The sun never sets in the world of streaming. After a jam-packed March that saw "Star Wars" and "Star Trek" series going head-to-head with "Ted Lasso" in the lead up to the much-buzzed-about return of "Yellowjackets" (nope, still not ready to retire that joke) and one last hurrah for the Shakespearean tragedy that is "Succession," April will keep the party going. Between "Schmigadoon!" and "The Afterparty" coming back, "Barry" setting sail for the Grey Havens with its final season, and whatever the hell Damon Lindelof and Tara Hernandez have cooked up for us with "Mrs. Davis," next month won't be hurting for appointment TV.
Not about to be left in the dust by its competitors, Netflix looks to be bringing the goods in April too. In addition to its customary monthly smattering of non-exclusive titles, the streamer will be dropping a 30th anniversary "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" reunion special, "Once & Always," just to make all you Millennials out there feel both extra weepy and creaky in your bones. The sixth and final season of "Better Call Saul" will also be arriving for those who've been following the tragic tale of Jimmy McGill, along with the continuing adventures of Gus the deer boy in "Sweet Tooth" season 2. Alternatively, if you're not in the mood to get stabbed in the feels, consider watching "John Mulaney: Baby J," a stand-up comedy special based on material from Mulaney's most recent tour (which /Film's Chris Evangelista saw him perform last year and has described as "very funny").
Here are our special picks for April, along with everything else coming to Netflix that month.
The Bourne Supremacy
Paul Greengrass' "The Bourne Supremacy" was recently — and, without question, justifiably — featured as part of /Film's "Best Action Scene Ever" column series thanks to its climactic, brutally destructive Moscow car chase. It's a practical stunt-heavy sequence so frantically yet meticulously edited and carefully staged that it arguably has yet to be truly surpassed, even close to 20 years later. As for how the heck nobody died while shooting this thing? That remains one of life's greatest mysteries.
Where other action movies from the early 2000s have come to show their age (Hollywood was sure in love with post-"Matrix" bullet-time photography back then, wasn't it?), "The Bourne Supremacy" remains as viscerally captivating and politically intrepid now as it was in 2004. After his attempts to lead a quiet and peaceful life in India are cut short and his lover Marie (Franka Potente) gets caught in the crossfire (okay, I admit, I always hated that the movie fridges Marie, much as I get the narrative reasoning behind it), it falls to Matt Damon's retired CIA assassin to unravel a conspiracy involving his former bosses at Treadstone, who plan to frame him for the murder of a Russian government agent turned mole. What follows is one of the best action movie sequels ever made by modern Hollywood, and one that's absolutely worth revisiting.
How To Train Your Dragon
Why wait for the live-action remake coming in 2025 when you can just watch (or rewatch) the original animated "How to Train Your Dragon" on Netflix in April? Loosely adapted from Cressida Cowell's book of the same name, the film centers on Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (Jay Baruchel), a misfit from the mythical Viking village of Berk who comes to question their dragon-hunting ways upon befriending a rare Night Fury dragon, whom he dubs Toothless. There's so much to love about the movie, from John Powell's adventurous score to the majestic flying sequences and the animated visuals, which are still a pleasure to behold 13 years later. Similarly, the film's themes about the importance of questioning what you were taught growing up and realizing the world might not work the way you believe continue to influence other movies to this day (including Netflix's own Oscar-nominated animated feature, "The Sea Beast"), and for a valid reason.
The Land Before Time
For a movie that only runs 69 minutes (with credits!), I love how much of "The Land Before Time" is devoted purely to sitting with the film's characters as they feel out their emotions. Don Bluth's animated classic turns 35 this year (I know, I know, apparently I'm just in the mood to make everyone feel extra old today), so there's no better time to either re-experience this animated prehistoric adventure or traumatize yourself by watching it for the first time. The story, as it were, centers on Littlefoot (Gabriel Damon), a kind-hearted young "Longneck," aka Apatosaurus, who — his emotional wounds still fresh from a personal tragedy — sets out with a motley crew of fellow dinos his age to find a legendary oasis known as the Great Valley. Even after a whopping 13 direct-to-video sequels, Bluth's original film has lost none of its potency. Lovingly visualized and deeply felt, it's a tale that reminds us: Family and home are always what you make them.
The Last Stand
Perhaps in anticipation of Arnold Schwarzenegger's upcoming action-comedy series "FUBAR" hitting the streamer in the foreseeable future, Netflix will make the bodybuilder-turned-actor's (also, let's not forget that whole dabbling in government phase) quirky 2013 action-thriller "The Last Stand" available to stream just in time for its 10th anniversary. Having resigned from the LAPD after an operation goes horribly sideways, Schwarzenegger's Ray Owens just wants to lead a peaceful existence as the sheriff of the sleepy, oddball small town of Sommerton Junction, Arizona. But, wouldn't you know it, who should come speeding towards Sommerton but the boss of a deadly international drug cartel hoping to evade the FBI and cross the border into Mexico? Under the steady guidance of director Kim Jee-woon ("The Good, the Bad, the Weird"),"The Last Stand" works almost as much as an off-beat sendup of Arnold's macho-fests from the '80s and '90s as it does an exhilarating neo-Western action-comedy.
