A fresh month brings an exciting batch of new streaming options for Paramount+ subscribers. The service is adding a wide array of modern and classic movies to its platform in February, and more than enough to ensure that you will not have to go looking far for something to watch. Whether you are in the mood for a somber crime drama, a breezy sci-fi thriller, an entertaining rom-com or even a good old-fashioned tearjerker, Paramount+ has you covered.
Here are the best movies coming to the platform in February.
“Attack the Block” (2011)
A blast of slick, stylish sci-fi action, writer-director Joe Cornish’s “Attack the Block” follows the members of a teenage street gang — led by the undaunted Moses (then-newcomer John Boyega) — as they are forced to defend the South London public housing block they call home from a sudden alien invasion. Featuring a number of ingeniously executed practical gags and visual effects, the film breathlessly races through its sci-fi story and condenses an entire alien invasion into just 88 lean minutes.
The result is a crowd-pleasing thriller that is not afraid to be brutal when it needs to be, but also knows how to build to surprisingly rousing moments. Along the way, “Attack the Block” fills the underlying foundation of its story with socially conscious themes about class and race that only make it seem like even more of a miraculous, low-budget genre gem.
“Road to Perdition” (2002)
“Road to Perdition,” director Sam Mendes‘ follow-up to 1999’s “American Beauty,” could not be any more different from that Best Picture-winning film. Starring Tom Hanks in one of his most reserved and against-type roles, the film follows a 1930s mob enforcer (Hanks) who is forced to flee his home with his young son (Tyler Hoechlin) after they become the target of his boss’ erratic, unhinged son (Daniel Craig).
A tragic, soulful examination of legacy, “Road to Perdition” marches in a measured pace toward its inevitably bloody conclusion — allowing the relationship between Hanks and Hoechlin’s father-and-son characters to develop and deepen even as their circumstances become increasingly dire. Featuring a stirring, mournful late-career performance from Paul Newman as the elder gangster Hanks’ hitman is forced to turn against, “Road to Perdition” features some of the most measured and thoughtful filmmaking of Mendes’ career — and it ranks as one of the best and more underrated crime dramas of the 2000s.
“When Harry Met Sally…” (1989)
Movies simply do not get more iconic than “When Harry Met Sally…” The genre-defining rom-com from director Rob Reiner and writer Nora Ephron has become one of the most quoted and referenced movies of the past 50 years. Its ubiquitous presence in pop culture has not robbed “When Harry Met Sally…” of its vibrance or magic, though. Part of that is due to the sharp wit of Ephron’s screenplay and the lack of fussiness in Reiner’s direction, but credit must also be given to Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal’s dual lead performances.
Ryan is luminous and lovable as the eponymous Sally, while Crystal finds the right balance between charming and arrogant as her friend and eventual partner. On top of all of that, the film is packed to the brim with enough sharp jokes and moments of applause-worthy romance that it is no wonder why it is still considered the gold standard of modern Hollywood rom-coms. It is the rare, endlessly imitated classic that keeps on giving no matter how many times you watch it.
“Menace II Society” (1993)
Albert and Allen Hughes’ directorial debut, “Menace II Society,” was considered a chilling achievement when it was released back in 1993. Over 30 years later, its unsentimental look at Black youth coming of age in an environment where violence and crime feel like the only options available to them does not seem quite as transgressive as it used to. The film’s power, however, has not diminished throughout the decades. It is still a striking and heart-wrenching piece of work.
Centered on a pair of Black male teenagers who feel compelled to adhere to the ruthless law of the land, “Menace II Society” never tells you what to think or feel. It presents its story as honestly as it can. In doing so, it immerses viewers fully in its characters’ lives and reveals through your growing attachment to its flawed heroes just how much life and potential is lost when people are made to feel as though their only path is one of self-annihilation. It is a powerful drama that somehow still feels just as vital as ever.
“Roman Holiday” (1953)
Directed by William Wyler and co-written by a then-blacklisted Dalton Trumbo, “Roman Holiday” is one of the fizziest and most charming Hollywood rom-coms you will likely ever see. A romance about a princess desperate to actually enjoy her trip to Rome and a reporter angling for some kind of exclusive about her, the film finds rom-com success in its central pairing of Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn. The latter not only experienced breakout fame because of the film, but also took home the 1954 Best Actress Oscar for her performance in it.
When you watch it, you will not be left wondering why. Hepburn is pure charm in a film that is overflowing with it. Over 70 years after its release, “Roman Holiday” stands as a sterling example of exactly what a Hollywood romantic comedy can be at its very best. It will have you smiling from ear-to-ear from the moment it begins all the way to the moment it ends.
“Terms of Endearment” (1983)
“Terms of Endearment” may not offer as upbeat of an experience as “Roman Holiday,” but that does not mean it is any less affecting. The film is, in fact, one of the most beloved of all Hollywood tearjerkers, and for good reason. Written and directed by James L. Brooks, the Best Picture-winning dramedy about a helicopter mother (an Oscar-winning Shirley MacLaine) and her independent daughter (Debra Winger) is crafted with the same lightly comedic, humanist touch that defined much of Brooks’ work throughout the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s.
Jack Nicholson won his second Oscar for his charismatic performance as a man who strikes up a whirlwind romance with MacLaine’s Aurora, but it is the relationship between its central mother and daughter that will stick with you long after you finish “Terms of Endearment.” It is a moving family portrait — one that earns every single tear it inevitably wrings out of you.
“The Hunt for Red October” (1990)
How do you follow an action movie as masterful and instantly beloved as “Die Hard”? If you are John McTiernan, you deliver another immensely watchable classic. Sure enough, that is exactly what the director did when he leapt from “Die Hard” to “The Hunt for Red October,” a submarine thriller about a CIA analyst (Alec Baldwin) who suspects that a rogue Soviet naval captain (Sean Connery) is not trying to start World War III by sailing toward America in a submarine outfitted with a dangerous new missile but may, instead, be hoping to defect.
A tense, intelligent thriller, “The Hunt for Red October” bounces effortlessly between governmental meetings and fraught scenes in claustrophobic submarines — making every moment feel as important and urgent as every other. It is a fascinating and impressive counter to “Die Hard,” one that trades that film’s many bullets and explosions for unseen threats, life-and-death conversations and dangerous, heart-pounding deceptions.
