2026 was full of great cinematic experiences from retold stories in new light to creative craftsmanship refined and perfected on the big screen. Many movies from many different genres all giving something unique to offer. This is my list of movies that might have gone under your radar this year, and might be worth giving a watch.

1. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

28 Years Later is a sequel to the 2002 horror sci/fi 28 Days Later starring Cillian Murphy directed by Danny Boyle. The movie provides a religious take on the apocalypse and 28 Years Later is a natural follow up. The world is more chaotic and the virus has spread now being called Rage Virus and our protagonist must find a way to treat it. If you enjoyed 28 Days Later, this one is worth giving a watch as well.

2. Hoppers

One of the more enjoyable Disney/Pixar releases in recent years, Hoppers follows a girl obsessed with wildlife attempting to save their habitat from imminent destruction. Her mind is swapped into the brain of a robotic beaver’s in an attempt to communicate with the animals. They band together and build a plan to stop the local mayor from destroying their land but naturally come in contact with multiple obstacles in their wake. Marketed as a kid’s movie this Pixar film was actual quite touching and I felt the message behind it was quite compelling. It was also surprisingly humorous but maybe I was just in a really good mood that day.

3. The End Of Oak Street

I feel like this movie did not the attention it deserved. I remember seeing an early trailer for this movie and thinking it had all been done before with Jurassic Park and such, but this film starring Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor was a touching story about family dynamic and working together through hardship. There were moments I felt the CGI could have been better and it was a little off putting to see some creatures move in certain ways that felt unnatural, but I felt the overall story with the family drama made up for those aspects. It was a fun and unique dinosaur story, not much else to say about it.

4. Obession

Breakout director Curry Baker delivered on his first shot at the big screen. This horror romance was a smashing hit on release and for good reason. For such a small budget and production tactics Baker and his team used to create and film this movie gives it all the more reason to be appreciated by film lovers. This is why I love film, for amateur filmmakers to have their go at Hollywood and make it big. The storyline was terrifying and felt very scary and awkward in the moment which was exactly how Baker intended. Inde Navarrette gives a performance of a lifetime and her small gestures and minute mannerisms really sell the ghastliness of the character. Really compelling performance and one of my favorites of the year.

5. Disclosure Day

Steven Spielberg brings to life another UFO story starring the beloved and talented Emily Blunt. If you love sci/fi, this is the movie for you. It was very intense and some of the scenes were very surreal. I was especially impressed with the sound design, I think Gary Rydstrom and Skywalker sound did an excellent job capturing the extraterrestrial-like sounds and it felt very creepy and would terrify me to be the situation we saw Blunt’s character go through. If you’re an alien lover, definitely give this one a watch, Spielberg always knows what he’s doing.