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100 Best Movies on Netflix Ranked by Tomatometer (April 2024)

In our world of massive entertainment options, who’s got time to waste on the below-average? You’ve got a subscription, you’re ready for a marathon, and you want only the best movies no Netflix to watch. With thousands of choices on the platform, both original and acquired, we’ve found the 100 top Netflix movies with the highest Tomatometer scores! Time to get comfy on the couch!

New top movies this month: Bonnie and Clyde, Devil in a Blue Dress, The Disaster Artist, National Lampoon’s Animal House

His House (2020) 100%

L.A. Confidential (1997) 99%

Miss Juneteenth (2020) 99%

The Forty-Year-Old Version (2020) 99%

Under the Shadow (2016) 99%

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020) 97%

Dolemite Is My Name (2019) 97%

Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) 97%

Mudbound (2017) 97%

Paddington (2014) 97%

I Lost My Body (2019) 97%

Roma (2018) 96%

Gravity (2013) 96%

The Florida Project (2017) 96%

Atlantics (2019) 96%

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023) 95%

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) 96%

Boyz N the Hood (1991) 96%

Life of Brian (1979) 96%

To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018) 96%

Outside In (2017) 96%

The Irishman (2019) 95%

Marriage Story (2019) 95%

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) 95%

It Follows (2014) 95%

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) 95%

They Cloned Tyrone (2023) 95%

Train to Busan (2016) 95%

Klaus (2019) 95%

The Power of the Dog (2021) 94%

Carol (2015) 94%

Moneyball (2011) 94%

The Lost Daughter (2021) 94%

X (2022) 94%

Emily the Criminal (2022) 94%

Groundhog Day (1993) 94%

Love and Monsters (2020) 94%

The Sea Beast (2022) 95%

Private Life (2018) 94%

Wonder Woman (2017) 93%

Hustle (2022) 93%

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) 93%

Enola Holmes 2 (2022) 93%

Cam (2018) 93%

Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical (2022) 93%

Sand Storm (2016) 93%

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) 91%

Da 5 Bloods (2020) 92%

Silver Linings Playbook (2012) 92%

The School of Rock (2003) 92%

The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (2017) 92%

How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) 92%

The Squid and the Whale (2005) 92%

Jurassic Park (1993) 92%

El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019) 92%

Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) 92%

Nimona (2023) 92%

The Little Prince (2015) 92%

Antz (1998) 92%

Set It Up (2018) 92%

1922 (2017) 92%

Uncorked (2020) 92%

Phantom Thread (2017) 91%

The Disaster Artist (2017) 91%

The Nice Guys (2016) 91%

The Gift (2015) 91%

The White Tiger (2021) 92%

Beasts of No Nation (2015) 91%

Society of the Snow (2023) 90%

Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood (2022) 91%

High Flying Bird (2019) 91%

Happy as Lazzaro (2018) 91%

Gerald's Game (2017) 91%

You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2023) 91%

Orion and the Dark (2024) 91%

The Willoughbys (2020) 91%

National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) 91%

Shazam! (2019) 90%

The Suicide Squad (2021) 90%

May December (2023) 91%

The Imitation Game (2014) 90%

All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) 90%

The Kindergarten Teacher (2018) 90%

On Body and Soul (2017) 90%

Bonnie and Clyde (1967) 90%

John Wick: Chapter 3 -- Parabellum (2019) 89%

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020) 89%

The Big Short (2015) 89%

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) 89%

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018) 89%

The Two Popes (2019) 89%

Oxygen (2021) 89%

Always Be My Maybe (2019) 89%

Mary and The Witch's Flower (2017) 89%

I Am Mother (2019) 88%

I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017) 89%

Paddleton (2019) 89%

Rush (2013) 89%

Fear Street Part Three: 1666 (2021) 88%

Jackie Brown (1997) 88%

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The 10 best new movies on netflix in april 2024 (updated).

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Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney star in the 2023 romantic comedy 'Anyone But You.'

For movie lovers, the beauty of Netflix Netflix is that you can expect a healthy array of intriguing Originals and engrossing outside content in any given month—and that was certainly the case in April. The fourth month of the year might have been the best so far for Netflix subscribers in 2024, as the streaming platform gave us all kinds of wonderful cinematic options, from epic sci-fi operas to box-office-shattering rom-coms to sadly forgotten spy thrillers. There were dozens of great new movies to choose from this past month on Netflix, but ten stood out above the rest.

Which ten were those? Let’s take a look. Below in the first section, you’ll find my picks for the ten best movies to hit Netflix in April 2024. Then at the bottom of this article, I’ve posted a comprehensive list of every single new film that became available this past month. Whether it’s within the ten I recommend or on that larger list, I guarantee a great new movie is just waiting for you on Netflix. Hopefully we can find it today.

The 10 Best New Movies On Netflix In April 2024

Anyone but you (2023).

For the first time in recent memory, a rom-com took the box office by storm in 2023. In Anyone But You , Bea and Ben (played by Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, respectively) seem destined for romantic bliss after their first date. However, a bizarre twist sends their burgeoning passion into a tailspin, only to find themselves posing as a couple at an Australian wedding. Directed by Will Gluck, who mastered the easy breezy rom-com formula with hits like Easy A and Friends with Benefits , this film cleverly weaves Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing into a modern tale of feigned love and genuine laughter. Despite mixed reviews, its December 2023 release captivated audiences worldwide, amassing $216 million and proving that charm can triumph over cliché. If you’re a fan of the classic romantic comedy formula, then you have to put Anyone But You on your watchlist, because this sort of competence in the genre doesn’t come very often.

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New ios 18 ai security move changes the game for all iphone users, nyt strands hints spangram and answers for monday april 29th, rebel moon: part two: the scargiver (2024).

Whenever Zack Snyder releases a movie, whether it’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice , Army of the Dead or Watchmen , it’s followed by controversy—mostly because people think his movies are so bad . But you can count me as one of his fans, and, personally, Rebel Moon: Part Two: The Scargiver represents a high point for anyone who appreciates his captivating aesthetic. The Rebel Moon sequel escalates the battle for Veldt’s freedom as Kora (played by the most underrated actress in the industry, Sofia Boutella) leads her group against the maniacal Admiral Atticus Noble (played with cartoonish delight by Ed Skrein). Set against a sprawling cosmic backdrop, this chapter deepens the rebels' fight to protect their newfound home from the clutches of the tyrannical Imperium. Released just months after the first movie (with a director’s cut coming later this year), Part Two enhances the story with compelling explorations of the characters’ pasts, setting the stage for a monumental clash that seeks to forge a future free from oppression.

Suzume (2023)

In Suzume , a young girl's ordinary life is swept into an extraordinary adventure when she encounters a mysterious young man who is on a quest to close portals that dangerously link the Earth to the sky. Directed by Makoto Shinkai, who brought us recent anime classics like Your Name. and Weathering with You , this visually stunning animated film weaves elements of fantasy, romance and drama into a gripping, heartrending narrative about loss, about resilience, about the ultimate journey towards closure we all must trek. As Suzume, voiced by Nanoka Hara, travels across Japan with her multi-dimension-traveling companion, the scenery transforms into a breathtaking backdrop for their unfolding story, filled with lovable characters and whimsical charm, all the while captivating us with its beauty and gentle exploration of the connections that define us.

For a great explanation of Suzume ’s deeper meaning, check out this thorough breakdown .

Anna (2019)

Every once in a while, a movie that was released to little fanfare can find a second life on Netflix—and that ’s exactly what happened with Anna. In this highly stylized frilm from Luc Besson, who has entertained us for decades with compelling stories like Léon: The Professional , The Fifth Element and Lucy , a strikingly beautiful fashion model harbors a secret life as a deadly government assassin. This 2019 film that didn’t make much of an impact upon release (largely due to poor marketing) takes viewers on a gripping journey through the dual lives of its protagonist, Anna—played with alluring grace by Russian model Sasha Luss. As she navigates the dark corridors of international espionage, the layers of her complex identity unfold in a series of high-stakes missions. Supporting performances by Helen Mirren, Luke Evans and Cillian Murphy add depth to this stylish, action-packed thriller that keeps audiences guessing until the last reveal.

City Hunter (2024)

It’s always an ambitious (and dangerous) plight to adapt a classic manga series for the big screen—especially if it’s a live-action adaptation. From Ghost in the Shell to One Piece to Cowboy Bebop , these sorts of ventures are usually released to mixed results. The latest highly anticipated Japanese live-action adaptation from Netflix is pulling its story from City Hunter , in which Ryo Saeba (played by Ryohei Suzuki in the film) navigates the perilous underbelly of modern-day Shinjuku. As a top-tier "sweeper," he, alongside Hideyuki Makimura (Masanobu Ando) and Fumino Kimura (Saeko Nogami), tackle high-stakes criminal puzzles with a blend of charisma and danger. The film promises a thrilling blend of action and humor, appealing to longtime fans and newcomers alike, and expands on the legacy of the beloved manga series, which has captivated audiences for decades.

Freud’s Last Session (2023)

Every once in a while we receive a captivating performance from a cherished actor and Oscar winner...and we never even hear about it. That seems to be the case with Freud’s Last Session , which stars recent Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins as Sigmund Freud, who, alongside Matthew Goode’s C.S. Lewis, delves into profound debates on faith, humanity and personal history amidst the looming shadow of World War II. Directed by Matthew Brown, who brought us other biographical dramas like The Man Who Knew Infinity and London Town , this intellectually stimulating drama captures a historic collision of minds in 1939 England, offering insights into the complexities of belief and the human condition through a series of intense, dialogue-heavy exchanges. The film weaves global events into personal struggles, creating a compelling backdrop for this clash of titans.

King Richard (2021)

It’s crazy to think that the famous slap heard around the world from Will Smith happened...three years ago. That moment has overshadowed by the fact that, on that same evening, Smith won a much-deserved Oscar for his role in King Richard. This biographical drama tells the inspiring story of Richard Williams, an unwavering father who shaped two of the greatest tennis players ever” Venus and Serena Williams. Will Smith delivers a compelling performance as Richard, whose visionary methods and fierce determination defy the odds stacked against his daughters in a sport historically dominated by athletes from vastly different backgrounds. Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, who directed films like Bob Marley: One Love and Joe Bell , this gripping story highlights the power of family, perseverance and believing in the impossible, making it a heartfelt tribute to the man behind the champions.

Strange Way of Life (2023)

Pedro Almodóvar is the kind of director who releases films to what can seem like relatively little fanfare—especially given how fantastic they usually are. The director of great gems like Volver , All About My Mother and The Skin I Love In now brings us Strange Way of Life , which casts Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal as two former hired guns whose paths cross again in the remote town of Bitter Creek. What starts as a nostalgic reunion soon unveils deeper (and by deeper, I mean romantic ) motives, as the duo confronts unresolved issues amidst the desolate desert backdrop. This Almodóvar film adds a poignant chapter to the director’s diverse filmography, exploring themes of friendship, betrayal and the inexorable passage of time through its arresting story and powerful performances.

Scoop (2024)

Great journalism movies feel few and far between these days. Classics like Network and All the President ’s Men were much more common in the 1970s than these days, when winning projects like Spotlight or The Post hit like a breath of fresh air. Netlfix has given us another great story for the genre, however, with Scoop , which dives into the tense preparations behind Prince Andrew's explosive 2019 Newsnight interview. Directed by Philip Martin and featuring Gillian Anderson as journalist Emily Maitlis, the film reveals how interview booker Sam McAlister, portrayed by Billie Piper, navigated palace politics to secure a near-impossible interview. Rufus Sewell plays the embattled prince, whose televised missteps lead to a public retreat. Adapted by Peter Moffat and Geoff Bussetil from true events, the film celebrates the relentless women behind the scenes who shaped one of the decade's biggest news stories, illustrating the power struggle between the media and monarchy.

The Little Things (2021)

It’s not often that you get three Oscar winners playing the three lead parts in a murder-mystery thriller—but that’s exactly what happened when The Little Things hit screens back in 2021. Directed by John Lee Hancock, who gave us intimate character studies like The Blind Side , Saving Mr. Banks and The Founder , this deeply suspenseful detective story plunges viewers into a murky world of crime and redemption. Denzel Washington stars as Deputy Sheriff Joe "Deke" Deacon, whose hunt for a serial killer, played with by maniacal intensity by Jared Leto, leads him into a dark labyrinth of past sins and shaky alliances. Joined by Rami Malek's Detective Jim Baxter, the duo's quest not only challenges their moral compasses but also blurs the lines between right and wrong. This neo-noir crime flick slowly builds tension, culminating in a haunting exploration of obsession and the heavy burdens carried by those who seek justice.

Every New Movie on Netflix in April 2024

• April 1 : American Graffiti (1973); Baby Driver (2017); Battleship (2012); Born on the Fourth of July (1989); Ender’s Game (2013); Glass (2019); Haikyu!! Movie 3: Genius and Sense (2017); Haikyu!! Movie 4: Battle of Concepts (2017); Happy Gilmore (1996); Hotel Transylvania (2012); Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015); How to Be Single (2016); Inside Man (2006); Inside Man: Most Wanted (2019); It’s Kind of a Funny Story (2010); Molly’s Game (2017); Mortal Engines (2018); Night Raiders (2021); One Piece Film: Red (2022); Role Models (2008); Skyscraper (2018); Smokey and the Bandit ; Smokey and the Bandit II ; Split (2016); Step Up: Revolution (2012); Strawberry Shortcakes: Spring Spectacular (2024); Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006); The Land Before Time (1988); The Little Things (2021); The Matrix ; The Matrix Reloaded ; The Matrix Revolutions ; The Theory of Everything (2015); Wild Things (1998); You’ve Got Mail (198)
• April 2 : Together: Tr3ble Winners (2024)
• April 3 : Zero to Hero (2024)
• April 4 : The Tearsmith (2024)
• April 5 : Scoop (2024); The Antisocial Network: Memes to Mayhem (2024)
• April 8 : Megan Leavey (2017)
• April 9 : Neal Brennan: Crazy Good (2024)
• April 10 : Anthracite (Limited Series); Death Whisperer (2023); What Jennifer Did (2024)
• April 12 : A Journey (2024); Amar Singh Chamkila (2024); Love, Divided (2024); Smart Casual (2024); Stolen (2024); Strange Way of Life (2023); Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp (2024)
• April 15 : Hans Zimmer: Hollywood Rebel (2022)
• April 16 : Anna (2019); Knocked Up (2007); Jimmy Carr: Natural Born Killer (2024)
• April 19 : Rebel Moon: Part Two: The Scargiver (2024)
• April 21 : Duran Duran: There’s Something You Should Know (2018)
• April 22 : Ahead of the Curve (2020); Fern Brady: Autistic Bikini Queen (2024)
• April 23 : Anyone But You (2023)
• April 24 : King Richard (2021); TLC Forever (2023)
• April 25 : City Hunter (2024)
• April 26 : Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut (2024)
• April 29 : Honeymoonish (2024)

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The 30 Best Movies on Netflix Right Now

Netflix Movies by Category

This post is updated regularly as movies leave and enter Netflix. *New additions are indicated with an asterisk.

With hundreds of films from around the world on the streaming giant that changed the game, how does one even know what to watch when they fire up their Netflix? Start here! We’ve gone through the many films available on the platform and pared down the selection to 30 must-see titles, including acclaimed dramas , action films , comedies , horror flicks , and even stuff for the whole family , with Netflix Originals peppered in throughout, alongside its licensed films. No algorithm nonsense here: Our picks represent the personal favorites of seasoned movie critics, and they’re updated every week and month to include or remove films that join or depart from the streaming service. This list represents the best of Netflix’s movie offerings, and it starts with a new rotating critic’s pick of the week.

This Week’s Critic’s Pick

Year:  2011 Runtime:  2h 13m Director:  Bennett Miller

One of the best baseball movies ever made was adapted from the 2003 book by Michael Lewis, which recounts the management of the 2002 season of the Oakland Athletics, and how they changed the way the game is run by bringing analytics into the mix. Brad Pitt gives one of his best performances as general manager Billy Beane, a man who knew he would have to find a new way to evaluate talent if the A’s were going to compete. This is a rich, smart, riveting movie that’s extra-interesting given what the Oakland franchise is going through in 2024.

How We Pick Our Films

Critic Brian Tallerico watches and writes about movies and TV every day. To curate this list, he dives into Netflix’s catalogue to surface acclaimed, surprising, or otherwise noteworthy titles — using his taste and a lifetime of cinema study as his guide, instead of whatever the algorithm happens to be pushing. After triple-checking to make sure they’re still available, he watches each, organizes them by category, then writes his recommendation. We highlight more than just Oscar winners or popcorn flicks: These films present interesting ideas, made an impact on cinema, and changed our culture. Read on to find something to watch.

*Born on the Fourth of July

Year: 1989 Runtime: 2h 24m Director: Oliver Stone

In 1986, Oliver Stone tackled what it was like to be in country in his personal Platoon , and only three years later he followed up with a story about what it was like to come home from Vietnam in the story of Ron Kovacs. Tom Cruise does arguably the best work of his career in this powerful deconstruction of patriotism and examination of the human cost of war. It’s even better than you remember.

Devil in a Blue Dress

Year: 1995 Runtime: 1h 41m Director: Carl Franklin

Carl Franklin wrote and directed one of the most underrated Denzel Washington performances of all time in this 1995 adaptation of the novel of the same name by Walter Mosley. Washington plays Easy Rawlins, a World War II vet in 1948 who gets drawn into a mystery that classic noir filmmakers would have adored. Charming and riveting, the only crime here is that there wasn’t a whole franchise of films with Washington playing Easy.

