If you’re trying to find something to watch on Netflix but want to prioritize movies that have a time limit on them, you’ve come to the right place. While the streaming service has added a bevy of new titles for September, this month will also see a number of great films depart the streaming service. Below, we’ve assembled a list of seven movies you should prioritize watching before they leave. They range from underrated gems to blockbuster hits to classics, and you really can’t go wrong with any of them.
These are the best Netflix movies to watch before they leave the streaming service this month.
Midnight Special
Leaving on: September 6th
Director/Writer: Jeff Nichols
Cast: Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver, Jaeden Martell, and Sam Shepard
If you haven’t seen Midnight Special, this underrated sci-fi gem is well worth your time. It hails from Loving and Take Shelter writer/director Jeff Nichols and follows a father (played by Michael Shannon) who absconds with his gifted son (Jaeden Martell) when he becomes a target of the government for his supernatural powers. This is sort of a stripped down version of a superhero movie where everything is played for real, and you don’t find out until the end just what the nature of this boy’s powers are – and if they’re even real. Shannon delivers a terrific lead performance, but the entire supporting cast is incredible, including Adam Driver as a government agent hot on their tail. This is kind of the anti-Marvel movie version of a superhero story, so if that appeals to you I highly suggest checking it out.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Leaving on: September 15th
Director: Edgar Wright
Writers: Edgar Wright and Michael Bacall
Cast: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jason Schwartzman, Ellen Wong, Kieran Culkin, Anna Kendrick, Brie Larson, Chris Evans, Aubrey Plaza, Brandon Routh, Johnny Simmons, Mark Webber, Allison Pill, and Mae Whitman
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is inarguably more popular now than it was when it first hit theaters in 2010, and that’s kind of incredible. It marked Shaun of the Dead and Baby Driver filmmaker Edgar Wright’s first big studio movie at the time, and he brought his knack for visually stunning storytelling and crackerjack humor to the graphic novel by Bryan Lee O’Malley. Set in Toronto, the film follows the titular Scott Pilgrim – a lazy 22-year-old who’s the bassist for an underground band, and whose life is thrown for a loop when he falls in love with an enigmatic woman named Ramona Flowers. As it turns out, in order to date Ramona, Scott first has to defeat her seven evil exes. The film is a sort of action romantic comedy that grounds the stylized visuals with genuine emotions. Whether it’s four first or 17th time watching it, Scott Pilgrim is pretty fantastic.
Air Force One
Leaving on: September 30th
Director: Wolfgang Peterson
Writer: Andrew W. Marlowe
Cast: Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, Glenn Close, William H. Macy, and Paul Guilfoyle
If you want to watch a truly great action-thriller, 1997’s Air Force One is a classic for a reason. Harrison Ford plays the President of the United States, who must take matters into his own hands when Air Force One is hijacked by terrorists. This is a true thriller in that it doesn’t lean on fights or action sequences to get by – there’s genuine tension throughout, and it’s a blast watching Ford’s president trying to sneak his way around Air Force One to handle the situation. Plus, Gary Oldman makes for one heck of a juicy villain.
Boogie Nights
Leaving on: September 30th
Director/Writer: Paul Thomas Anderson
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, Heather Graham, Don Cheadle, William H. Macy, John C. Reilly, and Philip Seymour Hoffman
Well Boogie Nights is just one of the greatest films ever made, that’s all there is to it. Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1997 dramatic epic follows the rise and fall of a fictional adult film star played by Mark Wahlberg, but what really sets the film apart is PTA’s Robert Altman-like approach to the ensemble. The film isn’t seedy, as it really paints a portrait of this crew of adult film directors, stars, producers, and writers as a family, and that family gets put into a tough corner with the rise of home video. Every cinephile should see this movie at least once.
Insidious
Leaving on: September 30th
Director: James Wan
Writer: Leigh Whannell
Cast: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins, and Barbara Hershey
If you’re trying to get Spooky Season off to an early start, check out Insidious. The 2011 horror hit hails from Saw, The Conjuring, and Aquaman filmmaker James Wan and follows a couple – played by Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne – whose son becomes a vessel for malevolent entities when he enters a comatose state. This frightful hit spawned a franchise with three additional sequels, but this is where it all began.
The Austin Powers Trilogy
Leaving on: September 30th
Director: Jay Roach
Writers: Mike Myers and Michael McCullers
Cast: Mike Myers, Elizabeth Hurley, Heather Grahame, Beyonce Knowles, Michael York, Seth Green, Mindy Sterling, Robert Wagner, Michael Caine, Verne Troyer, and Rob Lowe
Wanna tickle your funny bone? All three Austin Powers movies depart Netflix at the end of the month, and they hold up better than you might think. The first is still the best, as Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery finds Mike Myers disappearing into the role of a British spy from the 1960s whose frozen in time and unthawed in the 1990s, confronting villainy and culture clashes at the same time. The franchise is Myers’ love letter to the James Bond films, and you’ll find plenty of nods and references to that long-running franchise throughout.
Star Trek
Leaving on: September 30th
Director: J.J. Abrams
Writers: Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Eric Bana, and Leonard Nimoy
If it’s spectacle you want, Star Trek has it in spades. J.J. Abrams’ glorious 2009 reboot of the franchise brings a fresh vitality to the Star Trek property, telling the origin story of the Enterprise crew with Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto leading the ensemble as Kirk and Spock, respectively. The brilliance of the film is how it uses time travel to connect to the original franchise, paving a path for both to co-exist. But also Abrams is just a heck of a filmmaker, and this movie whizzes by in an entertaining flash.