Beef
If there's one must-watch Netflix Original to catch in April, it would have to be "Beef." A collaboration between Netflix and A24 (an intriguing meeting of artistic entities in and of itself), the upcoming series follows leads Danny Cho (Steven Yeun) and Amy Lau (Ali Wong) after a petty road rage incident escalates into something far bigger and more twisted, spiraling out of control in ways neither one of them could've imagined.
/Film's Jeremy Mathai had high praise for creator, showrunner, and executive producer Lee Sung Jin's dark comedy in his review, writing, "But underneath all the melodramatic trappings, 'Beef' contains a beating heart, a viciously sarcastic mean streak, and a sense of daring that immediately sets this apart from the chaff." If that's not enough to sell you on this one, know that it also counts the likes of writer Alice Ju ("Russian Doll," "Poker Face") and director Jake Schreier ("Robot & Frank") among the ranks of its impressive creative team.
Movies And TV Shows Coming To Netflix In April 2023
Dates TBA:
- Ex-Addicts Club
- Welcome to Eden: Season 2
Available April 1, 2023:
- 28 Days
- A League of Their Own
- American Hustle
- Battleship
- The Birds
- Born on the Fourth of July
- The Bourne Identity
- The Bourne Supremacy
- The Bourne Ultimatum
- Charlie Wilson's War
- Conan the Destroyer
- Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat
- Dr. Seuss' The Lorax
- Friday Night Lights
- Hatfields & McCoys: Season 1
- Hoarders: Season 12
- Hotel Transylvania
- How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
- How to Train Your Dragon
- I, Frankenstein
- Inception
- Inside Man
- The Land Before Time (1988)
- Marnie
- Matilda (1996)
- The Negotiator
- Not Another Teen Movie
- Psycho (1960)
- Puss in Boots
- Shark Tale
- Shrek Forever After
- Smokey and the Bandit
- Smokey and the Bandit II
- Spider-Man
- Spider-Man 2
- Spider-Man 3
- Thomas & Friends: The Mystery of Lookout Mountain
- Zombieland
- Weathering
Available April 2, 2023:
- War Sailor: Limited Series
Available April 3, 2023:
- Magic Mixies: Season 1
- Surviving R. Kelly Part III: The Final Chapter: Season 1
Available April 4, 2023:
- My Name Is Mo'Nique
- The Signing
Available April 5, 2023:
- Lewis Capaldi: How I'm Feeling Now
Available April 6, 2023:
- Beef
- The Last Stand
Available April 7, 2023:
- Chupa
- Holy Spider
- Kings of Mulberry Street: Let Love Reign
- Oh Belinda
- Thicker Than Water
- Transatlantic
Available April 8, 2023:
- Hunger
Available April 10, 2023:
- CoComelon: Season 8
Available April 11, 2023:
- All American: Homecoming Season 2
- Leanne Morgan: I'm Every Woman
Available April 12, 2023:
- American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing
- CELESTE BARBER Fine, thanks
- Operation: Nation
- Smother-in-Law: Season 2
Available April 13, 2023:
- The Boss Baby: Back in the Crib: Season 2
- Florida Man
- Obsession
Available April 14, 2023:
- Phenomena
- Queenmaker
- Queens on the Run
- Seven Kings Must Die
Available April 15, 2023:
- Doctor Cha
- Time Trap
Available April 16, 2023:
- The Best Man Holiday
- The Mustang
- The Nutty Boy Part 2
Available April 17, 2023:
- Oggy Oggy: Season 2
Available April 18, 2023:
- Better Call Saul: Season 6
- How to Get Rich
- Longest Third Date
Available April 19, 2023:
- Chimp Empire
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always
Available April 20, 2023:
- The Diplomat
- Tooth Pari: When Love Bites
Available April 21, 2023:
- A Tourist's Guide to Love
- Chokehold
- Indian Matchmaking: Season 3
- One More Time
- Rough Diamonds
Available April 22, 2023:
- Ada Twist, Scientist: Season 4
Available April 25, 2023:
- The Hateful Eight
- The Hateful Eight: Extended Version: Season 1
- John Mulaney: Baby J
Available April 26, 2023:
- The Good Bad Mother:
- Kiss, Kiss!
- Love After Music
- Workin' Moms: Season 7
Available April 27, 2023:
- Firefly Lane: Season 2 Part 2
- The Matchmaker
- The Nurse
- Sharkdog: Season 3
- Sweet Tooth: Season 2
Available April 28, 2023:
- AKA
- InuYasha: Season 6
- King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch
Read this next: The 14 Greatest Action Movies Of The 21st Century
The post The Best TV Shows And Movies Coming To Netflix In April 2023 appeared first on /Film.