Glengarry Glen Ross

Year: 1992 Runtime: 1h 40m Director: James Foley

For a long time, it felt like David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1984 masterpiece was unfilmable, but Foley, working with the playwright as screenwriter, figured it out, assembling one of the best ensembles of the ‘90s to do so. Alec Baldwin notoriously steals his one scene, but the entire cast here is a stunner, especially Al Pacino (who was Oscar-nominated), Alan Arkin, and Jack Lemmon.

*Inside Man

Year: 2006 Runtime: 2h 8m Director: Spike Lee

Yes, Spike Lee once made a great action movie. The director of Do the Right Thing and Da 5 Bloods put his spin on the heist film with this great 2006 Denzel Washington vehicle. The regular collaborator plays an NYPD hostage negotiator, called in when a bank heist goes down on Wall Street. Tight and effective, this is just further evidence that Spike Lee can nail any kind of movie he chooses to make. This might be Lee’s most underrated movie. It hums.

Year:  2023 Runtime:  1h 59m Director:  David Fincher

Michael Fassbender gives his best performance in years as an icy hired assassin who struggles to hold things together when a job goes horribly wrong. It’s a movie about a self-proclaimed perfectionist who is constantly defying his own voiceover, a great film that’s alternately hysterical and thrilling. One of the best of 2023.

L.A. Confidential

Year: 1997 Runtime: 2h 17m Director: Curtis Hanson

Curtis Hanson directed this adaptation of James Ellroy’s epic crime novel of 1950s Los Angeles. Starring Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey, and Kim Basinger, it’s a perfect thriller and one of the best movies of the ‘90s. So many films since this one have tried to mimic the tough-talking thrills of it and fallen completely flat. It’s harder than it looks to be this cool.

May December

Year: 2023 Runtime: 1h 57m Director: Todd Haynes

Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman star in the latest from Carol and Far from Heaven director Todd Haynes, a stunning character study of an actress who discovers that some people are impossible to figure out. Portman plays a star who tries to get under the skin of Moore’s character, a woman who raped a child when she was a teacher, and later married that young man. Charles Melton is phenomenal as the now-grown victim, stuck in perpetual adolescence.

Year: 2020 Runtime: 1h 47m Director: Sean Durkin

A victim of the pandemic, this was one of the best films of 2020. Carrie Coon and Jude Law star as a married couple with two kids who move from New York City to London in the 1980s and watch as the divides in their union start to widen. A great character study amplified by Durkin’s sharp visual language, this is a fantastic domestic drama, and the best movie on this list that you probably haven’t seen.

The Power of the Dog

Year: 2021 Runtime: 2h 6m Director: Jane Campion

The film that finally won an Oscar for Jane Campion for directing is one of the most acclaimed in the history of the streaming giant. Campion helmed this adaptation of the novel of the same name by Thomas Savage, the story of a vicious landowner (Benedict Cumberbatch) who torments the new wife (Kirsten Dunst) of his brother (Jesse Plemons). A drama that plays like a thriller, this gorgeously rendered period piece unpacks themes of toxic masculinity and manipulation in a way that makes it impossible to turn away. It’s not just one of the best Netflix Original films, it’s one of the best, period, of the 2020s so far.

Sleepless in Seattle

Year:  1993 Runtime:  1h 45m Director:  Nora Ephron

We could all use a little romance every now and then and movies don’t get much sweeter than this 1993 blockbuster that made Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan one of the most beloved movie couples of all time. Nora Ephron directs this story of a widower who moves to Seattle and tries to raise his 8-year-old son, and the Baltimore woman who hears his tragic tale and falls in love. Hopelessly romantic, it’s the kind of movie they don’t make that much anymore.

Year: 2014 Runtime: 1h 46m Director: Damien Chazelle

Chazelle may still be startled by the divisive response to last year’s Babylon, but he can go back to the near-universal praise for the film that really broke him, earning one of its stars an Oscar and getting a nomination for Best Picture. Damien Chazelle’s drama about a perfectionist drummer and his militaristic teacher thrilled viewers from the minute it premiered at Sundance. It was a major piece of pop culture, a film that feels like it’s being referenced more every year.

*Wild Things

Year: 1998 Runtime: 1h 48m Director: John McNaughton

A classic of the B-movie sleazy thriller era, this is actually a deeply underrated movie, a flick that works from old-fashioned noir and even Greek tragedy to tell the tale of two teenagers (Neve Campbell, Denise Richard) who get caught up in a scheme with a slimy teacher played perfectly by Matt Dillon. It’s remembered most for its sex factor, but this is a clever flick, a movie that plays with class and privilege in fascinating ways.

Everything Everywhere All at Once

Year: 2022 Runtime: 2h 19m Directors: The Daniels

After a brief stint on Amazon Prime, this is the first Netflix drop for the 2023 Best Picture winner, a movie that defies categorization as it tells a story of alternate realities and butt plugs. A film that debuted at SXSW, this daring piece of work built an audience through 2022 until it won multiple Oscars, including Best Picture and Director. It’s like nothing else. Anywhere.

*Baby Driver

Year: 2017 Runtime: 1h 53m Director: Edgar Wright

It’s a little harder to watch this movie now given the allegations against some of its cast members , but it’s still a remarkably well-made piece of action filmmaking, the kinetically unforgettable story of a getaway driver who knows all the best tunes. Ansel Elgort, Jamie Foxx, and Lily James may be the stars of this movie, but it’s Wright’s showmanship that really steals the spotlight.

Year: 2003 Runtime: 1h 50m Director: Quentin Tarantino

We will still have to wait for the long-promised full cut of the two Kill Bill films into one epic movie (and the long-rumored third volume of this tale), but that shouldn’t stop you from revisiting two of Quentin Tarantino’s best films — both volumes are on Netflix now. In a catalog that includes a lot of great performances (and a few Oscar winners), one of QT’s best is Uma Thurman as The Bride, a legendary action character seeking vengeance on the man who betrayed her.

Jurassic Park

Year: 1993 Runtime: 2h 6m Director: Steven Spielberg

An instant classic when it was released in 1993, Steven Spielberg’s dinosaur blockbuster spawned a franchise that’s still humming almost three decades later with the 2022 release of the wildly successful Dominion . The first three films in the series, including Spielberg’s sequel The Lost World , are on Netflix right now, alongside the pretty fun Camp Cretaceous.

*The Matrix

Year: 1999 Runtime: 2h 16m Director: The Wachowskis

Neo and the gang returned to HBO Max in late 2021 with The Matrix Resurrections , and the response was predictably divisive. You know what’s not divisive? The fact that the first movie still absolutely rules. The story of an average guy who learns that nothing is what it seems has influenced so much pop culture in the over-two decades since this movie was released. You can see Neo everywhere. (And you can watch the entire original trilogy on Netflix now.)

Year: 2003 Runtime: 2h Director: Park Chan-wook

It’s hard to explain to people how this movie moved through the film-loving world before Film Twitter was a thing. Recently restored for its 20th anniversary, Oldboy has now been dropped on Netflix again, and it’s lost none of its searing power. It’s the tale of a man who is kidnapped, and its genius is that it’s not a whodunit as much as a whydunit, forcing viewers and protagonists to wonder about a truly grisly motive until the final unforgettable act.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Year:  2023 Runtime:  2h 20m Director:  Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson

What a gift to Netflix subscribers for this to already be on the service, mere weeks after playing in theaters and landing on Blu-ray. This is how you do a big-budget blockbuster sequel, developing the themes of the first movie and setting up the stake for what now appears will be one of the best trilogies in superhero history. Packed with so much detail and creativity, it’s a film Netflix subscribers will want to watch over and over again. Do so while you still can.

The Woman King

Year: 2022 Runtime: 2h 14m Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood

Living legend Viola Davis stars in this retelling of the all-female warriors of the kingdom of Dahomey in the 19th century. She plays General Nansica, who trains young women to follow in her footsteps, and leads a rock star ensemble of future stars that includes Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, and Sheila Atim. You’ll know all their names soon enough.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Year: 1975 Runtime: 1h 29m Director: Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones

During a hiatus between the third and fourth seasons of Monty Python’s Family Circus , the gang of mega-talented comedians decided to make movie history. Inspired by the King Arthur legend, Holy Grail is a timeless comedy, the rare kind of film that will still be making people laugh hundreds of years from now. And while the Monty Python boys were already famous, this film took them to another level, cementing their place in movie history.

Pineapple Express

Year: 2008 Runtime: 1h 52m Director: David Gordon Green

Seth Rogen gives one of his best performances as Dale Denton, an average guy who just wants to get high. He visits his dealer (played perfectly by James Franco) on the wrong night as the pair cross paths with hitmen and a police officer on the wrong side of the law. This is an incredibly funny movie, and you don’t need to be high to love it.

School of Rock

Year: 2003 Runtime: 1h 49m Director: Richard Linklater

Richard Linklater directed Jack Black to the best comedy of his career in this movie about a guitarist who becomes a substitute teacher at a prep school and teaches the stuck-up kids there how to rock. It’s a smart, funny family comedy with a huge heart and one of Black’s most truly wonderful performances.

Step Brothers

Year: 2008 Runtime: 1h 37m Director: Adam McKay

The pinnacle of Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s comedy career remains this modern classic, a movie that’s as rewatchable as anything you could possibly find on any streaming service. One of the reasons for that is the fearless joy with which Ferrell and John C. Reilly literally throw themselves into the roles of stepbrothers who start as enemies and end as family.

The Babadook

Year:  2014 Runtime:  1h 33m Director:  Jennifer Kent

One of the best horror films of the 2010s has not been widely available for streaming subscribers so take the chance to watch it again while it’s on Netflix. Jennifer Kent’s directorial debut centers on a mother (Essie Davis) who struggles to raise her problem child alone after the death of her husband. Oh, and there’s also a real monster in the boy’s room.

Gerald’s Game

Year: 2017 Runtime: 1h 43m Director: Mike Flanagan

Before he helmed The Haunting of Hill House , Mike Flanagan co-wrote and directed one of the best Netflix Original horror films in this adaptation of Stephen King’s 1992 novel of the same name. Carla Gugino is phenomenal as a woman who gets handcuffed to her bed by her toxic husband…and then he has a heart attack. As she tries to figure out how she will survive, she accesses the trauma of her past.

Year: 2016 Runtime: 1h 57m Director: M. Night Shyamalan

James McAvoy gives the best performance of his career in what’s widely considered M. Night Shyamalan’s comeback film. He plays a kidnapper who happens to have many personalities, and the most dangerous one of all is on its way. The script kind of falls apart, but this is an impressive performance platform for McAvoy, who gives it his all, and then some.

For Kids & Family

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Year: 2022 Runtime: 1h 56m Director: Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson

The Oscar-winning director took his visionary skills to stop-motion animation with this instant classic, a retelling of the beloved fairy tale about the wooden boy who longed to be real. With spectacular voice work, this version reimagines Pinocchio during the period before World War II, allowing del Toro to explore his themes of innocence and violence again. It’s a deeply personal, beautiful film.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

Year: 2023 Runtime: 1h 42m Director: Joel Crawford

No one would have predicted that the presumed-dead Shrek franchise had another spin-off sequel of this caliber yet to be released, but December 2022 saw the critical and commercial success of arguably the best film in the entire series. Using a style more reminiscent of Into the Spider-verse than typical DreamWorks, The Last Wish is a gorgeous and surprisingly moving story of the title character dealing with something he never expected to face: mortality. It’s funny, clever, and memorable.

Wendell & Wild

Year: 2022 Runtime: 1h 46m Director: Henry Selick

The director of A Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline finally returned this year with this clever and twisted tale co-written by Oscar winner Jordan Peele. The comedian also co-stars as one of the title characters, the literal demons for a girl who blames herself for the death of her parents. Selick is a master of stop-motion animation and this project allows him to stretch his visual prowess in new, gross ways. It’s a new Halloween classic (that can be watched any time, of course!)

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The 7 Best New Movies on Netflix in March 2024

Settle into Spring with Netflix's newest movies this March 2024.

Spring is almost in the air, with longer days on the horizon for many and, of course, a brand-new list of Netflix movies on its way . With the upcoming shorter nights, picking a new movie to watch can be a tedious task that you won’t want to mess up. Fortunately, we’ve found some of the best upcoming narratives to satisfy any mood. Activity outdoors is essential and what better way to get inspired than by a homeless soccer team that rose through the ranks in search of a better life, or a man stuck alone in a spaceship to make you grateful for your freedom with friends and family?

Overall, this month has some outstanding inspirational movies that will give you that much-needed warm feeling after a long winter. We’ve boiled it down to the seven best that Netflix has to offer, so there’s no need for endless scrolling through the app, pick any off the list, sit back after the extended day, and relax. Here are the 7 best new movies on Netflix worth binge-watching this March 2024.

'Spaceman' (March 1, 2024)

Director: Johan Renck

Cast: Adam Sandler, Carey Mulligan, Paul Dano, Isabella Rossellini, Kunal Nayyar, Lena Olin

In director Johan Renck’s adaptation of Jaroslav Kalfař’s sci-fi novel, Spaceman of Bohemia , Adam Sandler ( Uncut Gems ) takes on a more serious role as Jakub Procházka. Spaceman is the story of Procházka , an astronaut on a mission to the furthest reaches of space to find ancient space dust. Meanwhile, his pregnant wife Lenka (Carey Mulligan) remains on earth, overwhelmed by his absence.

As the solitude begins to wear on the lonely astronaut's mind, a disturbingly human-sized alien spider joins him on his ship, but its goal is to understand the human's emotional stress. With the ability to help Procházka access his memories, the alien can soothe his loneliness. However, only time will tell how this benefits it and why it is there with him.

Jakub Procházka, orphaned as a boy and raised in the Czech countryside by his grandparents, overcomes his odds to become the country's first astronaut.

'My Name is Loh Kiwan' (March 1, 2024)

Director: Kim Hee-jin

Cast: Kim Sung-ryung, Jo Han-chul as Yoon-seong, Lee Il-hwa, Lee Sang-hee, Seo Hyun-woo

My Name is Loh Kiwan is a South Korean drama based on Cho Hae-jin’s book I Met Loh Kiwan that follows a North Korean refugee in Belgium. With his dream of becoming accepted into the country and living a normal life, Loh Kiwan (Song Joong-ki) meets Mari (Choi Sung-Eun), a somewhat suicidal woman who is already a recognized refugee citizen of Belgium. Despite a rough introduction, the two bond together from their collective pasts as they learn to adapt to their new lives.

Watch on Netflix

'Damsel' (March 8, 2024)

Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo

Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Ray Winstone, Angela Bassett, Robin Wright, Nick Robinson

Damsel takes your average fairytale story and turns it into a harrowing adventure when Princess Elodie, portrayed by Millie Bobby Brown ( Stranger Things ), is promised to marry a prince but, in turn, is thrown as a sacrifice into a dragon's cave. As her escape attempts become futile, the princess will have to attack her doomed fate head-on. With beautifully terrifying landscapes, the movie bends genres in a stunning display of a lone young woman and her fight for survival.

Damsel sees Millie Bobby Brown as a dutiful, well, damsel, who agrees to marry a handsome prince — only to discover it was all a trap: The royal family recruited her as a sacrifice to repay an ancient debt. She’s then thrown into a cave with a fire-breathing dragon, relying solely on her wits and will to survive.

'Irish Wish' (March 15, 2024)

Director: Janeen Damian

Cast: Lindsay Lohan, Ed Speleers, Alexander Vlahos, Ayesha Curry, Elizabeth Tan

Normally, we would expect a mythical leprechaun to grant wishes in Ireland. However, in Irish Wish, Maddie (Lindsay Lohan) finds herself unexpectedly living her dream life after saying, “I wish I was marrying Paul Kennedy.” She had initially set off to attend her best friend's wedding to the love of her life, secretly pining over the man herself.

Fortunately for her, everything changed when she magically woke up as the bride-to-be. However, as the saying goes, be careful what you wish for. The more Maddie got to know Paul, she slowly began to realize that marrying him wasn’t everything she thought it would be.

When the love of Maddie's life gets engaged to her best friend, she puts her feelings aside to be a bridesmaid at their wedding in Ireland.

'The Abyss' (March 16, 2024)

Director: Richard Holm

Cast: Tuva Novotny, Peter Franzén, Felicia Maxime, Kardo Razzazi, Tintin Poggats Sarri

Not to be confused with the 1989 James Cameron film , The Abyss is a Swedish film about an underground mine collapsing, swallowing an entire town. Frigga (Tuva Novotny), a security manager at the Kiirunavaara mine, is faced with the task of managing the situation. As they explore deeper into the disaster, they quickly realize that there is no hope and the impending doom makes it necessary for the entire city to evacuate. The movie is based on a real place in Sweden named Kiruna, where all the buildings and their inhabitants are being relocated, an undertaking which has been ongoing since 2004.

'Shirley' (March 22, 2024)

Director: John Ridley

Cast: Regina King, Lance Reddick, Terrence Howard, Lucas Hedges, Dorian Missick as Ron Dellums

12 Years a Slave director John Ridley wrote and directed the upcoming biopic, Shirley , a story about the first Black woman to become a member of Congress . Against all odds, Shirley Chisholm (Regina King) ran for president in 1972 with the Democratic Party. She was not only known for her appearance but also her stance on women's rights as well as civil rights, movements which, in the 70s, defied the political norm.

Her determination set a precedent for not only making changes in politics but also inspiring people from all walks of life to follow their dreams and make a difference. Though she faced many failures in her career as she was belittled by her opponents for her views, and threatened by the public, the constant struggle only made her stronger.

