Whether you’re going out to the cinema or staying on the sofa avoiding the cold, there’s plenty of films to look forward to this February.
From Oscar nominee Amanda Seyfried in The Testament of Ann Lee to Emerald Fennell’s long-awaited new adaptation of Wuthering Heights with Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi to a new intimate portrait of Paul McCartney in Man on the Run and Elizabeth Olsen in a new romantic comedy, Eternity, there’s something for everyone.
Our critics have picked ten of the biggest and the best films this February, but let us know which you are particularly looking forward to in the comments below.
Emerald Fennell’s long-awaited adaptation of Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel finally hits cinema screens just in time for Valentine’s Day. Starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi as Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, this latest take on Brontë’s gothic romantic tragedy is sure to be one of the most talked-about releases of the month as purists criticise its departure from the original text while modernists celebrate a bold and fresh take on a classic story.
UK release: in cinemas Feb 13
US release: in cinemas Feb 13
Crime 101
In 2018 the director Bart Layton made the brilliant heist docudrama American Animals, starring Evan Peters and Barry Keoghan. He returns to the world of thieves with this crime thriller based on Don Winslow’s 2020 novella of the same name. Chris Hemsworth stars as a jewel thief whose heists along the 101 freeway have confused police, including a detective played by Mark Ruffalo. Could his final heist prove to be his downfall?
UK release: In cinemas Feb 13
US release: In cinemas Feb 13
Eternity
How would you spend eternity? That’s the overarching question of this unique rom-com starring Elizabeth Olsen as a woman who dies of cancer and arrives in the afterlife to find her second husband (Miles Teller) and her first husband (Callum Turner), who died in the Korean War, both there. A love triangle story with a unique twist, this film may have slipped under your radar during its December cinema run. The good news is you can now enjoy it from the comfort of your own home.
UK release: Apple TV, Feb 13
US release: Apple TV, Feb 13
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The Testament of Ann Lee
Mona Fastvold, co-writer of the Oscar-winning The Brutalist, returns with this epic fable starring Amanda Seyfried as Ann Lee, the founding leader of the Shaker movement. But here’s the twist: it’s a musical that tells the story of the 18th-century missionary through reimagined spirituals and dance sequences.
UK release: In cinemas Feb 20
US release: In cinemas
Cold Storage
Two employees at a self-storage company, played by Stranger Things star Joe Keery and Georgina Campbell, have a bonkers shift when a parasitic fungus escapes. Soon it’s multiplying, mutating and unleashing its brain-controlling terrors on the unit’s inhabitants. Vanessa Redgrave, Liam Neeson and Lesley Manville also star in a movie that looks like it will certainly be a fun ride.
UK release: In cinemas Feb 20
US release: In cinemas Feb 20
• Stranger Things star Joe Keery: “I’m not a tortured artist”
Man on the Run
While there’s no shortage of documentaries about the Beatles, this intimate portrait of Paul McCartney’s life and career after his time in the Fab Four promises to be an insightful glimpse into a period of his music sometimes overlooked. Directed by the Oscar winner Morgan Neville, the film uses previously unseen archive footage and interviews to chronicle McCartney’s solo career and the formation of Wings alongside his wife Linda.
UK and US release: Prime Video, Feb 27
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Rose Byrne is an actress who has long deserved a role she can make a statement with — and this one in Mary Bronstein’s film is it. She plays a therapist grappling with a sick child, an absent husband and an uninhabitable home. This is an unflinching portrait of a mother on the edge. Byrne has already won a Golden Globe for her turn and now she has an Oscar gong in her sights.
UK release: In cinemas Feb 20
US release: buy/rent
The Secret Agent
Set in Brazil in 1977, during the political turmoil of the Brazilian military dictatorship, the most awarded film at last year’s Cannes stars Wagner Moura as a former teacher and political dissident. He travels to Recife during carnival on a mission to reunite with his son, but quickly realises that the city is not what he expected. Now this movie is nominated for four Oscars, including best picture and best actor, this is surely a must-watch.
UK release: In cinemas Feb 20
US release: In cinemas
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The Bluff
Brace for a swashbuckling adventure as Prime Video serves us a pirate film, produced by the Russo brothers. Set in the late 19th-century Caribbean, the movie stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas as a former pirate trying to protect her family on a remote island. But when a vengeful former captain returns, her tranquillity is ruined and she must do everything she can to protect her loved ones.
UK and US release: Prime Video, Feb 25
How To Train Your Dragon
Younger audiences who missed its cinema release in June last year can now be dazzled by this live-action adaptation of Cressida Cowell’s 2003 novel. Mason Thames plays an outcast adolescent named Hiccup who defies the traditions of his rugged isle of Berk and befriends a dragon named Toothless. Yes, it’s very similar to the animated version (available on ITVX), but kids will like it all the same.
UK release: Sky Cinema, Feb TBC
US release: Peacock
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