In the 10 years since releasing its first original film Beasts of No Nation, Netflix has evolved into a power player in the movie scene, earning honors at award shows like the Oscars and Golden Globes.
The streaming giant received 18 Oscar nominations in 2025 and took home three: two for Emilia Perez and one for best documentary short with The Only Girl in the Orchestra. Popular action films and comedies such as Mad Mad: Fury Road, The Old Guard and One of Them Days have helped make it a reliable destination for hits.
Whether you love drama, comedy, blockbusters or quiet, independent films, check out what we consider to be the best movies you can watch on Netflix right now. And if a film is leaving soon, we’ll let you know so you can watch it before it gets pulled from the platform. This week, we’re tuning into the summer blockbuster that started them all, Jaws, which just arrived. You may want to catch Alfred Hitchcock classics like Vertigo, Psycho and Rear Window soon, they leave the platform on July 31. If you’d rather go with a series, peruse our picks for the best TV shows to watch on Netflix.
Read more: Where to Watch All the 2024 Oscar Winners
It’s a big year for Jaws; the Steven Spielberg classic is celebrating its 50th anniversary and to commemorate, the film (and its three sequels) have just arrived on Netflix. The film, which starred Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw as three men on the hunt for a killer shark off the beaches of a New England town, has it all: thrills, impeccable perfomances, and a score by John Williams that might be one of cinema’s most memorable ever.
Based on the comic book by Greg Rucka, the action-fantasy The Old Guard stars Charlize Theron as one of a group of immortal mercenaries who are able to regenerate even after being killed. When they’re tracked down and hunted by a pharmaceutical company that intends to study them, they fight back in an effort to protect themselves. The first film, released in 2020, was such a success that a sequel, The Old Guard 2, premiered earlier this summer and features Uma Thurman as Theron’s newest adversary.
The 2008 documentary Man on Wire is the story of Philippe Petit’s 1974 high-wire walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. The preparations for Petit’s walk 1,350 feet above the ground unfold like a heist movie as he covertly made plans to execute the dangerous that became known as the “artistic crime of the century.” The riveting film is leaving Netflix on August 6, so tune in now before it leaves.
While some might call Psycho Alfred Hitchcock’s most famous film, Rear Window may be his most highly regarded. The 1954 thriller stars James Stewart as a photojournalist who finds himself confined to a wheelchair — and his apartment — after an injury. With nothing better to do than spy on his neighbors with his long-lensed camera, he becomes convinced that one of his neighbors has murdered his wife. Grace Kelly co-stars as Stewart’s girlfriend/peeping accomplice. Rear Window arrived to Netflix in June as part of a larger Hitchcock collection that also includes Vertigo, The Birds, The Man Who Knew Too Much and others, but you’ll want to catch them soon — they’re leaving the platform July 31.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Charlize Theron has become one of the most reliable action stars around (see above!), and her turn as Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road helped her earn that reputation. The 2015 film from writer-director George Miller is set in a post-apocalyptic desert and is essentially a non-stop battle sequence where hero Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) teams up with Theron’s Imperator Furiosa to wage battle against warlord Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) and his army. Nicholas Hoult, Rosie Huntington-Whitely and Zoe Kravitz also star.
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)
Netflix just released the first five movies in the Mission: Impossible franchise and while we really enjoy them all, 2015’s Rogue Nation is one of our favorites. Rogue Nation was the first film in the franchise to be directed by Tom Cruise’s frequent collaborator Christopher McQuarrie and it’s the film that brings Cruise’s Ethan Hunt together with ex-MI6 agent Ilsa Faust, played by series regular Rebecca Ferguson. All five M:I films arrived on Netflix July 1 and are the perfect lead-up to watching The Final Reckoning, which may (or may not) be the last film in the franchise.
Friday Night Lights (2004)
Peter Berg’s 2004 drama Friday Night Lights spawned one of the great shows of the early aughts but the film stands on its own as a sports classic. Billy Bob Thornton stars as Odessa, Texas, football coach Gary Gaines, whose high school team is more than just a sports club; they’re the soul of the town. After the team’s star player (Derek Luke) is injured, Gaines has to restore morale and spirit not just within his team but in the entire community.
