Spring might be in the air, but whether you’re dodging April showers or just not vibing with the outdoors right now, there are plenty of reasons to stay in – starting with this week’s excellent batch of free movies.
Some of the best free streaming services, including Pluto TV, Plex, Tubi, and Kanopy, are serving up a mix of moody sci-fi, post-apocalyptic drama, and cult classics you may have missed.
Below, we’ve picked five standout titles worth your time, from space-station mind-benders to bleak survival stories and a 90s goth revenge flick that became a genre-defining cult hit.
Moon (Pluto TV)
Release date: 2009
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
Length: 97 minutes
Director: Duncan Jones
Main cast: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey
Everyone might know who Sam Rockwell is now, but earlier on in his career he gave us arguably one of his best performances in this low-budget, high-concept sci-fi gem from Duncan Jones.
Moon follows an astronaut nearing the end of a solo three-year stint on a lunar mining base. But as he’s wrapping things up, he discovers things aren’t quite what they seem. With echoes of 2001: A Space Odyssey, this thoughtful, slow-burn mystery is a really interesting look at identity, isolation, and what it means to be human. It’s a must for fans of cerebral sci-fi and moody minimalism. Especially if you’ve enjoyed Black Mirror season 7 and want something with a similar vibe.
The Road (Hoopla, Kanopy, Plex)
Release date: 2009
Rotten Tomatoes score: 74%
Length: 111 minutes
Director: John Hillcoat
Main cast: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Robert Duvall, Guy Pearce, Charlize Theron
This is a bleak, brutal and deeply affecting movie, so please consider yourself warned.
The Road is one of the more faithful Cormac McCarthy adaptations to hit the screen. It’s set in a scorched future (maybe?) America in which civilization has collapsed. The movie follows the story of a father and son who are making their way south in search of safety.
Viggo Mortensen is heartbreaking in the lead role here as a man desperately trying to keep hope alive, while Kodi Smit-McPhee delivers a gut-punch performance as his son. Again, it’s not a light watch, but it is undeniably powerful and weirdly tender amidst all the horror.
Gattaca (Pluto TV)
![GATTACA [1997] – Official Trailer (HD) | Now on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and Digital - YouTube](https://i0.wp.com/img.youtube.com/vi/NIIZ2P-fiyI/maxresdefault.jpg?w=696&ssl=1)
Release date: 1997
Rotten Tomatoes score: 82%
Length: 112 minutes
Director: Andrew Niccol
Main cast: Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Alan Arkin, Jude Law
Don’t let the fact Gattaca is nearly 30 years old put you off. This is a stylish and eerily prescient movie we highly recommend for sci-fi lovers.
Gattaca imagines a future where your genes determine your destiny. Ethan Hawke stars here as a so-called “in-valid” and assumes another man’s genetic identity in order to pursue his dream of space travel – dodging DNA tests and all sorts of surveillance along the way.
With Uma Thurman and Jude Law rounding out a perfectly 90s cast here, it’s a must-watch neo-noir sci-fi story that still hits hard with its questions about perfection, prejudice, and the price of ambition.
The Crow (Hoopla, Kanopy, Pluto TV)
Release date: 1994
Rotten Tomatoes score: 87%
Length: 102 minutes
Director: Alex Proyas
Main cast: Brandon Lee, Ernie Hudson, Michael Wincott
This is a true cult classic, and a real-life tragedy that’s impossible to separate from the film itself. The Crow stars Brandon Lee as a musician resurrected to avenge his own murder, and that of his fiancée, in a rain-drenched, gothic cityscape.
Based on a cult comic book and released posthumously after Lee’s fatal on-set accident, the film is as much a time capsule of 90s alt-culture as it is a dark superhero revenge tale. Moody visuals, a killer soundtrack, and Lee’s magnetic final performance make this a haunting and totally unforgettable watch.
The Hurt Locker (Plex)
Release date: 2009
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
Length: 131 minutes
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Main cast: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Evangeline Lilly, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, Guy Pearce
Kathryn Bigelow’s Oscar-winning war thriller The Hurt Locker isn’t your typical action flick.
Set during the Iraq War, The Hurt Locker follows the story of an elite bomb disposal unit led by Jeremy Renner’s adrenaline-addicted sergeant.
Tense and shot with a documentary-style realism, the film explores the psychological toll of modern warfare and not just the danger, but the addiction to danger. It’s gripping, haunting, and I think it’s safe to say it’s one of the most impactful war movies ever made.
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