45 best Netflix movies in 2024
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With the best Netflix movies, you may never have to leave the house. They'll provide hundreds of hours of entertainment, whether you're in the mood for action, comedy, thrills, romance, or education.
Netflix original films can be hit or miss. On the one hand, they've got Oscar nominees like "Maestro"; on the other, well, check out movies like 'Rebel Moon' but better.
Fortunately, the streaming service is still constantly adding licensed movies. You can find everything from newer hits like "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" and "Wonder Woman" to older classics like "Jurassic Park" and "Apollo 13."
The best movies on Netflix to stream now
New Additions to Best Netflix Movies
'Lola'
Lola (Nicola Peltz Beckham) works hard to to save enough money to rescue her younger brother Arlo (Luke David Blumm), from their toxic and oppressive home life and their mother Mona (Virginia Madsen). Driven by her desire to provide him with the opportunities she never had, Lola's focuses on securing a better future for her brother. But when a tragic event shatters Lola's world, her world is upended forever. As Lola navigates the aftermath, she reflects on the impact that the people around her have had on her life on identity.
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 56%
Stars: Nicola Peltz Beckham, Raven Goodwin, Richie Merritt
Director: Nicola Peltz Beckham
Watch now
'The Spectacular Now'
Sutter Keely (Miles Teller) is a high school senior who lives in the moment and parties when he can. His world takes an unexpected turn when he wakes up on a stranger's lawn after a night of heavy drinking and meets Aimee Finecky (Shailene Woodley), a shy and studious girl who's his complete opposite. As Sutter and Aimee develop a friendship that eventually blossoms into a romance, they begin to challenge each other's perspectives on life and love. That is, until Sutter's drinking habits and lack of ambition start to catch up with him. Then he's forced to confront his habits and the habits of his past that turned him into the person he's become.
Genre: Romantic drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Stars: Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larson
Director: James Ponsoldt
Watch now
'Goyo'
"Goyo" follows an autistic man (Nicolás Furtado) who finds comfort and meaning in his role as a museum guide. With a profound appreciation for the masterpieces of Vincent Van Gogh, Goyo has enjoys a stable and familiar existence with a familiar routine. His world is soon shaken by newly-hired security guard Eva (portrayed by Nancy Dupláa), who finds herself falling for Goyo and his uncomplicated ways. While they become fast friends, there's a spark between them that rapidly grows until it's consumed the pair in the familiar flames of romance.
Genre: Romance
Rotten Tomatoes score: 83%
Stars: Nicolás Furtado, Nancy Dupláa, Pablo Rago
Director: Marcos Carnevale
Watch now
'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F'
In the latest installment of the "Beverly Hills Cop" series, Eddie Murphy reprises his role as detective Axel Foley, returning to the franchise after over 20 years. Foley is drawn back into the glitz and glamour of Beverly Hills when his daughter's safety is threatened by unknown assailants. Determined to keep his daughter out of harm's way, Foley must team up with an unlikely ally – his daughter's ex-boyfriend (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). He also seeks the help of some old acquaintances to get to the bottom of a conspiracy affecting the entire city, resulting in some knock-down, drag-out action scenes straight out of the '80s.
Genre: Action
Rotten Tomatoes score: 78%
Stars: Eddie Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Taylour Paige
Director: Mark Molloy
Watch now
'Aftersun'
Sophie (Frankie Corio/Celia Rowlson-Hall) is a young woman who looks back on a significant vacation she shared with her father, Calum (Paul Mescal), two decades earlier at a once-vibrant but now deteriorating holiday resort. As Sophie delves into her memories, she focuses on the precious moments spent with her father when she was just 11. Simultaneously, Calum grapples with the challenges of life beyond his role as a father now as he struggles with the cornucopia of issues plaguing him throughout his adult life.
Genre: Coming of age/Drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
Stars: Paul Mescal, Frankie Corio, Celia Rowlson-Hall
Director: Charlotte Wells
Watch now
'Hit Man'
Gary Johnson (Glen Powell) is a seemingly ordinary man who finds himself entangled in a web of deception when he pretends to be a professional hit man. Madison (Adria Arjona) is a woman with secrets of her own who enlists Gary's services. As their paths intertwine, the chemistry between them is undeniable, and a romantic connection begins to develop. However, their budding relationship is soon put to the test as layers of lies and deceit threaten to unravel the truth. It turns out no one has been telling the complete truth about themselves, after all.
