New Netflix movies: March 22, 2024 update
Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter
This week’s new Netflix film guide entry is Shirley, a Regina King-led biopic that tells the story of the first Black Congresswoman to run for the US presidency. We’ve also removed Mea Culpa from this guide as it’s no longer considered new. Finally, we’ve updated the ‘coming soon’ section with the latest intel on upcoming movie releases.
Welcome to TechRadar’s new Netflix movies guide. The gist of this article is very simple: every week, we update this list with all of the new movies – Netflix Original or otherwise – to land on the service. Not only that, but we tell you who’s involved in each film, who it’s suitable for (from an age perspective), and whether it’s any good among other important details.
Looking for other Netflix-based entertainment fare to stream instead? Try reading our best Netflix movies guide, which is chock full of more recommendations on the world’s best streaming service. Without further ado, though, here are all of the new Netflix films to watch as of late February.
New Netflix movies: March
Shirley
Release date: March 22
Runtime: 118 minutes
Age rating: PG-13 (US) / 12 (UK)
Cast: Regina King, Lance Reddick, Lucas Hedges, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Christina Jackson, and Terrence Howard
Director: John Ridley
RT score: 72% (critics); 85% (general viewers)
The latest biopic to make its Netflix bow, Shirley sees King play Shirley Chisholm, the US’ first Black Congresswoman. Netflix’s drama-filled take on Chisholm’s life charts the period that saw her make a daring 1972 run for the US presidency – and the inevitable challenges (and threats) that Chisholm and her team faced on route to pulling off their potentially ground-breaking campaign.
Shirley does enough to shine a light on another history-defining Black politician, and King certainly delivers a typically commanding performance as the film’s lead. As a straightforward biopic, though, it eschews a potentially bolder exploration of Chisholm as a person and the fraught nature of her nearly leaving an indelible mark on US history.
Irish Wish
Release date: March 15
Runtime: 93 minutes
Age rating: TV-G (US), 12 (UK)
Cast: Lindsay Lohan, Ed Speelers, Ayesha Curry, and Alexander Vlahos
Director: Janeen Damian
RT score: 36% (critics); 42% (general viewers)
Irish Wish sees Lohan play Maddie, a bridesmaid who is in love with her best friend’s soon-to-be-husband. Days before the duo are set to marry, however, Maddie makes a spontaneous wish for true love – and winds up replacing her friend as the bride-to-be. With her dream scenario coming true, though, Maddie soon realizes that the man she thinks she’s in love with isn’t her soulmate – indeed, a mysterious Irishman (Speelers’ Thomas) proves to be instead. Uh oh.
Another schlocky take on the ‘careful what you wish for’ line of thinking, Irish Wish is nothing more than another derivative romantic comedy that Netflix loves to pump out. Steer clear of it.
Watch Irish Wish on Netflix now.
Damsel
Release date: March 8
Runtime: 107 minutes
Age rating: PG-13 (US) / 12 (UK)
Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Ray Winstone, Nick Robinson, Robin Wright, and Angela Bassett
Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
RT score: 56% (critics); 63% (general audiences)
Before she marks her final bow as Eleven in Stranger Things season 5, and with her new Netflix movie no longer in distress as of December 2023, Millie Bobby Brown stars in her third Netflix original movie – Damsel – that might scratch your fantasy film itch.
Brown plays Princess Elodie, a dutiful damsel who agrees to marry a handsome prince from a similarly high-ranking family. Unbeknownst to Elodie, though, she’s only been selected by her newfound in-laws to be the latest human sacrifice to repay an ancient debt to a terrifying dragon. Forced to rely on her wits to survive, Elodie faces a fiery showdown with said winged beast that stands between her, her quest for revenge, and her eventual freedom.
Critics and fans alike haven’t been too kind to Damsel, and we weren’t enthused with it, either. Watch one of Brown’s better projects in Stranger Things or Enola Holmes instead, unless you’re a huge fantasy genre fan.
