11 movies to check out on Netflix this February

The Australian family drama , directed by Robert Connolly, stars Mia Wasikowska (Alice In Wonderland), Radha Mitchell (Silent Hill), and Eric Bana (Hulk)— three actors you probably haven’t seen in a while or don’t see often enough. The official synopsis reads: “Follows Abby, a child who befriends a magnificent wild blue groper while diving. When Abby realizes that the fish is under threat, she takes inspiration from her activist Mum, Dora, and takes on poachers to save her friend.” The movie about protecting coral reef ecosystems premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.

Please don’t interpret the inclusion of the Britney Spears movie in this guide as an indication of the teen road film comedy’s quality. The Tamra Davis-directed movie is worth mentioning for Spears diehards because of its SVOD debut on Netflix this month. The A.V. Club’s Nathan Rabin writes, “The film offers loads of unintentional laughs, which begin when Spears is introduced as a virginal valedictorian and don’t subside until a final performance cheesy enough to rival Mariah Carey’s similarly misbegotten Glitter.” Crossroads also stars Anson Mount, Zoe Saldaña, Taryn Manning, Kim Cattrall, and Dan Aykroyd.

If you were impressed by Jake Gyllenhaal in the Road House remake, check him out as an equally ripped boxer in Antoine Fuqua’s . The sports drama about a boxer trying to get his life back on track after his wife’s death stars Forest Whitaker and Rachel McAdams. The A.V. Club’s , “As Billy Hope, a pugilist going several rounds with his personal demons, [Gyllenhaal] sports a military buzz cut, a chin caked in dark stubble, and mounds upon mounds of glistening muscle. It’s a real blood, sweat, and tears kind of performance, extra emphasis on the blood: Crimson drips perpetually from a swollen eye or dangles from a clenched jaw, leaving red stains everywhere—on shirt collars, on pillowcases, on battered flesh.”

cleaned up at the Oscars last year, winning Best Picture, Best Actress (Michelle Yeoh), Best Supporting Actress (Jamie Lee Curtis), and Best Supporting Actor (Ke Huy Quan), to name a few. The official synopsis reads: “A middle-aged Chinese immigrant is swept up into an insane adventure in which she alone can save existence by exploring other universes and connecting with the lives she could have led.” The A.V. Club’s J, “The film, which uses the gimmick of jumping between parallel universes to explore, essentially, how to be your best self, is awash in zany sci fi culs-du-sac, sly movie references, and a deranged high fructose attitude that scoffs at the idea of everything but the kitchen sink.”

Tyler Perry’s crime thriller stars Kelly Rowlands and Trevante Rhodes. The official description for Mea Culpa from Netflix’s Tudum reads: “Criminal defense attorney Mea Harper [Rowlands] and her husband Kal are at a crossroads as the couple navigates difficulties in their marriage and finances. So when the murder case of artist Zyair Malloy [Rhodes] lands in her lap—and with the potential to make partner at her firm—Mea sees an opportunity to keep her family afloat. But when she tries to uncover whether her cagey-yet-seductive client is telling her the full truth, what she learns might unravel more than just her legal case.”

Got Amell? The Canadian sci-fi sequel stars two Amell brothers: Stephen and Robbie. The official Netflix synopsis of Code 8: Part II reads: “In a city where people with powers are policed and oppressed, an ex-criminal must turn to a drug lord he despises to protect a teen from a corrupt cop.” In addition to the Amell brothers, the Jeff Chan-directed movie also stars Sirena Gulamgaus, Altair Vincent, Alex Mallari Jr., Moe Jeudy-Lamour, Aaron Abrams, and Jean Yoon. The movie follows 2019’s Code 8, also starring the Amell brothers.