Genre: Comedy/Action
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
Stars: Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Austin Amelio, Retta
Director: Richard Linklater
Watch now
'Godzilla Minus One'
"Godzilla Minus One" takes us back in time to postwar Japan for a thrilling mixture of emotional drama and destructive action. Chiefly, it follows kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) who struggles with guilt both over his military abandonment and his failure to fight during an earlier encounter with the giant lizard.
On his return home, he takes in and starts to build a connection with homeless woman Noriko ōishi (Minami Hamabe) and an orphaned baby. When Godzilla looms over an already-devastated Tokyo, Shikishima links up with a group of veterans who are determined to stop the monster in its tracks.
Genre: Action/Sci-fi
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%
Stars: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada,
Director: Takashi Yamazaki
Watch now
Dramas
'May December'
Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman) visits a couple known for their widely publicized, controversial age-gap romance. Berry's role in the movie is to portray Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Julianne Moore), who ends up marrying the same man she was involved with in her 30s when he was only 13, now twenty years later. As Berry delves into the dynamics between Gracie and her husband Joe (Charles Melton), she discovers the frailties in their marriage. This journey uncovers a trove of long-buried secrets that threaten to break the couple apart.
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
Stars: Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, Charles Melton
Director: Todd Haynes
Watch now
'The Squid and the Whale' (2005)
Noah Baumbach, the indie director who was also half of the writing team that just blessed us with Barbie, made his name with movies like The Squid and The Whale. Here, we see a family on the verge of collapse. Frustrated father Bernard (Jeff Daniels) can't get his books published anymore, while wife Joan (Laura Linney) has been unfaithful and successful.
All of this finds its way to their sons (Owen Kline and Jesse Eisenberg), who have a very hard time adjusting to everything. A fantastic small story that gets all of its emotional beats perfect, The Squid and the Whale is still a great watch.
Genre: Family drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
Stars: Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Jesse Eisenberg, Owen Kline
Watch now
'All Quiet on the Western Front' (2022)
Netflix's 2022 version of All Quiet on The Western Front does the improbable: it actually earns a space alongside the 1930 original film. For those unfamiliar, the movie tracks 17-year-old Paul B?umer (Kammerer), who is compelled to enlist to serve in the Imperial German Army for the First World War. He enters the battlefield with a mind filled with propaganda but soon realizes his dreams of being an iconic hero reached too far. A tough and emotionally gripping movie that will make you uncomfortable and compelled to keep watching. It's one of the best Oscar movies to stream online with 90% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes.
Genre: War
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Stars: Daniel Brühl, Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Aaron Hilmer
Director: Edward Berger
Watch now
'Marriage Story' (2019)
Director/writer Noah Baumbach is continuing to improve as he matures, as evidenced by his latest feature: "Marriage Story", released both in theaters and on Netflix. While Baumbach has fared well in fractured family tales before, this film stands out for deftly telling both sides of the chaotic divorce at its core. Of course, that would mean little without strong acting, and the leading performances of Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver make the emotional trauma real for all watching. In short: watch to understand the meme of the film's stars arguing, keep watching to engage with one of the best Netflix movies.
Genre: Romantic drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Stars: Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Laura Dern
Director: Noah Baumbach
Watch now
The Irishman (2019)
Forget all of the Scorsese vs comic book movies debate, the only drama you need to know about in this conversation is how good the famed director's latest film, The Irishman, is. One of the best movies on Netflix is long enough to be broken into 4 digestible 'episodes' that are about 52 minutes each. And this crime thriller utilizes each and every moment to build suspenseful situations for Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Al Pacino, with the latter portraying Jimmy Hoffa, a good friend of De Niro's character.
Genre: Crime drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Stars: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Al Pacino
Director: Martin Scorsese
Watch now
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)
Breaking Bad fans have had it good. First, they got a prequel in the series Better Call Saul. Then, they got a sequel in this one-off movie, which follows Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) after the events of the Breaking Bad series finale. Last we saw Jesse, he was driving off after being held captive. But breaking free is just the first step in a fraught journey for Jesse, who has to figure out how to leave his life behind and start over. Does this movie need to exist? No, but it's deeply satisfying to hang out with Jesse again and to see so many Breaking Bad cameos.
