Movie fans looking for a wildly fun time need to head to Tubi, because the free streaming service is now streaming an absolutely bonkers sci-fi comedy. The sci-fi comedy genre is inherently absurd, mashing standard sci-fi conventions like interstellar travel and futuristic technology with laugh-out-loud humor that contrasts the extraordinary with the very human and mundane. One such movie just hit free streaming alongside its arguably worse sequel, which all but squashed hopes for a third film.
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We’re talking about Hot Tub Time Machine and its sequel, Hot Tub Time Machine 2. Both movies started streaming on Tubi on November 1st. Both films were directed by Steve Pink, and the first stars John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, and Clark Duke as four friends who accidentally travel back to 1986 in a ski resort hot tub, giving them the opportunity to relive their glory days and change their future. The sequel sees most of the group taking another plunge in the hot tub, only to find themselves in the future.
Hot Tub Time Machine Is a Classic, but Its Sequel Failed
Hot tub Time Machine was a stroke of genius for a sci-fi-comedy mashup. The movie was initially met with mixed reviews from critics and audiences, earning a 64% critic score and 56% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but it has since gained a cult following and wider appreciation as a masterfully goofy movie that delivers on its absurd title in a way that is surprisingly well-done and works exceptionally well. The movie doesn’t get bogged down in the details and mechanics of time travel and instead focuses on the hilarious consequences that stem from the sci-fi trope, resulting in plenty of memorable gags and characters.
Unfortunately, all that worked with Hot Tub Time Machine didn’t carry over into the sequel, resulting in a film that wasn’t just a box office flop but also panned by critics and audiences alike with just a 14% critic and 26% audience rating. More than just the glaring absence of Cusack, which the movie greatly suffered from, the sequel had an unoriginal and lazy script that seemed haphazardly strung together and verged more into offensive territory than funny.
Hot Tub Time Machine 2 all but put a pause to the film series, dashing hopes of a third installment that could bring possible redemption. Although Robinson has said that Hot Tub Time Machine 3 is “so ready to go,” he told CBR that it would take “Divine Order” for the film to actually get the green light.
What’s New on Tubi?
Tubi has plenty of fresh streaming options this November, and Hot Tub Time Machine and its sequel are just two of them. Viewers looking for more laughs can stream comedies like Daddy’s Home and Maid in Manhattan, while new sci-fi options include Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Super 8. Other streaming movies include No Country for Old Men, Face/Off, and Titanic.
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