The 3 Netflix Movies Everyone Will Be Talking About in Spring 2026 — Starting With Apex

Netflix is riding hard on TV right now — those big second seasons of 'Beef' and 'Running Point' are landing soon — but the movie side isn’t asleep. Spring 2026 has a tight little trio worth your time: an unfairly shrugged-off zombie sequel, a Charlize Theron survival banger, and a low-key drama about an elderly widow bonding with, yes, an octopus. I know. Stick with me.

• '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple' — March 31
• 'Apex' — April 24
• 'Remarkably Bright Creatures' — May 8

'28 Years Later: The Bone Temple' (March 31)

Set not long after '28 Years Later,' this one shifts the spotlight to Spike (Alfie Williams), a kid prowling through what’s left of Great Britain, desperate to figure out the Rage Virus fallout. He falls in with a crew that calls themselves the Jimmys, led by Sir Jimmy (Jack O'Connell), a charming sadist who doesn’t bother hiding how much he enjoys hurting people.

That road leads them to Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) and his eerie sanctuary known as the Bone Temple. Sir Jimmy wants it burned to the ground. Kelson has other plans — and a trump card in Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry), a superhuman zombie who can both keep the Jimmys at bay and nudge Spike to wise up about his new friends.

Here’s the wrinkle: when 'The Bone Temple' first hit in mid-January, audiences were chilly on it. A lot of folks wanted Cillian Murphy back and weren’t thrilled with a straight follow-up to the already-disappointing '28 Years Later.' Their loss. It’s a gnarly, go-for-broke zombie ride with real teeth. O'Connell, coming off his killer turn as Remmick in 'Sinners, ' dials up another villain you almost hate to love.

'Apex' (April 24)

If you’re ranking modern action stars, Charlize Theron belongs at the top. 'Atomic Blonde' is still underrated, and 'Mad Max: Fury Road' speaks for itself. 'Apex' looks like another notch: a survival thriller that updates the 1924 short story 'The Most Dangerous Game.'

Theron plays Sasha, a rock climber chasing her next high in the Australian wilderness. She’s not alone for long. Taron Egerton shows up as an unhinged drifter who decides to hunt her for sport. He even offers a generous head start — and then tries to put an arrow through her heart. Sasha refuses the victim role, flips the script, and the stalker becomes the prey.

Expect nasty, up-close fights with whatever weapons are handy and a set piece that sends both characters tearing through a waterfall. It looks like the kind of nerve-shredder that makes you rethink your next hike. Egerton adds another deranged baddie to his resume; Theron remains the last person you want to pick a fight with.

'Remarkably Bright Creatures' (May 8)

This one’s the curveball: an adaptation of Shelby Van Pelt’s bestselling novel about unlikely companionship. Two-time Oscar winner Sally Field stars as Tova, a widowed retiree who keeps busy cleaning the Sowell Bay Aquarium in Puget Sound. She strikes up an odd kinship with Marcelleus, the facility’s orange octopus. Watching them is Cameron (Lewis Pullman), a drifting 30-year-old who’s just as lonely as she is. The three form a strange but sincere bond that might be exactly what each of them needs.

On paper, it could tip into too-cute territory fast. But director Olivia Newman already turned the melodramatic novel 'Where the Crawdads Sing' into a surprisingly solid film, so I’m optimistic she’ll keep this grounded. It’s a pleasure seeing Field lead again, and Pullman continues to be one of the most promising younger actors around. Also, you simply won’t find anything else like this on Netflix this spring — or, honestly, the rest of 2026.

Bottom line: Netflix may be in a TV mood, but these three films are absolutely on my calendar.