Genre: Crime/Drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Stars: Aaron Paul, Jesse Plemons, Bryan Cranston
Director: Vince Gilligan
Watch now
The Power of the Dog (2021)
An adaptation of Thomas Savage's novel of the same name, The Power of The Dog is another film that Netflix can use to say "we're not all Adam Sandler comedies and big action movies." An intense western set in 1925 Montana, the film is focused on two ranch-owning brothers: Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George (Jesse Plemons). George marries Rose (Kirsten Dunst) who has sent her son Peter (Kodi Smith-McPhee) to college to study medicine.
Unfortunately, Phil's the mean-spirited and cruel type, and he loves to be meant to Rose and Peter. Stellar performances from the whole cast are heightened by the film's gorgeous beauty and a phenomenal score from Johny Greenwood (whose also composed for The Phantom Thread, among others). It's one of Netflix's latest Oscar-nominated movies.
Genre: Western/Drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee
Director: Jane Campion
Watch now
Roma (2018)
This beautifully-shot black-and-white film gives director Alfonso Cuarón a chance to show a slice of his past. Taking place in Mexico City in the early 1970s, Roma focuses on an indigenous woman who serves a white family, as they all fight to survive calamity after calamity. From betrayals to natural disasters, Roma throws the kitchen sink at this family, and then tacks on the Corpus Christi Massacre of 1971. Emotionally harrowing, this Academy Award-nominated film (and one of the best dramas on Netflix) demands you watch with tissues or some other coping mechanism.
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
Stars: Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Watch now
Mudbound (2017)
Black soldiers have fought alongside white soldiers for America in many wars, but come home only to find they have to fight for their lives in a different way. That's the message of Dee Rees' powerful drama, set after World War II. White soldier Jamie McAllen (Garrett Hedlund) and black soldier Ronsel Jackson (Jason Mitchell) return to their small Mississippi town. Jamie's brother owns a struggling farm, where Ronsel's parents work as tenants. The two former soldiers begin to build a friendship, but the racist attitudes of Jamie's family and the community lead to a devastating confrontation.
Genre: Historical drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Stars: Carey Mulligan, Jason Clarke, Mary J. Blige
Director: Dee Rees
Watch now
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
The Coen Brothers do it again, with a sumptuous short story slab of Western storytelling. Starring a whole host of A-list actors, and James Franco, the anthology has been nominated for three Academy awards and is a movie that wriggles through both comedy and blood-speckled violence seamlessly. Yes, it’s a satire on Westerns, and yes there’s plenty of Coen-esque characters involved, but beneath the pastiche this is a love letter that tips a cowboy hat to the movies of old.— Marc Chacksfield
Genre: Western drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Stars: Tim Blake Nelson, James Franco, Liam Neeson, Zoe Kazan
Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Watch now
Tigertail (2020)
A delicate, elegant love story that spans continents and decades, Tigertail comes from writer/director Alan Yang, an Emmy winner and co-creator of Master of None. Pin-Jui is a poor young man from Huwei ("tiger tail") who falls for a wealthy girl, Yuan Lee, but ends up losing touch with her. Pin-Jui jumps on an opportunity to go to America, but years of grueling work leave him a shell of himself and unable to connect with his daughter. When a chance to revisit the past comes along, he takes it, hoping to change his life into the one he always wanted.
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 79%
Stars: Hong-Chi Lee, Tzi Ma, Christine Ko
Director: Alan Yang
Watch now
Beasts of No Nation (2015)
Cary Joji Fukunaga directed Beasts of No Nation: a wartime drama based on the 2005 novel by Uzodinma Iweala. In a fictional African country, a war breaks out, which separates the young Agu (Abraham Attah) from his family. Now, he must navigate the war-torn country, evading hostile militia forces and coming face-to-face with senseless violence. This one's not just one of the best movies on Netflix but an original to boot.