Shirley (2024)

Shirley Chisholm makes a trailblazing run for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination after becoming the first Black woman elected to Congress.

'The Beautiful Game' (March 29, 2024)

Director: Thea Sharrock

Cast: Bill Nighy, Micheal Ward, Valeria Golino, Callum Scott Howells, Kit Young

The Beautiful Game follows a team of homeless soccer players who were sent to Rome to compete in the Homeless World Cup. The team is coached by Mal, played by Bill Nighy ( Love Actually ), who not only has to train the team for victory but also manage their various personal problems.

There’s a lot involved in a person's life when they become homeless, whether it is financial struggle, mental stress, or physical addiction, and to be on the team, they need an incredible amount of willpower. The Homeless Worldcup is a real event that has been around for the last two decades, involving 69 nations, providing an opportunity for millions to change their lives.

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The 50 best movies on Netflix right now (April 2024)

Netflix couldn’t have asked for a better late April gift than the streaming premiere of Anyone But You . Thanks to Netflix’s deal with Sony, 2024’s blockbuster rom-com is already on top of the list of the most popular movies on Netflix , leaving Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver in second place. But things could be much worse for Rebel Moon – Part Two , which is performing well a week after its debut.

The other new addition for the week is King Richard , a sports drama starring Will Smith that’s appearing on loan from Warner Bros. Discovery. It’s also one of Netflix’s top movies of the week, which suggests that the film may find sustained popularity on this platform that it didn’t get on Max.

Keep reading as we dive into the rest of the best movies on Netflix right now. Then check back next Friday as we add the top choices for the first week of May!

• The best family movies on Amazon Prime Video right now
• The best British TV shows on Netflix
• The 50 best shows on Netflix in April 2024

Looking for something else? We’ve also rounded up the best shows on Netflix , the best movies on Hulu , the best movies on Amazon Prime , and the best movies on Disney+ . For Netflix fans, check out the 10 most popular movies on Netflix right now .

Watching from abroad? Use a  Netflix VPN to access your country’s catalog from anywhere in the world. Want to watch on the go? We can show you how to download movies on Netflix .

Editor’s Pick

Anyone but you (2023) new.

Anyone But You is one of the rare rom-coms to become a smash hit, while also solidifying Sydney Sweeney as a star … and keeping her out of movie jail for co-starring in Madame Web . Sweeney plays Bea, a young woman who forms an instant connection with a guy named Ben (Glen Powell). But after a great first date, things end very badly and they both blame each other.

Bea and Ben are unwillingly drawn back into each other’s orbit at the wedding for their sisters, Halle (Hadley Robinson) and Claudia (Alexandra Shipp). Despite being unhappy about their reunion, Bea and Ben also have their own reasons to make the other guests believe that they’re a couple. And then the sparks start to fly between them again.

King Richard (2021) new

King Richard would be known largely for being the film that finally got Will Smith his first Best Actor award if Smith hadn’t slapped Chris Rock shortly before winning at the Oscars. Regardless, King Richard is now starting to get a reputation as one of the best modern sports movies.

Richard Williams (Smith) is the father of Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena Williams (Demi Singleton). More than anything else in the world, Williams wants his daughters to become tennis superstars … sometimes even more than they do. And Williams is so dedicated to that goal that he risks alienating his wife, Oracene “Brandy” Price (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), and their daughters to make it a reality.

Other Netflix Movies

Rebel moon - part two: the scargiver (2024) new.

If you love Zack Snyder movies , then you’ll be happy to hear that the director is playing all of the hits in Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver . Action, slow-motion, more action … it’s all there, wrapped up in a shockingly shameless Star Wars-adjacent story about a group of rebels who defy a galactic empire over the fate of a single rural planet called Veldt. But just because we’ve seen it all before, that doesn’t mean you won’t have fun watching it.

Kora (Sofia Boutella) was once an important member of the Imperium who reinvented herself as a farmer on Veldt. And Kora loves her adoptive world so much that she’s brought together a ragtag group of warriors who are willing to lay down their lives to fight Motherworld’s forces in defense of Veldt. This is going to be the battle that defines the rest of their lives, assuming they can actually survive.

Anna (2019) new

Anna  turns back the clock to the end of the Cold War as the title character, Anna Poliatova (Sasha Luss), is drawn into the KGB’s web and trained to become one of the agency’s top operatives. Anna completely gives herself over to the KGB because she’s been promised that this will only be temporary. If Anna completes five years of service, she’ll be free to do anything that she wants.

Unfortunately for Anna, the KGB has no intention of honoring its promise to her. If she wants an exit from this life, then she’ll have to make one herself. And if that means Anna has to broker a deal with CIA agent Leonard Miller ( Oppenheimer ‘s Cillian Murphy) and betray everyone around her, then so be it.

The Bricklayer (2023) new

You may be surprised to see Aaron Eckhart in the leading role in The Bricklayer , since the character is the kind of guy who is usually played by action movie star Jason Statham . Vail (Eckart) is just your standard jazz-loving bricklayer — who was formerly a top assassin and operative for the CIA. In the world of action thrillers, that’s a perfectly acceptable career path.

Vail’s retirement comes to an abrupt end when his former friend and asset, Victor Radek (Clifton Collins Jr.), resurfaces as the No. 1 suspect in a case where the CIA’s harshest detractors are being murdered. Because the CIA believes that Radek is attempting to frame the organization for his crimes, Vail and a junior agent named Kate (Nina Dobrev) are sent to find him. However, Vail does his best work alone and he’s got to uncover Radek’s secrets for himself.

Amadeus (1984) new

Did the real Antonio Salieri plot to kill Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the 18th century? Probably not, but it makes for a great story in Amadeus , 1984’s Oscar winner for Best Picture. F. Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce were both nominated for Best Actor for their respective roles as Salieri and Mozart, but it was Abraham who took home the Academy Award for his portrayal.

Most of the movie takes place from Salieri’s perspective, as he idolizes Mozart right up until he meets Amadeus and discovers that he’s young and brash with an over-the-top personality that Salieri immediately despises. Salieri recognizes that Mozart’s talent far exceeds his own, so he embarks on a plot to kill his unsuspecting rival and steal Amadeus’ glory for himself.

The Little Things (2021)

Obsession is the name of the game in The Little Things , which casts Denzel Washington as Joe “Deke” Deacon, a former detective with the Los Angeles police department. Deacon lost everything he had, including his marriage and his career, to his relentless pursuit of a serial killer whom he was never able to catch. When the killer seemingly reemerges, Deacon reinserts himself into the case alongside Detective Jim Baxter (Rami Malek).

Albert Sparma (former Joker Jared Leto) quickly emerges as the top suspect in the case, but he proves to be extremely slippery while taunting Deacon and Baxter. This forces the duo to question how far they’re willing to go to bring Sparma down, and what it will cost them if they step over the line.

Baby Driver (2017)

Don’t let the name Baby Driver fool you into thinking that this is some kid’s flick. Edgar Wright’s action comedy can be downright brutal at times, but it never loses its sense of humor. Ansel Elgort plays the title character, whose real name is Miles. But he’s known professionally as Baby, and he’s an incredible getaway driver who is forced to work for Doc (Kevin Spacey).

After Baby seemingly escapes his servitude to Doc, he simply wants to start a new life with his girlfriend, Debora (Lily James). However, Doc won’t let Baby go that easily, and he forces him to take part in one last heist alongside Buddy (Jon Hamm), Darling (Eiza González), and Bats (Jamie Foxx). This crew is far more dangerous than Baby realizes, and he’ll have to think fast if he wants to get out alive.

The Wages of Fear (2024)

In 1953, Georges Arnaud’s The Wages of Fear  was brought to the big screen by director Henri-Georges Clouzot who turned it into arguably one of the greatest action thrillers ever made. Director Julien Leclercq has a lot to live up to with the modern remake, which is a Netflix exclusive.

The names and faces may be different, but the story remains largely unchanged from the original. An oil fire is out of control, and the only way to put it out and save lives is with controlled explosions using nitroglycerin. Franck Gastambide, Alban Lenoir, Ana Girardot, and Sofiane Zermani play a group of disparate and desperate individuals who agree to transport the nitroglycerin across hundreds of miles of dangerous terrain. At the end of their journey is a payday that could change their lives forever, assuming they live long enough to get paid.

The Accountant (2016)

Ben Affleck stars as Christian Wolff in The Accountant , but he’s not the kind of guy who can advertise his true services on the side of a bus. Christian may be autistic and a trained killer, but his true value to the criminal underworld is his ability to uncook the books and discover when someone is embezzling money from an employer who can’t call the cops.

After Dana Cummings (Anna Kendrick) uncovers some suspicious activities in the accounts of her employer, Living Robotics, she finds herself working alongside Christian to discover how much money is missing and who took it. Christian doesn’t take long to pinpoint the amount that’s gone missing, but someone is willing to kill both him and Dana to keep the truth from coming out. What they don’t realize is that Christian is more than capable of answering those threats with lethal force.

Irish Wish (2024)

Maddie Kelly (Lindsay Lohan) makes a wish out of loneliness and heartbreak, she just didn’t expect it to come true. Irish Wish begins just as Maddie hopes to start a relationship with her crush, Paul Kennedy (Alexander Vlahos). But much to Maddie’s disappointment, Paul only has eyes for her best friend, Emma Taylor (Elizabeth Tan).

As Paul and Emma prepare to get married in Ireland, Maddie’s wish suddenly places her in Emma’s shoes as the new bride-to-be. And Maddie’s in for a rude awakening when she realizes how little she actually knows about Paul. Maddie also discovers that she may have more in common with the wedding photographer, James Thomas (Ed Speleers), than she does with her new fiancé.

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)

The Acolyte ’s Amandla Stenberg co-headlines Bodies Bodies Bodies as Sophie, the girlfriend of Bee (Maria Bakalova). The couple attends a “hurricane party” at a mansion during a massive storm, where the group indulges in drugs and alcohol while playing games in the dark. The titular game is about finding a fake killer during a murder mystery.

Unfortunately for Bee, someone has actually killed David (Pete Davidson), and suspicion immediately falls on her since she isn’t part of this circle of rich friends. One dead body soon leads to a lot more, as even Bee and Sophie have reasons to doubt each other’s motives. By the time this storm is over, there may not be anybody left to go home.

Your Lucky Day (2023)

Winning the lottery should be one the best days in anyone’s life. But in Your Lucky Day , Sterling (Angus Cloud) didn’t actually win. He killed someone to get his hands on the winning ticket, and he left witnesses: Amir (Mousa Hussein Kraish), Abraham (Elliot Knight), and his girlfriend, Ana-Marlene (Jessica Garza).

Not even Sterling can kill that many people in cold blood, which is why he tries to bargain with them. He’ll share some of the money from the ticket if they help him hide his crime. This plan has multiple problems, but Sterling’s hostages and would-be accomplices simply can’t deter him from this course of action. He’s going to get this lottery money if it’s the last thing he does — and it might be.

Damsel (2024)

In Damsel , life’s a fairytale for Princess Elodie (Millie Bobby Brown), a young woman who lives with her father, Lord Bayford (Ray Winstone), and her stepmother, Lady Bayford (Angela Bassett). Elodie doesn’t know much about the way of the world, but she’s smitten with Prince Henry (Nick Robinson), and quickly agrees to marry him.

Elodie doesn’t realize that Henry’s mother, Queen Isabelle (Robin Wright), only agreed to the union because her family can sacrifice Elodie’s life to an actual dragon to satisfy a debt. Now, Elodie can’t count on some handsome prince to save her. So she’ll just have to save herself.

Spaceman (2024)

Adam Sandler has a rare dramatic turn in Spaceman , a sci-fi drama that casts him as a Czech astronaut named Jakub Procházka. Jakub is on a very long mission in the solar system and suffers from extreme loneliness. Back on Earth, Jakub’s wife, Lenka Procházka (Carey Mulligan), wants to leave him, but the mission controllers refuse to let her break up with him via transmission over fears that it could affect his mental state.

Perhaps it’s too late to save Jakub’s sanity, because he’s already conversing with an alien spider that he calls Hanuš (Paul Dano). It seems like Hanuš has a greater grasp on Jakub’s problem than he does, and Hanuš isn’t above emotionally torturing Jakub with some painful memories to get what he wants. And there may not be a happy ending on this mission for either Jakub or Hanuš.

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

Until this year’s Oscar ceremony crowns a new winner, Everything Everywhere All At Once  is the reigning Best Picture from the Academy Awards. Outside of some Marvel and DC movies, no other film has so effectively used the multiverse as a storytelling device as this one did.

Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Jamie Lee Curtis all won Oscars for their performances in this movie, but it’s Yeoh’s Evelyn Quan Wang who serves as the film’s main character. Evelyn is about as far from heroic as it gets, and her relationship with her husband, Waymond Wang (Quan), and their daughter, Joy Wang (Stephanie Hsu), is incredibly strained. Regardless, poor and ordinary Evelyn is the only hope that the multiverse has to prevent a disaster. And she’ll have to step up or else the entire multiverse will collapse.

Thanksgiving (2023)

Sixteen years after creating a fake Thanksgiving  trailer for Grindhouse , Eli Roth turned it into a real movie with all the elements of the holiday. It might be the best Thanksgiving horror film ever made, largely by default, since the rest are pretty bad. The story begins with a Black Friday rampage that goes horribly wrong and leaves several people dead.

One year later, someone is going around town dressed as one of the original Pilgrims, John Carver, and carving up people who were there on that fateful Black Friday. Whoever is under that mask is apparently out to kill as many people as possible, and even the cops seem powerless to stop the murders.

Orion and the Dark (2024)

Almost everyone is afraid of the dark when they’re a kid. The problem with Orion (Jacob Tremblay) is that he’s scared of everything, not just the dark. The animated adventure, Orion and the Dark , gives Orion a chance to conquer his fears alongside an unexpected companion: The living embodiment of Dark (Paul Walter Hauser).

Rather than let this kid lose years of his life to a laundry list of fears, Dark takes Orion out for a wild night to prove that he doesn’t have to be defined by the things that he’s afraid about. It’s a gesture of friendship from Dark, but can Orion finally let go of his phobias and embrace life?

X was one of 2022’s most acclaimed horror films , and it had a star-making turn by Mia Goth in the dual role of a young woman named Maxine and an elderly woman named Pearl. In the film, Maxine and boyfriend, Wayne Gilroy (Martin Henderson), attempt to make an adult film alongside their friends Lorraine Day (Jenna Ortega), Bobby-Lynne Parker (Brittany Snow), Jackson Hole (Scott Mescudi), and RJ Nichols (Owen Campbell).

However, the group didn’t clear their X-rated intentions with Howard (Stephen Ure) and his wife, Pearl. And they certainly didn’t expect Pearl to become amorous over their activities. But when the group rejects Pearl’s propositions, she makes sure that the young men and women suffer the consequences during her bloody rampage.

Dumb Money (2023)

The infamous GameStop short squeeze was dramatized for the big screen in Dumb Money . Paul Dano headlines the cast as Keith Gill, an armchair investor who notices that hedge funds and other big market players are betting that the video game retailer GameStop will go under. Instead of letting that happen, Gill and others like him drive up GameStop’s stock to unsustainable highs and cause the professional investors to lose millions.

There’s no shortage of stars in this cast, which includes Pete Davidson, Vincent D’Onofrio, America Ferrera, Myha’la Herrold, Nick Offerman, Anthony Ramos, Seth Rogen, Talia Ryder, Sebastian Stan, and Shailene Woodley. There are also plenty of shattered dreams, as many of the amateur investors lose everything they put into the GameStop stocks.

Society of the Snow (2023)

Netflix’s Society of the Snow is a Spanish thriller by Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom director J. A. Bayona. This film is not the first to tell the story of the survivors of 1972 Uruguayan plane crash, which was most notably the subject of the American film Alive in 1993.

However, Bayona’s movie goes to far greater lengths to be authentic than the previous adaptations, including bringing production to the actual site of the crash and utilizing the real accounts of the survivors. Most of the cast members are also newcomers, which works in the film’s favor because it keeps the audience in suspense about who will live, and how far they will go to survive.

The Equalizer 3 (2023)

Denzel Washington spends so much time sitting down and sipping lattes in The Equalizer 3  that you may start to wonder if the actor himself is injured, and not just his character, Robert McCall. After nearly getting himself killed while recovering stolen funds, McCall slowly recovers in a small town on the coast of Italy. McCall also becomes close to the doctor who saved him, Enzo Arisio (Remo Girone), as well as the police officer who brought him to safety, Gio Bonucci (Eugenio Mastrandrea).

As McCall grows to love the town and its people, he realizes that the Italian mafia is terrorizing his new friends. And if anyone’s going to be terrorizing bad guys in this franchise, it’s Robert McCall. If you’re evil, don’t make McCall stand up. His stuntman will kill you.

Gran Turismo (2023)

On the surface, the premise for Gran Turismo  sounds like pure wish fulfillment. It’s about a video game player who uses his Gran Turismo skills to become a pro racer. And yet it’s the mostly true story of Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), a young man who successfully applied what he learned in the Gran Turismo video game to race tracks in reality.

Stranger Things ’ David Harbour co-stars as Jack Slater, the head trainer for GT Academy. Jack’s got his hands full trying to take gamers and make them into racers. And despite some initial setbacks, Jack becomes convinced that Jann has what it takes to make it on the pro circuit. From there, the real test of Jann’s talent begins.

Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)

Viewers may find that a lot of things in Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire are very familiar. It has laser swords like Star Wars, a galactic empire like Star Wars, rebel freedom fighters like Star Wars, and a plot straight out of Battle Beyond the Stars , The Magnificent Seven , and Seven Samurai .

