The best sci-fi movies to watch on Netflix this March
16.03.2024 - 21:54
/ polygon.com
/ Adam Sandler
Greetings, Polygon readers!
Dune: Part Two has finally arrived and swallowed box-office expectations like a mighty sandworm across the plains of Arrakis. For audiences who haven’t yet had the chance to make it out to theaters to see this year’s sci-fi epic du jour, there’s still plenty of other exciting films on the horizon to look forward to, like Bertrand Bonello’s The Beast, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and more.
For those looking for a great flick to enjoy at home, not to worry: We’ve gathered our picks for the best sci-fi movies to watch on Netflix this month, including an explosive double-feature starring cousins Robbie and Stephen Amell, a far-out space drama starring Adam Sandler, and a multiverse mashup that offers a little bit of everything, everywhere… all at once.
Let’s take a look at what this month has to offer!
Director: Jeff Chan
Cast: Robbie Amell, Stephen Amell
In 2020, a small Canadian sci-fi movie supported by more than 30,000 Indiegogo contributors dropped on Netflix. Code 8, produced by and starring real-life cousins Robbie Amell (Upload) and Stephen Amell (Arrow), would become a breakaway hit on the platform, helping spawn a straight-to-Netflix sequel a few years later. It’s easy to see why they became hits — their dedication to interesting world-building and the clear passion behind the projects make them enjoyable to watch, warts and all.
In the world of Code 8, superpowered people have existed since the early 20th century. Those people became a labor class, using their powers to perform dangerous jobs. But as the Industrial Revolution progressed and automation became more standard, society decided the dangers of superpowered workers outweighed the benefits, turning those former workers into a heavily policed, marginalized class of people. When a young man with electric powers looks for a job to help pay for his mother’s medical bills, he falls in with a gang of powered criminals looking to secure a big score.
The Code 8 movies are not the most polished projects — the version of Code 8 Part II uploaded to Netflix has multiple apparent editing errors that splice in asynchronous shots for a single frame. But in some ways, that works to the movies’ benefit, in concert with the “low-budget passion indie” mood of the projects. (It also makes you appreciate how good the evil robot cops look in the series — some are reminiscent of Automatons in Helldivers 2, while others are straight riffs on Boston Dynamics’ terrifying robot dogs).
Part heist movies, part sci-fi, part stories about power and who wields it, the Code 8 movies don’t always execute at a high level, but they are working with some interesting ideas and are committed to seeing them through.