Yahoo News The 25 best movies on Netflix
Netflix has many quality offerings, including beloved classics and compelling originals.
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Kwak Do-won in 'The Wailing'; Miles Morales in 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse'; Angelina Jolie in 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith'It's hard to believe that Netflix only launched in 2007, but apparently, that’s all the time it takes to change the face of movie/TV consumption. When it introduced its revolutionary mail-in rental service, Netflix was competing with businesses like movie theaters, Blockbuster, and even Tower Video. Some of those stalwarts have faltered, but Netflix has only continued to expand its library and influence.
Beyond a treasure trove of original series and features, the service has curated a laundry list of excellent films both new and old. Here are the 25 best movies on Netflix right now.
Bullet Train (2022)
David Leitch's action comedy stars Brad Pitt as a pseudonymous assassin aboard a train filled with other quick-witted killers (among them Brian Tyree Henry, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Zazie Beetz). It's violent, flashy, and inconsequential in the best way possible, making for prime escapist entertainment. "Bullet Train doesn't have a destination, really, or a moral imperative other than mayhem," EW's critic notes. "But it's got a ticket to ride." —Declan Gallagher
Where to watch Bullet Train: Netflix
EW grade: B+ (read the review)
Director: David Leitch
Cast: Brad Pitt, Bryan Tyree Henry, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Joey King, Zazie Beetz
Related content: How the Bullet Train team made 'action inside a tube' exciting for 2 hours
The Edge of Seventeen (2016)
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Hailee Steinfeld and Haley Lu Richardson in 'The Edge of Seventeen'The Edge of Seventeen embraces the wonderfully awkward growing pains of being a teenage girl. Hailee Steinfeld stars as Nadine, a disaffected 17-year-old who is left mortified upon learning her older brother Darian (Blake Jenner) is now dating her best friend Krista (Haley Lu Richardson). Nadine soon offers an ultimatum to Krista: her or Darian. After Krista fails to make this binary choice, Nadine coldly ends their friendship, which sends herself down a darker path than before. "Seventeen gets that being young can feel like The Hunger Games without the prizes," EW's critic writes, "at least there’s always hope — and graduation — on the other side." —Kevin Jacobsen
Where to watch The Edge of Seventeen: Netflix
EW grade: B+ (read the review)
Director: Kelly Fremon Craig
Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson, Kyra Sedgwick, Haley Lu Richardson, Blake Jenner
Related content: Edge of Seventeen: Hailee Steinfeld likens film to John Hughes teen comedies
Emily the Criminal (2022)
Aubrey Plaza gives one of her finest turns to date in this grounded thriller. She plays the titular down-on-her-luck felon who resorts to theft to make her way out from under a mountain of debt. "She may be a wanton criminal, but she's also a woman very much for these times," EW's critic writes. "Not the anti-heroine we knew we needed, maybe, but one that we deserve." It's a visceral, often unbearably anxious film that showcases Plaza's steeliest, most nuanced performance in a career full of them. —D.G.
Where to watch Emily the Criminal: Netflix
EW grade: B+ (read the review)
Director: John Patton Ford
Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Gina Gershon, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Theo Rossi, Bernardo Badillo
Related content: Aubrey Plaza on why her thriller Emily the Criminal felt like pulling off a scam
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Few films in recent memory have lived up to their title as well as Everything Everywhere All at Once. Combining science fiction, action, broad comedy, and heart-tugging drama, the film manages to cohere into an absurdist masterpiece about finding value in the life you have, without giving in to regret. Action superstar Michelle Yeoh stars as Evelyn Wang, a Chinese immigrant living in America with her loving husband Waymond (Ke Huy Quan) and daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu), with whom she has a strained relationship. One day, while being audited by the IRS, she accepts an offer to escape her life to help prevent a powerful force from destroying the multiverse, setting in motion a dangerous — yet deeply personal — journey. Everything Everywhere All at Once resonated with both critics and audiences, winning seven Oscars including Best Picture and Best Actress for Yeoh. —K.J.
