes the latest animated series from “Simpsons” and “Futurama” creator Matt Groening, stands out alongside the Indian coming-of-age tragicomedy “Friday Night Plan,” the Dutch romcom “Happy Ending” and the Swedish kidnapping thriller “A Day and a Half. “
Animation fun also abounds with “The Grinch” adaptation from 2018’s “Minions” and “Super Mario Bros. Movie” studio Illumination. In addition, we can also look forward to double horror aftermath in the form of “Ruins” and Roman Polanski’s occult thriller “The Nine Gates” starring Johnny Depp.
SATURDAY: THE LATEST ADDITION TO THE “CONJURING” UNIVERSE
Eerily continues this weekend as demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) face off in court this time after a momentous exorcism. “Conjuring 3: Under the Devil’s Spell” may be the weakest part of the “Conjuring” trilogy once brought to life by “Saw” mastermind James Wan, but it still offers solid scary entertainment. On top of that, it’s the best way to get in the mood for the next spin-off from the ever-growing “Conjuring” universe: “The Nun 2,” the ninth film in the franchise, directed by “Conjuring 3” director Michael Chaves, hits theaters on September 21.
SUNDAY: “WEREWOLF” MEETS DATING SHOW
On Sunday, which is otherwise so lacking in novelty, Netflix follows up (as it did the previous week with “Ghostbusters: Legacy”) – at least for all friends of reality TV with a penchant for slightly more offbeat genre contributions. The Japanese show “Is She The Wolf?” combines the principle of a dating show with the popular party game “Werewolf”, since among the possible love interests is a saboteur who leads everyone around by the nose.
What you can expect beyond the upcoming week then everything in September on Netflix, you can read in our preview article for the next month.
