You can get comprehensive lists of everything coming to streaming services anywhere. But half of those titles you don’t care about, and the other half are terrible. Where’s the good stuff? io9 is here to help.
Below you’ll find what we deem to be the best sci-fi and fantasy movies and TV coming to Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and Disney+ in February. Let’s get to it.
Netflix
Available February 1
Back to the Future Part III – Yeah, you read that right: just part three, which is odd. But I’m sure the other two parts of this incredible, near-perfect film trilogy are playing on cable somewhere, so watch those and then pop over to Netflix to see Doc and Marty go back to the Old West.
Blade Runner: The Final Cut – Fans can debate until the Replicants come home over which version of Blade Runner is best. But if you ask director Ridley Scott, it’s this version. The Final Cut. And it coming to Netflix feels like a pretty big deal.
Hancock – The Will Smith-starring Hancock feels like a movie that was ahead of its time: A big-budget superhero movie trying to subvert a genre that was just at the cusp of its resurgence. It came out the same summer as Iron Man and The Dark Knight, which was unfortunate for the film. But I’m curious to revisit now, 12 years later, and see how it holds up. Probably not well but who knows?
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves – Unless you were alive in 1991 (and I was), it’s hard to explain the phenomenon that was Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. And it goes way beyond that Bryan Adams theme song; the film was so popular, Mel Brooks made a parody of it. He also did that with Star Wars, which is kind of crazy when you think about it. And no, this isn’t “Star Wars” but I feel like it’s right under The Adventures of Robin Hood when you rank Robin Hood movies. At least it felt like that at the time. (Also Hulu)
Available February 7
Locke & Key – After several false starts and even an abandoned pilot, Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez’s popular comic has finally found its way to live-action. We’re hearing good things and will have more when the show airs but suffice to say, we’re all excited about it.
Available February 14
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon – Fans of witty stop-motion animation rejoice. Netflix has the sequel to the 2015 Oscar nominee, Shaun the Sheep, in which Shaun meets an alien and tries to help her get home.
Available February 15
Starship Troopers – Any day I get to write about Starship Troopers is a good day, and today is a good day. The 1997 cult classic by Paul Verhoeven is as weird and subversive today as it was almost 25 years ago. Just the perfect blend of camp, action, politics, and humor. I love it so, so much.
Available February 26
I Am Not Okay With This – I have not seen nor do I know much about this one but it’s certainly one of the more intriguing originals coming to Netflix in February. It’s based on Charles Forsman’s graphic novel about “a teen navigating the complexities of high school, family and her sexuality while dealing with new superpowers.”
Available February 27
The Angry Birds Movie 2 – I put this on here only because everyone said it’s better than the first one. Is that a high bar? Probably not. But if you have kids, we’re guessing you’ll find out.
Amazon
Available February 1
Dick Tracy – I am so excited about this. I was obsessed with Dick Tracy when it came out, even though it was based on a franchise I knew almost nothing about growing up. But the cast, the colors—everything about it called to me. And yet, you don’t hear people talk about it much these days, nor does it play that often. So it coming to Amazon means millions of us get to revisit it and or watch it for the first time. Excellent.
The Little Princess – Before he won two Oscars for best director and made arguably the best Harry Potter movie, Alfonso Cuarón made this lovely little fantasy film about a girl in a boarding school dealing with authority and the death of a parent.
Available February 3
The Cabin in the Woods – It just occurred to me that there’s a chance people could be reading this article and have not seen Cabin in the Woods. That’s mind-boggling to me. And if that’s you, click over to your Google Calendar or whatever and make plans for February 3 because holy shit. You are about to have your mind blown by one of the most intense and excellent horror movies in recent memory. That’s all I’ll say. Everyone else knows. (Also on Hulu)
Available February 15
American Ultra – Jesse Eisenberg stars as a stoner who is being hunted and doesn’t know why. Oh, it turns out he’s actually a sleeper agent mega spy. So he, along with his girlfriend played by Kristen Stewart, have to fight for their lives. This is a decent little movie that gets overlooked a lot but is well worth a stream. (Also on Hulu)
Available February 18
Super 8 – If you’re looking for the most J.J. Abrams movie that J.J. Abrams ever J.J. Abrams’d, you’ll find it right here. Super 8 was the director’s nod to the films he loved growing up as a kid, specifically those made by Steven Spielberg and Amblin Entertainment. And while Super 8 never reaches that level of quality, it’s worth watching for the valiant effort. (Also on Hulu.)