Where to watch Everything Everywhere All at Once: Netflix
EW grade: B– (read the review)
Directors: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
Cast: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, Jamie Lee Curtis, James Hong
Related content: Back to the beginning: Everything Everywhere All at Once's journey to the Oscars
The Hunger Games film series (2012–2015)
Suzanne Collins' best-selling Hunger Games trilogy was a natural fit for movie adaptation, resulting in a massively successful series of four films. Jennifer Lawrence reached superstardom with her portrayal of Katniss Everdeen, a brave teenager living in dystopian Panem, who volunteers to participate in the titular Hunger Games in place of her younger sister. This deadly competition finds tributes from the various districts squaring off in an arena with the goal of killing each other until only one remains. Over time, Katniss becomes a symbol of the rebellion against the corrupt Capitol. The second film, Catching Fire, is the best in the series, but we recommend a full binge of all four, especially with the late-2023 release of the prequel film, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. —K.J.
Where to watch The Hunger Games film series: Netflix
EW grade (for the 2012 original): A (read the review)
Directors: Gary Ross (The Hunger Games); Francis Lawrence (Catching Fire, Mockingjay — Part 1, Mockingjay — Part 2)
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland
Related content: Jennifer Lawrence says she'd 'drink whiskey and get stoned' with Hunger Games costars after events
It Follows (2014)
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Maika Monroe in 'It Follows'David Robert Mitchell's chilling, low-fi horror opus has inspired a variety of successors, including 2022's Smile and 2023's exceptional Talk to Me. None of those films have replicated dread and unease in quite the same way as Mitchell's original, though. Maika Monroe stars as Jay, a teen who, after engaging in a one-night stand, is given an STD ("sexually transmitted demon") that she can only pass on by sleeping with someone else. If that's not bad enough, the curse also takes the form of shuffling, stalking entities that may or may not be real. —D.G.
Where to watch It Follows: Netflix
EW grade: A– (read the review)
Director: David Robert Mitchell
Cast: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Jake Weary, Lili Sepe, Olivia Luccardi
Related reading: It Follows is getting a sequel titled They Follow, with director and star returning
The Killer (2023)
David Fincher's latest thriller is a white-knuckle, pared-down genre exercise that calls back to '70s exploitation films but also owes quite a bit to Anton Corbijn's The American (2010). Michael Fassbender stars as the nameless assassin who, after a hit goes wrong and his family is targeted, chases after a shadow enforcer (Tilda Swinton) for revenge. EW's critic observes, "With a reptilian coldness, Fassbender infuses the 'Killer' with an eerie stillness that underscores the character's lack of empathy and warmth." —D.G.
Where to watch The Killer: Netflix
EW grade: C+ (read the review)
Director: David Fincher
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton, Arliss Howard, Charles Parnell, Sala Baker
Related reading: The Killer and Seven director David Fincher and screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker dissect their lethal partnership
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Like the best crime novels, L.A. Confidential unfurls like a yarn as it depicts a crime-riddled Los Angeles in the 1950s. This neo-noir favorite tells the intricate story of detectives whose investigation into a robbery and homicide at a coffee shop leads to revelation after revelation of the corruption that interconnects the self-proclaimed City of Angels. Featuring an all-star cast including Guy Pearce and Russell Crowe in breakout roles and Kim Basinger, who won an Oscar for her performance as a sex worker/Veronica Lake lookalike, L.A. Confidential crackles with style and well-earned plot twists. "Like Chinatown, the 1974 classic of Los Angeles depravity," writes EW's critic, "this is the rare night-world thriller that understands what bad impulses can do to good men. Even the heroes have to get down in the muck to take on the devil." —K.J.
Where to watch L.A. Confidential: Netflix
EW grade: A (read the review)
Director: Curtis Hanson
Cast: Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, James Cromwell, David Strathairn, Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito
Related content: L.A. Confidential: Inside its iconic noir style
Marcel the Shell With Shoes On (2022)
Marcel the Shell With Shoes On adapts the beloved video series of the same name from the early-2010s. The live-action/stop-motion animated hybrid film centers on the titular Marcel (Jenny Slate), a talking seashell who cares for his nana, Connie (Isabella Rossellini). A documentary filmmaker follows Marcel's activities and posts them online, making him a viral sensation and prompting him to make efforts to reunite with the rest of his family. The tender-hearted film blends humor with genuine pathos as it explores themes of family ties and the value of simple kindness. —K.J.
Where to watch Marcel the Shell With Shoes On: Netflix
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Cast: Jenny Slate, Isabella Rossellini, Rosa Salazar, Thomas Mann, Dean Fleischer Camp, Lesley Stahl, Jesse Cilio
Related reading: How Lesley Stahl wound up interviewing her tiniest subject in Marcel the Shell With Shoes On
The Matrix (1999)
The Matrix is one of the defining movies released at the turn of the century, tapping into existential crises and technological anxieties of the time. Computer programmer Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves), a.k.a. Neo, sees his entire perspective shaken upon learning that the world in which he lives is a simulated reality called the Matrix, designed by hyper-intelligent machines who secretly use human bodies as an energy source. Neo joins a team of rebels fighting back against the machines to free humanity. Wildly ambitious and endlessly thought-provoking, The Matrix is a one-of-a-kind sci-fi masterpiece, still resonant decades later. —K.J.
