With March on the horizon, Netflix subscribers have only a few days left to watch a select group of movies. Several noteworthy titles are leaving Netflix at the end of February. Unfortunately, it is unknown if these movies will ever return to Netflix, at least anytime soon.
The most noteworthy film on its way out is Dune, Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 sci-fi adaptation of Frank Herbert’s groundbreaking novel. Other picks include an Oscar winner from the early 2000s, a 1990s Western, and an underrated comedy from the late 2010s.
Dune (2021)
It’s never good to have a film like Dune leave Netflix. If there’s one silver lining, Dune: Part Two arrives in theaters on March 1, one day after Dune departs from Netflix. Before you watch Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) ride a sandworm in Part Two, watch him stick his hands inside the pain box in Dune one last time on the streamer.
In the distant future, Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac) is summoned to the desert planet of Arrakis to maintain order and protect the most valuable resource in the galaxy, “the spice.” Joining Leto on his journey are his wife, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), and brilliant son, Paul. While Leto wants to bring peace and form an alliance with the native Fremen, House Harkonnen looks to conquer Arrakis and harvest the spice. With the future of House Atreides at stake, Paul must embrace his destiny and become the one to unite his people with the Fremen.
Stream Dune on Netflix.
Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)
It may shock you to find out that Paul Blart: Mall Cop didn’t win any Academy Awards. Most critics, except for Roger Ebert, despised it. But sometimes you need a little silliness in your life. Don’t fight it; embrace it. Paul Blart: Mall Cop is the kind of movie you can watch, have a few laughs, and forget about your problems. That’s escapism at its finest.
Single father Paul Blart (Pixels’ Kevin James) dreamed of becoming a police officer. However, his low blood sugar cost him a spot on the force, forcing him to become a security guard at the local mall. On Black Friday, a group of criminals seize control of the mall and take hostages, including Paul’s daughter, Maya (Raini Rodriguez), and his crush, Amy (Jayma Mays). No one knows the mall better than Paul. Can he use this knowledge to his advantage and save the day?
Stream Paul Blart: Mall Cop on Netflix.
Mystic River (2003)
The talent involved in Mystic River is absurd. Behind the camera is two-time Oscar winner Clint Eastwood. Penning the script is Brian Helgeland, an Oscar-winning screenwriter. The cast features Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurence Fishburne, and Laura Linney. Mystic River’s lineup rivals the New York Yankees’ Murderer’s Row team of the 1920s.
In Boston, three men – ex-convict Jimmy (Penn), cop Sean (Bacon), and blue-collar worker Dave (Robbins) – have been friends since childhood. However, Dave is still living in fear after being abducted and sexually abused 25 years ago. After the death of Jimmy’s daughter, Sean’s investigation leads him to name Dave as a potential suspect. This doesn’t sit well with Jimmy, who moves heaven and earth to find his daughter’s killer, even if it means taking out his friend.
Stream Mystic River on Netflix.
Blockers (2018)
Preventing others from having sex is typically done by your peers. In the case of Blockers, it’s parents who fight to stop their kids from having intercourse. It’s prom night, and seniors Julie (Kathryn Newton), Kayla (Geraldine Viswanathan), and Sam (Gideon Adlon) agree to all lose their virginity. What the girls didn’t expect was interference from their parents – Julie’s mom, Lisa (Leslie Mann), Kayla’s father, Mitchell (John Cena), and Sam’s father, Hunter (Ike Barinholtz).
The unlikely trio join forces to foil their daughters’ plans at the prom afterparty. Yet, getting to the afterparty becomes rather difficult as the adults themselves embark on a wild night of debauchery. Blockers is a hilarious teen comedy that lends a lot of heart and empathy to a taboo topic.
Stream Blockers on Netflix.
Legends of the Fall (1994)
Edward Zwick is rarely brought up when mentioning the best filmmakers of the last 40 years. Yet, his résumé is full of commercial and critical hits: About Last Night… (1986), Glory, Courage Under Fire, Blood Diamond, and a film leaving Netflix at the end of the month, Legends of the Fall.
With its story beginning in the early 20th century, Legends of the Fall is an epic Western starring Anthony Hopkins as Colonel William Ludlow, who leaves the army to start a new life in Montana with his three sons: Alfred (Aidan Quinn), Tristan (Brad Pitt), and Samuel (Henry Thomas). Over the course of 50 years, the boys navigate love, war, grief, and tragedy in the wilderness of Montana.
Stream Legends of the Fall on Netflix.
