5 sci-fi movies on Netflix you need to watch in February

Looking for sci-fi to watch in February? Netflix has arguably one of the best libraries of sci-fi in all of streaming. Netflix subscribers can watch Dune, Jurassic Park, Gravity, Pacific Rim, and other sci-fi classics. Netflix also has several subgenres –romantic, action, drama, and anime – to satisfy the needs of sci-fi fans.

This month, we spotlighted five sci-fi movies you must watch in February. One of our selections is Ready Player One, Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Ernest Cline’s novel. Other movies to watch in February include another Spielberg-helmed film, a spinoff sequel of a smash hit, and an underrated magical mystery.

Ready Player One (2018)

For a film that’s oozing with pop culture references from the last 40 years, Ready Player One could not have found a more appropriate director Spielberg, the innovator of the modern blockbuster. Set in 2045, Ready Player One follows Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), a teenage orphan who escapes the harsh realities of the world by spending most of his time in the OASIS, a spellbinding virtual reality universe with terrific visual effects. In the OASIS, Wade is known by his avatar, Parzival.

When OASIS creator James Halliday (Mark Rylance) dies, he leaves control of his universe to whoever can find a digital Easter egg hidden in one of the levels. With his friends by his side, Wade sets out to find the Easter egg before it gets into the hands of Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn), the villainous CEO who sees the OASIS as a potential cash cow for his corporation.

Stream Ready Player One on Netflix.

Resident Evil (2002)

Welcome to Racoon City. Inside the Hive, the Umbrella Corporation’s genetic research facility under Racoon City, a thief releases the deadly T-virus, transforming the staff into zombies and the animals into mutants. The facility’s AI, the Red Queen, shut the lab down before anyone or anything could escape.

Alice (Milla Jovovich) awakes in a mansion with amnesia and struggles to piece together what happened. Alice runs into a group of commandos and learns she is a security guard tasked with guarding the Hive’s secret entrance. With the Red Queen malfunctioning, Alice and the Umbrella Corporation commandos must escape the Hive within a few hours, or they will be trapped forever. Loosely based on the popular video game series, Resident Evil is a fun, action-packed zombie adventure with a star-making performance from Jovovich.

Stream Resident Evil on Netflix.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

No Jurassic Park sequel could match the hype, influence, or importance of the first film in the franchise. The Lost World: Jurassic Park had the unfortunate task of being the first sequel to Jurassic Park. The Lost World received mixed reviews from critics, and Spielberg even expressed his disappointment in the sequel. Still, upon revisiting the film, The Lost World is definitely toward the top of the Jurassic Park film rankings.

Set four years after Jurassic Park, a sickly John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) informs Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) that a second island, Isla Sorna, contains clones of the original dinosaurs. Hammond’s nephew is looking to exploit the dinosaurs on Isla Sorna to save his company. Hammond asks Ian to travel to the island with a research team to study the dinosaurs and facilitate a policy of non-interference. As we’ve learned with Jurassic Park movies, only bad things can happen when you go to the dinosaur-filled island. Let that dino-madness begin.

Stream The Lost World: Jurassic Park on Netflix.

Bird Box Barcelona (2023)

In 2018, Sandra Bullock taught audiences to keep their blindfolds on and not stare into daylight in Bird Box. The thriller captivated audiences, becoming one of the most popular films (English) on Netflix. In 2023, the Bird Box universe expanded with a spinoff sequel, Bird Box Barcelona.

In the film, the world is plagued by mysterious entities that manipulate people’s negative emotions, In Barcelona, Spain, the population has been decimated by mass suicide after people stare at the entities. Many of these innocent victims are led to their deaths by “seers,” people who marvel at the entities’ beauty instead of committing suicide. Sebastian (Mario Casas) and his daughter, Anna (Alejandra Howard), attempt to navigate their way to safety. The duo eventually links with strangers and sets a course for a rumored haven inside a castle. On their journey, the group learns that other people, not the entity, are their biggest enemy.

Stream Bird Box Barcelona on Netflix.

Sleight (2016)

Street magic gets a sci-fi twist in J. D. Dillard’s Sleight. After the death of his mother, Bo (Jacob Latimore) becomes the man of the house, which forces him to become the provider for his sister, Tina (The Last of Us actress Storm Reid). Bo’s primary source of income comes through street magic, thanks to an electromagnet he placed in his arm.

Unfortunately, street magic is not enough to pay the bills, so at night, Bo sells drugs for Angelo (Dulé Hill). After Bo gets involved in a turf war, his sister is kidnapped for ransom. With few options left, Bo must use his knowledge and sleight of hand to save his sister in this brisk, well-acted thriller.

Stream Sleight on Netflix.