Best Movies on Netflix: Some of the top Netflix movies have just been added to the service (and you can see what else did in our new on Netflix roundup). While Netflix’s own films have a wildly unstable good-to-bad ratio, they don’t only have Netflix Original films. This is why we constantly checking what’s new on Netflix to see what we can add here, because Netflix is still one of the greatest streaming services because it sticks to its core strength of providing high-quality films that it didn’t develop. (You can also look into Netflix’s secret codes, which can help you unlock new categories.)
Our list of the top Netflix movies has something for everyone, regardless of taste. Perhaps you want to see a laugh-out-loud comedy, a serious drama, an action thriller, or a thought-provoking documentary. Take your pick – or watch them all! If you run out of options, try the finest movies on Amazon Prime Video or the top Hulu movies next.
The best movies on Netflix to stream now
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Spider-Man 2 is regarded as the best Spider-Man film and one of the best comic book films of all time because it accomplishes everything correctly. Alfred Molina plays Dr. Otto Octavius admirably, and the picture benefits from Peter Parker’s internal strife and his romance with Mary Jane Watson. Also, Doc Ock’s arms are as terrifying as their combat atop a subway car. With the moment in which Spider-body Man’s is lifted high and his identity is safeguarded, the spirit of New York, if you will, comes through forcefully. We’d put Spider-Man 1 here, but it tries to do too much in too little time.
Genre: Action, comic book
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Stars: Tobey Macguire, Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina, James Franco.
Director: Sam Raimi
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can is a cinematic stylistic accomplishment and one of the best cat-and-mouse films in recent memory. Based on Frank Abagnale’s memoirs, who claims to have done everything in the film, this is a wild tale that just might be true. Frank William Abagnale Jr. (DiCaprio) becomes infatuated with the art of the scam at a young age in the film, before his father’s tax issues make their lives increasingly difficult. Running away, he soon borrows the identity of a Pan Am pilot and steals millions in counterfeit checks from the corporation. This catches the attention of FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Hanks), who follows Frank throughout the world.
Genre: Drama, true crime
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen
Director: Steven Spielberg
HBO Max is dead – Discovery Plus rumored to take over
Mission: Impossible (1996)
The first Mission: Impossible film, which was criminally underappreciated at the time, was not initially regarded as the beginning of a massive series of action films. Ethan Hunt, an IMF (Impossible Missions Force) agent, is only a piece in a game of international chess. But before you know it, Hunt is hung in the air on wires in one of cinema’s most frightening sequences. Rewatch to remind yourself of why you’re looking forward to Mission: Impossible 7.
Genre: Action/adventure
Rotten Tomatoes score: 66%
Stars: Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Béart, Henry Czerny, Ving Rhames, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vanessa Redgrave, Jean Reno
Director: Brian De Palma
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner sequel, directed by Dune, is one of the best movies on Netflix right now, and for good reason. It’s not just a worthy successor to one of the best sci-fi movies of all time, with a strong narrative that threatens to shatter the human/replicant peace seen in the first edition, but it’s also an extraordinarily magnificent piece of film. This film is supposed to be seen on a big screen, with neon-soaked cityscapes and dusty abandoned buildings ruined by nuclear radiation. Plus, Ryan Gosling brings new life to the Blade Runner universe with a performance that is a remarkable meditation on mourning. And on top of that? Robin Wright and Mackenzie Davis are both in the cast.
Genre: Sci-fi action
Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas, Jared Leto, Robin Wright, Sylvia Hoeks, Mackenzie Davis
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood (2022)
Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood is one of those fantastic family films that is also a great film in general. And, given the animation technique and the amount of emotion communicated, it’s no surprise that this is a Richard Linklater (Waking Life, A Scanner Darkly, Slacker) production. And this time, he’s brought his camera and charisma to the summer of 1969, when the world was riveted by the first moon landing. It’s also 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
The Power of the Dog (2021)
The Power of the Dog, an adaptation of Thomas Savage’s novel of the same name, is another film that Netflix can use to argue, “We’re not all Adam Sandler comedies and big action blockbusters.” The film is an intense western set in 1925 Montana and follows two ranch-owning brothers, Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George (Jesse Plemons). George marries Rose (Kirsten Dunst), whose son Peter (Kodi Smith-McPhee) is studying medicine at college.
Unfortunately, Phil is the rude and vicious type, and he enjoys being mean to Rose and Peter. The film’s beautiful aesthetics and a terrific score by Johny Greenwood complement the stellar performances from the entire cast (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
RRR (2022)
When a director defines his own picture as being about “imaginary relationship between two superheroes,” you know you’re in for a wild journey. And that’s exactly how S.S. Rajamouli described his incredible epic film RRR, which follows two Indian folk heroes fighting British colonists in the 1920s. It all starts when an evil colonialist kidnaps a girl after duping her family into a “sale” they weren’t aware of. RRR, which feels like a cross between Fast and Furious and Step Brothers, is a jubilant epic picture that we’re sure the MCU will be emulating in future Marvel films 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
Mean Girls (2004)
Mean Girls is an instant classic about how bad high school can be. Cady Heron (Lohan) is a fish out of water in the film, created by Tina Fey (30 Rock), who has to enrol in high school in the United States after being home schooled on a different curriculum her entire life. To make matters worse, she must contend with The Plastics, the titular’mean girls’ of North Shore High School, lead by Regina George (McAdams), the ‘queen bee’ who appears to feed on spite. Mean Girls is undoubtedly one of the top Netflix movies, being quotable and rewatchable. Even if it is unable to make ‘fetch’ happen.
Genre: Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 84%
Stars: Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey
Director: Mark Waters
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
Writer/director Aaron Sorkin employs his trademark rapid-fire, incisive, and funny dialogue in this account of the 1969 trial of seven defendants charged by the federal government with conspiracy and other offences stemming from disturbances at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The star-studded cast is more than capable of carrying out Sorkin’s lines.
Genre: Historical drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jeremy Strong
Director: Aaron Sorkin
Da 5 Bloods (2020)
Spike Lee’s latest film was not supposed to be so relevant, but the director has always been ahead of his time when it comes to pointing to the truths that undergird our culture. The plot revolves around four African-American Vietnam soldiers who meet in Ho Chi Minh City to recover the remains of their deceased squad leader Stormin’ Norman (the late Chadwick Boseman). Eddie (Norm Lewis), Melvin (Isiah Whitlock Jr.), Otis (Clarke Peters), and Paul (Delroy Lindo) are all dealing with personal concerns as well as Vietnam-related memories.
Genre: War drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
Stars: Delroy Lindo, Chadwick Boseman, Clarke Peters, Isiah Whitlock Jr.
Director: Spike Lee
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