None of those similarities will matter if you just want to watch a big-budget sci-fi movie from the comfort of your own home. On that front, director Zack Snyder has delivered exactly what he was supposed to. The story follows a group of warriors led by Kora (Sofia Boutella) as they make their stand against Motherworld and the Imperium on the remote world of Veldt. These rebels may be outgunned and outnumbered, but they’re eager to fight for their freedom.

Maestro (2023)

Composer Leonard Bernstein has been dead for 33 years, but he may prove to be an important figure in next year’s Oscar race. Netflix’s Maestro was written and directed by Bradley Cooper, who cast himself as Bernstein opposite Carey Mulligan as his wife, Felicia Montealegre.

Before falling in love with Felicia, Bernstein was in an affair with David Oppenheim (Matt Bomer). However, Bernstein’s marriage with Felicia doesn’t mean that he plans to give up sleeping with other men. This places an incredible strain on their union, even though the love between Bernstein and Felicia is never in doubt.

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (2023)

Back in 2000, Chicken Run became a surprise hit with fans of all ages. So what if there was a mere twenty-three-year gap between films? It’s not like chickens can tell time! Although the extended period did leave some major roles to be recast, including Zachary Levi and Thandiwe Newton taking over as Rocky and Ginger from Mel Gibson and Julia Sawalha from the original.

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget takes place not too long after the first film, but long enough for Rocky and Ginger to have a daughter named Molly (as voiced by The Last of Us ’ Bella Ramsey). The chickens may have escaped from Mrs. Tweedy (Miranda Richardson), but she’s far from through with them. If Ginger wants to keep her family safe, she will have to lead a team to break into Tweedy’s compound and discover what she has in store for them.

May December (2023)

Decades ago, Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Julianne Moore) was sentenced to prison for seducing Joe Yoo (Charles Melton) when he was a child, before marrying him when she was released. In May December , Gracie and Joe believe they can repair the damage to their reputations because a movie is being made about their lives.

Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman), the actress hired to portray Gracie, has other ideas. She’s less interested in redeeming the Yoos than in completely immersing herself in their lives to get a better performance. And Elizabeth is way too close to the subjects of this story.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

The Super Mario Bros. Movie  pulled off the Herculean feat of making audiences forget all about that live-action Super Mario Bros. film. Instead, Nintendo’s iconic characters, Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day), are right at home in this lavishly animated flick that updates their origin story and sets them on a path of adventure.

In the realm of the Mushroom Kingdom, Princess Peach ( Furiosa ‘s Anya Taylor-Joy) is preparing to defend her kingdom against Bowser (Jack Black), the king of the Koopas, who is weirdly infatuated with her. Peach doesn’t need Mario to rescue her, at least not a first. But Luigi could definitely use some help as he tries to survive as Bowser’s prisoner. And along the way, Mario can prove to himself that he has the heart of a hero.

For 74 years, the titular lizard of Leo has shared an enclosure with a turtle named Squirtle (Bill Burr) as the official pets of a fifth-grade classroom in Florida. However, Leo (Adam Sandler) comes to believe that he’s wasted his life in captivity, which is why he plots his escape.

When Leo makes his bid for freedom, he accidentally reveals his ability to speak to Summer (Sunny Sandler), one of the students in his classroom. Through Summer and the other students in the class, Leo discovers a new purpose in life while contending with mean substitute teacher Mrs. Malkin (Cecily Strong).

The Impossible (2012)

The Impossible is rising to the top on the Netflix movie chart, and not just because it’s the film debut of MCU Spider-Man actor Tom Holland. It’s also a harrowing tale of survival that is based on a true story. During the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Henry (Ewan McGregor) and Maria Bennett (Naomi Watts) are on vacation alongside their family when Thailand is struck by a massive wave.

In the aftermath, Maria is severely injured and left with her oldest son, Lucas (Holland), while Henry finds his two other sons in a separate location. With so many injured and dead, the Bennett family will need a few small miracles to make it through as the Thai people come together in the face of tragedy.

Minions (2015)

Before The Rise of Gru and Despicable Me , Minions chronicles the origins of the dim-witted yellow henchmen who live only to serve the most evil person alive. In 1968, that person was Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock), the world’s first female supervillain.

The three primary Minions, Kevin, Stuart, and Bob (all three of whom are voiced by Pierre Coffin), are genuinely eager to please Scarlet and help her seize the throne of England. However, their incompetence and honest mistakes accidentally make Scarlet their nemesis even when they really want her to succeed.

The Killer (2023)

David Fincher’s latest thriller, The Killer , shows us that the life of a professional assassin, as played by Michael Fassbender, can be pretty mundane and boring … right up until he accidentally misses his target. From that point on, the assassin’s life is anything but boring. And suddenly, even his contact, Hodges (Charles Parnell), is ghosting him.

Not even fleeing the country is enough for the assassin to evade an international manhunt, as well as two rival assassins, The Expert (Tilda Swinton) and The Brute (Sala Baker), who have been hired to take him out.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

You could call Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse  “amazing, spectacular,” or “sensational” and it would still undersell just how terrific this movie is. Somehow, the team behind the Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse topped themselves with an even more thrilling sequel that reunites Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) and Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld).

Unfortunately for the would-be couple, it’s not a happy reunion. Gwen is keeping secrets from Miles while running from a difficult family situation at home. As for Miles himself, he’s inadvertently created a new nemesis: The Spot (Jason Schwartzman). Miles has also been targeted by Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac), the Spider-Man of the year 2099. And if Miles can’t get home to his own world, then his life will never be the same.

No Hard Feelings (2023)

No Hard Feelings was Jennifer Lawrence’s comeback movie after spending a few years away from the big screen. And she certainly makes a memorable impression as Maddie Barker, a woman who is on the verge of losing her home and her car over her money problems.

That’s why Maddie accepts a bizarre job from Laird (Matthew Broderick) and Allison Becker (Laura Benanti). If Maddie can seduce their son, Percy Becker (Andrew Barth Feldman), and bring him out of his shell before he goes off to college then she can save herself from her financial black hole. Unfortunately for Maddie, Percy may be undatable and he is nearly immune to her obvious charms.

Reptile (2023)

Benicio del Toro headlines Reptile , an intense crime thriller that never lets the audience get too comfortable with its main character, Detective Tom Nichols (del Toro). In the film, a young woman named Summer (Matilda Lutz) has been brutally murdered, and her body was discovered by her boyfriend, Will Grady (Justin Timberlake). And it seems like there are several men in Summer’s life who could have meant her harm, including Grady himself.

As he is drawn further into the investigation, Nichols shares some of the case details with his wife, Judy (Alicia Silverstone). But even Nichols’ relationship with Judy may not be what it seems as he is forced to reexamine his own life while looking for the answers that could bring a killer to justice.

Big George Foreman (2023)

During the 1990s, George Foreman shocked the boxing world by becoming the oldest world champion nearly two decades after he had lost the title. Big George Foreman finally gives the legendary boxer his due with a biopic that chronicles his life story, from living in poverty to Olympic gold and an unmatched career in the ring.

Khris Davis headlines the movie as George Foreman, and the story largely focuses on Foreman’s brush with death and his subsequent reinvention as a devout minister. But after 10 years out of the ring, Foreman begins an unlikely comeback that cemented his place in boxing history.

They Cloned Tyrone (2023)

Netflix has no shortage of star power in its new sci-fi comedy, They Cloned Tyrone . John Boyega, WandaVision ‘s Teyonah Parris , and Jamie Foxx headline the ’70s-era Blaxploitation throwback, and they give this film its bite. Boyega plays Fontaine, a local crime enforcer who gets gunned down before the neighborhood pimp, Slick Charles (Foxx).

At least that’s what Slick Charles believes happened, but he’s clearly shaken when Tyrone (Boyega) reappears to take Fontaine’s place. With the help of Slick Charles and his top prostitute, Yo-Yo (Parris), this trio is going to unravel the truth about Tyrone or die trying. Although death is definitely not their preferred outcome.

The Mother (2023)

It might be a bit late in her career for Jennifer Lopez to jump back into action films, but if it worked for Liam Neeson, then it can work for J-Lo. The Mother  casts Lopez as an unnamed assassin with a particular set of skills, none of which are particularly useful when it comes to being a parent.

But when the Mother learns that the daughter she gave up, Zoe (Lucy Paez), is in danger from her enemies, she drops everything in an attempt to save her from an old foe, Adrian Lovell (Joseph Fiennes). And nothing Lovell puts in the Mother’s way can stop her for long.

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022)

The story of Whitney Houston is both a triumph and a tragedy. The late singer rose from obscurity to become one of the most famous women in the world, only to die suddenly at 48 years old. Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody doesn’t attempt to sugarcoat Houston’s history, as it follows her meteoric rise and equally epic fall.

In the film, Whitney (Naomi Ackie) is supported by her friend-turned-lover Robyn Crawford (Nafessa Williams) before hitting the music industry like a tidal wave. As Whitney’s fame grows, she marries Bobby Brown (Ashton Sanders) and descends into drug addiction that threatens her career and even her life. And yet it’s impossible not to root for Whitney to pull herself out of that spiral.

The Magician's Elephant (2023)

Netflix just took home the Oscar for Best Animated feature for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio , and it’s already got another strong animated flick out this week. The Magician’s Elephant adapts Kate DiCamillo’s novel of the same name, and it tells the story of a young orphan named Peter (Noah Jupe). Peter’s only wish in life is to find his missing sister, Adele (Pixie Davies), Through a fortune teller, Peter is told that he has to find a Magician (Benedict Wong) who will summon an elephant.

Incredibly, the prophecy comes true. But before the elephant can lead Peter to his sister, he is forced to perform three impossible tasks. And the attempt will change Peter’s life forever.

Munich: The Edge of War (2022)

The sea beast (2022), enola holmes (2020), roald dahl's matilda the musical (2022), the ballad of buster scruggs (2018), glass onion: a knives out mystery (2022), guillermo del toro's pinocchio (2022).

One of Hollywood most visionary filmmakers turns his attention to one of the most beloved tales in children’s literature in Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio , a stop-motion animated adaptation of Carlo Collodi’s 1883 novel The Adventures of Pinocchio . Featuring the voices of Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, and Gregory Mann, as Jiminy Cricket, Gepetto, and Pinocchio, respectively, the film chronicles the marionette Pinocchio’s quest to become a living boy — a journey that brings him through one adventure after another.

The star-filled voice cast also includes John Turturro, Ron Perlman, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, Tim Blake Nelson, Christoph Waltz, and Tilda Swinton, among others. Some reviewers have named it one of the year’s best films, animated or otherwise.

Always Be My Maybe (2019)

Tick, tick...boom (2021).

Andrew Garfield stars as Rent playwright Jonathon Larson in this semi-autobiographical film directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The musical drama chronicles Larson’s struggles to bring the rock musical he’s been working on for years to the stage while navigating love, friendships, and both personal and professional pressure in New York City.

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Blair Marnell has been an entertainment journalist for over 15 years. His bylines have appeared in Wizard Magazine, Geek Monthly, SYFY Wire, Superhero Hype, Collider, DC Universe, and the official sites for Star Trek and Marvel. He also lends his pop culture expertise to Digital Trends on a variety of TV, movie, and streaming features.

Michael Bizzaco has been writing about and working with consumer tech for well over a decade, writing about everything from A/V components and smart home devices to encryption software, cloud backup platforms, search engine tools, and more. He has written for Digital Trends for over three years, covering entertainment content, A/V, and smart home devices.

Netflix is one of the most popular streaming services in the world, with nearly 250 million subscribers. And just what do those people tend to watch? In particular, what is the most popular movie on Netflix? Each week, the streaming service releases a list of its 10 most-watched movies over a recent seven-day period to keep subscribers in the loop regarding its most popular titles.

Zack Snyder is back in the top 10 with Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver, the second film in his space opera series. Despite Snyder's popularity, the new Rebel Moon film could not unseat What Jennifer Did, which is the No. 1 movie for the second straight week. New additions to the top 10 include the comedy Knocked Up at No. 8 and the action movie Anna at No. 2. Below, we've listed the top 10 movies in the U.S. from April 15 to April 21, along with general information about each film, such as genre, rating, cast, and synopsis.

Have you ever come across a show on Netflix that was so particular to your taste that it felt like the series was made for you? If so, chances are good that it only got a single season on Netflix. No one has enough time to watch every series on Netflix, and the vast majority of them come and go with such speed that it's almost like they were never there at all.

This roundup of the best hidden gems on Netflix is dedicated to finding shows that deserve a second look, or at least an elevated push on Netflix's algorithm. This month, we're putting the spotlight on Goodbye Earth, a new Korean drama that dropped this week, as well as a nature documentary called Our Living World and a sitcom that was one of Netflix's one-season wonders: The Good Cop. You can find these three and more below in our roundup of the best hidden gems on Netflix.

Among the new movies on Hulu in April, the only prominent additions to the lineup of sci-fi movies were The Fifth Element and Pacific Rim, both of which have been on Hulu before. But as long as Hulu has top-tier titles like War for the Planet of the Apes and the 2021 remake of Dune, then sci-fi fans should be very happy with their options.

You can find the rest of our picks for the best sci-fi movies on Hulu below. They include the original Alien, Blade Runner 2049, and more. Not all of these films on this list are owned by Disney or 20th Century Studios, so catch them while you can. They won't be around forever.

Best Netflix movies: the 42 best films worth watching in April 2024

What are the best Netflix movies to stream today? TechRadar reveals all

Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter

This month's update sees a hatful of films leave the service, including Blonde , Call Me By Your Name , Dune , Don't Worry Darling , and La La Land . In their place, we've added Everything Everywhere All at Once , Elvis , Puss in Boots: The Last Wish , Jurassic Park , and Enola Holmes . We've also updated every other entry in this guide with the most important information about them, as well as adding in their official trailers.

Welcome to TechRadar's best Netflix movies guide. Below, we've compiled a list of the 42 best films to stream on Netflix , with all entries categorized by the primary genre they fall under. That way, you can simply use the navigation bar on the left side of this page to jump to the type of flick you enjoy the most. You're welcome.

There are tons of movies to watch on the world's best streaming service , though, so how have our entertainment experts picked out the 40-plus films to include in this article? It's simple: we selected them based on two big criteria: their Rotten Tomatoes (RT) score and/or how popular they've been with Netflix's worldwide audience. Armed with that data, we're confident that you'll agree with our choices below.

Want even more recommendations? Our new Netflix movies is home to all of the new movies that have joined the streaming giant in recent weeks. Bookmark that page for later, however, and continue reading on to see what the best Netflix movies are today.

Best action movies on Netflix

Army of the dead.

Age rating: R Runtime: 148 minutes Main cast: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera, and Matthias Schweighofer Director: Zack Snyder RT score: 67%

Army of the Dead was Zack Snyder’s first feature following his increasingly acrimonious split with Warner Bros, and it’s everything that his DC Extended Universe ( DCEU ) superhero movies weren’t: bright, colorful, action-packed, funny, and topical, even if its 45-minute introduction is a little self-indulgent.

Dave Bautista leads a strong cast as Scott Ward, a former zombie-stomping war hero who’s approached with an intriguing proposal by casino owner Bly Tanaka (Hiroyuki Sanada). The assignment? Enter a zombie infested Las Vegas, break into Tanaka’s casino vault, escape with his $200 million assets, and Ward and his group will receive $50 million to split between them as a reward.

Yes, the movie is as chaotic as that plot makes it sound. And, with a sequel film and TV spin-off on the way, Army of the Dead is a must-watch for fans of gratuitous blood and gore.

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Extraction 1 and 2

Age rating: R Runtime: 118 minutes (Extraction 1); 123 minutes (Extraction 2) Main cast: Chris Hemsworth and Golshifteh Farahani Director: Sam Hargrave RT score: 67% (Extraction 1); 79% (Extraction 2)

Looking for an unrelenting thrill ride that's stuffed with some of the best action sequences we've seen in a long time? Netflix Original film series  Extraction is the one for you.

Marvel  star Chris Hemsworth stars as Tyler Rake, a black ops merc-for-hire with a complex backstory. In each movie, Rake is hired to rescue someone (or numerous individuals) from a seemingly impossible situation. Once he's acquired the package, he tries to lead them to safety as numerous thugs, gang members, and other characters attempt to kill Rake and those he's liberated.

Extraction 1  was a pretty good watch and its sequel is, in our opinion, even better thanks to its  21-minute-long, heart-pounding, intricately assembled, and dangerous one-shot sequence . Make sure you check out our  Extraction 2  review  for more on why it's one of the best Netflix movies around, and then read our exclusive chats with director Sam Hargrave about  why the film's one shot sequence took four grueling months to shoot  and  how he had Marvel to thank for that unexpected cameo .

John Wick 1, 2, and 3

Age rating: R Runtimes: 101 minutes ( John Wick 1 ); 122 minutes ( John Wick 2 ); 130 minutes ( John Wick 3 ) Main cast: Keanu Reeves, Lance Reddick, Ian McShane, and Laurence Fishburne Director: Chad Stahelski RT score: 86% ( John Wick 1 ); 89% ( John Wick 2 ); 89% ( John Wick 3 )

Few action film franchises have been as successful as this Keanu Reeves-starring movie series.

A story that begins with Reeves’ titular assassin tracking down those responsible for killing his dog (a gift from his deceased wife) and his beloved Mustang, John Wick soon evolves into an engrossing, expansive universe full of intriguing hitman-based mythos, betrayals, tragedy, underappreciated humor, and some of the most spectacular fight scenes we’ve seen in a long time.