Available February 21
Hunters – If you’re looking for Amazon’s most intriguing original program this month, look no further. Al Pacino stars as the head of a group of New Yorkers who fight Nazis in 1970s New York. What else do you need to know?
Hulu
Available February 1
300 – Zack Snyder’s first foray into comic book adaptations may still be his best, as he all but changed the medium of visual storytelling with this shocking, brutal, and somehow also beautiful Frank Miller adaptation. This is Sparta, indeed.
28 Days Later – Speaking of game-changers by famous filmmakers, Danny Boyle flipped the notion of what a zombie could be in this 2003 low-budget film about a zombie outbreak in London where the zombies don’t walk, they run. Fast.
Earth Girls are Easy – The title alone of this 1988 comedy makes me feel like it won’t quite hold up to 2020’s standards of political correctness—but how could I skip a movie about Geena Davis falling for aliens played by Jeff Goldblum and Jim Carrey? (Also on Amazon)
Ghost – It’s a tale as old as time, really. Man is murdered and then appears as a ghost to help a psychic solve the murder. We’ve seen it a billion times. But in all seriousness, this 1990 smash is a must-see just so you have the cultural context. (Also on Amazon)
Mimic – Before he was making Oscar-winning movies, Guillermo del Toro made a few smaller budget creature features for Hollywood, including this 1997 Mira Sorvino vehicle about creatures out to hunt humans. It’s not del Toro’s best, but it’s definitely still del Toro, and that’s worth something.
The Phantom of the Opera – When we think of Gerard Butler movies—and we do, a lot—we rarely think of this one, in which he stars as the crooning Phantom in a big-budget musical version of the hit Broadway play. It’s even directed by Joel Schumacher for crying out loud. Totally a perfect streamer.
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves –Wait, are you having déjà vu? Isn’t this under the Netflix section? Yes, but I wanted to use photos for Starship Troopers AND Prince of Thieves so I cheated and listed it twice.
Available February 14
From Hell – I remember not loving this Johnny Depp vehicle, directed by the Hughes Brothers, about a detective investigating the murders of Jack the Ripper. But was I really not going to let you know an Alan Moore adaptation was coming to streaming? Of course not.
Disney+
Available February 1
Around The World In 80 Days – Don’t get too excited. This is not the 1956 Oscar-winning version of Around The World In 80 Days. That’s not owned by Disney. What is owned by Disney is the 2004 remake starring Jackie Chan, Steve Coogan, and many others. Not as exciting, to be sure, but a worthy stream.
Available February 5
Toy Story 4 – The thing Disney+ brings that those other streamers cannot is its theatrical films to streaming as soon as possible. And so is the case with Toy Story 4, the worthy addition to the Toy Story franchise that sees Buzz and Woody leave the house and go out on an adventure. If you missed it before, watch it now. It’s great.
Available February 7
Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made – Disney+’s big original movie this month is this Tom McCarthy-directed book adaptation about a kid detective with a polar bear partner. We haven’t seen it yet but hear very good things.
Available February 14
Splash – Before Tom Hanks was “Tom Hanks,” and when Ron Howard was more Opie than “Ron Howard,” the pair collaborated on this very 1980s comedy about a man who falls in love with a mermaid, played by Daryl Hannah. Even more exciting than that, though, is Disney+ adding this Touchstone title to its library which, we hope, opens the floodgates for tons more films.
Because of Winn-Dixie – Girl meets dog. Girl and dog become friends. Girl and dog help each other become better people. Dave Matthews from the Dave Matthews Band is there, as is Jeff Daniels. What more could you want?
Available February 21
Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Begun, The Clone Wars have. At least on Disney+. The highly anticipated final episodes of the hit Lucasfilm animated series will continue every week until we know how the tale of Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, Rex, and others plays out…in this story, at least.
Available February 25
Star Wars Resistance Season 2 – While you’re at it, the second and final season of Star Wars Resistance is being added to the service about a month after its finale aired. So many Star Wars fans missed this show and while ultimately it was a little disappointing, now that the whole thing is streaming, we think you’d enjoy it.
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Source: gizmodo.com
