If you’re looking for something new to watch on Netflix this month, you’ve come to the right place. February brings with it a bevy of love stories to be sure, but also charming family films, Oscar juggernauts and even an artful blockbuster. Below we’ve put together a curated list of some of the best movies newly streaming on Netflix in February to help whittle down your choices when paralyzed by the Netflix interface.
Behold our picks for the best new movies on Netflix in February 2024.
Netflix: “Orion and the Dark”
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Those of us whose childhoods were marked by anxiety and fear of the unknown can find solace in “Orion and the Dark,” from writers Charlie Kaufman and Lloyd Taylor and based on the book by Emma Yartlett. Directed by Sean Charmatz, the animated feature stars Jacob Tremblay as Orion and Paul Walter Hauser as Dark, the night entity that helps Orion confront some of his many fears. Simultaneously playful and heartfelt, the movie explores the embodiment of other night entities and phenomena like Unexplained Noises (voiced by Golda Rosheuvel), neon green mosquito-like Insomnia (voiced by Nat Faxon), Sleep (voiced by Natasia Demetriou), Quiet (voiced by Aparna Nancherla) and even one day entity Light (voiced by Ike Barinholtz). Intercut with the Adult Orion (Colin Hanks) soothing his daughter Hypatia’s (Mia Akemi Brown) similar worries, the story contains adventure, wisdom and comfort for all generations.
Netflix: “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken”
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Come for the voice cast, stay for the plot in Kirk DeMicco’s animated and aquatic adventure. In this Dreamworks Animation film, Lana Condor brings titular character Ruby Gillman to life alongside Toni Collette as Ruby’s mother Agatha and Jane Fonda as Ruby’s Grandmamah. The coming-of-age story spotlights the women of Rub’s family, who have the magical ability to transform into giant kraken. Ruby’s coming to terms with this part of her identity leads her to protect the ocean from a fearsome enemy — the mermaids (!) — all while putting herself out there to ask her human crush Connor (Jaboukie Young-White) to prom, which is on a boat where her mother does not want her to be. The Gillman family get away with passing for humans since they live in a seaside town with enough moisture in the air to keep them hydrated, but any exposure to water would send Ruby into giant kraken mode. But emotions and true selves need to be unleashed!
Netflix: “Players”
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Gina Rodriguez plays a sports journalist in this Netflix rom-com. That’s not the only thread of the broader theme of the film, in which she and her coworkers and close friends “run plays” to help each other get laid. Mack (Rodriguez) is the mastermind behind the squad, featuring Adam (Damon Wayans Jr.). Brannagan (Augustus Prew), Little (Joel Courtney) and later, office assistant Ashley (Liza Koshy). The shenanigans and tomfoolery are fun until Mack sets her sights on a man who she thinks will be a more mature catch and responsible in a relationship. Reminiscent of “Fever Pitch,” the friends to lovers trope shines in this rom-com, appropriate for the post-Valentine’s Day hangover or depression.
Netflix: “Marcel the Shell with Shoes on”
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This A24 film comes with a cuteness overload while teaching valuable life lessons, especially if you live in a shell like a hermit crab. Jenny Slate reprises her voice role of Marcel the Shell, and Isabella Rossellini joins her as the voice of Marcel’s Nana Connie. Marcel’s adventures, musings and questions are bound to bring any viewer some spark of joy, whether he’s ziplining across the yard, learning from Nana Connie or navigating the unknown. Director Dean Fleischer Camp expands the original YouTube shorts in a big way.
Netflix: “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
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A24’s Oscar-winning phenomenon “Everything Everywhere All at Once” hits Netflix later this month, and it’s worth the wait. From filmmaking duo Daniels, this indescribable film is at once a family drama, multiversal sci-fi adventure and bareknuckle actioner. Michelle Yeoh plays a Chinese immigrant running a laundromat with her husband (played by Ke Huy Quan) who is fighting an IRS audit of her business. But in a meeting with the IRS, her body is taken over by a version of her from a different universe. Absolutely bonkers action ensues, but the film barrels towards an emotional ending that drills down this story of familial bonds. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” won seven Oscars including Best Picture, Director, Actress, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress and Original Screenplay.
Netflix: “Something’s Gotta Give”
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If you’re in the mood for a feel-good movie, you can’t go wrong with a Nancy Meyers film — and her 2003 romantic comedy Something’s Gotta Give fits that bill. The film stars Diane Keaton as a successful playwright who is forced to look after her daughter’s much-older boyfriend (Jack Nicholson) after a heart attack, and against all odds these two complete opposites begin to attract. The film has the wit and humor of Meyers’ other films, but also a strong emotional center as the story of a successful 50-something single woman. Keaton and Nicholson are both pretty terrific here, and as with all of Meyers’ films, the house at the center of it is to die for.
Netflix: “Pacific Rim”
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Few filmmakers put as much passion into blockbuster spectacle as Guillermo del Toro, who brings the same level of artistry to robots and kaiju fighting in “Pacific Rim” as he does Oscar-winning dramas like “The Shape of Water” or “Pinocchio.” 2013’s “Pacific Rim” is a colorful actioner that takes place in the aftermath of an invasion of kaiju – or giant monsters – who have risen up through a rift in the ocean. Humanity has chosen to fight back by building enormous robots that can be piloted to fight these monsters one on one. The vast ensemble cast includes Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi, Idris Elba, Ron Perlman and Charlie Day and let’s just say watching this and the sequel (which was not directed by del Toro) back-to-back really showcases what del Toro brings to the table.