Genre: War drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
Stars: Idris Elba, Abraham Attah
Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
Watch now
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
Writer/director Aaron Sorkin brings his signature rapid-fire, sharp and witty dialogue to this story of the 1969 trial of seven people charged by the federal government with conspiracy and more, arising from the protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The star-studded cast is more than up to the task of delivering Sorkin's words.
Genre: Historical drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jeremy Strong
Director: Aaron Sorkin
Watch now
Da 5 Bloods (2020)
Spike Lee's newest joint wasn't intended to be so timely, but then again, the director has always been ahead of his time in speaking to the truths that underpin our society. The story follows four African-American Vietnam veterans who reunite in Ho Chi Minh to retrieve the remains of their fallen squad leader Stormin' Norman (the late Chadwick Boseman). All of them — Eddie (Norm Lewis) Melvin (Isiah Whitlock Jr.), Otis (Clarke Peters) and Paul (Delroy Lindo) — are struggling with personal issues as well as memories of their time in Vietnam.
Genre: War drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
Stars: Delroy Lindo, Chadwick Boseman, Clarke Peters, Isiah Whitlock Jr.
Director: Spike Lee
Watch now
'The Peanut Butter Falcon'
When a young man with Down syndrome named Zak (Zack Gottsagen), he meets an outlaw fisherman named Tyler (Shia LaBeouf) who's on the run. Zak wants nothing more than to meet his hero, the Salt Water Redneck, so Tyler accompanies him on a trip to North Carolina to attend the Redneck's wrestling training school. All the way, care facility representative Eleanor (Dakota Johnson) trails the pair until she finds herself joining them on their quest, having learned that Zak's future at his home facility is a bleak one.
Genre: Comedy/drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
Stars: Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson, John Hawkes, Zack Gottsagen
Director: Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz
Watch now
Thriller
'Leave the World Behind'
This thriller, based on Rumaan Alam's novel of the same name, follows a family on a getaway who find themselves in the middle of a world in chaos. While vacationing at an idyllic home in the middle of nowhere, a cyberattack destroys society as we know it. A cautionary tale of overreliance on technology and a terrifying vision of a different kind of apocalypse, this Netflix original is a big budget picture of what our future could look like should social order crumble in many of the same ways around us.
Genre: Apocalyptic psychological thriller
Rotten Tomatoes score: 74%
Stars: Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali, Kevin Bacon
Director: Sam Esmail
Watch now
They Cloned Tyrone (2023)
Fontaine (John Boyega) sells drugs, Slick Charles (Jamie Foxx) is a pimp and Yo-Yo (Teyonah Parris) is a sex worker. And while this trio may come off as caricaturish in a bad way if you only read that above sentence and watched They Cloned Tyrone's trailer expecting the worst, Netflix's managed to release a gem of a movie.
And it all starts with a big twist that you might have ruined for you (as it was for me) when you read a review. Instead, just take my word that Netflix's created a stellar modern Blaxploitation movie that deals with government surveillance. And its trio of leads all deliver to make it a must-see.
Genre: Sci-fi comedy thriller
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Stars: John Boyega, Jamie Foxx, Teyonah Parris, Kiefer Sutherland, David Alan Grier
Directors: Juel Taylor
Watch now
Missing (2023)
June (Storm Reid) was going to have the weekend most teen dream of. The plan was simple, throw a rager of a house party while her mother Grace (Nia Long) was on vacation with her new boyfriend Kevin (Ken Leung). The only problem? Mom didn't come home.
Missing, told through the screens and cameras of everyone tied to Grace's disappearance, is an inventive mystery. And in a very 2023 twist, June hires Javier (Joaquim de Almeida), a gig economy worker in Colombia to help track her mother down. Filled with the twists and turns, Missing will leave you hanging on every click and yelp.
