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Tom's Guide
7 best Netflix movies to watch right now before they leave next week
By Rory Mellon,
1 days ago
Netflix’s slate of new movies in September 2024 included plenty of fantastic new additions including “Rebel Ridge” and “His Three Daughters," but while subscribers enjoy these fresh flicks, a selection of old favorites are being removed to make room for new movies.
As the month draws to a close, Netflix has confirmed it will lose more than two dozen movies and that includes the entire "Back to the Future" trilogy . Plus, all three movies in the “50 Shades of Grey” franchise are also waving goodbye, but I’m not so disappointed about those being dumped! However, the streaming service is removing a whole bunch of movies you need to watch before they're gone.
Don’t worry, you don’t need a DeLorean to watch these movies on Netflix quite yet, as you’ve still got a little time left to enjoy them. So, without further preamble, here are the seven Netflix movies to watch before they are removed from the service.
‘Back to the Future’ (1985)
"Back to the Future" is pretty much the quintessential ‘80s movie, and even almost 40 years later, it remains a masterclass in the sci-fi adventure genre. It’s become such a pop cultural touchstone that it needs almost no introduction, but if you haven’t encountered this Robert Zemeckis classic before, it follows uber-cool teen Mary McFly (Michael J. Fox) as he travels back to the 1950s in a modified DeLorean car created by his eccentric friend Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd).
Once in the past, he encounters younger versions of his parents (played by Crispin Glover and Lea Thompson), and not only does he need to find a way to return to his own time, but he also has to make sure his mom and dad fall in love otherwise he’ll cease to exist entirely (this is why you don't mess with time travel!). It’s a comedy classic for good reason. And its equally loved sequels “Back to the Future Part II” and “Back to the Future Part III," are also being removed this month, so be sure to watch the complete trilogy.
Filmed on a microbudget of less than $30,000 and shot over 21 nights in a closed convenience store, “Clerks” marked the feature directional debut of cult filmmaker Kevin Smith and since release in 1994, it has developed a glowing reputation that millions of dollars couldn’t buy. Considered a defining picture of ‘90s independent cinema, it was even selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2019 for its cultural significance.
Shot in black-and-white, to mimic the style of a convenience store CCTV camera, “Clerks” centers on Dante (Brian O'Halloran) who is covering the morning shift at Quick Stop Groceries on what was supposed to be his day off. His buddy Randal (Jeff Anderson), who works at the nearby video store, keeps him company, and the two slack off, discuss movies, and try to deal with the irritating customers who shop at the convenience store. “Clerks” is a quirky little movie, that mines a lot of comedy from everyday situations, and is chock full of hilariously quotable lines.
“The Lego Movie” is a vibrant family comedy with all the creative energy and glossy charm of the eponymous Danish construction toy. Considering it’s essentially a feature-length advertisement for Lego, it’s surprisingly fantastic, and while its meta-narrative feels a bit less unique in 2024, it's a testament to its quality that it's since been mimicked so much. Plus, the animation quality is genuinely remarkable, with the whole movie looking like Lego bricks that have sprung to life, and as somebody who spent their youth making silly Lego movies for YouTube, that's a real treat.
Opening in the city of Bricksburg, Emmet (voiced by Chris Pratt) appears to be just a regular Lego Minifigure, but when he stumbles upon the uber-powerful Piece of Resistance, he must team up with a group of rebels including Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks), Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman) and Batman (Will Arnett), to defeat the sinister Lord Business (Will Ferrell). Full of ridiculous cameos, and some great gags lovingly poking fun at Lego’s past (I especially love the Bionicles reference), “The Lego Movie” is so much more than a cynical attempt to cash-in on a popular brand.
“The Breakfast Club” is another quintessential ‘80s movie, and while it’s never quite connected with me on a level personal (sorry, I’m just not a huge John Hughes fan), my slightly more negative opinion is most certainly an outlier. This comedy-of-age comedy has achieved legendary status, and it’s still influencing the genre to this day, with its dismantling of teen archetypes praised as one of its strongest elements.
The movie sees five students at Shermer High School in Illinois attend a Saturday morning detention, overseen by the school's nonsense principal, Richard Vernon (Paul Gleason). Each of the quintet fits into a different social group, but as they get to know each other better, they start to see each other in a new light and see beyond simple labels like "jock" and burn out". Starring Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy and Molly Ringwald, “The Breakfast Club” is a heartwarming comedy with a toe-tapping soundtrack and just about the perfect ending.
Why not get spooky season started a little early this year by streaming “The Conjuring” on Netflix this week? After all, by the time Halloween rolls around next month, this 2013 supernatural horror will be long gone. “The Conjuring” was such a breath of fresh air in the genre that it kickstarted a whole franchise, leading to two sequels (with a third on the way in 2025), and five spin-off movies (split across two sub-franchises, “Annabelle” and “The Nun”), but despite many attempts, in my eyes, the original has never been topped.
“The Conjuring” is based on the casefiles of real-life paranormal investigators Lorraine and Ed Warren, whose work inspired classic horror hits like The Amityville Horror series. Played by Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson in this adaptation of their work, “The Conjuring” sees the two visit the Perron family, who have just moved to a house in Rhode Island and are being terrorized by sinister spirits. The Warrens soon discover the house’s shocking history and set about confronting the lingering evil.
It’s rare for a modern war movie to challenge the established greats like “Saving Private Ryan” or “The Thin Red Line”, but “Hacksaw Ridge” managed to do just that when it arrived on the scene in 2016. Directed by Mel Gibson, and starring Andrew Garfield, it was nominated for a clutch of Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor (for Garfield, obviously). It's earned its place in the pantheon of war movies that really stay with you, and don't shy away from the realities of conflict.
This biographical epic tells the remarkable story of Desmond Doss (Garfield), the first conscientious objector to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Refusing to bear arms due to his religious beliefs, Doss nevertheless enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II but was ostracized by his fellow soldiers for being a pacifist. However, he proved that heroes come in many forms when he managed to save 75 men during the Battle of Okinawa without firing a single shot. "Hacksaw Ridge" brings his story to life with stunning cinematography and an awards-caliber performance from Garfield.
You probably hear “Dune” and think of the recent Denis Villeneuve masterpiece starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, but did you know that in the 1980s acclaimed director David Lynch also attempted to turn Frank Herbert’s genre-defining novel into a movie? The final result was much less successful. This version of "Dune" released to mixed reviews and an underwhelming box office total. Lynch would later disown the movie, citing his disappointment with the final product and the level of studio inference. But 1984’s “Dune” has since become a cult classic.
Like its more modern counterpart, this take on “Dune” is also set on the planet of Arrakis and sees various clans fighting over the universe’s most precious resource, spice. Paul (this time played by Kyle MacLachlan) is our hero and must lead the Fremen, Arrakis’ native people, in a war against the sinister Harkonnens to take back control of the desert world. Lynch’s “Dune” is unwieldy, tonally confused and the effect didn’t look great back then (and time hasn't improved them), and yet, there is a strange charm to this epic space opera, even if it’s super cheesy. It's worth a watch for fans of Herbert's novel, or those who enjoyed Villeneuve's take on the material.
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