3 Classic Sci-Fi Movies Leaving Netflix on December 1st

With a new month comes a new Netflix licensing shuffle, which unfortunately means a few genre staples are about to vanish from the platform. Most Netflix users are all too familiar with the experience of cozying up on the couch and searching for a movie in their My List, only to realize it’s already gone. So consider this list a warning tailored specifically to sci-fi fans.  

The titles leaving Netflix on December 1st include a Spielberg family favorite, a beloved time-travel sequel, and a Tom Cruise-led action adventure. Thankfully, we still have the holiday weekend to watch and to give thanks to the casts and crews who brought us these bona fide classics. 

3) Back to the Future Part II

Directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Bob Gale, Back to the Future Part II jumps straight from the end of the first film into a triple-layer time-travel romp. Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) rocket forward to 2015 to help future-Marty’s family, but one stolen sports almanac later, they’ve accidentally triggered a corrupt alternate 1985 where Biff Tannen rules Hill Valley like a neon-soaked tyrant. 

Expanding on the franchise’s sci-fi parameters, Zemeckis leans into branching timelines and paradox gags, connecting the first film to an alternate past and a new future in a supremely clever way. The hoverboards, self-lacing shoes, dehydrated pizza, and general future optimism of “the year 2015” are absolutely hilarious today. Just make sure to revisit one of sci-fi’s most beloved sequels before the clock strikes twelve.

2) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial follows lonely suburban kid Elliott (Henry Thomas), who befriends a gentle alien stranded on Earth. As government agents close in, Elliott, his siblings (including a young Drew Barrymore), and his neighborhood friends attempt to help E.T. phone home before it’s too late. A perfect family crowd-pleaser for the Thanksgiving weekend, E.T. is also one of the most heartfelt sci-fi flicks of all time.

Uses the genre to explore universal childhood experiences of fear, curiosity, loyalty, and loss. Between Spielberg’s immaculate filmmaking, writer Melissa Mathison’s iconic story, John Williams’ soaring score, and Carlo Rambaldi’s creature design, there is so much joy and wonder to revisit before E.T. bicycles off the platform on December 1st. 

1) Edge of Tomorrow

Edge of Tomorrow, directed by Doug Liman and based on Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s Japanese light novel All You Need Is Kill, stars Tom Cruise as Major William Cage, a P.R. officer thrown onto the front lines of an alien war. After dying within minutes of his first battle, he wakes up one day earlier, beginning an endless time loop. Guided by Emily Blunt’s Sergeant Rita Vrataski, Cage uses the loop to refine his combat skills, decode the aliens’ strategy, and inch humanity closer to a win. 

A classic of the 21st century, Edge of Tomorrow merges video-game with sci-fi structure, making for an edge-of-your-seat blockbuster that doesn’t sacrifice character development or originality. The movie commits wholeheartedly to the loop mechanism, using repetition to its advantage and taking the concept to its furthest corners. Blunt’s “Full Metal Bitch” is easily one of the standout sci-fi characters of the 2010s, and Liman’s choice to use practical exo-suits is the cherry on top. If you haven’t seen it, or maybe haven’t seen it in years, now is your last chance to stream one of the smartest, tightest sci-fi action movies of the modern era on Netflix. 

Which one are you watching this weekend? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

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