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Rotten Tomatoes score: 87%
Stars: Storm Reid, Joaquim de Almeida, Ken Leung, Nia Long, Daniel Henney, Amy Landecker, Megan Suri, Tim Griffin
Directors: Will Merrick, Nicholas D. Johnson
Watch now
Comedy
Do Revenge (2022)
At Miami's elite Rosehill Country Day High School, Drea's (Camila Mendes) picture-perfect life shatters when an intimate video with her boyfriend goes viral. Ostracized and humiliated, she forms an unlikely alliance with Eleanor (Maya Hawke), the mysterious new girl at school. Together, they plan to take their revenge on those who wronged them. But as Drea enlists Eleanor to be her eyes and ears to strike back against her boyfriend, she soon finds that things aren't exactly what they seem. Though it seems Drea and Eleanor have formed the foundation of an unshakeable friendship, old habits die hard and it soon comes to light that Eleanor may be hiding more than she's letting on. - BV
Genre: Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 84%
Stars: Camila Mendes, Maya Hawke, Austin Abrams
Director: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
Watch now
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery may not be streaming on Netflix this minute, but having paid to see it in theaters, I can give it a strong recommendation. In fact, I think you should see this film on Netflix, rather than spend time and money to see Benoit Blanc's latest mystery in theaters. This sequel finds the southern sleuth on a private island in Greece where a wealthy tech mogul is pretending to get killed to set up a murder mystery for his friends, a group of influencers who call themselves disruptors. Funny, engaging and serpentine in its mystery, Glass Onion is the latest piece of proof that director Rian Johnson can do no wrong.
Genre: Comedic noir
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Stars: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Dave Bautista, Janelle Monae, Kate Hudson, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr.
Director: Rian Johnson
Watch now
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)
If you're in the mood for a deeply silly but also truly heartwarming comedy, Eurovision is a great choice. It fits right in with the other movies in Will Ferrell's ouvre, like Blades of Glory and Anchorman. He plays Lars, an Icelandic man-child who's obsessed with the Eurovision Song Contest (which is a real thing!). Along for the ride is his childhood friend Sigrit (Rachel McAdams). When they finally get the chance to compete, will Lars' single-minded focus on winning ruin his relationship with Sigrit?
Genre: Comedy and musical
Rotten Tomatoes score: 64%
Stars: Will Ferrell, Rachel McAdams, Dan Stevens, Pierce Brosnan
Director: David Dobkin
Watch now
Dolemite Is My Name (2019)
A strong example of a veteran actor who's "still got it," "Dolemite Is My Name" stars Eddie Murphy as Rudy Ray Moore, the comedian who became the iconic blaxploitation character Dolemite. But while Murphy owns the film outright, we get another actor coming out from the shadows to wow us, with Wesley Snipes stealing scenes as D'Urville Martin, the director who Moore clashes with. But while the film is stocked to the brim with great actors (including Keegan-Michael Key, Craig Robinson and Tituss Burgess), this is still Murphy's film. This is one of the best movies on Netflix overall.
Genre: Dramatic comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Stars: Eddie Murphy, Wesley Snipes, Da'Vine Joy Randolph
Director: Craig Brewer
Watch now
If you want to browse more of our favorite funny films and shows, we've listed even more of the best comedies on Netflix to keep the laughs coming.
Action
Troll (2022)
Professor Nora Tidemann (Ine Marie Wilmann) is a paleontologist with trolls etched in her memory from childhood. When mysterious eruptions and unusual footprints draw attention to the mountains of Dovre, Tidemann has to investigate. Assisted by father Tobias (Gard B. Eidsvod), a disgraced professor, military Captain Kris Holm (Mads Sj?g?rd Pettersen), and government advisor Andreas Isaksan (Kim Falck), Nora races against time, seeking answers to a number of riddles from the past. Soon a troll awakens, threatening Oslo with a complete evacuation and an impending nuclear strike to get rid of it once and for all. Nora has to make a difficult decision if she wants to save the creature's life or the lives of Norway's citizens.
Genre: Monster, Action/Adventure
Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%
Stars: Ine Marie Wilmann, Kim Falck, Mads Sj?g?rd Pettersen
Director: Roar Uthaug
Watch now
RRR (2022)
You know you're in for a wild ride when a director describes his own film as being about "imaginary friendship between two superheroes." And that's exactly how S.S. Rajamouli described his amazing epic film RRR, which focuses on two Indian folk heroes working together to fight British Colonialists in the 1920's. It all starts when an evil colonialist steals a girl after tricking her family into a "sale" they didn't know was happening. RRR, which feels part Fast & Furious and part Step Brothers, is a joyous epic film that we bet the MCU will be copying in upcoming Marvel movies for years to come.