The first three films – find out how to watch the John Wick movies in order – are now on Netflix. A prequel TV spin-off titled The Continental is also available on Peacock , while the Ana de Armas-fronted Ballerina , the franchise’s first movie spin-off, is one of 18 epic movies we can’t wait for in 2024 . 

Best animated movies on Netflix

Apollo 10 1/2: a space age childhood.

Age rating: PG-13 Runtime: 98 minutes Main cast: Jack Black, Bill Wise, Lee Eddy, Milo Coy, Zachary Levi, and Glen Powell Director: Richard Linklater RT score: 91%

If you’re keen to mix up your movie-watching diet, films don't come much more unconventional than Netflix’s Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood . Boyhood director Richard Linklater returns to filmmaking duties with this animated feature, which tells the story of the 1969 moon landing from multiple perspectives. 

The movie shares the visual style of Linklater’s previous animation, 2006's A Scanner Darkly , and features the voice talents of The Super Mario Bros. Movie 's Jack Black, Shazam! Fury of the Gods ' Zachary Levi, and Top Gun: Maverick star Glen Powell. Despite its needlessly lengthy title, Apollo 10 1/2 is a genuinely unique take on one of history’s most iconic moments, and serves as yet more proof of Netflix's willingness to invest in boundary-pushing storytelling. 

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

Age rating: PG Runtime: 121 minutes Main cast: Gregory Mann, Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Tilda Swinton, Cate Blanchett, and Finn Holfhard Directors: Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson RT score: 96%

Who says Netflix has lost its taste for originality? With  Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio , the streamer breathes new life into Carlo Collodi's beloved 1883 fairytale about a wooden puppet who longs to become a real boy. 

Shot entirely using stop-motion (in a manner akin to Netflix series  The House ), del Toro’s darker adaptation is set in 1930s Italy during Mussolini’s fascist regime and features a star-studded voice cast that includes Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Tilda Swinton, Christoph Waltz and Cate Blanchett. Indisputably one of the best Netflix movies in years.

The Mitchells vs The Machines

Age rating: PG Runtime: 114 minutes Main cast: Abbi Jacobson, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Michael Rianda, and Olivia Colman Director: Michael Rianda RT score: 97%

Originally intended for a theatrical release, Netflix bought this animated movie from Sony and producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller – best known as the minds behind The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street , and also part of the team behind the Spider-Verse movies. It's exactly as charming and funny as those movies, too. 

Katie Mitchell (Abbi Jacobson) is an aspiring filmmaker who's about to head to college – until her dad, conscious that they've been drifting apart, cancels her plane ticket and insists on a family road trip. Halfway through this fraught journey, an AI takes revenge on its billionaire creator and the world is suddenly under duress from smart robots. 

A lot of Spider-Verse 's visual touches cross over into this film, with 2D annotations and drawings on the already-pretty 3D visuals. Most of all, it's nice to see Netflix backing a family movie that's not just full of talking dogs and other hackneyed nonsense so often seen in CG kids' fare. 

Age rating: PG Runtime: 102 minutes Main cast: Chloe Grace Moretz, Riz Ahmed, Eugene Lee Yang, and Frances Conroy Directors: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane RT score: 92%

Based on ND Stevenson's 2015 graphic novel of the same name, Nimona is a delightfully fun, action-packed, funny, and heartfelt flick that's also unapologetically queer.

Star Wars alumnus Riz Ahmed voices Ballister Blackheart, a futuristic knight who's framed for a crime he didn't commit. The only witness who can save him from a lengthy jail term is Nimona ( The Peipheral 's Chloe Grace Moretz), a shapeshifter who Blackheart is sworn to seek out and destroy. Cue a wild buddy cop-style adventure that teaches kids to have an open mind about people who are different to them in more ways than one.

Nimona has been lauded for its LGBTQ+ representation, subversive storytelling, and gorgeous visuals among many other positives. A truly worth entry in our best Netflix movies guide.

Age rating: PG Runtime: 95 minutes Main cast: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Madeleine Harris, and Samuel Joslin Director: Paul King RT score: 97%

We're just going to say it: Paddington is one of the best family movies of all time.

Don't argue with us. At first glance, everyone's favorite, marmalade sandwich-eating Peruvian bear didn't seem like he'd be the star of a truly terrific family-friendly film. As it turns out, though, Paddington (voiced with a deftness, warmth, and stacks of humor by Ben Whishaw) is a bonafide movie star – and his first CGI-cum-live-action movie proves it.

You'll laugh yourself silly at its slapstick moments, you'll cry at its heart-wrenching (and heart-warming!) scenes, and shout "I didn't know they were in it!" at every big-name actor who appears. In short: go and watch it immediately.

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish

Age rating: PG Runtime: 102 minutes Main cast: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Harvey Guillen, Florence Pugh, Olivia Colman, Samson Kayo, Wagner Moura, and John Mulaney Director: Joel Crawford RT score: 95%

The second of Puss In Boots ' spin-off movies is, frankly, an absolute delight. Indeed, The Last Wish is a gorgeous-looking film, whose painterly visuals belie an existential tale with meaningful subject matter and making the most of the life (or lives, in Puss' case) that you have.

Banderas, who voiced the titular sword-wielding tabby cat in the Shrek films, returns to play Puss again once more. This time around, however, due to the life-threatening escapades he's gotten himself into, Puss is on his final life. To reinstate all nine lives, he'll need to find and then wish on a fallen star, all the while being pursued by a terrifying wolf (Moura) who's the personification of Death itself. A funny, moving, beautiful, and occasionally ominous movie.

The Sea Beast

Age rating: PG Runtime: 119 minutes Main cast: Karl Urban, Zaris Angel-Hator, Jared Harris, and Dan Stevens Director: Chris Williams RT score: 94%

The Sea Beast proved Disney doesn’t have a monopoly on layered, child-friendly storytelling upon its arrival in July 2022.

Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Chris Williams ( Moana , Big Hero Six ), the movie follows Jacob Holland (voiced by  The Boys ’ Karl Urban), a celebrated sea monster hunter whose life is upended when a young girl, Maisie Brumble (newcomer Zaris-Angel Hator), stows away on his ship. 

Charming, action-packed, and beautifully-rendered, The Sea Beast was praised by audiences and critics alike upon release, and serves as further proof that Netflix should think twice about scaling back its animation department . If it still is, that is. 

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Age rating: PG Runtime: 92 minutes Main cast: Chris Pratt, Anya-Taylor Joy, Jack Black, Charlie Day, Seth Rogen, and Keegan-Michael Key Directors: Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic RT score: 59%

2023’s second-highest grossing movie, The Super Mario Bros. Movie ’s success was fueled by nostalgia for Nintendo’s legendary video game series and its money-spinning ticket sales, rather than its overall quality.

But there’s more to the animated movie’s unprecedented box office performance than that. In our view, it’s funnier than some suggest, it's wonderful to look at, is packed with Easter eggs and other Mario references, and it gave us one of last year’s best earworms with Bowser’s humor-laced ‘Peaches’ love ballad.

Sure, its narrative is oft-times generic, its runtime is a little on the light side, and Chris Pratt’s Italian accent needed more refining. As a kid-friendly film that hits all the right notes where Nintendo’s passionate fanbase is concerned, though, this is one Mario movie we’ll enjoy for years to come. Read our review of The Super Mario Bros. Movie to learn more. 

Best comedy movies on Netflix

Age rating: 15 Runtime: 118 minutes Main cast: Adam Sandler, Juancho Hernangomez, Queen Latifah, and Robert Duvall Director: Jeremiah Zagar RT score: 93%

If you were a fan of 2019's Uncut Gems , listen up: Hustle , a surprisingly entertaining basketball drama, delivers more Adam Sandler-sized surprises. 

After discovering a once-in-a-lifetime player with a rocky past abroad, Stanley Sugerman (Sandler), a down-on-his-luck Philadelphia 76ers scout, takes it upon himself to bring the young phenom to the States without his team's approval. Against the odds, the pair must work to prove that they both deserve to make it big in the NBA. 

That synopsis might sound like standard sports drama fare, but Hustle earned unexpectedly glowing reviews ahead of its muted release. Trust us: this is no Jack and Jill .

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Age rating: PG Runtime: 92 minutes Main cast: John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, and Michael Palin Directors: Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam RT score: 96%

Monty Python and the Holy Grail did more for the satire and parody subgenres than many other comedies have done in the last 50 years.

A witty and biting take on the legend of King Arthur, Monty Python and the Holy Grail stars the titular and legendary British comedy outfit as King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable, who embark on a hilarity-infested quest to seek the Holy Grail.

If you're a fan of Monty Python , you'll likely have seen this one countless times over. First-time viewers, though, will cackle and guffaw their way through the film's rivetingly silly scenarios. The Black Knight scene, Knights of the Roundtable dance number, deadly Rabbit of Caerbannog sequence, and Knights Who Say "Ni!" moment are just four instantaneously classic moments waiting to be viewed. Just don't blame us if you end up endlessly quoting this flick long after the credits have rolled.

( NB: Monty Python's Life of Brian and Monty Python's Flying Circus are also available to stream).

The Nice Guys

Age rating: R Runtime: 115 minutes Main cast: Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe, Angourie Rice, and Margaret Qualley Director: Shane Black RT score: 91%

Buddy comedies don't come much better than The Nice Guys . Director Shane Black's underappreciated action comedy stars Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe as a private eye and a tough enforcer, who team up to determine the whereabouts of a girl-in-hiding (Margaret Qualley) in 1970s Los Angeles. 

Reminiscent of Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights in both its setting and black humor, the movie is fast-paced, suitably adult, and a perfect example of how to elicit chemistry between two big-time leads. Gosling, in particular, is hilarious. 

Best crime movies on Netflix

Bullet train.

Age rating: R Runtime: 126 minutes Main cast: Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Joey King, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Bryan Tyree Henry Director: David Leitch RT score: 54%

An action-comedy crime caper that certainly drew inspiration from John Wick (more on this film series shortly), Bullet Train is a fast-paced, thrills-a-minute joyride that makes full use of its claustrophobic setting.

Brad Pitt plays Ladybug, an anxious assassin who’s tasked with retrieving a suitcase filled with cash for a shady organization from the titular high-speed passenger vehicle. In order to do so, however, he’ll have to fend off the advances of similarly skilled agents, with the likes of Aaron-Taylor Jonhson, Brian Tyree Henry, Joey King, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Michael Shannon playing some of those extremely well-trained foes.

Bullet Train wasn’t a big hit with critics upon initial release, but it’s found a new lease of life on Netflix. If you prefer your movies to be action-packed, occasionally gory, and humorous affairs, look no further. 

The Irishman

Age rating: R Runtime: 209 minutes Main cast: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Al Pacino, and Anna Paquin Director: Martin Scorsese RT score: 95%

This threateningly long Martin Scorsese pic attracted attention for the extensive effects work used to de-age its old stars, and it's a creative decision that's sometimes distracting. But there's no denying the appeal of seeing Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino in the same movie together for likely the last time, and this life-spanning, mostly rewarding crime epic is a suitable tribute to their collective talents. 

The Irishman follows Frank Sheeran (De Niro) as he recounts his long association with the Bufalino crime family and infamous union leader Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino). It's a languid film – and not a patch on Goodfellas – but absolutely among the best Netflix movies the streaming service has financed to date. Find out where we ranked it in our best Martin Scorsese movies piece.

Best drama movies on Netflix

The hand of god.

Age rating: R Runtime: 130 minutes Main cast: Filippo Scotti, Tony Servillo, Teresa Sapoangelo, and Marlon Joubert Director: Paolo Sorrentino RT score: 83%

The Hand of God marks the movie-making return of beloved Italian director Paolo Sorrentino, and tells the semi-autobiographical tale of a young man (Filippo Scotti, standing in for a teenage Sorrentino) grappling with the pressures of growing up in 1980s Naples. 

As well as referring to the infamous goal scored by Argentine footballer (and Napoli legend) Diego Maradona at the 1986 World Cup, the film's title alludes to a tragic and life-affirming event that forces its protagonist to grow up quicker than he'd otherwise like. To say more risks spoiling The Hand of God 's most tender moments, though the movie's beautiful locations, hypnotic camerawork, and larger-than-life characters ensure it ranks among Sorrentino's best work. If you're a fan of Call Me by Your Name , add this one to your watchlist. 

Phantom Thread

Age rating: R Runtime: 130 minutes Main cast: Daniel Day Lewis, Vicky Krieps, Lesley Manville, and Camilla Rutherford Director: Paul Thomas Anderson RT score: 91%

Shortly after Licorice Pizza – director Paul Thomas Anderson's most recent flick – hit 2023's awards circuit, Netflix added his previous film Phantom Thread to its library. This one tells the story of a dressmaker (Daniel Day-Lewis) in 1950s London who falls for a young waitress (Vicky Krieps). 

That might sound like a potentially boring narrative, but Phantom Thread is actually masterfully-shot. It's also a poignant exploration of what it means to be an artist, combining Oscar-winning costume design with a stunning soundtrack (from Radiohead and frequent Anderson collaborator Johnny Greenwood) to rank among its director's finest work. One of the best Netflix movies, this certainly is.

Age rating: R Runtime: 134 minutes Main cast: Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira, Marco Graf, Fernando Grediaga, and Daniela Demesa Director: Alfonso Cuaron RT score: 96%

An astonishing ode to motherhood in all forms, Roma is the most personal film to date from visionary director Alfonso Cuarón ( Children of Men , Gravity ).

On paper, it's is not the easiest sell – a subtitled black and white film about a live-in housekeeper spoken almost entirely in Spanish and the indigenous Mixtec language. But Cuarón's 2018 critical hit is nonetheless riveting from a cinematic standpoint. More a series of vignettes than a traditional three-act story, it examines the life of a Mexico City family in the early 1970s during a time of great social upheaval.

Age rating: R Runtime: 122 minutes Main cast: Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Bruhl, and Olivia Wilde Director: Ron Howard RT score: 88%

Rush is a biographical sports movie about the heated rivalry between Formula 1 drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda. The pair are played here brilliantly by Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl respectively in one of Ron Howard's best movies in recent memory. 

The film portrays their rivalry as lucky playboy vs hotheaded strategist, and while it might exaggerate real-life events somewhat, it's a riveting movie. Along with documentary Senna and dad-friendly flick Ford Vs Ferrari , Rush is one of the best Netflix movies about racing. 

Society of the Snow

Age rating: R Runtime: 145 minutes Main cast: Enzo Vogrincic, Augustin Padella, Esteban Bigliardi, and Simon Hempe Director: J.A. Bayona RT score: 90%

J.A. Bayona’s latest flick – based on real-life events – is a harrowing portrayal of human endurance and how our primal survival instincts assume dominance over our humanity.

Society of the Snow tells the tragic story of the 1972 Andes Air Disaster, which saw a Uruguayan rugby team crash-land in the freezing South American mountain range en route to a Chile-based tournament. Trapped in one of the most inhospitable places on Earth, the 16 survivors are forced to take extreme measures in order to stay alive.

Netflix’s first movie hit of 2024 is a heart-breaking and grim tale of human morality, but one that equally shines an earnest, powerful light on surviving against all odds. One of the best Netflix movies, from a foreign language perspective, you’ll see all year. 

Age rating: R Runtime: 109 minutes Main cast: Florence Pugh, Tom Burke, Niamh Algar, and Elaine Cassidy Director: Sebastien Lelio RT score: 89%

Florence Pugh ( Black Widow , A Good Person ) proved her generational talent yet again in Netflix's unsettling drama-cum-horror The Wonder .  

Set in the Irish Midlands in 1862, the movie stars Pugh as an English nurse called to observe a young girl (Kíla Lord Cassidy) who remains miraculously alive and well despite not having eaten for four months. Ciarán Hinds, Niamh Algar, and Toby Jones also star in Sebastián Lelio’s period mystery.

As period dramas go, The Wonder is an absorbing and fantastic flick that confirms Pugh's ability to embody every role she plays.

Best fantasy movies on Netflix

Everything everywhere all at once.

Age rating: R Runtime: 132 minutes Main cast: Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Stephanie Hsu Directors: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert RT score: 94%

Thanks largely to Marvel 's cinematic juggernaut, multiverse films have exploded in popularity (among studios, not necessarily audiences) in recent years. This absurdist multi-genre flick, which garnered universal acclaim and a seemingly infinite number of trophies on the 2023 awards circuit, though, is one of the best we've ever seen.

Everything Everywhere All at Once ( EEAAO ) stars Yeoh ( The Witcher: Blood Origin , The Brothers Sun ) as Evelyn Wang, a Chinese-American immigrant who learns that she must connect with alternate reality versions of herself in order to stop a supremely powerful being from destroying the multiverse. Quan ( Loki season 2 , The Goonies ) plays Evelyn's husband Waymond and Hsu ( Joy Ride ) is Evelyn's daughter Joy.

An epic assault on the senses with tons of heart, spectacular visuals, and an mind-boggling appreciation for philosophical themes like existentialism, nihilism, generational trauma, and racial identity, EEAAO is a masterpiece that deserves every gong in its stuffed awards cabinet.

Age rating: TV-MA Runtime: 121 minutes Main cast: Ahn Seo -hyun, Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Giancarlo Espostio Director: Bong Joon-ho RT score: 86%

If you've enjoyed Bong Joon Ho's Oscar Best Picture winner Parasite , you might want to check out his previous movie, Okja , which is still one of the best Netflix movies on the platform.

It tells the bizarre tale of a young girl Mija and her best pal, an enormous creature called Okja, whose friendship comes under threat when a nasty CEO (Tilda Swinton) has evil plans for the titular animal. It's a refreshing movie with a nice angle of animal activism – a very different proposition to Parasite , for sure, but one that also demonstrates the director's ability to blend genres. 

