Best New Action Movies of 2026

Critics Consensus: The Furious detonates into a relentless, blood-soaked spectacle of breathtakingly inventive martial arts choreography, with director Kenji Tanigaki delivering a brutal, balletic action extravaganza.

Synopsis: After the daughter of Wang Wei (Xie Miao) is kidnapped by a criminal network and he receives no help from the corrupt police, Wei sets… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Xie Miao, Joe Taslim, Enyou Yang, Brian Le

Directed By: Tanigaki Kenji

Critics Consensus: Tapping into the primal pleasures of the classic creature feature, The End of Oak Street is pulpy good fun carried off with a light touch and a sharp bite.

Synopsis: After a mysterious cosmic event rips Oak Street from suburbia and transports their neighborhood to someplace unknown, the Platt family soon discovers that their very… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Christian Convery, Maisy Stella

Directed By: David Robert Mitchell, Chris Bender, Jake Weiner, Joanne Lee

Critics Consensus: Normal thrives on Bob Odenkirk’s gruff yet playful presence and director Ben Wheatley’s over-the-top carnage, delivering simple, ridiculous, and consistently entertaining thrills despite its familiar premise.

Synopsis: For Sheriff Ulysses (Bob Odenkirk), his provisional posting to the quaint Midwestern American town of Normal was meant to be a welcome respite from both… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Bob Odenkirk, Lena Headey, Henry Winkler, Summer H. Howell

Directed By: Ben Wheatley, Josh Adler, Rhonda Baker

Critics Consensus: Leveraging Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s classic chemistry to texturize a friendship tested by greed, The Rip tears into its potboiler setup with compulsively watchable confidence.

Synopsis: Upon discovering millions in cash in a derelict stash house, trust among a team of Miami cops begins to fray. As outside forces learn about… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor

Directed By: Joe Carnahan

Critics Consensus: The Wrecking Crew is as brawny and disarmingly charming as its two leading men, smashing through a thin story with colorful pyrotechnics and a satisfying amount of attitude.

Synopsis: In this action comedy, two estranged half-brothers, Jonny (Jason Momoa) and James (Dave Bautista) are forced to reunite after their father’s mysterious death. As they… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa, Claes Bang, Temuera Morrison

Directed By: Angel Manuel Soto

Critics Consensus: Unapologetically leaning into its own pulpy excess, Fuze detonates as a stylish thriller with energy, craft, and twists to spare.

Synopsis: Set in contemporary London, Fuze unfolds after an unexploded World War II bomb is unearthed at a busy construction site, forcing a massive citywide evacuation…. View Full Synopsis

Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Theo James, Saffron Hocking, Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Directed By: David Mackenzie

Synopsis: After years away from the cage, a once-feared MMA champion is pulled back in for the fight of his life when his younger brother is… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Daniel MacPherson, Bren Foster, Mojean Aria, Russell Crowe

Directed By: Tyler Atkins

Critics Consensus: With Hitchcockian flair, inventive gore, and electric performances, Over Your Dead Body blends tense thrills and playful twists into a satisfying, if occasionally conventional, ride.

Synopsis: When miserable couple Dan and Lisa retreat to a remote cabin for a romantic reset, each arrives with a secret plan to kill the other…. View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jason Segel, Samara Weaving, Timothy Olyphant, Juliette Lewis

Directed By: Jorma Taccone, Timo Argillander, Nate Bolotin, Maxime Cottray

Critics Consensus: By the power of Grayskull and with a little help from its self-deprecating script and spirited cast, Masters of the Universe is a delightful adventure that finds the humanity in He-Man.

Synopsis: In MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, Director Travis Knight brings the legendary franchise back to the big screen in this epic live-action adventure. After being separated… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Alison Brie, James Purefoy

Directed By: Travis Knight

Critics Consensus: Providing Alan Ritchson an ideal vehicle to flex his brawny charisma, War Machine occasionally clanks when it comes to character depth but otherwise soldiers on to deliver an awesome dose of action spectacle.

Synopsis: During the final stage of US Army Ranger selection, an elite team’s training exercise turns into a fight for survival against an unimaginable threat.

Starring: Alan Ritchson, Dennis Quaid, Jai Courtney, Esai Morales

Directed By: Patrick Hughes, Valerie Bleth Sharp, Greg McLean, Rich Cook

Critics Consensus: A self-aware slugfest that plays directly to those who know the difference between Fatalities and Babalities, Mortal Kombat II may not be a flawless victory but it’s likely the most roundly enjoyable entry in the franchise yet.