Genre: Drama/Action
Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%
Stars: N.T. Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan, Ajay Devgan, Alia Bhatt, Shriya Saran
Director: S.S. Rajamouli
Watch now
The Old Guard (2020)
Just when we thought summer would pass by without a blockbuster movie, we get a thrilling, action-packed treat in The Old Guard. Four immortal warriors, led by the ancient and badass Andy (Charlize Theron), have been helping humanity for centuries. When their secret is exposed to a ruthless CEO, Andy and new recruit Nile (KiKi Layne) team up to prevent him from using them as money-making lab rats. The movie puts a fresh spin on the superhero saga — more philosophical, thoughtful and emotional than most entries in the genre. And more progressive, with a deeply romantic same-sex pairing. All of that has us clamoring for The Old Guard 2. Get with the undying program, Netflix!
Genre: Action and fantasy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 82%
Stars: Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Marwan Kenzari, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Watch now
If you want to browse more of our favorite action movies, we've listed even more of the best action movies on Netflix to keep you entertained.
Science fiction
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018)
Those video games you love don't make themselves, as you seen in Bandersnatch, which highlights the hazards of overworked employees. Since this is a Black Mirror film, though, everything goes crazy as the audience is given the ability to direct the protagonist's actions, turning the movie into a choose-your-own-adventure experience. The many forking twists of the film mean that its advertised 90 minute run time can stretch to 150 minutes, if you find all of its endings and story points.
Genre: Interactive sci-fi drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 72%
Stars: Fionn Whitehead, Will Poulter, Craig Parkinson
Director: David Slade
Watch now
For more of our favorite sci-fi movies, we've listed even more of the best sci-fi movies on Netflix so you can delve into wilder adventures.
Documentaries
Victim/Suspect (2023)
While much of Netflix's documentaries look back at famous true crime stories of note, Victim/Suspect takes on a more important topic. Journalist Rae deLeon is investigating how rape cases are prosecuted by police officers, and how the accusers can be turned into the accused by the criminal justice system.
Both a damning indictment of the police and proof of the value of investigative journalism, Victim/Suspect is proof that Netflix is still giving a platform for important stories.
Genre: Documentary
Rotten Tomatoes score: 82%
Stars: Rae deLeon, Amanda Pike
Director: Nancy Schwartzman
Watch now
13th (2016)
A Netflix original, 13th, directed by Ava DuVernay, is an in-depth look at the prison system. She examines the intersection of racism and mass incarceration in the United States. The film is named for the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibited slavery and freed the slaves. Public figures like Angela Davis, Van Jones and Cory Booker make captivating appearances.
Genre: Documentary
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Stars: Angela Davis, Cory Booker, Henry Louis Gates
Director: Ava DuVernay
Watch now
The Tinder Swindler (2022)
The last few years or so have seen rise to the era of scammer documentaries and shows based on con artists-turned-celebrities. One of Netflix's most successful documentaries on the topic is The Tinder Swindler, which opened eyes about how wild the art of catfishing can get. While some lie on Tinder to lure someone into the bedroom, Simon Leviev swiped right to trick people into giving him millions of dollars in help he supposedly needed. At just under two hours, this smartly-paced documentary is a cinematic page-turner, and may be the best version of its genre to date.
Genre: Documentary
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Watch now
Descendant (2022)
Netflix's documentaries are mostly known for the true crime stories, and while Descendant is technically one of those, it's far from the cold case stories that chart on the streaming service. One of the best Netflix movies in years, this film tells the untold story of the Clotilda, the last known ship to smuggle stolen Africans to America — through the descendants of its captive passengers. Currently, they live in a region known as Africatown (found near Mobile, Alabama), and this film shows their fight to keep their communal story from being forgotten. Hidden after the Clotilda was burned and sunk to destroy evidence of this all even happening, the stories out of Africatown are as important as any Netflix has told.
Genre: Documentary
Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%
Director: Margaret Brown
Watch now
What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)
Nina Simone was a celebrated singer who did as much for the world of music as she did for the perception of black singers in the United States. Liz Garbus directed this documentary about Simone's life, working with Lisa Simone Kelly, Nina's daughter, as the executive producer. in addition to being on our best Netflix movies list, the film has already been showered with awards, praising its accuracy and quality.