Best history movies on Netflix

Age rating: R Runtime: 140 minutes Main cast: Timothee Chalamet, Robert Pattinson, Joel Edgerton, and Sean Harris Director: David Michod RT score: 71%

Another Netflix Original, The King stars Timothée Chalamet as Henry V, a young man forced to navigate the worlds of politics, war and treachery after unexpectedly becoming king of England in the 15th century. 

This one contains all the fanfare you'd expect from a modern medieval movie, and boasts an excellent cast including Robert Pattinson, Joel Edgerton and Sean Harris. For a reported budget of just $20 million (although you wouldn't know it), director David Michôd managed to produce one of the most engaging and visually stunning historical dramas around. Stick it on your watch list.

The Woman King

Age rating: PG-13 Runtime: 135 minutes Main cast: Viola Davis, Lashana Lynch, Thuso Mbedu, Sheila Atim, and John Boyega Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood RT score: 94%

Set in the 1820s, this Viola Davis-fronted historical epic tells the tale of General Nanisca (Davis) and the wider Adojie tribe, the all-female warrior unit that protected the West African kingdom of Dahomey across a 200-year period.

Starring a number of other terrific Black actors including Lashana Lynch, John Boyega, Thuso Mbedu, and Sheila Stim, The Woman King is a weighty, crowd-pleasing spectacle that many have likened to Braveheart in its action, tonality, and themes surrounding defiance in the face of invading forces. A splashy popcorn flick, sure, but one filled with substance, as well as deeper societal and historical subject matter.

Best horror movies on Netflix

The fear street movie trilogy.

Age rating: R Runtimes: 107 minutes ( Fear Street 1 ); 110 minutes ( Fear Street 2 ); 114 minutes ( Fear Street 3 ) Main cast: Kiana Madeira, Olivia Welch, Gillian Jacobs, Sadie Sink, Benjamin Flores Jr, Emily Rudd, and Ryan Simpkins Director: Leigh Janiak RT score: 84% ( Fear Street 1 ); 87% ( Fear Street 2 ); 88% ( Fear Street 3 )

Launched in July 2021 as part of a new Netflix horror movie binge watch experiment , the Fear Street movie trilogy looked to recapture the bold and innovative multi-film storytelling formula that other popular horror franchises had seemingly perfected.

And, in short, it did. Set across three flicks, the Fear Street series – itself based on R.L. Stine's books of the same name – told the story of a group of 90s-era teens as they attempt to break a curse that's loomed over their town for over 300 years. With lashings of the supernatural and witchcraft, R-rated slasher violence, an intriguing narrative, and more than a few notable faces – Stranger Things ' Sadie Sink and Maya Hawke are among its cast – the Fear Street movies are well worth watching.

Age rating: TV-14 Runtime: 93 minutes Main cast: Wunmi Mosaku and Sope Dirisu Director: Remi Weekes RT score: 100%

This Weekes-directed movie stars Mosaku ( Loki ) and Dirisu ( Gangs of London ) as Rial and Bol, a refugee couple from South Sudan who struggle to adjust to their new life in the UK. The overriding issue? The duo believe there's an evil supernatural force haunting their council home and the surrounding area.

His House might not sound all that thrilling, but you'll want to give it a chance, trust us. Mosaku and Dirisu deliver powerhouse performances in this occasionally terrifying movie that, like Get Out , has plenty of important things to say about cultural and sociopolitical divides. There's a reason why it holds a perfect 100% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes – and, overall, it's because it's a darn good film.

Age rating: R Runtime: 100 minutes Main cast: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto, Jake Weary, and Olivia Luccardi Director: David Robert Mitchell RT score: 95%

This Mitchell-directed film shouldn't be slept on – which, in some ways, is ironic, given the lengths its lead character Jay goes to in order to stay awake.

Why? Because, in It Follows , the titular character is pursued by a supernatural entity after it's passed onto her through a sexual encounter with her at-the-time boyfriend Hugh. The entity in question will constantly (albeit) slowly track the currently infected individual until it catches them, upon which time it'll kill them – and then work its way back up the chain to murder every other person who was infected.

It's a bit on the nose with its thematic exploration of sexually transmitted diseases, but It Follows is an otherwise terrifically terrifying and seriously underrated film that deserves more acclaim. A long overdue sequel is in the works, too, so best catch this one while you can.

Best musical movies on Netflix

Age rating: PG-13 Runtime: 159 minutes Main cast: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge, and Helen Thomson Director: Bahz Luhrmann RT score: 77%

Austin Butler's breakout role came in this 2022 biopic about the world-famous rock 'n' roll star whose life was as eventful as they come.

Seen through the eyes of Hanks' slimy agent Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis charts the rise and fall of the Mississippi-born singer-actor who went on to become one of the most recognizable musicians of all-time. Packed with dazzling energy and animated style, and led by a stunning performance from its leading man in Butler, Elvis shook up the biographical film genre with its heady mix of melodrama and swashbuckling score.

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Age rating: R Runtime: 94 minutes Main cast: Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Glynn Turman, and Colman Domingo Director: George C. Wolfe RT score: 97%

Based on the play by August Wilson – and despite the gorgeous period set dressing and costume design, it definitely feels very stage-y – Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is a fantastic watch.

Viola Davis stars as legendary 'Mother of Blues' Ma Rainey, with the film focusing on one fraught recording session with Ma and her band, and the tension between the musician and her white producers and management. 

The late Chadwick Boseman ( Black Panther ) stars as Levee, an innovative trumpet player who struggles to find his place in the music scene, amid bandmates who don't always take him seriously. It's a sad but insightful movie that explores how culture is worth protecting and valuing, in a world where it's easily taken and monetized, and the film truly comes to life in its amazing musical sequences.

Best mystery movies on Netflix

Enola holmes.

Age rating: PG-13 Runtime: 124 minutes Main cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin, and Helen Bonham Carter Director: Harry Bradbeer RT score: 91%

Stranger Things ' Millie Bobby Brown started to expand her acting career with this period-set comedy-mystery flick that's both an adaptation of Nancy Springer's Enola Holmes Mysteries book series and a spin-off of the Sherlock Holmes legend.

Brown plays the titular character (and younger sister of Cavill's Sherlock), who travels to London to locate her missing mother. Unsurprisingly, she gets side-tracked, and finds herself teaming up with a runaway lord to get to the bottom of a particularly thrilling case that threatens the UK.

A breezy but fun-filled adventure flick, Enola Holmes bubbles away nicely with its more than entertaining narrative, which is ably led by Brown's effervescent Holmes. Its sequel is also available to stream on Netflix.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Age rating: PG-13 Runtime: 141 minutes Main cast: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monae, Kathryn Hahn, Dave Bautista, Kate Hudson, and Leslie Odom Jr Director: Rian Johnson RT score: 92%

Knives Out wowed fans and critics alike in 2019, so sequels were inevitable. 

The first of those – Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery – is another elaborate and highly entertaining whodunnit from director Rian Johnson. Buoyed by its excellent ensemble cast and a confidence carried over from its predecessor’s success, Glass Onion is even showier and bolder than Knives Out – though the film proved exceptionally divisive among fans of Benoit Blanc's debut outing upon release.

Best sci-fi movies on Netflix

Jurassic park.

Age rating: PG-13 Runtime: 126 minutes Main cast: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Samuel L Jackson, Ariana Richards, and Joe Mazzello Director: Steven Spielberg RT score: 92%

Spielberg's iconic take on Michael Crichton's novel about an idyllic dinosaur park that goes awry is the kind of classic sci-fi movie that Hollywood simply doesn't make anymore.

Set on the fictional Isla Nublar, Neill, Dern, and Goldblum play scientists Alan Grant, Ellie Satler, and Ian Malcolm, who are invited to tour industrialist John Hammond's new dinosaur research and genetics HQ, which is well on its way to bringing back the ancient beasts from the dead. When slimy computer programmer Dennis Nedry throws a spanner in the works, though, the quartet – along with Hammond's grandchildren and the park's employees – are forced to fight for their lives amid attacks from a T-Rex and velociraptors to name just two.

One of the best Netflix movies (licensed ones, anyway) and a legendary, highly entertaining film overall, Jurassic Park is cinema at its absolute best. See if you can work out where it ranks in our best Jurassic movies list before seeing if you guessed correctly.

( NB: Jurassic Park: The Lost World and Jurassic Park III are also available to stream on Netflix).

They Cloned Tyrone

Age rating: R Runtime: 119 minutes Main cast: John Boyega, Jamie Foxx, and Teyonah Parris Director: Juel Taylor RT score: 95%

This genre-bending sci-fi flick launched on the same day as the cultural phenomenon known as Barbenheimer, so its viewing figures weren't all that impressive in the first couple of weeks post-release.

However, given time, people have realized  They Cloned Tyrone  is an absolutely brilliant movie. To discuss its plot at length is to spoil its biggest surprises, but here's a brief synopsis to give you a flavor of what to expect: "A series of eerie events thrusts an unlikely trio (Jamie Foxx, John Boyega, and Teyonah Parris) onto the trail of a nefarious government conspiracy in this pulpy mystery caper." 

We thoroughly enjoyed what it has to offer on multiple levels and our  exclusive chat with John Boyega is well worth reading  for a peak behind the curtain on its production. Once you're watched it, be sure to read our  ending explainer on  They Cloned Tyrone  for Boyega's thoughts on its surprising ending .

Best superhero movies on Netflix

Age rating: PG-13 Runtime: 176 minutes Main cast: Robert Pattinson, Jeffrey Wright, Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, and Colin Farrell Director: Matt Reeves RT score: 85%

The Christopher Nolan-directed Batman trilogy isn't available on Netflix anymore, but there is another top-tier Dark Knight film that's made its way onto the service in the form of The Batman .

Robert Pattinson stuns in his first turn as the Caped Crusader, with the Matt Reeves-helmed Bat-Flick proving to be even more dingy and gritty than many of its forebears. That it leans more heavily into the superhero's detective-based skills than what's come before – walking that fine line of being gruesome but not gratuitously violent – too, makes it an even more fascinating, crime-based Batman film than we've been used to.

With a stupendous supporting vast including Paul Dano, Zoe Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, Colin Farrell, Andy Serkis, and John Tuturro, The Batman needs to be seen to be fully appreciated. See where it placed in our best Batman movies guide.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Age rating: PG Runtime: 140 minutes Main cast: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Oscar Isaac, Jake Johnson, Luna Lauren Velez, Bryan Tyree Henry, Issa Rae, Daniel Kaluuya, Mahershala Ali, and Jason Schwartzman Directors: Kemp Powers, Joaquin Dos Santos, and Justin K. Thompson RT score: 95%

We were delighted to see Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Vers e make its unexpected Netflix debut in October 2023. As a spectacularly assembled animated superhero film, there are few better than it in the genre space right now – both from animation and storytelling perspectives.

Set 14 months after Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse , viewers are reunited with Miles Morales, Gwen Stacey, and Peter B Parker as they embark on a new multiverse-spanning journey that, unlike its forebear, won't be such an easy one to navigate.

In our Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse review , we said it "fulfils its ambitious promise to deliver an amazing follow-up to its 2018 predecessor". Once you've watched it, read our Across the Spider-Verse ending explained article to see how it sets up its Beyond the Spider-Verse sequel. Then, see where it ranks in our best Spider-Man movies guide, or find out how to watch the Spider-Man movies in order .

Best thriller movies on Netflix

The good nurse.

Age rating: R Runtime: 123 minutes Main cast: Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne Director: Tobias Lindholm RT score: 74%

Netflix puts its penchant for true-crime storytelling to good use with The Good Nurse , which follows the murderous exploits of real-life serial killer Charlie Cullen (Eddie Redmayne). Jessica Chastain plays Cullen's co-worker, Amy Loughren, who would ultimately go on to expose the sadistic behaviour that led to the deaths of dozens of patients over a period of sixteen years. 

On the broad spectrum of Netflix movies, The Good Nurse is a lower-key affair than, say, Don't Look Up . However, its shocking story of gross criminal negligence is far more impactful than the big-budget drama of the streamer's recent blockbusters. Sure, it's far from an easy watch – but it'll stay with you long after its credits roll.

Best war movies on Netflix

All quiet on the western front.

Age rating: R Runtime: 148 minutes Main cast: Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Aaron Hilmer, and Moritz Klaus Director: Edward Berger RT score: 90%

It’s been a good few years since Dunkirk and 1917 reminded audiences of the horrors of war, but Netflix assumed that responsibility with shocking but beautifully-made WWI epic, All Quiet on the Western Front . 

Based on Erich Maria Remarque’s landmark novel of the same name (which was first adapted into a feature film in 1930), this award-winning German-language movie tells the story of a young German soldier (Felix Kammerer) whose naive expectations of fighting for his country are shattered by war’s harrowing reality. As you'd expect, All Quiet on the Western Front is brutal, vivid and poignant – just don’t expect to reach its credits feeling particularly joyous.

Beasts of No Nation

Age rating: TV-MA Runtime: 137 minutes Main cast: Idris Elba, Abraham Atta, and Kurt Egyiawan Director: Cary Fukunaga RT score : 91%

We won't beat about the bush – Beasts of No Nation is a tough watch. No Time to Die 's Cary Fukunaga directs this harrowing feature, which follows the journey of a young orphan (Abraham Attah) forced into becoming a child soldier by a fierce warlord (Idris Elba) during an unnamed African civil war. 

An adaptation of Uzodinma Iweala's novel of the same name, Beasts of No Nation is a masterfully-shot story documenting the human cost of conflict, and places the uncomfortable realities of war front and centre. This isn't one to watch with the kids, but sitting through its two-hour narrative is an enlightening, dare-we-say necessary movie experience.  

Best western movies on Netflix

The harder they fall.

Age rating: R Runtime: 139 minutes Main cast: Idris Elba, Jonathan Majors, Zazie Beetz, Delroy Lindo, and LaKeith Stanfield Director: Jeymes Samuel RT score: 88% 

Jeymes Samuel's feature film directorial debut wasn't expected to be this good. But The Harder They Fall , which stars the likes of Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, and Regina King, is a superb Western that deserves your attention.

Jonathan Majors, who was recently found guilty of domestic abuse and whose career is effectively over as a result, plays Nat Love, an outlaw who discover his mortal enemy Rufus Black (Elba) is being released from prison. Unsurprisingly, Love takes the law into his own hands and assembles his crack team of gunslingers to stop that from happening. 

A stylized, gun-toting action flick that's somewhat predictable in its makeup, The Harder They Fall will have you whooping and hollering at the screen regularly.

The Power of the Dog

Age rating: R Runtime: 128 minutes Main cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kristen Dunst, Jesse Plemons, and Kodi Smit-McPhee Director: Jane Campion RT score: 94%

It’s safe to say that Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog was the critical hit – and one of the best Netflix movies – of 2021. Widely praised for its slow-burning psychological drama, it follows the story of a menacing rancher (Benedict Cumberbatch) who doesn’t take kindly to the arrival of his brother’s new wife (Kirsten Dunst) and her son (Kodi Smit-McPhee).

Cumberbatch arguably gives a career-best performance as the volatile Phil Burbank here, which undoubtedly made interesting prep for Doctor Strange 2 . It's a slow-burner, but The Power of the Dog is a masterful piece of filmmaking.

For more Netflix coverage, read our best Netflix documentaries guide. Yet to subscribe to the streaming giant? Read our guide on how to sign up to Netflix , too, or whether you should cancel Netflix .

As TechRadar's senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You'll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.

An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as this Moon Knight TV spot .

Away from work, Tom can be found checking out the latest video games, immersing himself in his favorite sporting pastime of football, reading the many unread books on his shelf, staying fit at the gym, and petting every dog he comes across. Got a scoop, interesting story, or an intriguing angle on the latest news in entertainment? Feel free to drop him a line.

• Axel Metz Senior Staff Writer

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New on Netflix: 7 movies and shows you have to watch this May

Riveting drama Eric, Bridgerton season 3 part 1, sugary sweet comedy Unfrosted, and more are streaming on Netflix this month

May is finally here, and with it brings a whole new batch of first-class film and television from the internet’s biggest streamer ready for you to start binging. The flowers may be blooming and the weather is getting a little warmer, but those April showers sadly haven't stopped yet. So while you're dodging the pre-summer rain, why not get all cozy and take full advantage of Netflix’s newest movies and TV shows.

May's streaming highlights include the highly anticipated third season of romantic Regency drama Bridgerton, a truly hilarious retelling of the creation of the Pop Tart (including Hugh Grant in a tiger costume), and Benedict Cumberbatch going back to his roots with a thrilling TV show. And, of course, it wouldn't be a true Netflix round-up without a few anime movies and shows, so we’ve got those too!

So, what are you waiting for? Read on as we take you through the latest releases that the streaming giant has on offer this season.

New on Netflix in May 2024

A man in full .

Release date: May 2

Is anyone feeling a little bored at work? Who’s up for a bit of boardroom drama? Well, that’s exactly what you’re going to get with A Man in Full starring Jeff Daniels. Directed and produced by Regina King, the six-part series follows Atlanta real estate mogul Charlie Croker who, when faced with bankruptcy, must defend his empire from his enemies and those who try to capitalize on his failure. The show focuses on the deadly mixture of business and politics and proves there are no real friends in the corporate world. 

The show, which is based on the novel of the same name by Tom Wolfe, is written by HBO ’s Big Little Lies scribe David E. Kelley. The cast also includes Sarah Jones, Diane Lane, and Lucy Liu. 