Where to watch The Matrix: Netflix
Directors: The Wachowskis
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Joe Pantoliano
Related content: Hugo Weaving blasts alt-right for exploiting The Matrix: 'I am befuddled by it'
Molly's Game (2017)
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Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba in 'Molly's Game'Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin made his directorial debut with this engrossing biographical drama about entrepreneur Molly Bloom and her tumultuous experience in the world of high-stakes poker. Jessica Chastain plays the title role, following her journey from aspiring Olympian to bottle service waitress to running an underground poker empire. Her success is soon threatened when multiple mafias get involved in her games leading to an FBI investigation and her indictment. The film soars on the strength of Chastain's charismatic performance, a perfect match for Sorkin's signature clever dialogue. As EW's critic writes, Molly's Game is "a cool, crackling, confident film that appeals to your intelligence instead of insulting it." —K.J.
Where to watch Molly's Game: Netflix
EW grade: A– (read the review)
Director: Aaron Sorkin
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera, Jeremy Strong, Chris O'Dowd, Bill Camp
Related content: Jessica Chastain shows her cards on Molly's Game, poker, and Idris Elba
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)
With the new TV remake with Donald Glover and Maya Erskine now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, there's no better time to revisit the 2005 film of the same name. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie star as John and Jane Smith, a couple whose marriage is on shaky ground. They also happen to both be skilled assassins, though neither is aware of each other's occupation. This all changes when they're both assigned to kill the same target, which complicates everything to the point that they're soon tasked with killing each other. Hijinks ensue, and the film is propelled by the undeniable chemistry between Pitt and Jolie, who EW's critic writes have a "chemical zing." Thus, Brangelina was born. —K.J.
Where to watch Mr. & Mrs. Smith: Netflix
EW grade: N/A (read the review)
Director: Doug Liman
Cast: Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Adam Brody, Kerry Washington
Related content: The new Mr. & Mrs. Smith cast: See the actors from the series vs. the movie
No Hard Feelings (2023)
This raunchy comedy represented both a strong comeback for Jennifer Lawrence after a few low-key years and a return to form for the genre, which has seen lean times as of late. It stars Lawrence as a down-on-her-luck thirtysomething who, in order to repair her car, must deflower a nerdy young man (Andrew Barth Feldman) before he goes off to college. No Hard Feelings isn't a perfect movie, but it is often laugh-out-loud funny and subversive in all the right ways without ever insisting upon itself. EW's critic calls the film "a welcome addition to a dwindling genre — and a reminder that Lawrence is one [of] Hollywood's best (and funniest) leads." —D.G.
Where to watch No Hard Feelings: Netflix
EW grade: B (read the review)
Director: Gene Stupnitsky
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Andrew Barth Feldman, Matthew Broderick, Laura Benanti, Natalie Morales
Related reading: How a Craigslist ad inspired Jennifer Lawrence's No Hard Feelings: 'I died laughing'
Nyad (2023)
Annette Bening gives an astonishing, Oscar-nominated performance as real-life marathon swimmer Diana Nyad, who at 64 trained to become the first person to swim to Cuba. Equally riveting as Nyad's trainer is Jodie Foster (also Oscar-nominated), reminding viewers that in terms of steely confidence, someone rarely does it better than her. "The two women also share an effortless chemistry that breathes vitality into their onscreen bond and wholeheartedly sells their decades-long connection," EW's critic writes. —D.G.
EW grade: B– (read the review)
Directors: Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
Cast: Annette Bening, Jodie Foster, Rhys Ifans, Luke Cosgrove, Karly Rothenberg
Related reading: How Nyad star Annette Bening and the filmmakers weathered a storm for inspiring long-distance swim
Phantom Thread (2017)
Laurie Sparham/Focus Features/Courtesy Everett
Daniel Day-Lewis in 'Phantom Thread'Paul Thomas Anderson's 1950s-set costume drama is a transfixing exploration of power dynamics within a relationship, and how love can be sickening — literally. Daniel Day-Lewis, in his self-proclaimed final film role, stars as Reynolds Woodcock, a renowned fashion designer who enters a tumultuous romance with Alma (Vicky Krieps), a waitress whom he soon makes his muse. But Alma is much cleverer than she appears, while Reynolds is more difficult to live with than she had hoped, leading to dysfunction. Adorned with dry humor and sumptuous visuals, Phantom Thread is a masterwork from one of modern cinema's best craftsmen. —K.J.
