Rakuten TV | Making movie nights memorable

Thursday 18 June 2020 by Matt Maynard  Features

If you couldn’t get to the cinema before the lockdown closures don’t fret, Rakuten TV has some of the most recent releases available. 

You do have to pay to rent for a 48-hour period, but when considering you can watch the latest movies from the comfort of your own home, the prices are extremely reasonable. After all, they come at the fraction of the cost of your average cinema ticket. 

Below are some of Rakuten TV’s hottest picks for you to choose from.

Parasite

If you couldn’t get to the cinema to watch Bong Joon-ho’s phenomenal creation, now’s your chance - and at just £4.45, it’s a steal. 

The story follows an unemployed, down-on-their-luck family of four, whose son is introduced to the wealthy Park family for a tutoring job after the recommendation of a close friend. Upon meeting the lady of the house, Yeon-kyo, he senses a grand opportunity, but little does he know the string of events he’s set in motion. 

Winning Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director and Best International Feature Film at the 2020 Academy Awards, this masterpiece of a cinematic production is not to be missed.

Birds of Prey

Margot Robbie makes a return to our screens in Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous emancipation of One Harley Quinn, and if you’re a fan of all things DC, this all-female tag team of misfits is one you’ll want to witness. 

Ewan McGregor plays Roman Sionis (or Blackmask as he is known to many), one of Gotham’s most sinister Villains. When he puts a target on a young girl named Cassandra, Harley, Huntress, Canary and Renee Montoya form an unlikely band of heroes when all four are left with no choice but to take Blackmask down.

1917 

Winning three Oscars at the 2020 Academy Awards, this World War I epic directed by Sam Mendes will have you on the edge of your seats the entire way through, thanks to the unique method of filming used. 

1917 is considered a “one-shot” film (with one visible cut in the middle), whereby the movie is filmed as if in one continuous shot. While dubious at first, this method of filming creates a deeply immersive experience, perfect for the daring adventure through war-torn France. A war-time epic perfect for Sunday afternoon viewing. 

Jojo Rabbit

While Taika Waititi does yet another great job of making viewers laugh in his very own dark, dry way, don’t expect to whack Jojo Rabbit on the TV for a bit of lighthearted, satirical humour as the trailer would have you believe.

Follow Jojo, a young, naive fanatic of the Nazi war-effort at a time when the allies were beginning to close in around Germany. When he discovers his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their attic, Jojo must overcome his blind nationalism, a task that won’t be so easily achieved with an imaginary friend in Adolf Hitler. 

You’ll smile, you’ll laugh and you might even cry - Jojo Rabbit is well deserved of its Best Adapted Screenplay award.

The Gentlemen 

Guy Ritchie's latest addition to his gangster collection certainly doesn’t disappoint, and following in its predecessor’s footsteps, features an all-star cast of Matthew McConaughey, Colin Farrell, Charlie Hunnam and Hugh Grant. 

Hugh Grant’s cockney investigative reporter, Fletcher, plays the devious storyteller whose only concern is his own personal gain. He aims to bribe Mickey Pearson’s (Matthew McConaughey) right hand man, Ray (Charlie Hunnam), in an attempt to obtain a life changing sum of money in exchange for not divulging his boss’s criminal enterprise in the tabloid newspaper he works for. Thinking he’s quite cleverly outwitted everyone involved, little does he know that the cunning Mickey Pearson is not one to be so easily trifled with. 

Knives out 

Daniel Craig plays Benoit Blanc, a southern detective hired by an unknown figure to investigate the death of famous novelist, Harlan Thrombey, in his mansion. The suspects? Only his whole, entire family. 

Rian Johnson’s mystery ‘whodunnit’ is a long way away from Star Wars: The Last Jedi - the last movie the writer-director had a hand in creating - but with twists at every turn, Knives Out and its all star cast will have you hooked the whole way through. 

How do I get Rakuten TV? 

Unlike Netflix, Amazon Prime, NOW TV and Disney Plus, Rakuten TV isn’t a streaming subscription service, more your at-home cinema rental service.  

Featuring the latest movies available to rent that are not yet released on your favourite streaming services, Rakuten TV requires one-off purchases for you to start viewing your desired movies. 

Rakuten TV voucher code 

Rakuten TV voucher codes can be redeemed when choosing to rent a movie, and they can be obtained in a certain number of ways. 

If you’re a subscriber to the Sunday Times you’ll be given one Rakuten TV voucher worth £3.50, or if you’re a Vitality member, you can be rewarded with Rakuten TV voucher codes when you get active each week. There are other ways you can gain Rakuten TV voucher codes, but these are just two popular examples. 

Rakuten TV free movies & movie purchases

While Rakuten TV is a pay-to-watch service, they have made a small section of movies free to watch. There is also a section called ‘Greatest Hits to Own’, where customers can buy and keep certain titles, which will be stored in the Library of your account.