February 2025 is bringing plenty of exciting titles new on Paramount Plus, including tons of great movies. It might not make our list of the best streaming services, but that's not because of a lack of quality content you can stream right now.
After browsing this month's new movies on Paramount Plus, I found five that can be considered the cream of the crop. Each earned a 90% or higher rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating near-universal acclaim. This metric is not perfect, but it means you won't be wasting your time watching any of these critically acclaimed movies.
So, without further ado, here are the five top movies new to Paramount Plus to watch in February 2025.
‘Attack the Block’ (2011)
"Attack the Block" is a twisted black comedy about an alien invasion in South London. It stars a young John Boyega as Moses, leader of a gang of South London delinquents that includes Pest (Alex Esmail), Dennis (Franz Drameh), Jerome (Leeon Jones) and Biggz (Simon Howard). One night, they come across a nurse Samantha (Jodie Whittaker) and try and mug her but their attempt is cut short when a meteorite hits the street and an alien attacks the group.
They survive the attack and even manage to kill the alien, taking it to their friend/drug dealer Ron (Nick Frost) and his psychopath boss Hi-Hatz (Jumayn Hunter). But when more meteorites start to fall they find themselves unexpectedly teaming up with their would-be victim Samantha and trying to survive a possible alien invasion. Don't miss this indie film festival darling from 2011 now that it's streaming on Paramount Plus.
Genre: Science fiction comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Stream it now on Paramount Plus
‘Bull’ (2021)
"Bull" stars Neil Maskell as the titular Bull, a former gang member who was betrayed by his own. Through flashbacks, we learn he used to be an enforcer for his father-in-law Norm (David Hayman) and that Bull is a totally unhinged, hyperviolent psychopath. While his behavior initially suits his role as the gang's muscle, it ultimately contributes to his downfall.
Now though, he's out for revenge, as well as trying to find his son. In the process, he goes on a brutal rampage, leaving devastation and death in his wake. "Bull" is gritty, it's violent — but if you love a thriller it's also definitely worth watching.
Genre: Crime thriller
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Stream it now on Paramount Plus
‘Cinema Paradiso’ (1988)
"Cinema Paradiso" continues the trend of new Paramount Plus movies with smaller, film festival debuts that have resulted in major critical acclaim. But "Attack the Block" and "Bull" can't come close to this Italian coming-of-age comedy drama, which has been hailed as one of the greatest movies ever made. It won the Cannes Film Festival's Grand Prix and then followed up that success with a win for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars.
Set in the aftermath of World War II, this movie stars Salvatore Cascio as the young Sicilian Salvatore Di Vita. Salvatore is the son of a war widow and spends most of his time at the local theatre, the titular Cinema Paradiso. There he meets a middle-aged projectionist, Alfredo (Philippe Noiret), who helps nurture a lifelong love of film and teaches Salvatore how to be a projectionist. Taking place across several decades, the movie also stars Marco Leonardi as the teenage version of Salvatore and Jacques Perrin as the adult version of Salvatore, as well as Agnese Nano as his love interest Elena.
Genre: Coming-of-age comedy drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Stream it now on Paramount Plus
‘Roman Holiday’ (1953)
"Roman Holiday" stars Audrey Hepburn as Princess Ann, the crown princess of an unnamed European nation. She's on a tightly scheduled tour of European capitals that stretches her physically almost to the point of exhaustion. Her doctor gives her a drug and advises her to relax and recharge, she sneaks off to explore Rome but then passes out in public as the drug takes effect. That's her condition when she's discovered by American expat reporter Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck), who doesn't recognize her and takes her to his apartment to sleep off what he assumes is a bout of intoxication.
What follows is a charming romantic comedy that still holds up to this day. It's well-written, filled with laughs and Hepburn’s performance is a must-watch. "Roman Holiday" went on to be nominated for several Academy Awards, with Hepburn winning Best Actress. Writer Dalton Trumbo also won for Best Story but at the time he was on the Hollywood blacklist and therefore was not credited on the film until the DVD was released in 2003.
Genre: Romantic comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
Stream it now on Paramount Plus
‘Shakespeare in Love’ (2008)
"Shakespeare in Love" stars Joseph Fiennes as legendary playwright and poet William Shakespeare. The movie starts with Shakespeare suffering from writer's block while trying to complete his new play ... "Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter." While casting for the play he meets actor Thomas Kent, who is secretly the wealthy Viola de Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow) in disguise. What follows is a period romantic comedy filled with acting talent that ultimately turns "Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter" into the now iconic "Romeo and Juliet."
This movie isn't without controversy though. "Shakespeare in Love" was nominated for 13 Academy Awards, ultimately winning seven, including Best Picture and Best Actress for Paltrow. It's these last two that drew shock and scrutiny, given the former beat out the highly favored "Saving Private Ryan" and the latter beat out the highly favored Cate Blanchett for "Elizabeth." Since then, these wins have been attributed to a pressure campaign by now infamous producer Harvey Weinstein. Still, while the award wins may be dubious, the movie is undeniably considered objectively good by nearly all critics.
Genre: Period romantic comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
Stream it now on Paramount Plus
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