Where to watch Phantom Thread: Netflix
EW grade: B (read the review)
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps, Lesley Manville
Related content: Phantom Thread star Vicky Krieps talks holding her own with Daniel Day-Lewis
The Power of the Dog (2021)
Jane Campion's adaptation of the Thomas Savage novel is a spellbinding Western drama about power and control. Set in 1920s Montana, the film centers on Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch) a cruel rancher who psychologically torments his brother (Jesse Plemons), sister-in-law (Kirsten Dunst), and her soft-spoken son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee) on the ranch they share. After Peter discovers a buried secret about Phil, he methodically plots his revenge on his uncle. Campion deservedly won an Oscar for Best Director for the film; as EW's critic praises, "being submerged in her ineffable world feels not just like two hours in the dark, but high art." —K.J.
Where to watch The Power of the Dog: Netflix
EW grade: A– (read the review)
Director: Jane Campion
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Thomasin McKenzie, Genevieve Lemon, Keith Carradine, Frances Conroy
Related content: The Power of the Dog director Jane Campion on her personal journey into the year's most Oscar-nominated movie
RRR (2022)
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N.T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan in 'RRR'This Indian action epic rightfully broke out as an international success in 2022. Set during the British Raj in the 1920s, the film centers on Komaram Bheem (N.T. Rama Rao Jr.) and his plan to reunite a kidnapped girl with her mother; meanwhile, a determined officer, Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan), is hot on his trail. Their lives intersect when they rescue a boy in a train accident and they form a bond, ironically unaware of each other's identities. Packed with rousing sequences (particularly the performance of the Oscar-winning song "Naatu Naatu"), RRR is an entertaining thrill ride that puts Hollywood blockbusters to shame. —K.J.
Director: S.S. Rajamouli
Cast: N.T. Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Shriya Saran, Samuthirakani, Ray Stevenson, Alison Doody, Olivia Morris
Related content: Russo brothers and RRR director S.S. Rajamouli on the 'universal language' of blowing stuff up
Shrek (2001)
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Donkey and Shrek in 'Shrek'The world of animation was fundamentally shaken by the arrival of a swamp-dweller named Shrek (Mike Myers). Offering a more sarcastic, ironic spin than the earnest Disney fare that dominated culture in the previous decade, DreamWorks' Shrek follows the titular ogre as his comfortable routine is disrupted when exiled fairy tale characters invade his swamp. He goes on a quest with a wise-cracked donkey (Eddie Murphy) to demand that the evil Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) move the meddlesome creatures somewhere else — and unexpectedly finds love along the way. Sarcastic yet sweet, Shrek is all about not judging a book by its cover, or, as EW's critic writes, "a good-natured embrace of the inner ogre in everyone." —K.J.
EW grade: A (read the review)
Directors: Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson
Cast: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow, Vincent Cassel, Conrad Vernon
Related content: Eddie Murphy would bring back Donkey for potential Shrek 5: 'I'd do it in 2 seconds'
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
This sugar-rush sequel took all of the best things about Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and magnified them. It continues the tale of Miles Morales as he struggles with his newfound powers to find his place in a multi-verse of Spider-Men. If only all family-oriented animated films were this invigorating, or indeed, risk-taking. As EW's critic writes, "Across the Spider-Verse mines greater emotional depth by exploring the familial relationships of Gwen and Miles from the perspectives of both parents and children." —D.G.
Where to watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: Netflix
EW grade: B+ (read the review)
Directors: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
Cast: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Jake Johnson, Oscar Isaac
Related reading: How Hobie Brown/Spider-Punk became the coolest character in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Tick, Tick...Boom! (2021)
Jonathan Larson was a celebrated composer and playwright most famous for penning the Broadway musical Rent. He also wrote a semi-autobiographical musical based on his life called Tick, Tick...Boom!, which Lin-Manuel Miranda adapted to this well-received musical drama. Andrew Garfield, in an Oscar-nominated turn, stars as Larson, following his struggle to mount a musical while dealing with a tumultuous personal life. "Tick, Tick… Boom! is a totem for the thrills and trials of making art, with all the sacrifices and empathy it requires," EW's critic writes. —K.J.
