What to watch this week: ‘Andor’, ‘Bullet Train Explosion’ and more

Bullet Train Explosion

When the trailer for Bullet Train Explosion dropped, social media users said it looked like a Japanese version of Speed. Actually, it’s a remake of the 1975 film Bullet Train by Junya Sato, which was very likely the inspiration for Speed and other “mad bomber” films. In Shinji Higuchi’s film for Netflix, an anonymous caller informs the authorities that a bomb on a train bound from Shin-Aomori to Tokyo will explode if the speed drops below 100 km/hr. (Netflix)

Andor

Andor’s first season took everyone by surprise in 2022 by being a Star Wars property that was actually good. Not just good by Star Wars standards either, but a genuinely well-written, thoughtful series about evil bureaucracy and grassroots revolution. The second season, written by series creator Tony Gilroy, Beau Willimon, Dan Gilroy and Tim Bissell, follows Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) as he becomes increasingly involved with the Rebel Alliance against the Empire. (Disney+ Hotstar)

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Ne Zha 2

This Chinese animated adventure, based on the 16th century novel Investiture of the Gods by Xu Zhonglin, is currently the highest-grossing film of 2025, as well as the highest grossing animated film ever. It continues the story of Ne Zha, a young boy with supernatural powers, from the 2019 film. It releases this week in India in Mandarin and dubbed versions. Written and directed by Jiaozi. (In theatres)

Grand Tour

Miguel Gomes’ film, for which he won Best Director at Cannes last years, tracks the adventures of Edward (Gonçalo Waddington), a British civil servant, as he wanders across Asia in the period between the World Wars, leaving behind his fiancé, Molly (Crista Alfaiate), in Rangoon. We later follow Molly as she sets out on Edward’s trail. Their stories are interweaved with modern-day documentary footage of the cities they pass through. (MUBI)

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