Every month, a multitude of movies and TV shows are added to and taken away from almost all streaming platforms (Disney+ is the lone exception). Unfortunately, our busy lives often prevent us from watching those cherished titles we all want to watch. Time goes by quickly as the options continue to grow, and that’s never been more true than this May with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Fast X dominating theaters and great comedies like Freevee’s Jury Duty gracing our small screens.
For Netflix subscribers, these seven movies will be leaving the popular streamer on June 1. From a 1980s fantasy epic starring California’s former “Governator” to a sci-fi comedy with Buzz Lightyear and Ellen Ripley, these movies are worth a watch before they leave your Netflix queue for an unknown period of time.
Conan the Barbarian (1982)
Wait, wasn’t this movie just added to Netflix in May? It seems like the streamer only got the rights to stream this early Arnold Schwarzenegger classic for one month. That’s a pity, as Conan the Barbarian is one of the best fantasy movies of the 1980s. The movie sports a standard “boy sees his parents killed, becomes a massive hulk of a man, and seeks revenge on his parents’ killer” plot that has been ripped off by countless films, most recently by director Robert Eggers in his 2022 picture The Norseman.
Conan‘s real appeal, however, lies in its striking visuals — which utilize the very best in ’80s matte paintings and practical effects — a powerful score by composer Basil Poledouris, and effective performances by the cast, which includes Max von Sydow and James Earl Jones. The movie fully embodies the adolescent, violent fantasy that Conan’s creator Robert E. Howard effectively established in his stories, and which director John Milius brings to life in such vivid detail.
Watch Conan the Barbarian on Netflix before it leaves on June 1.
Burlesque (2010)
There are some movies that are just bad enough to be enjoyable, and Burlesque more than qualifies to be a true guilty pleasure. The 2010 musical follows a wide-eyed young waitress from Iowa named Ali (Christina Aguilera, in her first and, so far, only starring role) as she moves to Los Angeles to try to make it as a dancer. She ends up at a “rundown” burlesque nightclub, which is run by Tess (Cher, doing her best imitation of a drag queen imitating Cher). Ali quickly makes an impression on Tess, and her star begins to rise at the club.
Everything about Burlesque is ridiculous: from the sets to the overblown musical numbers to Cher’s costumes, there’s no sense of reality at all in the picture. That’s what makes it so enjoyable, as no one — not the actors, writers, or director — has any idea that the project they are in is absolutely silly. Everyone plays it deadly serious, and that’s what makes Burlesque so damn fun to watch.
Watch Burlesque on Netflix before it leaves on June 1.
The Edge of Seventeen (2016)
No, this isn’t a Steve Nicks biopic; it’s The Edge of Seventeen, a movie you probably didn’t know existed. That’s not because it’s bad; with a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, it was rightly praised by critics upon its release in late 2016, but was somehow ignored by audiences. The movie concerns the trials of 17-year-old Nadine Franklin (Hawkeye‘s Hailee Steinfeld), who still hasn’t gotten over her father’s death four years earlier, and has to navigate the ongoing trauma that is high school. She’s helped by her best friend, Krista (The White Lotus‘ Haley Lu Richardson), and her grumpy teacher, Mr. Bruner (Woody Harrelson), whom Nadine confides in when things get tough.
If you’re looking for a typical fluffy high school movie like 10 Things I Hate About You, look elsewhere as The Edge of Seventeen takes its teenage protagonist, as well as all the issues that she is dealing with, seriously and honestly. Steinfeld has never been better as the frustrated Nadine, and her scenes with Harrelson are the highlight of a very good, very underrated movie.
Watch The Edge of Seventeen on Netflix before it leaves on June 1.