One of Them Days is pure comedy gold. It’s the perfect (R-rated) film when you’re looking for something silly and fun and packed with great jokes and performances. The movie is part of the “desperate best friends embark on a mission with a deadline” genre (see also: Booksmart, Plan B) as best friends, Dreux (Kiki Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA in her film debut) try to track down the rent money that was stolen by Alyssa’s boyfriend before the end of the day. When they realize the money is gone, they desperately try to make all the money they need in one day, leading them to sell a pair of stolen Jordans and staging an art show to sell some of Alyssa’s paintings. The film, which arrived to Netflix in March, features hilarious cameos from Katt Williams, Janelle James and Lil Rel Howery, among others. Rumor has it, a sequel is currently in the works.
30 For 30, the great ESPN documentary franchise, has put out dozens of great movies that cover some of the most incredible stories in sports, some of them overlooked and others focused on specific, infamous moments in history. One of the best films to come out of the series is the 2010 documentary June 17, 1994, a date that is best remembered by many as the day of O.J. Simpson’s slow-moving police chase in a white Ford Bronco. The televised chase would have been notorious enough but what the doc points out is that that date was a huge moment across several sports, and many of those moments, including Game 5 of that year’s NBA finals, Arnold Palmer’s final appearance at a PGA tour, and Ken Griffey Jr. tying Babe Ruth’s home run record that day, were interrupted by one of the most famous live news broadcasts in history.
Havoc was one of this April’s biggest releases on Netflix (it’s currently still dominating the platform’s Top 10 movie list), thanks to Tom Hardy’s magnetic screen presence. Hardy plays Walker, a detective who’s being pursued by a crime syndicate and fellow cops after getting involved in a drug deal gone wrong. Violence and gore abound in this action-packed thriller that finds Walker battling corrupt politicians, criminals and his own past. Timothy Olyphant, Jessie Mei Li, Justin Cornwell and Forest Whitaker also appear.
Past Lives is the directorial debut from Celine Song, who also wrote the film. Greta Lee and Teo Yoo star as friends Nora and Hae Sung who met as children in South Korea but lost touch after Nora’s family relocated to Canada. After reconnecting, the two friends explore their friendship and wonder what might have been had Nora never left. The film was nominated for Best Picture at the 2024 Oscars.
Modern animated classics are a thing and The Croods is one of those DreamWorks movies that hits you with laughs, emotions and subtle contemplation. Teenage Eep is tired of her dad’s (Grug) strict rules and sneaking out exposes her to someone new. New is an overall theme here in a story about the cave-dwelling Croods when they encounter disaster and are forced to find a new place to live. Grug doesn’t always welcome learning new things from a human and Eep’s curious, sometimes rebellious ways also contribute to family disagreements. If you like animated comedies with a touch of family sentimentality, stream The Croods and then the spinoff series, Dawn of the Croods.
Netflix’s K-drama collection has a few hidden gems, including Ballerina, a 2023 revenge story about a former bodyguard seeking justice for her friend. Jang Ok-ju stops at nothing to make the offenders pay in this action-packed thriller. (Just don’t get this Ballerina confused with the recent release of the same name starring Ana de Armas, which is also an action-packed revenge story – that one’s not on Netflix, at least not yet.)
A powerful story about a high school basketball team in New Mexico, Rez Ball takes viewers on a journey with the Chuska Warriors. When a tragic event strikes the team, it faces challenges on and off the court — but still aims for a championship title. Co-written by Sydney Freeland and Sterlin Harjo (co-creator of Reservation Dogs), the movie is based on the novel Canyon Dreams: A Basketball Season on the Navajo Nation.
Director Bong Joon-ho’s dark, psychological thriller Parasite won the Best Picture Oscar in 2019 (along with the awards for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature). The film, about a poor family who infiltrates the home and lives of a wealthy family, was recently named the best film of the 21st century in a New York Times poll of filmmakers and actors.
The 2024 action comedy was one of several movies starring Glen Powell that helped cement his leading-man status. The film, co-written by Powell and director Richard Linklater, stars Powell as a nerdy professor drawn into an undercover investigation. Disguising himself as a hitman, he adopts a new persona for each client — until he falls for a woman (Adria Arjona) who hires him to kill her abusive husband.