Spaceman
Release date: March 1
Runtime: 108 minutes
Age rating: R (US) / 15 (UK)
Cast: Adam Sandler, Paul Dano, Carey Mulligan, Kunal Nayyar, and Isabella Rossellini
Director: Johan Renck
RT score: 51% (critics); 65% (general viewers)
Adam Sandler’s Spaceman – a pensive sci-fi psychodrama – tells the tale of Jakub (Sandler), a Czech astronaut nearing the end of a six-month journey to a cloud of ancient space dust that might hold secrets about life’s many mysteries. With his marriage to Lenka (Mulligan) falling apart back on Earth, Jakub is visited by Hanuš (Dano), a giant, extraterrestial spider stowaway who surprisingly offers to help Jakub repair his faltering relationship.
We weren’t fans of Sandler’s latest Netflix film. Indeed, we labeled it a “spiritless Netflix sci-fi movie that drifts aimlessly among the stars” – and, based on its RT scores, it seems many agree with us. One of 2024’s new Netflix movies to give a wide berth to, we say.
Watch Spaceman on Netflix now.
New Netflix movies: February 2024
Code 8: Part II
Release date: February 28
Runtime: 100 minutes
Age rating: R (US) / 15 (UK)
Cast: Robbie Amell, Steve Amell, Alex Mallari Jr, and Kean Yoon
Director: Jeff Chan
RT score: 69% (critics); 59% (general viewers)
The creatively titled sequel to 2019 sci-fi action flick Code 8 – we know, how original – Code 8: Part II picks up five years after the first movie’s events. In it, the Amell brothers return as Connor and Garrett, two individuals embroiled in a drug trade that sees superpowered members of society sell their spinal fluid to create the drug known as psyke, which imbues ordinary people with abilities.
Surprisingly, Code 8: Part II is one of the more warmly received new Netflix movies of the year so far. Indeed, its RT ratings suggest it might be worth seeing, especially if you’re looking for an easy-to-watch superhero-style film that tackles the oft-explored police state genre in a new light.
Watch Code 8: Part II on Netflix now.
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Release date: February 23
Runtime: 132 minutes
Age rating: R (US)
Cast: Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Stephanie Hsu
Directors: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
RT score: 94% (critics); 86% (general viewers)
Thanks largely to Marvel‘s cinematic juggernaut, multiverse films have exploded in popularity (among studios, not necessarily audiences) in recent years. This absurdist multi-genre flick, which garnered universal acclaim and a seemingly infinite number of trophies on the 2023 awards circuit, though, is one of the best we’ve ever seen.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (EEAAO) stars Yeoh (The Witcher: Blood Origin, The Brothers Sun) as Evelyn Wang, a Chinese-American immigrant who learns that she must connect with alternate reality versions of herself in order to stop a supremely powerful being from destroying the multiverse. Quan (Loki season 2, The Goonies) plays Evelyn’s husband Waymond and Hsu (Joy Ride) is Evelyn’s daughter Joy.
An epic assault on the senses with tons of heart, spectacular visuals, and an mind-boggling appreciation for philosophical themes like existentialism, nihilism, generational trauma, and racial identity, EEAAO is a masterpiece that deserves every gong in its stuffed awards cabinet.
Watch EEAAO on Netflix now. (NB: EEAAO is only available to rent or buy in the UK.)
New Netflix movies: what’s coming in 2024?
There are plenty of new Netflix movies set to debut on the streamer between now and the end of 2024. Here’s a list of the ones we know about:
- Heart of the Hunter (March 29)
- The Beautiful Game (March 29)
- The Wages of Fear (March 29)
- The Tearsmith (April 4)
- Scoop (April 5)
- Stolen (April 12)
- Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp (April 12)
- Rebel Moon – Part 2: The Scargiver (April 19)
- City Hunter (April 25)
- Beautiful Rebel (May 2)
- Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story (May 3)
- Mother of the Bride (May 9)
- Thelma the Unicorn (May 17)
- Atlas (May 24)
- A Part of You (May 31)
- Hit Man (June 7)
- Ultraman: Rising (June 14)
- Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (July 3)
- The Union (August 16)
- Carry-On (Q4 2024)
- Trigger Warning (Q2 2024)
- The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep (Q4 2024)
For more Netflix-based coverage, read our best Netflix shows and best Netflix documentaries guides. Alternatively, find out how to sign up to Netflix or get the lowdown on whether it’s worth cancelling your Netflix subscription.
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