Where to watch tick, tick...BOOM!: Netflix
EW grade: A– (read the review)
Director: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Shipp, Robin de Jesús, Joshua Henry, Judith Light, Vanessa Hudgens
Related content: How Tick, Tick... Boom! pulled off that Broadway star-studded diner scene
Triple Frontier (2019)
J.C. Chandor's masculine action riff, about a group of special ops planning a heist in South America, is a stark contrast to his earlier, more patient efforts in 2011's Margin Call, 2013's All Is Lost, or 2014's A Most Violent Year (his masterpiece). While not as thematically strong as those films, Triple Frontier offers a dose of adrenaline that, much like The Strangers, harkens back to a forgotten era of mid-'70s B pictures. "There may be no honor among thieves," EW's critic writes, "but Triple Frontier certainly makes watching them pretty entertaining." —D.G.
Where to watch Triple Frontier: Netflix
EW grade: B (read the review)
Director: J.C. Chandor
Cast: Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Pedro Pascal, Garrett Hedlund
Related reading: The 15 best Pedro Pascal movies and TV shows, ranked
The Wailing (2016)
This brilliant South Korean thriller from director Na Hong-jin turns frenzied after a new villager arrives in a tight-knit community, bringing a wave of serial murders along with him. To elaborate any further would give away some of the film's best-kept twists, of which there are many. Suffice it to say, The Wailing is one of the most over-the-top, gratuitous, and devilishly fun horror pictures of the last decade. As EW's critic praised, "The Wailing never bores as Na slathers his tale with generous supplies of atmosphere and awfulness." —D.G.
Where to watch The Wailing: Netflix
EW grade: B+ (read the review)
Director: Na Hong-jin
Cast: Hwang Jung-Min, Kwak Do-won, Kim Hwan-hee, Kim Do-yoon
Related reading: The 20 best exorcism-themed movies
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More (2024)
Netflix
Benedict Cumberbatch in 'The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar'This whimsical anthology film finds auteur director Wes Anderson bringing the stories of Roald Dahl to life. Originally released as four short films in 2023, Netflix has now assembled them all into one collection. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, which won the Oscar for Best Live Action Short, centers on the titular character's years-long training process to be able to see without his eyes — all so he can cheat at gambling. Other shorts are The Swan (about the struggles of a bullied boy), The Rat Catcher (about, well, an exterminator of rats), and Poison (about a man who finds a snake in his bed). Anderson's flair for carefully crafted aesthetics is a throughline, as is his love of the art of storytelling. —K.J.
Where to watch The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More: Netflix
Director: Wes Anderson
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, Richard Ayoade, Rupert Friend
Related content: Wes Anderson criticizes editing of Roald Dahl books to remove 'offensive' language: 'What's done is done'
The Woman King (2022)
This entertaining action drama tells the story of the Agojie, a powerful real-life regiment of women who protected their African kingdom in the 1820s. Viola Davis stars as General Nanisca, the group's leader who mentors a spirited new arrival, Nawi (Thuso Mbedu). With their kingdom threatened by a rival tribe, General Nanisca and her crew use their well-trained skills to protect their home. Featuring a physically impressive turn from Davis as you've never seen her before, The Woman King is a rousing testament to women as warriors, with EW's critic calling it a "spirited and often thrilling action epic." —K.J.
Where to watch The Woman King: Netflix
EW grade: B (read the review)
Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Cast: Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, John Boyega
Related content: The woman who would be king: Viola Davis on embracing her warrior spirit for The Woman King
The Wrong Missy (2020)
Katrina Marcinowski/Netflix/Everett
David Space and Lauren Lapkus in 'The Wrong Missy'On paper, The Wrong Missy is nothing new: David Spade goes on a bad date with Lauren Lapkus, whose name is Missy, and then means to invite a cute girl (Molly Sims), hilariously also named Missy, with him on a company retreat to Hawaii. (No points for guessing which Missy ends up on the trip.) The film coasts by on a general likability, but if not for Lapkus' performance, the story would be lost at sea. She glues the entire enterprise together with a mixture of well-played raunch and genuine pathos, selling the moment and keeping the plot bouncing along to the next joke. —D.G.
Where to watch The Wrong Missy: Netflix
Director: Tyler Spindel
Cast: Lauren Lapkus, David Spade, Molly Sims, Jackie Sandler, Rob Schneider
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