What to Watch on Netflix, Disney+, Neon, Amazon Prime Video, Acorn TV and DocPlay in July 2021

July brings another bumper month of streaming possibilities to explore.

Here is the full list of the best things to watch on Netflix, Disney+, Neon NZ, Amazon Prime Video, Acorn TV and DocPlay during July.

The Fear Street Trilogy: Fear Street Part 1: 1994 (Netflix, July 2) 

After a series of brutal slayings, a teen and her friends take on an evil force that's plagued their notorious town for centuries. Welcome to Shadyside.

The first of a trio of weekly releases for the streamer looks to be a take on the classic horror films of the 80s and from Goosebumps writer R L Stine.

The Tomorrow War (Amazon Prime Video, July 2)

In The Tomorrow War, the world is stunned when a group of time travellers arrive from the year 2051 to deliver an urgent message: Thirty years in the future mankind is losing a global war against a deadly alien species. The only hope for survival is for soldiers and civilians from the present to be transported to the future and join the fight. Among those recruited is high school teacher and family man Dan Forester (Chris Pratt). 

Determined to save the world for his young daughter, Dan teams up with a brilliant scientist (Yvonne Strahovski) and his estranged father (J.K. Simmons) in a desperate quest to rewrite the fate of the planet.

Monsters at Work (July 7, Disney+)

Tylor Tuskmon graduates top of his class from Monsters University and arrives at Monsters Incorporated to begin his dream job as a Scarer… or not. The day he’s set to begin, he learns that they don’t want Scarers… they want Jokesters! Tylor is temporarily reassigned to the Monsters, Inc. Facilities Team. This change shatters Tylor’s plan, but he sets his sights on a new goal: becoming a Jokester.

It's always good to see the world of Sully and Mike back on the screen, and even though Monsters University didn't reach the highs of Monsters Inc, this sequel series looks promising.

Collective (July 8, DocPlay)

The Academy Award Nominee for Best Documentary 2021 has some shocking moments as it looks into the 2015 fire at Bucharest’s Colectiv club which leaves 27 dead and 180 injured. 

Soon, more burn victims begin dying in hospitals from wounds that were not life-threatening. Then a doctor blows the whistle to a team of investigative journalists. One revelation leads to another as the journalists start to uncover vast health care fraud. 

Winner of over 20 awards, and selected as Romania’s Academy Awards entry for Best International Film, Collective follows journalists, whistle-blowers, burn victims, and government officials in its uncompromising look at the impact of investigative journalism at its best.

We Are Lady Parts (Neon, July 9)

We Are Lady Parts is an anarchic and irreverent music comedy following a Muslim female punk band 

- called Lady Parts - who are on a mission to find a lead guitarist and maybe, just maybe, get a proper gig. 

The six-part music comedy shows the highs and lows of the band as seen through the eyes of Amina Hussein - a geeky microbiology PhD student, who is recruited to be their unlikely lead guitarist. Amina has never met girls like this before, and soon gets swept up in their joyful, anarchic energy and punk spirit. 

Black Widow (July 9, Disney+ Premier Access)

Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. 

Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.

Heist (July 14, Netflix)

Millions in stolen cash. Missing luxury bourbon. Watch ordinary people almost get away with these extraordinary heists in this true crime series.

And then start thinking about whether you could do the same....

The Painter and the Thief (July 15, DocPlay)

When two paintings are stolen from Oslo-based artist Barbora Kysilkova, the police catch the thieves within a few days. 

But the paintings are never found. Barbora attends the court case hoping to find clues for where they can be but finds herself compelled to walk over to one of the criminals to ask another question: “I wonder if I could paint you?” Thief Karl-Bertil answers without hesitation: “That would be possible.” Thus begins the relationship between an artist and her unlikely muse—which soon evolves into an even more unlikely friendship. 

McCartney 3,2,1 (July 16, Star)

Paul McCartney sits down for a rare in-depth one-on-one with legendary producer Rick Rubin to discuss his groundbreaking work with The Beatles, the emblematic 70s arena rock of Wings and his 50 years and counting as a solo artist. 

In this six-episode series that explores music and creativity in a unique and revelatory manner, join Paul and Rick for an intimate conversation about the songwriting, influences, and personal relationships that informed the iconic songs that have served as the soundtracks of our lives.

The White Lotus Season 1 (Neon, July 19)

HBO's The White Lotus follows the lives of various resort guests over the span of a week as they relax and rejuvenate in paradise. But each passing day brings a darker complexity to these travellers, the hotel's employees, and the beautiful location itself. 

Starring: Murray Bartlett (Tales of the City), Connie Britton (American Horror Story), Jennifer Coolidge (Gravity Falls), Alexandra Daddario (Why Women Kill), Fred Hechinger (Fear Street), Jake Lacy (High Fidelity), Brittany O'Grady (Little Voice), Natasha Rothwell (Insecure), Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria), and Steve Zahn (Modern Family). 

Outlier (Acorn TV, July 19)

Female-led Nordic crime thriller set in the stunningly brutal Arctic wilderness. Maja Angell, an academic who studies and profiles serial  killers revisits her past when she hears of a young woman murdered in her hometown. 

Hoping her work developing analytical tools to  predict serious crimes can aide the investigation and stop more murders Maja heads back to her Sami community, a place she vowed  never to return. 

Jolt (Amazon Prime Video, July 23)

Lindy is a beautiful, sardonically-funny woman with a painful secret: Due to a lifelong, rare neurological disorder, she experiences sporadic rage-filled, murderous impulses that can only be stopped when she shocks herself with a special electrode device. 

Unable to find love and connection in a world that fears her bizarre condition, she finally trusts a man long enough to fall in love, only to find him murdered the next day. 

Heartbroken and enraged, she embarks on a revenge-filled mission to find his killer, while also being pursued by the police as the crime’s prime suspect.

Jolt stars Kate Beckinsale, Stanley Tucci, Susan Sarandon, Lili Rich, Bobby Cannavale, Laverne Cox, David Bradley, Jai Courtney

Jungle Cruise (Disney+, Premier Access, July 30)

Disney’s “Jungle Cruise” is a rollicking thrill-ride down the Amazon with wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff and intrepid researcher Dr. Lily Houghton. Lily travels from London, England to the Amazon jungle and enlists Frank’s questionable services to guide her downriver on La Quila—his ramshackle-but-charming boat—to uncover an ancient tree with unparalleled healing abilities.

Starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt.