Netflix continues to roll into 2021 with more content than we could ever possibly consume, and that’s an excellent conundrum to face. For sure, there’s always a lot of variety coming from the streamer — how does Netflix keep doing this, especially a year into the pandemic? no one really knows — and the challenge is how to pick the best offerings that are worth your time. That’s where we come in, hopefully, to dig into the impressively massive list of offerings and emerge with a handful of suggestions that would be great picks for your queue.
The best of the best selections here include a Zack Snyder film that returns him to his (excessive) basics, the return of a Parks and Rec star to the public eye, and a superhero series that makes a very handsome actor look nearly unrecognizable. There’s also a compelling true crime documentary (Netflix is really beefing up on that end) and a thriller starring an actress who really should have won an Oscar by now. You can’t go wrong with spending some time diving into this month’s goodness.
Here’s everything coming to (and leaving) Netflix in May.
Army Of The Dead (Netflix film streaming 5/21)
Zack Snyder’s pretty much the current King of Streaming after Justice League for HBO Max on the superhero front, and he’s spreading his love around over at Netflix. Army of the Dead (which takes Snyder back to his zombie roots after 2004’s Dawn of the Dead remake) tackles a plague of the undead in Las Vegas. Not only that, but a group of mercenaries are attempting to pull off the most masterful heist ever, and those zombies look surprisingly intelligent. Dave Bautista’s character wants to nail down $50 million all for himself, so don’t count the humans out, and Tig Notaro (who replaced Chris D’Elia) is capturing the Internet’s fancy, so maybe we shouldn’t #AlwaysBetOnDead after all.
Master Of None: Season 3 (Netflix series streaming TBA)
Alright, so the above trailer is from Season 2, but it’s been awhile since we’ve seen Aziz Ansari’s brainchild do its thing (and a refresher couldn’t hurt) and that’s not even (officially, at least) down to the pandemic. Ansari’s been largely out of the public eye following sexual misconduct allegations, although he did emerge a few years ago for an insightful comedy special that goes a long way to show that he’s still got a lot of material under his belt. No details on a third season synopsis have materialized yet, but considering that Ansari appeared to be gazing inward for that stand-up special, we can expect even more social commentary coming with the comedy.
Jupiter’s Legacy (Netflix series streaming 5/7)
Kick-Ass and Kingsman creator Mark Millar is to thank for this epic superhero series, starring a heavily bearded Josh Duhamel as The Utopian. He’s the head of a superhero family that’s hoping to pass the torch to a new generation, but (surprise) things aren’t going smoothly on that end. Yes, this description does evoke shades of Robert Kirkman’s Invincible (currently running on Amazon), but the vibe is a less R-rated and also entertaining on its own accord. No spoilers here, but there are twists involved with this family’s ethics as heroes, and the show answers to a lot of questions left open by Marvel Studios’ The Avengers.
The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness (Netflix documentary film streaming 5/5)
Netflix continues to delve deeper into the true crime realm with new selections every month, from the ongoing Unsolved Mysteries to Murder Among The Mormons and Joe Berlinger’s haunting Crime Scene anthology series. Now, the streamer is taking on the case of serial killer David Berkowitz, a.k.a. “Son of Sam,” who was arrested and convicted after a stream of murders in the late 1970s. New Yorkers felt a sense of relief after Berkowitz could no longer stalk the streets, but journalist Maury Terry (author of Ultimate Evil) didn’t rest easy. He felt convinced that Berkowitz had a partner, at the very least, and this limited documentary series will dive down the rabbit hole with him.
Love, Death + Robots: Volume 2 (Netflix series streaming 5/14)
Two years ago, Netflix previewed adult-animated anthology series Love, Death & Robots, from co-executive producers David Fincher and Tim Miller, with the “messed up audiences only” label. Comfortingly, it sure looks like not a whole lot has changed for the show’s vibe. As with the Emmy-winning first season of this show, this trailer tells us to expect more existential “robots-gone-wild” but fewer of them (along with “naked giants” and “Christmas demons”), as the series included eighteen short films in the initial round but will crank out eight more for this second batch. All will keep the seemingly infinite number of animation styles going, including a very simple looking installment that, uh, involves a poop-scooping robot. Otherwise, expect several genres (including sci-fi, horror, fantasy and comedy) to gain more of the spotlight with mind-bending stories, some frivolous and some thought provoking but all entertaining.
