The one sci-fi movie you need to watch on Netflix before it leaves in March

Netflix is losing yet another classic movie next month, but you've still got a few weeks to watch this iconic piece of '90s science fiction. In February, the streaming service cut ties with Neil Blomkamp's cult classic District 9, but an even bigger piece of sci-fi history is leaving the Netflix library in March.

Mark your calendar, because you've got until March 14 to watch Men in Black on Netflix. After that, the sci-fi classic from Columbia Pictures and Steven Spielberg's own production company Amblin Entertainment will leave the platform. Maybe forever. (Men in Black II is also leaving Netflix on March 14, but we don't need to talk about that subpar sequel.)

Now listen here, slick. Before you run off to rewatch Men in Black on Netflix, stick around for a quick reminder of why this movie is so important. After all, what's the rush? You've got over three weeks to catch up on this classic about a covert organization devoted to protecting humanity from the aliens secretly living among us.

Released in 1997, Men in Black arrived at what was arguably the pinnacle of Will Smith's career. It immediately followed classics like Bad Boys and Independence Day, which showcased the rapper-turned-actor as one of the finest action-comedic talents in Hollywood. I'm not trying to say it's been all downhill from MIB, but two years later he passed on The Matrix to make Wild Wild West, so you be the judge.

“You see this?! NYPD means I-will-KNOCK-YOUR-PUNKASS-DOWN!” — Will Smith

Alongside Smith, the movie stars Tommy Lee Jones as the pitch-perfect straight man to his rookie agent's antic. Rip Torn shows up as Men in Black's head honcho Z, and Tony Shalhoub plays an alien arms dealer who's head blows up multiple times in the movie.

And then there's Vincent D'Onofrio in one of the greatest performances of all time as a man who's skin is being used to disguise a massive alien cockroach running amok across New York. We could write an entire article about D'Onofrio in Men in Black, and someone did. Vulture published an entire oral history of just one of D'Onofrio's scenes in the movie, and it goes into detail on everything from how they cast the virtually unknown actor to how they made his face look so damn weird.

More than 20 years after its release, Men in Black only looks better, especially when you consider the several failed attempts to capitalize on the first movie and build it into a franchise. (I actually liked last year's Men in Black: International, but there's no denying the reboot did more harm than good to the MIB brand.)

Even so, the legacy of MIB lives on. And maybe, if enough people stream Men in Black on Netflix before March 14, we'll get another movie. Maybe Will Smith will even come back. Until then, enjoy this sci-fi classic while you can.