Galaxy Quest (1999)
When Galaxy Quest was first released in 1999, few could have predicted the life it would take on in the 21st century. After all, the movie was marketed primarily as a Tim Allen vehicle, who was then at the height of his Home Improvement and Toy Story fame. The movie’s story, about a bunch of has-been actors from a Star Trek-type sci-fi series from the 1980s who are pulled in to a real-life intergalactic adventure, didn’t seem to have much appeal beyond sci-fi genre die-hards and Allen’s macho fan base.
Time has proven those naysayers wrong as Galaxy Quest is fondly remembered as one of the best comedies from the late ’90s. A big part of that is due to the cast, a mixture of veterans like Allen, Sigourney Weaver, and Alan Rickman showing off their comedic chops alongside relative newcomers (at the time) Sam Rockwell, Justin Long, and The Office‘s Rainn Wilson. Galaxy Quest is the perfect summer movie — breezy, funny, and light — and shouldn’t be missed before it leaves Netflix in June.
Watch Galaxy Quest on Netflix right now.
Inception (2010)
Who doesn’t know about Christopher Nolan’s now-classic film Inception? One of the best sci-fi movies on Netflix, the film concerns Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), a man who literally makes his living invading the dreams of other people and stealing their secrets. Dom’s job is complicated by the fact that his subconscious mind is also haunted by a very literal version of his late wife, Mal Cobb (Marion Cotillard). After years in exile away from his children, Dom is given the chance to return home by the enigmatic Mr. Saito (Ken Watanabe). The catch is that Dom and his new team have to invade the mind of businessman Robert Michael Fischer (Cillian Murphy) and convince him to break up his father’s empire. However, each layer of Robert’s mind brings new dangers to Dom and his team. Once they go in, they may not come out.
If that seems like a lot of plot, well, what do you expect? It’s a Christopher Nolan movie! The genius of the director is that he never gets too caught up in his own complex story to lose sight of what’s most important: entertaining the audience. It’s a bit trite to say but it’s true: Inception is a roller coaster ride, and it’s so good that when it’s over, you want to see it again.
Watch Inception on Netflix before it leaves on June 1.
Monster House (2006)
Pixar gets all the credit for making the great animated movies of the 2000s, but there were a handful of others that are as equally satisfying as Ratatouille and Up. The best of the bunch is Gil Kenan’s Monster House, a fun, spooky romp that was released in 2006. Co-written by Rick and Morty creator Dan Harmon, Monster House concerns three friends — DJ, Chowder, and Jenny — who investigate a haunted house on DJ’s street that may just be a giant ghost.
Throw in a careless teenage babysitter, a wacky supernatural expert, two bumbling cops, and the haunted house’s menacing owner, and what you get is a colorful adventure that recalls such classic kids movies as The Goonies and The Sandlot. In other words, don’t let the vibrant animation fool you — Monster House is for all ages who are down for a good time.
Watch Monster House on Netflix before it leaves on June 1.
The Quick and the Dead (1995)
Before Sam Raimi directed the first three Spider-Man movies, Russell Crowe became a household name thanks to L.A. Confidential and Gladiator, and Leonardo DiCaprio became one of the 21st century’s most durable stars, they all made The Quick and the Dead, a 1995 Western that was released in early 1995 and promptly sank without a trace. The movie is about a mysterious female gunslinger (Sharon Stone) who arrives into a small dusty town named Redemption (metaphor alert!) and enters a gun-shooting competition to gain revenge on John Herod (Gene Hackman), the town’s evil overlord.
While the ultra chic, too-modern Stone is almost painfully miscast and the plot is derivative of Sergio Leone’s spaghetti Westerns of the late 1960s, The Quick and the Dead is still a fun, almost campy ride that playfully skewers the genre’s rigid conventions. DiCaprio has a youthful charisma here that would later be put to full use in Titanic while Crowe and Hackman are appropriately gruff and engaging. The real star of the show, however, is Raimi, who goes wild here with enough zooms and Dutch angles to make the over-the-top scary Evil Dead movies seem restrained.
Watch The Quick and the Dead on Netflix before it leaves on June 1.
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