Unfrosted  

Release date: May 3

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One of Netflix’s biggest movies of the month is star-studded, colorful, funny, and… about Pop-Tarts. Yes, you read that right, starring Jerry Seinfeld, Bridesmaid’s Melissa McCarthy, and British icon Hugh Grant, Unfrosted follows cereal rivals Kellogg's and Post as they race to create a pastry that will change the way Americans eat breakfast forever. Set in Michigan in 1963, the movie brings the half-truth about the birth of the Pop Tart, and as Netflix puts it, "a tale of ambition, betrayal, sugar, and menacing milkmen." But if that isn't enough to sell you on this sweet story, maybe the fact that there is a scene, which we saw in the trailer , where Grant is dressed as Tony the Tiger. That’s Frosties, actually. 

The movie is co-written, directed, and produced by Seinfeld alongside Bee Movie’s Spike Feresten and Office Christmas Party’s Beau Bauman. The cast also includes comedian Jim Gaffigan, Amy Schumer, New Girl’s Max Greenfield, Christian Slater, Bill Burr, James Marsden, and more. For more on Unfrosted, check out Total Film’s exclusive interview with Jerry Seinfeld . 

 Pokémon Horizons: The Series Part 2 

Release date: May 10 (US only)

The wait is finally over, after multiple delays on bringing the new Pokémon show to Netflix, part 2 of Pokémon Horizons: The Series is finally hitting the streamer. The show follows Liko, a student at Indigo Academy learning to become a Pokémon Trainer alongside her partner Sprigatito, as she embarks on a journey to explore the mysteries of the world in the Paldea region.

Liko is joined by another young trainer Roy and his partner Fuecoco, and as a four the group discovers different Pokémon, whether that be on land, at sea, or in the air. This feel-good series is a must for all Pokémon fans and includes new characters to get to know and a few familiar faces along the way. 

Sadly this one is only available in the US, but our UK readers can catch up on part 1 on BBC iPlayer.

Bridgerton season 3, part 1

Release date: May 16

Dearest readers, your favorite Netflix romantic drama is officially back! Regency series Bridgerton will soon grace the small screen once again with its third season. Like every installment so far, Bridgerton season 3 will focus this time on yet another sibling, Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton), and his possible friends-to-lovers relationship with Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) AKA Lady Whistledown.

However, it wouldn’t be the series we know and love if it was all smooth sailing. According to an official synopsis from Netflix, Penelope’s attempts on the marriage front fail spectacularly, and Colin returns from his summer travels to find that Penelope is giving him the cold shoulder, but in an attempt to fix it, he becomes her marriage mentor. Ouch, friend zone much? Let’s hope that the duo pull a season 2 Anthony and Kate and quickly realize they are actually madly in love. One can hope, right?

 Atlas 

Release date: May 24

There seems to be a running theme with the streamer this year… sci-fi. From 3 Body Problem to Spaceman , Netflix just cannot get enough of space, time travel, and all things otherworldly, and this next one is no different. Starring Jennifer Lopez, the upcoming action movie follows misanthropic data analyst Atlas Shepherd who, despite her deep distrust of artificial intelligence, joins a mission to capture a renegade robot. But of course, plans go awry, and in order to save humanity she must trust her newfound frenemy. 

The movie is directed by Rampage’s Brad Peyton and stars Barbie ’s Simu Liu, America Fiction ’s Sterling K. Brown, and The Marvels ' Abraham Popoola, as well as Lopez who also serves as co-producer. For more on Atlas, check out the trailer and Total Film’s exclusive interview with the director here . 

My Oni Girl 

Release date: May 24

Now, it wouldn't be a monthly list without a little anime, and the streamer has something truly special up its sleeve this month with a brand new anime fantasy film available only on Netflix. 

Created by Studio Ghibli’s Tomotaka Shibayama, My Oni Girl follows the unconventional relationship between a regular human boy and an oni (demon) girl. The movie centers around first-year high school student Hiiragi who is desperate to be liked and accepted but remains without any friends. That is until one summer's day when he encounters an oni girl named Tsumugi who has come to the human world to search for her mother. The ghoulish girl, who is the complete opposite of Hiiragi in more ways than one, takes the boy on a magical adventure he will never forget.  

Release date: May 30

It looks like Sherlock’s Benedict Cumberbatch is going back to his TV thriller roots as he stars in Netflix’s newest crime drama Eric. Set in the ‘80s, the six-part series follows Vincent (Cumberbatch), one of New York’s leading puppeteers and creator of a popular children’s television show, whose life is turned upside down when his son goes missing one morning before school. In a desperate attempt to bring him back, Vincent clings to a blue monster puppet called Eric and convinces himself that if he can get the puppet on TV, his child will return home. But as his delusions and desperation start to cloud his judgment, Vincent alienates himself from all those around him, leaving the puppet as his only ally. 

This dark and dingy series brings the same feel as Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners or Clint Eastwood's Mystic River, and hones in on what parents are capable of doing when their child is taken. The show is created by The Iron Lady’s Abi Morgan and directed by The End of the F***ing World’s Lucy Forbes. For more on Eric, check out the full trailer here .  

Looking for more to watch? Here are the best shows on Netflix .

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for SFX and Total Film online. I have a Bachelors Degree in Media Production and Journalism and a Masters in Fashion Journalism from UAL. In the past I have written for local UK and US newspaper outlets such as the Portland Tribune and York Mix and worked in communications, before focusing on film and entertainment writing. I am a HUGE horror fan and in 2022 I created my very own single issue feminist horror magazine.  

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‘Nowhere Special’ Review: Old Bonds, New Family

This understated tear-jerker sees a dying single father making future family plans for his toddler son.

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By Glenn Kenny

“Nowhere Special” is an unusual, and unusually understated, parental tear-jerker in which a father prepares for the loss of his young son. The son isn’t going anywhere. But the father, a single dad, is dying, of an unspecified disease, and he’s at first eager, then later a little desperate, to get his boy placed with the right adoptive family.

The picture was written and directed by Uberto Pasolini, the Italian-born filmmaker who was the producer of the 1997 crowd-pleaser “The Full Monty.” Although he shares a surname with the acclaimed director Pier Paolo Pasolini, Uberto is in fact a nephew of the neorealist cinema giant Luchino Visconti. Pasolini doesn’t seem directly influenced by his actual relative or his namesake. But his movie does have a style: slow, quiet, measured. It takes its time before bringing the emotional hammer down.

Set and shot in Northern Ireland, the film focuses on a window cleaner, John (James Norton), the loving father to a very cute but often sulky 4-year-old, Michael (Daniel Lamont). We never see John at a doctor’s office, but we get a look at his packed medicine cabinet and we see him getting more ashen as the picture goes on. One location he does spend a lot of time in is a child placement agency, whose staffers escort him to speak with approved-to-adopt candidates. There are childless couples, intimidatingly big families and single aspiring parents to consider. John resists putting a “memory box” together for his boy. “I don’t want him to understand death,” he says.

After being admonished by a snotty rich client because of slow work, John, taking the adage “you only live once” to heart, eggs the fellow’s house. It’s one of the few moments when the movie deigns to deliver a conventional satisfaction. But the mostly low-key mode of “Nowhere Special” is the right one. Norton is spectacular, but little Lamont delivers one of those uncanny performances that doesn’t seem like acting, and makes you feel for the kid almost as much as his onscreen parent does.

Nowhere Special Not Rated. Running time: 1 hour 36 minutes. In theaters.

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Best New Netflix Originals Movies Released in 2021 So Far

Netflix set the ambitious target of one movie a week and already, they’re smashing that target but given the high amount of Netflix Original movies coming onto the service, which ones are actually worth your time? Below, we’ll take you through our picks of the best new Netflix Original movies added in 2021 as of June 2021.

This list will exclude documentaries and stand-up specials. We’re specifically looking at Netflix Original movies. If this list is unimpressive to you, take a look at what’s coming up on the movie front for the rest of 2021 .

19. Outside the Wire

Director: Mikael Håfström Cast: Anthony Mackie, Damson Idris, Enzo Cilenti

Anthony Mackie is in hot demand at the moment and sadly couldn’t elevate this movie into something great but is still an enjoyable action flick all the same.

Outside the Wire follows a drone pilot who teams up with a new android officer in the hopes of stopping a nuclear attack.

18. Arlo the Alligator Boy

Director: Ryan Crego Cast: Michael J. Woodard, Ryan Crego, Dee Bradley Baker

Sadly for whatever reason, it looks as though Arlo the Alligator Boy hasn’t had a huge release on Netflix with only a few hundred submitting reviews onto IMDb thus far.

However, this movie is absolutely brilliant watch for the young ones with a hand-drawn aesthetic, some earworm songs, and the promise of it being a franchise Netflix invests in with an upcoming companion TV series.

17. Finding ‘Ohana

Director: Jude Weng Cast: Kea Peahu, Alex Aiono, Lindsay Watson

Netflix ended 2020 with the family feature film We Can Be Heroes and in our opinion, then topped it in late January with the new kids-focused film, Finding ‘Ohana .

The movie is a hybrid of The Goonies and Indiana Jones where a group of kids in the summer set out to find secret lost treasures.

Many have praised it being an excellent family adventure while some have called it too predictable and far inferior to the aforementioned Goonies movie.

16. Bombay Rose

Director: Gitanjali Rao Cast: Cyli Khare, Amit Deondi, Gargi Shitole

Netflix has been stepping up big time on the animation front and Bombay Rose is an excellent example of this. The hour and a half long feature film has every frame hand-painted and as a result, looks absolutely gorgeous.

The love story sees two who hope to one day be together but religious differences and duty hold them back.

15. Malcolm & Marie

Director: Sam Levinson Cast: John David Washington and Zendaya

Let’s be honest, most of the “lockdown” series and movies produced with limited budgets have been subpar at best. That doesn’t apply to Malcolm & Marie which is wholly carried by two stunning performances by the leads.

The movie picks up after an awards evening with a couple coming home to have something to eat and then head to bed. However, tensions arise which leads to several arguments throughout the early hours of the morning.

While the movie does feel like it repeats itself several times throughout, it’s still an excellent character piece with two of today’s best actors.

14. Army of the Dead

Director: Zack Snyder Cast: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Ana de la Reguera

Hot off the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League for HBO Max, Netflix had its project with the famed director lined up to kickstart its summer 2021 movie schedule.

Snyder, known for his remake of Dawn of the Dead, reentered the zombie space with a fun 2 and a half hour frolic in the Las Vegas desert. While it’s certainly not going to be for everyone and you could spend all afternoon picking apart its gaping plot holes , there’s still a fun time to be had with impressive visuals albeit often nauseating depth of field.

13. Space Sweepers

Director: Sung-hee Jo Cast: Song Joong-Ki, Kim Tae-ri, Seon-kyu Jin

If big sci-fi blockbusters are your thing then Space Sweepers should be high up on your agenda.

The Korean movie is set years into the future when crews of space sweepers are after space debris to earn a few bucks. We follow one crew who seemingly manages to find a way to save their homeworld.

The movie jumps in and out of Korean with plenty of English spoken throughout which makes this a truly international movie with stellar CGI.

Its major pitfalls are what I think are hallmarks of Asian movies that tend to tell stories slightly different and can give you whiplash trying to keep up but perhaps that’s a personal flaw more than a movie flaw.

12. Fatherhood

Director: Paul Weitz Cast: Kevin Hart, Alfre Woodard, Lil Rel Howery

Kevin Hart shines in this down-to-earth drama about a father that’s looking after her new daughter after the untimely death of his partner.

Although critic’s reviews weren’t too kind to the flick, audiences have seemed to taken to it and by most accounts, is a solid watch.

Director: Alexandre Aja Cast: Mélanie Laurent, Mathieu Amalric, Malik Zidi

Oxygen is another perfect example of a movie that you would’ve probably missed or looked over had it had a traditional theatrical release.

Although it’s simplistic and perhaps not the most inspired plot in the world, it is executed very well.

The story is about a woman awaking in a cryogenic chamber lacking in memory as to how she got there or who she is but it’s a race against time as oxygen is slowly running out.

10. The Woman in the Window

Director: Joe Wright Cast: Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, Anthony Mackie

There’s been a number of movies swept up by the pandemic preventing it from getting a wide theatrical release with The Woman in the Window ultimately getting sold from Fox to Netflix.

While the movie certainly has flaws, it sees another flawless performance from Amy Adams who plays an agoraphobic woman living in New York.

9. Wish Dragon

Director: Chris Appelhans Cast: Jimmy Wong, John Cho, Constance Wu

Netflix has picked up a number of Sony Animation movies this year and Wish Dragon is one of them. Created in China, Sony Animation originally bought the movie but thanks to the Covid pandemic, eventually got sold onto Netflix.

The beautifully animated title may not pack the same punch as another Sony Animation movie we’ll feature a bit further down, it’s still a heartwarming and funny feature that’s been compared to the likes of The Iron Giant .

Director: Simon Stone Cast: Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, Lily James

Exemplary performances are found throughout this biopic that relives the moments of the excavation of the Sutton Hoo.

The British production is superbly written and while the subject matter may not appeal to all, those who do dig in will find plenty to remember.

7. Pieces of a Woman

Director: Kornél Mundruczó Cast: Vanessa Kirby, Shia LaBeouf, Ellen Burstyn

While the release of Pieces of a Woman may have been slightly overshadowed by the allegations hanging over Shia LaBeouf, that shouldn’t discourage you from watching this heart-tugging and emotional feature.

Going on to be nominated for an Oscar, the movie follows a birth that goes wrong and a family’s efforts to get justice. The opening 15 minutes alone are some of the most wrenching minutes you’ll be able to watch on Netflix and this will almost certainly be a painful watch for some so bear that in mind before clicking play.

Vanessa Kirby’s performance, in particular, is absolutely sublime.

6. Love and Monsters

Director: Michael Matthews Cast: Dylan O’Brien, Jessica Henwick, Michael Rooker

Picked up for international distribution is the Paramount Pictures movie Love and Monsters . Set in a dystopian future where monsters rule the world, we follow a rather hopeless Joel who has to go on a quest outside of his bunker to find his ex.

The movie was nominated for an Oscar for Best Achievement in Visual Effects.

5. News of the World

Director: Paul Greengrass Cast: Tom Hanks, Helena Zengel, Tom Astor Note: Not available in Netflix in the United States

Netflix acquired the international rights to this Tom Hanks movie from Universal Pictures that went onto be nominated for 2 Golden Globes.

The movie takes you on a journey with Hanks and Zengel who are on the search for the young girl’s true home while stopping off in towns to read out newspapers to the townsfolks.

It’s a slow burn but has some excellent character development throughout with detailed sets and superb costumes.

4. The White Tiger

Director: Ramin Bahrani Cast: Adarsh Gourav, Rajkummar Rao, Priyanka Chopra

Over the past few years, Netflix has really been ramping up production of Indian content and perhaps the best titles to have come out of those efforts is The White Tiger .

The hybrid language movie follows a young man hoping to make it big in the criminal underworld.

With great performances from all, the movie is an excellent example of one that thrives on a global Netflix but wouldn’t necessarily be one that does well in a traditional cinema environment.

3. Blue Miracle

Cast: Jimmy Gonzales, Dennis Quaid, Bruce McGill Director: Julio Quintana

Blue Miracle is the definition of a hidden gem on Netflix. Starring Dennis Quaid the movie follows a guardian and his kids teaming up in a fishing competition that could help save their orphanage.

It features convincing performances and has a lot of heart.

We’d also recommend reading our own Josh Shepherds review for the movie too.

2. I Care A Lot

Cast: Peter Dinklage, Rosamund Pike, Alicia Witt, Chris Messina, Damian Young,  Director :  J Blakeson Note: Only available on Netflix in the United States and 21 other countries . Amazon Prime Original in others.

I Care A Lot rocked the top 10 charts when it released in February 2021 and for good reason, it’s a gripping drama featuring an absolutely sublime performance from Rosamund Pike who brings out a kind of contempt I haven’t had for a character in a long while.

The story follows an astute businesswoman who is in the business of care and sucking out all the cash from wealthy older clients. Her game is disrupted however when she manages to find a client that may not be who she seems to be.

It’s a movie you’d probably have missed out on if it got a traditional theatrical release but absolutely thrived on Netflix.

1. The Mitchells vs. The Machines

Directors: Michael Rianda, Jeff Rowe Cast: Charlyne Yi, Olivia Colman, Eric André

Netflix Animation has been improving year over year and although The Mitchells vs. The Machines doesn’t come out from Netflix themselves, it’s by far one of their best releases to date.

Complete with stunning visuals, a stellar voice cast lineup the movie is the complete package for the entire family and therefore, our favorite movie so far of 2021.

The Sony Animation Picture follows a family on a road trip that gets rudely interrupted by killer robots who invade earth.

What has been your favorite new Netflix Original movie of 2021 so far? Let us know in the comments down below.

Founder of What's on Netflix, Kasey has been tracking the comings and goings of the Netflix library for over a decade. Covering everything from new movies, series and games from around the world, Kasey is in charge of covering breaking news, covering all the new additions now available on Netflix and what's coming next.

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Challengers

Tashi, a former tennis prodigy turned coach, turned her husband into a champion. But to overcome a losing streak, he needs to face his ex-best friend and Tashi's ex-boyfriend. Tashi, a former tennis prodigy turned coach, turned her husband into a champion. But to overcome a losing streak, he needs to face his ex-best friend and Tashi's ex-boyfriend. Tashi, a former tennis prodigy turned coach, turned her husband into a champion. But to overcome a losing streak, he needs to face his ex-best friend and Tashi's ex-boyfriend.