The Woman In The Window (Netflix film streaming 5/14)
After HBO’s Sharp Objects, no one needs convincing to believe that Amy Adams is quite adept at playing a woman on the verge. Here’s she’s portraying a woman (who is, yes, in the window) who either saw something terrible happen across the street or at least believes as much. She’s agoraphobic, and her neighbor does indeed disappear, so there’s that. Yet since this is a psychological thriller from director Joe Wright, so one can guess that the resolution (which is based upon the best selling novel of the same name) will be anything but straightforward.
Here’s the full list of titles coming to Netflix in May:
Avail. TBA
AlRawabi School for Girls
Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir
Halston
Mad for Each Other
Master of None
Racket Boys
Ragnarok: Season 2
Avail. 5/1
Aliens Stole My Body
Angelina Ballerina: Season 5
Angelina Ballerina: Season 6
Back to the Future
Back to the Future Part II
Back to the Future Part III
Barney and Friends: Season 13
Barney and Friends: Season 14
Best of the Best
Dead Again in Tombstone
Due Date
Fun with Dick and Jane
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Green Zone
Hachi: A Dog’s Tale
JT LeRoy
Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted
Mystic River
Never Back Down
Notting Hill
Open Season
Resident Evil: Afterlife
Resident Evil: Extinction
S.M.A.R.T Chase
Scarface
SITTING IN LIMBO
Stargate
State of Play
The Land Before Time
The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure
The Lovely Bones
The Pelican Brief
The Sweetest Thing
The Whole Nine Yards
Under Siege
Waist Deep
Your Highness
Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Zombieland
Avail. 5/2
Hoarders: Season 11
Avail. 5/4
The Clovehitch Killer
Selena: The Series: Part 2
Trash Truck: Season 2
Avail. 5/5
Framing John DeLorean
The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness
Avail. 5/6
Dead Man Down
Avail. 5/7
Girl from Nowhere
Jupiter’s Legacy
Milestone
Monster
Avail. 5/8
Mine
Sleepless
Avail. 5/11
Money, Explained
Avail. 5/12
Dance of the Forty One
Oxygen
The Upshaws
Avail. 5/13
Castlevania: Season 4
Layer Cake
Avail. 5/14
Ferry
Haunted: Season 3
I Am All Girls
Jungle Beat: The Movie
Love, Death & Robots: Volume 2
Move to Heaven
The Strange House
The Woman in the Window
Avail. 5/16
Sleight
Avail. 5/18
Sardar Ka Grandson
Avail. 5/19
The Last Days
Sabotage
Small Town Crime
Who Killed Sara?: Season 2
Avail. 5/20
Hating Peter Tatchell
Special: Season 2
Spy Kids: All the Time in the World
Avail. 5/21
Army of the Dead
Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous: Season 3
The Neighbor: Season 2
Avail. 5/22
Sam Smith: Love Goes – Live At Abbey Road Studios
Avail. 5/25
Home
Avail. 5/26
Baggio: The Divine Ponytail
High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America
Nail Bomber: Manhunt
Avail. 5/27
Black Space
Blue Miracle
Eden
Soy Rada: Serendipity
Avail. 5/28
Dog Gone Trouble
Lucifer: Season 5 Part 2
The Kominsky Method: Season 3
Avail. 5/31
Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story
Here’s the full list of titles leaving Netflix in May:
Leaving 5/1
Hoarders: Season 10
Leaving 5/3
War Horse
Leaving 5/5
Hangman
Leaving 5/6
City of God: 10 Years Later
Lockout
Leaving 5/7
The Chosen Ones
House at the End of the Street
Leaving 5/10
Quartet
Leaving 5/14
Sherlock: Series 1-4
Leaving 5/18
Trumbo
Leaving 5/29
American Crime: Seasons 1-3
My Week with Marilyn
The One I Love
Leaving 5/31
50 First Dates
Act of Valor
All Dogs Go to Heaven
The Blair Witch Project
Brokeback Mountain
The Boy
Deliver Us from Eva
The Help
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
Julie & Julia
Marauders
Milk
Miracle
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Prosecuting Evil: The Extraordinary World of Ben Ferencz
The Pursuit of Happyness
The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior
The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption
Soul Surfer
Striptease
Waiting…