Genre: Music documentary
Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%
Stars: Nina Simone
Director: Liz Garbus
Watch now
For more of our favorite documentaries on the big red streaming machine, check out our guide to the best Netflix documentaries so you can delve into wilder adventures.
Horror
The Wailing (2016)
In the quiet of the South Korean the village of Gokseong becomes the backdrop for a mysterious infection and multiple murders. Officer Jong-goo (Kwak Do-won) faces a macabre puzzle that finds him trapped in a web woven by a Japanese stranger whose arrival in the village heralds a wave of inexplicable. As Jong-goo investigates, he meets Moo-myeong (Chun Woo-hee), an enigmatic woman in white. When Jong-goo's own daughter falls ill, he must figure out a way to get to the bottom of the killings and all the illnesses plaguing Gokseong, even at the cost of his own life, to save his daughter's. - BV
Genre: Horror
Rotten Tomatoes score: 99%
Stars: Kwak Do-won, Hwang Jung-min, Jun Kunimura
Director: Na Hong-jin
Watch now
It Follows
Someone walking steadily toward you at a leisurely pace doesn’t sound all that scary, but when that person could come from any direction and will never stop until they reach you and kill you, the prospect is a lot more alarming. That’s what happens to the characters in writer-director David Robert Mitchell’s eerie film about a curse that can only be lifted by passing it along to someone else via sexual contact.
Maika Monroe stars as a young woman who receives the curse from a man she thinks is her boyfriend, leaving her to be stalked by a dangerous entity that can look like anyone. Mitchell builds a sense of unending dread, making the viewer constantly aware of a threat that could arise at any time. The dreamlike tone gives the movie the feel of a waking nightmare. - JB
Genre: Horror
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
Stars: Maike Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto, Olivia Luccardi
Director: David Robert Mitchell
Watch now
For more of our favorite scary movies, check out our guide to the best horror movies on Netflix so you can keep the screams going.
Family movies
'The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar'
This short but sweet adaptation of the Roald Dahl story of the same name is an Oscar winner. It follows a gambling-addicted wealthy man who decides to stop relying so much on his riches and more on his senses. He spends years learning to see without his eyes and use his hands instead — all to cheat at poker. He decides to give the money to charity after attaining the impressive feat and travels the world hitting up casinos to win more money and contribute more cash to hospitals and orphanages to build up some of the best around the globe ahead of his untimely death. - BV
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel
Director: Wes Anderson
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'Marcel the Shell With Shoes On'
This adorable and charming mockumentary dramedy about a one-inch-tall shell named Marcel is a feature adaptation of Dean Fleischer Camp's shorts, which he co-wrote with voice star Jenny Slate. Marcel lives with his grandmother Connie and their pet lint, Alan. They were once part of a sprawling community of shells but now have a lonely existence. When a documentary filmmaker discovers them in his Airbnb, he posts a video that earns Marcel fame and fans — and hope of finding his long-lost family. - KW
Genre: Drama/comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%
Stars: Jenny Slate, Rosa Salazar, Thomas Mann
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp'
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Nimona (2023)
Knight Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed) stands falsely accused and cornered, with only Nimona (Chlo? Grace Moretz) by his side. She's a rebellious teenager whose unpredictable shapeshifting powers seem much more trouble than they're worth until she learns to use them for the right cause. While Ballister is determined to restore his honor, Nimona seems much more interested in sowing discord wherever she goes. This somewhat dysfunctional duo go on some serious misadventures from kidnapping someone involved in Ballister's situation to investigating Nimona's true origins. It's equal parts heartwarming and chaotic, but all memorable. - BV
Genre: Animation/Family
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
Stars: Chlo? Grace Moretz, Riz Ahmed, Eugene Lee Yang
Director: Nick Bruno, Troy Quane
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Apollo 10 ?: A Space Age Childhood (2022)
Apollo 10 ?: A Space Age Childhood is one of those great family-friendly movies that also just a great movie in general. And when you see its animation style and take note of all the emotion conveyed, you won't be surprised to hear that this is a Richard Linklater (Waking Life, A Scanner Darkly, Slacker) joint. And this time, he's brought his lens and charm to the summer of 1969, as the first moon landing captivated the world. Oh, and it's narrated by Jack Black.
