The first month of 2020 has come and gone, and it brought a variety of movies – but February has some great material too. January was mostly about horror and suspense, with movies like the remake of The Grudge, the sci-fi horror Underwater, Color Out of Space, and Gretel & Hansel. Because life is all about balance, last month also had more family friendly content thanks to Robert Downey Jr’s Dolittle, comedy with Like a Boss, action and drama with The Rhythm Section, Bad Boys For Life, and a dose of Guy Ritchie-style crime with The Gentlemen.
Though many of them did well with viewers and critics, none of them were big releases – but that’s going to change this month. February is bringing some of the most anticipated movies of the year in different genres: from superheroes (or more like antiheroes?) to horror stories, to a movie based on a popular video game that was involved in controversy a few months back. There will be something for all tastes and ages.
Unsurprisingly, this month won’t be safe from remakes, though most of these are from the horror genre. The time has come for audiences to catch up with Harley Quinn, meet the source of a popular Daniel Radcliffe meme, and see if Sonic looks more normal now than it did in its first trailer. Here are the biggest movies coming out in February.
Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn) - February 7
DC’s movie universe is going through some major changes, and among those is giving Harley Quinn and company their own space. Birds of Prey follows Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), who after breaking up with the Joker, teams up with Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) to save young Cassandra Cain from evil crime lord Roman Sionis a.k.a. Black Mask (Ewan McGregor). It’s a new era for the DCEU and a new life for Harley Quinn.
The Lodge - February 7
The Lodge is a horror movie directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, from a screenplay by Sergio Casci. It follows Grace Marshall (Riley Keough) who is left alone with her stepchildren Aidan (Jaeden Martell) and Mia (Lia McHugh) in the family’s remote winter cabin when her boyfriend has to suddenly depart for work. Grace and the kids are trapped after a blizzard and some terrifying events begin to summon specters from Grace’s dark past. The Lodge had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2019, and it’s finally coming to theaters this month.
Sonic the Hedgehog - February 14
After the negative reaction to the first trailer that prompted the studio to redesign the main character, Sonic the Hedgehog is finally ready for the world to see it. Based on the popular video game franchise, the movie follows Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz), an anthropomorphic hedgehog from another world who comes to Earth to escape from malevolent forces that want to steal his power of super-speed. Once on Earth, he’s targeted by the government, who hire roboticist Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) to hunt him down.
Fantasy Island - February 14
Blumhouse took a classic TV series from the 1970s and gave it a horror twist (of course). Fantasy Island is based on the 1977 series of the same name created by Gene Levitt, in which the mysterious Mr. Roarke granted “fantasies” on the island for a price. This new version has Michael Peña as Mr. Roarke, who is also making the secret dreams of his lucky guests come true – but when these fantasies turn into nightmares, the not-so-lucky-anymore guests will have to solve the island’s mystery in order to escape. Also starring are Lucy Hale, Maggie Q, Austin Stowell, and Michael Rooker.
Downhill - February 14
Downhill is a black comedy movie directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, and it’s a remake of Ruben Östlund’s movie Force Majeure (you probably remember that scene of an avalanche at a resort that went viral a few years back). The film follows the Staunton family, who are vacationing at a ski resort in the Alps. After barely escaping an avalanche, the parents (Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus) reevaluate their lives and feelings about each other. It’s comedy, yes, but it also has a dose of drama.
Ordinary Love - February 14
Ordinary Love is a romantic drama movie starring Liam Neeson and Lesley Manville. The story centers on Tom and Joan, who have been married for many years. When Joan is diagnosed with breast cancer, the course of her treatment shines a new light on their relationship as they deal with the challenges of the situation as well as the prospect of what might happen if things don’t go as planned and hoped. Ordinary Love had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2019.
Buffaloed - February 14
Directed by Tanya Wexler, Buffaloed is a comedy drama movie starring Zoey Deutch, Judy Greer, and Jai Courtney. Buffaloed follows Peggy Dahl (Deutch), a hustler willing to do anything to escape Buffalo, NY. When her debts become truly unbearable, she decides to become a debt collector herself and gets into a war with the city’s debt-collecting “kingpin”, Wizz (Jai Courtney).
The Call of the Wild - February 21
The Call of the Wild is an adventure movie based on Jack London’s 1903 novel of the same name and a remake of Fox’s 1935 movie. Directed by Chris Sanders, it tells the story of a St. Bernard/Scotch Collie dog named Buck who is stolen from his home in California and sold to freight haulers in the Yukon. There he befriends John Thornton (Harrison Ford), and becomes part of a mail-delivery dog sled team.
Emma - February 21
Jane Austen fans, this one is for you. Emma is a comedy-drama movie directed by Autumn de Wilde and based on the novel of the same name by Jane Austen. It follows the antics of young Emma Woodhouse (Anya Taylor-Joy), living in Regency-era England, who occupies herself with matchmaking in the lives of her friends and family, though it not always goes right. Also starring are Johnny Flynn, Bill Nighy, Mia Goth, Miranda Hart, and Rupert Graves.
Brahms: The Boy II - February 21
Brahms: The Boy II is a standalone sequel to the 2016 horror movie The Boy. With William Brent Bell back as director, the story follows a family who moves to the Heelshire’s residence, unaware of the terrifying story of the mansion. Once there, their young son makes a new friend: a life-like porcelain doll he calls Brahms. Brahms: The Boy II stars Katie Holmes, Owain Yeoman, and Ralph Ineson.
The Night Clerk - February 21
The Night Clerk is a crime drama movie that centers on Bart Bromley (Tye Sheridan), a young man who starts working as a hotel clerk during the night. There he makes a personal connection with a guest, Andrea (Ana de Armas), but he also becomes the prime suspect when another woman is murdered at the hotel during his shift. Bart then realizes he must stop the killer before Andrea becomes the next victim.
Guns Akimbo - February 28
The origin of that popular meme of Daniel Radcliffe in a robe, holding a gun on each hand has been revealed: the action comedy Guns Akimbo. The movie follows Miles (Radcliffe), a video game developer who inadvertently becomes the next participant in a real-life death match streaming online. Miles’ lifetime of running from his problems comes in handy when he literally has to run away from all danger, but he will have to face those threats when his ex-girlfriend Nova (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) is kidnapped – and he also has to stop Nix (Samara Weaving), a killer at the top of her game.
The Invisible Man - February 28
Leigh Whannell’s latest movie is a new version of a horror classic: The Invisible Man. A loose and modern adaptation of the novel of the same name by H.G. Wells and a remake of the 1933 movie adaptation, The Invisible Man stars Elisabeth Moss as Cecilia Kass, a woman trapped in a violent relationship with wealthy and brilliant scientist Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). Cecilia escapes, but Adrian later commits suicide and leaves her a generous portion of his fortune. However, when a series of strange events start happening around Cecilia, she suspects Adrian’s death was a hoax, and he’s still around... but can’t be seen
