3 great Disney+ movies to watch on Labor Day weekend
With the long Labor Day weekend ahead, Disney+ will be an excellent platform to enjoy some movie nights. The streaming service has a diverse film catalog, spanning genres from fantasy to sci-fi and superhero to comedy. Disney is undoubtedly best known for its kid-friendly content across live-action and animation, but it has content for grown-ups, too.
While there are plenty of timeless hits in that department for some wholesome family evenings, it’s the popular franchises like the MCU and Star Wars that most subscribers keep watching again and again. For the relaxing Labor Day weekend, these Disney+ picks include Lucasfilm’s two best franchises and some more Marvel and mutant-themed adventures to chase after Deadpool & Wolverine.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
The Acolyte’s cancellation seriously dampened the mood in the Star Wars department. Still, fans can enjoy the climax the critically acclaimed Andor is building toward. Gareth Edwards’ Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is easily the best Disney-era Star Wars movie, shining a spotlight on the galaxy’s unsung heroes. The story focuses on Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) as she grows from a cynical renegade to one of the key figures in the Rebel Alliance destroying the first Death Star.
Alongside Diego Luna’s hardened Cassian Andor, they form a group of Rebels to steal the plans of the deadly superweapon. One of the franchise’s greatest strengths is the ability to explore different subgenres. And despite the franchise’s title, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story gives the galaxy far, far away an epic war flavor unlike any other installment. Beyond the gritty atmosphere, it still conveys a powerful message of hope in the face of tyranny.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and the first season of Andor are available to stream now on Disney+, with season 2 of the latter streaming in 2025.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
While James Mangold’s The Dial of Destiny wrapped things up for Harrison Ford’s iconic Indiana Jones, the franchise is alive and well with a video game entry, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, on the way. For action-adventure fans, a great way to get their fix this weekend is with Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The plot is set in 1938 as Indiana Jones is on the hunt for his kidnapped father (Sean Connery), an expert Holy Grail scholar.
Nazis are holding his father hostage in hopes of finding the artifact for their nefarious schemes. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was a well-received closer to a trilogy — for the time. Temple of Doom was an interesting departure that also garnered a positive reception in retrospect, but The Last Crusade was particularly beloved for returning to the more colorful, swashbuckling sense of adventure from Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is available to stream now on Disney+, while Indiana Jones and the Great Circle releases on December 9, 2024, for Xbox Series X/S and PC and in spring 2025 for PlayStation 5.
X-Men: First Class (2011)
With Shawn Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine still tearing up the box office, fans can find more mutant action on Disney+ this Labor Day weekend. Directed by Matthew Vaughn, X-Men: First Class chronicles the origins and formation of the iconic Marvel superhero team. The plot focuses on Professor Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr’s (Michael Fassbender) upbringing, growing bond, and eventual rift in their relationship.
As the two no longer see eye to eye on how to secure the rights of mutantkind in the face of prejudice, Charles’ X-Men and Erik’s Brotherhood of Mutants clash amid a looming nuclear war. X-Men: First Class remains one of the best live-action adaptations of the mutant heroes. The movie took the “superhero origin story” formula and turned it into a compelling period-piece story backed by great action set pieces and compelling character drama.
X-Men: First Class is now streaming on Disney+ and Deadpool & Wolverine is now playing in theaters.