Genre: Adventure/coming of age
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
Stars: Jack Black, Bill Wise, Lee Eddy, Milo Coy,
Director: Richard Linklater
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The Mitchells vs. The Machines (2021)
The Mitchells vs. The Machines is one of our picks for the best family movies on Netflix, and it's good enough for a slot in our main list. Not only does this animated movie about a family during a robot uprising offer a great cast that parents and kids will both love (including Abbi Jacobson, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph and Olivia Colman), but it looks amazing too.
And that's only what we expect from Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the team behind the amazing Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. And that's the kind of movie that set a great standard for what an animated movie should be. Throughout, you've got a good story, with the Mitchells trying to reconnect for one last time before daughter Katie goes off to film school.
Genre: Animated comedy/adventure
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Stars: Abbi Jacobson, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Eric Andre and Olivia Colman
Director: Mike Rianda
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If you want to browse more of our favorite animated films, we've listed even more of the best family movies on Netflix for your next movie night.
Romance
The Lovebirds (2020)
The Lovebirds got mixed reviews, as you can see from the low Rotten Tomatoes score, but we found it to be a funny, delightful romp showcasing two of our favorite actors. Issa Rae (Insecure) and Kumail Nanjiani (Silicon Valley, The Big Sick) combine their comedic talents, playing a couple who are on the verge of breaking up when they get unintentionally embroiled in a murder mystery. The plot definitely defies logic, but honestly, who cares? Watching the two leads bicker, freak out, get kicked by a horse and dress up in ridiculous outfits is worth it.
Genre: Romantic comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 66%
Stars: Kumail Nanjiani, Issa Rae
Director: Michael Showalter
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To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018)
Netflix may be single-handedly reviving the romantic comedy genre, thanks to charming and winning films like To All the Boys I've Loved Before. Yes, it's a teen flick, but the story and performances appeal to adults, too, making it one of the best romantic comedies on Netflix. Lana Condor stars as Lara Jean Covey, a high school girl whose previously non-existent love life spirals out of control when the letters she wrote to her crushes are mailed out. When popular jock Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo) receives one, he hatches a plan with Lara Jean to solve their respective romantic problems by pretending to be a couple. But in true rom-com fashion, they start to catch feelings for each other. — Kelly Woo
Genre: Young adult romance drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Stars: Lana Condor, Noah Centineo
Director: Susan Johnson
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How we pick the best Netflix movies
Deciding what movies make this list, and which don't is a two step process that usually repeats itself. We watch as many Netflix movies as we can, and then we debate the quality of them.
This is why we keep looking through what's been added to Netflix to see what to add here, because Netflix is still one of the best streaming services because stays true to its core competency of offering high-quality films that it didn't make. (You can also check out Netflix's secret codes that can unlock new categories for you).
The best of Netflix by genre
? The best Netflix comedies
? The best family movies on Netflix
? The best horror movies on Netflix
? The best Netflix documentaries
? The best Netflix anime movies and shows
? The best Netflix sci-fi movies
Looking to the future, the big list of new Netflix movies for 2023 is stacked with stars. And as for the immediate future: Netflix’s password sharing crackdown isn't even here in the U.S., but its first mistake led to even more confusion.
And if you run out of titles, try the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best Hulu movies and the best Peacock movies next.
You'll also want to check out guide to the best Netflix shows for more ways to make the most of your Netflix account.
How to access blocked movies on Netflix
Wherever you are in the world, Netflix offers a huge range of top-quality movies like the ones we’ve listed above. However, due to something called geo-blocking, you may find that your favorite flick isn’t available. This is especially noticeable if you’ve traveled abroad – a film you had your eye on back at home may well now not be available.
The easiest way around this is to use a Netflix VPN. By using a VPN to change your virtual location, you can trick Netflix into showing you that country’s catalog of movies. Perfect if you’re in need of a blockbuster to fill your vacation downtime, or even if you fancy globetrotting from the comfort of your sofa.
