What’s New to Stream on Netflix for March 2021

Crossing the Streams is a series of columns spotlighting all the offerings hitting the big streaming services each month. This time we’re checking out the new Netflix arrivals for March 2021, including new movies from Jennifer Garner, Olga Kurylenko, and Amy Poehler, a new series featuring Sherlock Holmes, and more!

Keep reading to see what’s new on Netflix for March 2021!

Netflix Pick of the Month for March 2021

Sherlock Holmes remains one of the most adapted fictional characters, but while there is variety among his depictions, certain core truths remain the same. The Irregulars, which premieres on March 26th, mixes things up in engaging and thrilling ways. The show is focused on the street kids whom Holmes turned to for help a few times, but the twist here is that they’re doing the real work, facing off against supernatural threats and discovering the truth about Holmes and Dr. Watson. Namely, that the famed detective duo might just be the bad guys. I’m only a few episodes in so far, but highlights include some fun turns, gory beats, and a terrific lead performance by Thaddea Graham.

New Netflix Original Movies

Moxie premieres on March 3rd, and it marks the second feature directed by (and starring) Amy Poehler. Like 2019’s Wine Country, it looks to be a light comedy, but this time around the focus is on a younger generation, as a teenager’s discovery that her mom (Poehler) used to be a wild radical gives her a nudge in her own life. We get a few more recognizable faces in Ike Barinholtz, Marcia Gay Harden, and Clark Gregg, but it looks to be mostly a YA affair.

Sentinelle (pictured above) premieres on March 5th and looks to continue Olga Kurylenko’s place in my direct-to-video action-loving heart. She plays a soldier who returns home to seek revenge for her sister’s assault. It’s an exploitation-worthy premise, and with underseen action/thrillers like Momentum (2015) and The Courier (2019) to her name, I’m looking forward to more solid thrills from the Quantum of Solace star. Add in that it’s a new film from the director of Earth and Blood (2020) and The Crew (2015), and that it clocks in at a sweet eighty minutes, and you have a hopeful must-see for action fans.

Coven of Sisters premieres on March 11th and delivers an original drama out of Spain about the painful idiocy surrounding archaic witch hunts. The film sees a group of young teens accused of witchcraft and sentenced to burning, but the girls use their wits and creativity in a last-ditch effort to convince the men that they’re innocent. It’s unclear what the outcome will be, but it’s rarely a dull or disaffecting topic.

Finally, Yes Day premieres on March 12th and sees Jennifer Garner attempting to make up for the supposed sins of Peppermint (2019) with a family-friendly comedy co-starring Edgar Ramirez. They play parents who accept the premise of a “yes day” where they have to say yes to all of their kids’ requests. It looks precisely like the kind of painful, exaggerated comedies I tend to avoid, but less discerning families may want to give it a spin before telling their own kids that something similar would never happen in their house.

2020 Movies You May Have Missed

The Block Island Sound (pictured above) premieres on March 11th with some pretty atmospheric horror centered on a small fishing community under siege by something unnerving in the air. It’s from Kevin and Matthew McManus, perhaps best known as writers on terrific shows like Cobra Kai and American Vandal, but they show some strong horror chops with this thrilling slow burn. It’s all about a growing unease, and the film captures the increasing terror and uncertainty well.

The Last Blockbuster premieres on March 15th and is a documentary about, well, the last functioning Blockbuster video store. It was in Bend, Oregon, and the film explores its ongoing (at the time) existence in an era when video stores are essentially no more while also looking at the cultural impact of Blockbuster at its height. Talking heads including Kevin Smith, Paul Scheer, and Adam Brody share their own memories reminding viewers that celebrities really are just like us.

Skylines premieres on March 18th and is the third film in the sci-fi/action franchise that also includes Skyline (2010) and Beyond Skyline (2017). Director Liam O’Donnell is once more at the helm with another tale about aliens and humans at odds, this time involving a virus that heightens the conflict in unexpected ways. The first two are fun little genre efforts blending sci-fi and action beats well, so I’m looking forward to this one.

Jiu Jitsu premieres on March 20th and pits Nicolas Cage and others against an alien fighter in a Mortal Kombat-like tournament. It sounds awesome, obviously, but while it never really reaches such heights, it still delivers some action fun. It helps that Tony Jaa, Frank Grillo, JuJu Chan, Rick Yune, and Alain Moussi all get to kick some nameless ass along the way, and Cage’s stunt double almost keeps up as well. Is there any jiu jitsu? That’s debatable, but it’s still an entertaining romp.

The Oldest New Arrival

I like to highlight the oldest feature hitting Netflix each month, in part because they’re rarely all that old. March’s oldest continues that trend as Rain Man (1988) is just over three decades in age. The film stars Tom Cruise as a self-centered young man who discovers his older brother (Dustin Hoffman) has inherited their father’s fortune, which triggers a road trip he hopes will net him a piece of the pie. Of course, he discovers something more valuable than money along the way — namely, four Academy Awards. I kid, he discovers compassion and stuff.

The Complete Netflix List for March 2021

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