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• 137 User reviews
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• $55,000,000 (estimated)
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• Apr 28, 2024
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Netflix's 'Baby Reindeer': A dark, haunting story bungles its depiction of queerness

Glen Weldon

Richard Gadd as Donny in Baby Reindeer. The new Netflix series is based on Gadd's autobiographical one-man show. Netflix hide caption

Richard Gadd as Donny in Baby Reindeer. The new Netflix series is based on Gadd's autobiographical one-man show.

Note: You can't really talk about this series without discussing a major revelation that occurs in episode four of its seven-episode season. So be warned: Spoilers ahead.

There's a reason that the first scene in the first episode of Baby Reindeer, now streaming on Netflix, plays like it's a classic setup to a joke: Woman walks into a bar.

Creator and star Richard Gadd is setting our expectations exactly where he wants them set; he needs us to think that the story he'll tell us over the next seven episodes will conform to the narrative contours of dark comedy.

He's already tipped us off that the comedy in question will be dark indeed, via a framing device that opens the show: We see his character Donny Dunn filing a police report that he's being stalked by a woman named Martha (Jessica Gunning).

Cut to six months earlier: Martha enters the pub where Donny tends bar. Everything that follows is meant to place us inside Donny's head. As he tells us about her, we can't help but see her as he does: A sad, fat, pitiable middle-aged woman who's clearly lying about her life. She's not the high-powered lawyer she says she is – if she were, surely she could afford to buy a drink. And why would she spend all those potentially billable hours bellied up at Donny's bar whenever he's working a shift? And why would she proceed to send him thousands of unhinged text messages and stalk him, his girlfriend, and his family?

Right, we think. We know what we're in for: Baby Reindeer is the story of one hapless young man getting cruelly stalked by a mentally ill woman, who, it turns out, has a history, and a criminal record, for doing so.

Moreover, it's a true story. True-ish, anyway, as Baby Reindee r is based on Gadd's autobiographical one-man show.

But Gadd soon complicates our understanding of events. It turns out Donny is a struggling would-be comedian; we watch a series of his cringeworthy sets before sparse, stone-faced audiences. He seems depressed and friendless – his work colleagues at the bar are hostile louts; he's living with his ex-girlfriend's mother on the outskirts of London.

Plus there's the nagging fact that while Donny may not actively encourage Martha's fawning attention, he is awfully passive about shutting down her determination that they could get together, even as she grows more insistent, and more threatening.

Also, as the cop asks him at the start of the first episode. Why did he let it all go on for six months before filing a formal complaint?

Jessica Gunning as Martha. Netflix hide caption

Jessica Gunning as Martha.

The rug-pull

The answer to that question is what Baby Reindeer is truly about. It's where the conventional and familiar trappings of dark comedy and psychological thriller fall away to reveal the show's true, beating heart: Sexual abuse, and its lingering aftermath.

It isn't until episode four that we learn that five years before Martha entered his life, Donny met a successful television writer named Darrien (Tom Goodman-Hill) who gave him career advice, promised to set him up with opportunities, and supplied him with drugs. During those sessions, while Donny was helpless to stop him, Darrien would sexually abuse him.

This, the series proceeds to argue – far too tidily – is the answer to everything. It's why Donny became the depressed, self-loathing man we've come to know. It's why his comedy career stalled. It's why he's since chosen to degrade himself by having meaningless sex with both men and women, doing more drugs, and by developing an interest in "extreme" pornography.

It's also, of course – or so the show would have us believe – why he was so disarmed and flattered by the attention Martha gave him, which seems (compared to the drug-filled sexual cesspits he once frequented) pure and wholesome and, not for nothing, reassuringly straight. At one point Donny guiltily admits to us that, at his very lowest point, he even started to find Martha – imagine that! a fat woman! – sexually arousing.

It's this aspect of Baby Reindeer – Gadd/Donny's ultimate willingness to confront his abuse and explore its aftereffects – which has earned the show its most fulsome praise from critics and audiences. But in practice, the series repeatedly and clumsily conflates the horror of abuse with the simple fact of queer sexuality. Purely for dramatic purposes, Baby Reindeer implies that Donny's sexuality conforms to the laws of cause (the abuse) and effect (queerness). Worse, it does so in a way that seems specifically designed to reassure those audiences who believe queerness is something that happens to people, something that can be triggered from the outside.

Catching queerness like a cold

Let me be clear: Baby Reindeer is not making any kind of broad sexual/political case that same-sex abuse leads its victims to experience same-sex desire. Neither is it saying that all putatively straight men who get sexually abused by other men will henceforth be attracted to trans women.

But it does want us to believe – in fact it entirely depends upon us believing – that Donny , for one, experienced same-sex desire only after his abuse – desire it goes out of its way to depict as filthy and degrading. It does, too, want us to believe that Donny failed to make any romantic connections with women or men after his abuse – until he met Teri (Nava Mau) on a trans dating site.

Gadd himself identifies as bisexual, which makes it all the more puzzling and frustrating that, again and again, the series takes absurd pains to present Donny as someone who is not at all like the kinds of queer folk who (shudder!) willingly have sex with each other and (shock horror!) use recreational drugs and (gasp!) watch porn.

Rest assured, straight audiences: Donny's queer sexuality was something forced upon him – a fact that his stoic father (Mark Lewis Jones) understands and underscores because, as he tearfully explains to his son, "I grew up in the Catholic Church."

It's a jaw-dropping scene, but not for the reason it wants to be. It's meant as a moment of startling honesty and searing empathy between father and son.

It plays like a tasteless, homophobic joke.

Sticking the dismount

For all its queasy discomfort with, and prissy diffidence about queer sexuality, there is one thing Baby Reindee r gets absolutely, hauntingly right: Its ending.

As the series concludes, Martha has been jailed for stalking Donny. In a thinner, less resonant series, our hero would take this as an unalloyed victory, as vindication. But smartly, Gadd shows us a Donny who has acknowledged his abuse but has only begun to effectively deal with it.

Donny, instead, wallows. He walks the streets, playing Martha's tender/terrifying voicemails in his headphones. He sets out to confront his abuser, only to cave and accept a job working for him. He shambles through his life alone, until he enters a pub ( Man walks into a bar ) and realizes he can't pay for his drink. The handsome bartender comps him out of pity, just as Donny did to Martha in the first episode. The end.

... OK, that pity-drink callback at the very end is a bit on-the-nose, but the series' refusal to afford Donny a clear, uncomplicated, once-and-for-all victory is a smart one. Had the series ended with a sense of triumph and finality, it would have been dramatically satisfying but emotionally dishonest. Human psychology is more complex than that, and the damage done by abuse more insidious.

When we leave him, Donny is still trapped by his past, because he hasn't yet done the work he needs to do. He still believes he deserves to be trapped, defined, by what happened to him.

But the series plants the seeds for the change that we know is coming: When he's alone in that room of his, he's turning his experience into the one-man show that will become Baby Reindeer . It's that process of transmutation and creation that will ultimately allow him to process his abuse and turn it into something that engages with the wider world, and grant him the ability, finally, to heal.

Maybe, in the process, he will manage to move past finding other queer folk and fat people disgusting. Baby Reindeer suggests that Richard Gadd hasn't quite managed to do that, yet.

But I'm holding out hope for Donny.

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‘dead boy detectives’ review: netflix’s ‘sandman’ spinoff is a fast, fun binge.

The series centers on a pair of teenage ghosts who take on supernatural cases while trying to avoid getting sent on to the afterlife.

By Angie Han

Television Critic

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In tried-and-true TV fashion Dead Boy Detectives splits each of its eight episodes between monster-of-the-week procedural storylines (or whatever we’re calling them in the Netflix era) and serialized teen drama. The first case of theirs we follow is both: After the lads take on an assignment to rescue Crystal (Kassius Nelson) from her demonic ex (David Iacono), she becomes the third member of the crime-solving team. Ostensibly, her psychic powers make her an ideal liaison between the boys and the living, who cannot see or hear them.

But it doesn’t hurt that Charles, a punkish charmer from the 1980s, has the hots for her — to the irritation of Edwin, a World War I-era bookworm whose affection for his best mate has grown more than friendly. And so, in a room rented from a surly goth butcher (Briana Cuoco’s Jenny), the now-trio take on all manner of spooky supernatural adventures while sorting out their feelings about each other and themselves.

Meanwhile, the guys (and the gals — Yuyu Kitamura rounds out the core clique as Niko, a sweetly daffy neighbor) wrestle with more relatable journeys of self-discovery. By far the most successful of these is Edwin’s, as he tentatively opens himself up to the possibility of romance. Rexstrew’s bashful curiosity reminds us that although Edwin’s been kicking around for over a century, he is still, in some ways, just an adolescent figuring himself out.

But the others are more hit or miss, struggling to maintain either their momentum (a storyline about Charles’ anger issues dissipates almost as suddenly as it arose) or their weight (Crystal’s revelations about the source of her powers come too out of left field to land with the intended emotional impact). The Dead Boy Detective Agency’s driving motivation is a poignant one — “Our deaths didn’t matter, and no one ever solved them,” Edwin explains, and every case they crack is in an effort to ensure other souls aren’t forgotten the way they were. But in general, the series seems reluctant to delve too heavily into the angst, lest it drag down the mood.

But the true heart of the series lies in the bond between Charles and Edwin, which over the decades has crystallized into a loyalty even deeper than friendship. At some point in the past, Charles made the decision to forgo a blissful afterlife in favor of eternity on Earth with Edwin; after spending a bit of time amid their true-blue bond, it’s easy to understand why.

As for Dead Boy Detectives itself, the series might not inspire quite that level of devotion, at least in its solid-but-not-sensational first season. But it’s the sort of consistently likable amusement that in Charles’s 1980s heyday might have become long-running appointment viewing — and that we in the 2020s get to enjoy as a zippy, satisfying binge.

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New on Netflix: 5 movies and shows to watch this week (April 29-May 5)

Every new movie and TV show to catch on Netflix this week

• This week's top picks
• Complete list

Leaving Netflix This Week

Summer is well on its way, but the streaming drops are still super hot, and there's plenty to take in as we welcome May. A bouquet of new on Netflix content will keep you entertained, like the upcoming Pop Tarts-centric flick "Unfrosted." 

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld explores the history of Pop-Tarts in this new film, which covers the birth and conception of the rectangular treat loosely based on its real history. It's a humorous take on the breakfast staple's origin story, even if many of the details should admittedly, according to Seinfeld himself, are embellished for the sake of keeping you entertained. 

You'll also want to tune in for the first part of "John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's In L.A.," which kicks off a series of six live episodes that find Mulaney riffing on Los Angeles as he explores the city, chats with guests during a time where "every funny person is in it" and brings us a series of observations that only he can. Check out the complete day-by-day rundown of what's new on Netflix this week. 

New on Netflix this week: Top picks

'a man in full'.

Charlie Croker (Jeff Daniels) is a real estate mogul who suddenly finds himself grappling with bankruptcy. As he struggles to uphold his empire and defend it from those who'd love to see him fail, the crude and calculating Croker does anything and everything to hang on to his empire, no matter the personal or professional cost. 

Watch on Netflix starting May 2

'T・P BON'

This modern anime adaptation of the 1970s manga follows Bon Namihira (Yuji Mitsuya), a teen time-traveling agent who must work to save the lives of people during significant historical events all across time. This marks the second time the manga has seen an anime version following its film version in October 1989. 

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'John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's In L.A.'

John Mulaney explores the city of Los Angeles during a time where some of the most influential comedians are in town for a week. Across six live episodes, he'll travel to key locations throughout LA, chat with his special guests, and bring viewers a comedic tour of the biggest little city in the country. And because it's Mulaney, you can expect over-the-top commentary the entire time. 

Watch on Netflix starting May 3

'Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story'

Ever wondered how the Pop-Tart was invented? Comedian Jerry Seinfeld explores its origin story in "Unfrosted," which he wrote, directed, and stars in. In this heavily embellished film, he tells the story of the race to bring the Pop-Tart to market, filled with plenty of abject silliness and ridiculous scenes with men in suits. You might not get the complete story about how Pop-Tarts came into being, but you'll be entertained. 

'Katt Williams: Woke Foke' 

Katt Williams returns with his third Netflix comedy special as part of the Netflix Is A Joke comedy festival. This live show lifts heavily from his World War III show as he "lets loose in real time" and explores a variety of topics about his time in the industry as well as other spicy situations that'll undoubtedly shock and surprise. 

Watch on Netflix starting May 4

Everything new on Netflix: April 29-May 5

"Boiling Point: Season 1"

"Honeymoonish" (KW) (Netflix Film) Two newlyweds on their honeymoon discover that they are different in almost every way — but can these opposites attract?

"Fiasco" (FR) (Netflix Series) When disaster strikes the set of a first-time film director, a behind-the-scenes crew captures everything as mishaps, blackmail and sabotage ensue.

"Fight for Paradise: Who Can You Trust?" (DE) (Netflix Series) (new episodes) From the villa to the jungle, contestants must keep their friends close and their enemies closer. Who will win entry to paradise and 100,000 euros?

"Deaw Special: Super Soft Power" (TH) (Netflix Comedy) From an all-star soccer game to awkward dating problems, Thai comic Udom Taephanich shares candid stories from his chaotic life.

"Down The Rabbit Hole" (MX) (Netflix Film) Raised in opulence and culture, 10-year-old Tochtli's lavish life contrasts with the darkness that seeps in from his father's criminal activities.

"Frankly Speaking" (KR) (Netflix Series) A well-respected announcer suddenly loses his ability to self-censor on air, catching the attention of a TV writer who invites him on her variety show.

"Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar" (IN) (Netflix Series) The scheming Mallikajaan rules over an elite house of courtesans — but a new rival threatens her reign as rebellion brews in British-ruled India.

• "Airport '77"
• "Airport 1975" 
• "The Best Man Holiday"
• "Blue Mountain State: Season 1"
• "Blue Mountain State: Season 2" 
• "Blue Mountain State: Season 3"
• "Blue Mountain State: The Rise of Thadland"
• "Eat Pray Love"
• "The Edge of Seventeen"
• "The Equalizer"
• "The Gentlemen"
• "Hellboy" (2019) 
• "Jumanji" (1995)
• "Liar Liar"
• "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa"
• "The Matrix Resurrections"
• "Mortal Kombat" (2021)
• "Mr. & Mrs. Smith"
• "The Nutty Professor"
• "The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps"
• "Outlander" Season 6 
• "Patriots Day"
• "Public Enemies"
• "Ride Along"
• "Shrek Forever After"
• "Starship Troopers"
• "The Wedding Planner"
• "White House Down"
• "Woody Woodpecker"
•  "The Young Victoria"

"A Man in Full" (Netflix Series) Facing relentless foes and sudden bankruptcy, an Atlanta real estate tycoon must claw his way back to the top when his empire begins to crumble.

"Beautiful Rebel" (IT) (Netflix Film) The origin story of one of Italy's greatest rock stars, Gianna Nannini, who chased her dream despite obstacles from her family and the music industry.

Secrets of the Neanderthals (GB) (Netflix Documentary) This documentary take viewers on a journey from their preconceptions of Neanderthals as a dim-witted creature to a complex and creative people, through the lens of a unique, ongoing excavation and a landmark new discovery - the best preserved Neanderthal skeleton found in over a quarter century.

"T・P BON" (JP) (Netflix Anime) After Bon accidentally intervenes in a Time Patrol case, he must join Agent Ream in saving innocent lives from the past — while watching history unfold.

John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s In L.A (Netflix Comedy Special) (Live Event) In six live installments, John Mulaney explores Los Angeles during a week when pretty much every single funny person is in town.

"Postcards" (NG) (Netflix Series) When a Nigerian single mother travels to India for a medical checkup, her journey will end up touching the lives of everyone she meets.

"Selling the OC" season 3 (Netflix Series) The ambitious agents at The Oppenheim Group attempt to up their real estate game as more personal drama interferes with major professional endeavors.

"The Unbroken Voice" season 2 (CO) (Netflix Series) As her career takes off, Arelys struggles to balance her music and her family life as dangerous new foes threaten to destroy everything.

Unfrosted (Netflix Film) In a time when milk and cereal ruled breakfast, a fierce corporate battle begins over a revolutionary new pastry. A Pop-Tart comedy from Jerry Seinfeld.

"The Atypical Family" (KR) (Netflix Series) Blessed with superpowers, a man and his family begin to lose their abilities under the weight of the world — until a mysterious woman changes everything.

"Katt Williams: Woke Foke" (Netflix Comedy Special) (Live Event) Comedian Katt Williams lets loose in real time as he hits the stage on May 4 for Netflix’s second livestreamed stand-up event.

"The Peanut Butter Falcon"

"Roast of Tom Brady" (Netflix Comedy Special) (Live Event) Tom Brady will take the hits when sports and comedy stars team up to roast the greatest NFL quarterback of all time. 

Leaving 5/1/24 "Bennett's War" "Magic Mike's Last Dance"

Leaving 5/2/24 "Survive the Night"

Leaving 5/3/24 "Arctic Dogs"

More From Tom's Guide

• Best Netflix movies
• Best Netflix shows
• Best Netflix family movies

Brittany Vincent has been covering video games and tech for over 13 years for publications including Tom's Guide, MTV, Rolling Stone, CNN, Popular Science, Playboy, IGN, GamesRadar, Polygon, Kotaku, Maxim, and more. She's also appeared as a panelist at video game conventions like PAX East and PAX West and has coordinated social media for companies like CNET. When she's not writing or gaming, she's looking for the next great visual novel in the vein of Saya no Uta. You can follow her on Twitter @MolotovCupcake.

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