Synopsis: From New Line Cinema comes the latest high-stakes installment in the blockbuster video game franchise in all its brutal glory, Mortal Kombat II. This time,… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Karl Urban, Adeline Rudolph, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson

Directed By: Simon McQuoid, Michael Clear, Judson Scott, Jeremy Slater

Critics Consensus: Classing up an overdone premise with professional execution, Shelter is highly derivative of previous Jason Statham action vehicles but lean and mean enough to forgive the recycled tropes.

Synopsis: On a remote coastal island, a reclusive man (Jason Statham) rescues a young girl (Bodhi Rae Breathnach) from a deadly storm, drawing them both into… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jason Statham, Bodhi Rae Breathnach, Bill Nighy, Naomi Ackie

Directed By: Ric Roman Waugh, Volodymyr Artemenko, Elizabeth A. Bell, Teddy Schwarzman

Critics Consensus: Motor City‘s deliberate lack of dialogue occasionally backfires in a story that winds up running on fumes, but a rollicking soundtrack and visual panache soup up the engine enough to deliver a memorable ride.

Synopsis: In 1970s Detroit, a working class romantic is framed by a ruthless gangster after falling for his girlfriend. After years in prison, he returns with… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Alan Ritchson, Shailene Woodley, Ben Foster, Pablo Schreiber

Directed By: Potsy Ponciroli, Harry Ahluwalia, Elizabeth A. Bell, Chris Bosco

Critics Consensus: Bountiful in action but threadbare in narrative thrust with its episodic structure, this Star Wars is more of a skirmish that coasts on the charm of its central dynamic duo.

Synopsis: The evil Empire has fallen, and Imperial warlords remain scattered throughout the galaxy. As the fledgling New Republic works to protect everything the Rebellion fought… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver, Jeremy Allen White, Jonathan Coyne

Directed By: Jon Favreau

Critics Consensus: Millie Alcock brings a swagger to Kara Zor-El that’d make Krypton proud in this otherwise familiar origin story, dawning a promising new hero in the DCU who’s still waiting for an adventure that matches her vigor.

Synopsis: When an unexpected and ruthless adversary strikes too close to home, Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, reluctantly joins forces with an unlikely companion on an epic,… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Milly Alcock, Jason Momoa, Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley

Directed By: Craig Gillespie, Nigel Gostelow, Chantal Nong, Lars P. Winther

Critics Consensus: Mutiny offers up a bounty of crunchy carnage that Jason Statham serves with characteristic finesse, but convoluted plotting and an unrelentingly grim tone weigh down this action flick’s fun factor like an anchor.

Synopsis: In MUTINY, after witnessing his billionaire boss’s murder and being framed for the crime, Cole Reed (Jason Statham) boards a cargo ship on a one-man… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jason Statham, Annabelle Wallis, Jason Wong, Roland Møller

Directed By: Jean-François Richet, Alastair Burlingham

Critics Consensus: The world ends more with a whimper in Greenland 2: Migration compared to its predecessor’s big bang thrills, but Gerard Butler’s sturdy star power keeps this continuation reasonably compelling.

Synopsis: In the aftermath of a comet strike that decimated most of the planet, the Garrity family must leave the safety of their Greenland bunker to… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, Roman Griffin Davis, Amber Rose Revah

Directed By: Ric Roman Waugh, Chris Sparling, Courtney Brock, Samuel J. Brown

Synopsis: RZA’S ONE SPOON OF CHOCOLATE follows Unique (Shameik Moore, “Dope” and voice of Miles Morales in the Spider-Verse films), a veteran and ex-convict seeking a… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Shameik Moore, Paris Jackson, Blair Underwood, RJ Cyler

Directed By: RZA, Mitchell Diggs, Joseph Patrick Genier, Quentin Tarantino

Critics Consensus: A derivative and drowsy tour through the post-apocalypse, The Dog Stars‘ lush visuals can’t compensate for its listless narrative and underpowered pacing.

Synopsis: Ridley Scott’s “The Dog Stars,” is a riveting, epic thriller set in a world where survival is instinct, but humanity is a choice. Scott tells… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, Allison Janney

Directed By: Ridley Scott, Lily Brooks-Dalton, Brandon Scott Smith, Peter Heller

Critics Consensus: Constricting its two stars inside an airless presentation of a clunky techno-thriller premise, Mercy is tedious enough to make you cry uncle.

Synopsis: In the near future, a detective (Chris Pratt) stands on trial accused of murdering his wife. He has 90 minutes to prove his innocence to… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Chris Pratt, Rebecca Ferguson, Kali Reis, Annabelle Wallis

Directed By: Timur Bekmambetov, Mark Moran, Todd Williams