The best science fiction movies to watch on Netflix in February

Greetings, Polygon readers!

We’re just weeks away from the premiere of Dune: part two, the second installment in Denis Villeneuve’s science fiction epic, based on Frank Herbert’s acclaimed book series. However, you don’t have to wait that long to enjoy some great sci-fi, as we’ve put together a list of the best sci-fi movies available on Netflix this February. This month we have a post-apocalyptic action thriller starring Ma Dong-seok Train to Busan Fame, a dystopian drama about a father and son living in an occupied estate, co-directed by Daniel Kaluuya (Out, No), and a classic Kaiju Mecha action drama from Guillermo del Toro!

Let’s dive in and see what this month has to offer!

Editor’s Choice: Badland Hunters

Director: Heo Myeong Haeng
Form: Ma Dong-seok, Lee Hee-joon, Lee Jun-jong

When you’re looking for a great science fiction movie to watch, sometimes you’re looking for a thoughtful meditation on humanity’s role in the galaxy, with hard science elements and beautiful, almost fantastical cinematography. Other times you’re rooting for Ma Dong-seok to absolutely fool around in a post-apocalyptic hellscape. Badland Hunters is for those other times.

A (bizarre, tonally speaking) sequel to the serious apocalyptic earthquake drama Concrete utopia, Badland Hunters is a Mad Max-esque story about a hulking man looking out for his found family and destroying anyone who gets in his way (including a mad scientist to some twisted experiments). Although it doesn’t reach the lofty heights of Ma’s work Train to Busan or the Roundup films, he’s such a reliably entertaining and charismatic movie star that you can’t help but enjoy this B-movie experience. (And director Heo Myeong-haeng, a former stuntman who will direct the upcoming film The Roundup: Punishmentknows exactly how to shoot the big man’s action scenes.) It’s one of Netflix’s standout international releases of 2024 so far, and a fun time for those looking for popcorn-worthy sci-fi. —Piet Volk

The kitchen

Photo: Chris Harris/Netflix

Directors: Kibwe Tavares, Daniel Kaluuya
Form: Kane Robinson, Jedaiah Bannerman, Hope Ikpoku Jnr

Despite Out directorial debut of Daniel Kaluuya, The kitchen premiered on Netflix last month to little more than a handful of reviews. That’s a shame, because the movie itself is great. Actor-songwriter Kane Robinson stars as Izi, a man living alone on an occupied estate colloquially known as ‘the Kitchen’ in a dystopian London where social housing has been all but eradicated.

Izi works at a funeral service and crosses paths with Benji (Jedaiah Bannerman), a young boy grieving the recent loss of his mother. Suspecting that the boy is in fact his own estranged son, Izi reluctantly takes Benji in as the estate is about to be attacked by the police. A gripping, character-driven science fiction drama about a father and his son living in a world that is crumbling to its foundations. The kitchen feels like a film that is in direct conversation with the austerity politics of contemporary London. Robinson and Bannerman give great performances, and the world-building of the Kitchen itself feels believable and full of nuance and dimension. —Toussaint Egan

Pacific Rim

Image: Warner Bros. Pictures

Director: Guillermo del Toro
Form: Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi

If you’re a fan of kaiju and giant robots, you’ve got a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks. Dawnwalker, the new sci-fi comic book series from writer Ram V and artist Evan Cagle about a mecha pilot fighting interdimensional creatures in Central America, will debut its first issue in late March. Immediately afterwards, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empirethe latest installment in Legendary Pictures’ MonsterVerse will hit theaters, closely followed by the streaming premiere of Kaiju #8Production IG’s new sci-fi action anime about a man who gains the ability to transform into a super-powered humanoid Kaiju.

If you’re looking for a way to get your Kaiju season started sooner, there’s no better way to do so than by checking out Guillermo del Toro’s 2013 love letter to the genre. Pacific Rim has amassed a significant cult following in the decade-plus since its premiere, thanks in large part to the film’s spectacular mecha designs and equally jaw-dropping action sequences. It’s a visually impressive and unabashedly fun sci-fi action drama that’s charming and awe-inspiring to watch. -AT