Looking for a good movie to watch onNetflix? Goodness knows, we’ve all been caught in the endless scroll, bouncing from one auto-play preview to the next with no end in sight. If you want to skip the scrolling this week, we’ve got you covered with our picks for the best new movies on Netflix in February. March is just around the corner, and a whole bunch of new movies are coming with it, but you’ve still got some time to catch up on the best that February has to offer!
In this month’s highlights, you’ll find two new Netflix original dramas that have been stirring upquitea bit of conversation withMalcolm & MarieandI Care a Lot. There’s also the latest installment in the much-belovedTo All the Boysfranchise, if you’re looking for something lighter, along with plenty of old favorites, including two ofLeonardo DiCaprio’s best performances.
Check out all our picks for the best new movies on Netflix in February below, andhead over here for a complete list of every new show and movie hitting the streaming servicethis month.
Zathura: A Space Adventure
Available:February 1
Director:Jon Favreau
Writers:David Koepp and John Kamps
Cast:Josh Hutcherson, Jonah Bobo, Dax Shepard, Kristen Stewart, Tim Robins
Inspired by a book from the author ofJumanji, the 2005 sci-fi family comedyZathura: A Space Adventuresets up a similar situation - a magical game transports its players into a life-or-death stakes adventure - but this time, the kids aren’t headed to the jungle, they’re launched straight into outer space. The story follows two brothers played byJosh HutchersonandJonah Bobo, who generally can’t stand each other and have to find a way to get past their differences and win the game together. Directed byJon Favreaujust before he helped launch the MCU withIron Man,Zathurahas plenty of the filmmaker’s crowd-pleasing charms and high-energy set-pieces, boosted by a clever script that makes the most of the concept with man-eating lizard aliens, spontaneous cryo-chambers, and a mystery astronaut who needs saving. The sibling squabbling wears a bit thin at times, but whenZathuraswitches into action-mode, it’s a heck of an entertaining ride for the whole family.
Director/Writer:Christopher Nolan
Cast:Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Elliot Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Michael Caine
Oh sure, we all love the memes, but when’s the last time you actually sat down and revisitedInception? Because folks,Christopher Nolan’s 2010 sci-fi thriller is still a ripping romp through the subconscious built on the tried-and-true foundations of a great heist movie.Leonardo DiCapriostars as Dom Cobb, the haunted leader of a group of dream-infiltrating mercenaries, who set out to retrieve the keys to a corporate empire from the dying mind of its founder. Nolan delivers one pulse-pounding, world-bending set-piece after the next (Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s rotating hallway fight scene is still chef’s kiss), and the ensemble cast is clearly having a ball - none moreso thanTom"You mustn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger darling"Hardy, and no matter how you interpret the film’s much-discussed final frames,Inceptionholds up as one of Nolan’s most impressive reinventions of familiar genres.
RELATED:Why ‘Inception’ Is Christopher Nolan’s Masterpiece
Shutter Island
Director:Martin Scorsese
Writer:Laeta Kalogridis
Cast:Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, Max von Sydow
Leo fans can have a double dose of some of his best work this month, becauseMartin Scorsese’s spooky psychological thrillerShutter Islandis also available to stream this month. DiCaprio stars as a detective investigating a remote insane asylum, where each clue leads him closer to coming to terms with his own personal trauma. It’s a full-on retro-schlock thriller filtered through Scorsese’s stunning cinematic talents, and he absolutelyflexesall those skills in his gleeful appreciation of the B-movies of yore.
Malcolm & Marie
Available:February 5
Writer/Director:Sam Levinson
Cast:Zendaya and John David Washington
You’ve no doubt heard thediscoursesurrounding this one by now. The new two-hander fromAssassination Nationfilmmaker andEuphoriacreatorSam LevinsonstarsZendayaandJohn David Washingtonas a couple locked in a long night of conflict after Malcolm (Washington) forgets to thank Marie (Zendaya) at the premiere of his new movie – which may or may not be inspired by her life, depending on which one of them you ask. Gorgeously shot in black-and-white, and carried by two stellar performances from Washington and Zendaya,Malcolm & Mariehas sparked all kinds of conversation, from its depiction of race, maligning of critics, and heavy-handed dialogue, but there’s no denying that the lead duo is worth watching in full force. But fair warning, your mileage may vary on whether the film’s destination is worth the wordy journey.
To All the Boys: Always and Forever
Available:February 12
Director:Michael Fimognari
Writer:Katie Lovejoy
Cast:Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish, Anna Cathcart, Ross Butler, Madeleine Arthur, Emilija Baranac, Trezzo Mahoro, Kelcey Mawema, Sofia Black-D’Elia, Henry Thomas, Sarayu Blue, John Corbett
The delightfulTo All the Boysfranchise ostensibly comes to a close with the third and final film,To All the Boys: Always and Forever. Picking up whereP.S., I Still Love Youleft off, the third installment finds Lara Jean settling in for her senior year solo now that Peter is off at college, and when admissions don’t go her way, their romance is once again put to the test. It’s not the best of the bunch, but if you like the first two, you’ll probably find lots to like here as the feel-good franchise once again leans into its stars charming chemistry with a welcome dose of whimsy.
I Care A Lot
Available:February 19
Director/Writer:J Blakeson
Cast:Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage, Eiza González, Chris Messina, Dianne Wiest
Look, we all knowRosamund Pikecan play a devastatingly cruel and endlessly fascinating person thanks toGone Girland in Netflix’sI Care a LotPike rivals that performance with another take on an impossibly cruel schemer. The dark (and I meandark) comedy follows Marla (Pike), a woman running a high-profit racket as the court-appointed guardian for elderly wards, who runs into some unexpected trouble when her latest mark (Dianne Wiest) winds up having some dangerous connections. It’s a twisty-turny ride that lays a lot of venom in each reveal, so you’re better off going in blind, but brace yourself for some of the most biting comedy of the year.
RELATED:Is ‘I Care a Lot’ Based on a True Story? Writer-Director J Blakeson Explains
The Conjuring
Available:February 21
Director:James Wan
Writers:Chad Hayes and Carey W. Hayes
Cast:Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Ron Livingston, Lili Taylor, Joey King, Mackenzie Foy
February might not usually be a month associated with spooky cinema, but you really can’t go wrong with one of the best horror movies of the 21st Century. After kicking off hit horror franchisesSawandInsidious,James Wanlaunched the highest-grossing horror franchise of all time withThe Conjuring. But killer dolls, demonic nuns, spinoffs, and sequels aside,The Conjuringholds up as a hell of a horror movie that’s gripping, grounded, and features some of the scariest set-pieces in Wan’s career. IntroducingVera FarmigaandPatrick Wilson’s Lorraine and Ed Warren,The Conjuringgives audiences a demon-hunting duo you may’t help but fall in love with, and matches them in the wonderfully-drawn Perron family, who suffer a demonic infestation in their home that leads to one of the most horrifying cases in the Warrens’ long history. Nearly a decade later,The Conjuringmight still be Wan’s best – and definitely his scariest – film. Oh, and the sequel arrives on Netflix this month too, for good measure.
KEEP READING:The Best New Movies to Watch on Amazon Prime Video This Month