Michael Mann’s 1995 movie Heat is most famous for being the first film in which acting titans Al Pacino and Robert De Niro appeared on screen in a scene together but it also features a fantastic performance from the late, great Val Kilmer. The film, which arrived on Netflix on April 1, is a crime tale about an LAPD detective (Pacino) trying to take down a professional thief (De Niro) and his crew. Mann has been hinting that a sequel to the film will be arriving any day now — he already penned a novel, Heat 2, that he’s been planning to adapt for the screen — but if you haven’t seen the original, it’s a modern crime classic.
My Octopus Teacher (2020)
2020’s My Octopus Teacher won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature for telling a personal and poignant story of the friendship between a man and an octopus he meets while diving. Filmed over the course of a year, Craig Foster documented the kinship he formed with the octopus who would repeatedly and playfully approach him. The film explores the often unseen personality of a creature found in the wild who ends up giving Foster insight into nature and his own relationships. If you’re inspired by the natural world, the film’s director Pippa Ehrlich’s follow-up feature, Pangolin: Kulu’s Journey, is on Netflix now, too.
In Carry-On, which arrived on Netflix in December, Taron Egerton plays Ethan Kopek, a TSA agent who is being blackmailed by a mysterious traveler (played by Jason Bateman) into allowing a dangerous package through security and onto a flight on Christmas Eve, endangering everyone aboard. The film is a thrilling game of cat-and-mouse and has proven so popular that it’s currently Netflix’s second most popular original movie of all time.
Sicario, the 2015 thriller featuring Emily Blunt as an FBI special agent tasked with apprehending a lieutenant in a Mexican drug cartel, was the first screenplay penned by Yellowstone showrunner Taylor Sheridan, before the Duttons were even a glimmer in his eye. The film, directed by Denis Villeneuve, co-stars Benicio del Toro, Daniel Kaluuya and Josh Brolin, which adds to its star power. Although it only recently arrived to Netflix, it quickly became one of the top films on the platform.
Martha Stewart is somehow simultaneously elusive and completely accessible in her Netflix documentary Martha. Although she’s spent much of her life — a highly curated, seemingly perfect one — in the spotlight, Stewart opens up about her most intimate and sometimes controversial moments, from a marital affair to her imprisonment for insider trading. Yet, she always manages to come out on top.
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024)
Genre: Family movies
Rating: PG
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is the latest film from Aardman animation studio, starring the beloved dog and his hapless, cheese-loving master. The Netflix original film about a robotic garden gnome that wreaks havoc on the man and his best friend arrived to the platform recently and received an Oscar nomination this year for Best Animated Feature.
The Only Girl In The Orchestra (2024)
Genre: Documentary
Rating: G
The Only Girl in the Orchestra won an Oscar this year for Best Documentary Short and you can catch the 35-minute film exclusively on Netflix. The film is the story of Orin O’Brien, the first woman hired to perform in the New York Philharmonic (by Leonard Bernstein, no less). Often ogled for her looks and singled out for attention because of her sex, she rose above it all, staying true to her creative principles to become one of the orchestra’s most renowned musicians for decades.
1917, the critically lauded, Oscar-winning film directed by Sam Mendes about World War I was remarkable for the fact that it was filmed with the intent of making it appear as though the entire movie was shot as two long, continuous takes. The movie stars George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman as British soldiers traveling across a dangerous battle zone rigged by Germans in an effort to deliver a message to their superiors, warning them of an impending attack. The film’s stellar supporting cast includes Andrew Scott, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Strong and Richard Madden.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020)
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is dedicated to the memory of Chadwick Boseman, who made his final screen appearance in the film before his death in 2020. The film stars Boseman as Levee Green, a member of blues singer Ma Rainey’s band (Viola Davis), and takes place amid one of the band’s conflict-ridden and turbulent recording sessions in 1920s Chicago. Taylour Paige, Colman Domingo and Glynn Turman all co-star in the film that was adapted from August Wilson’s 1982 play.
His Three Daughters (2024)
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
In His Three Daughters, Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne and Elizabeth Olsen star as three estranged sisters who come together in their dying father’s small New York apartment to care for him in his last days. Writer-director Azazel Jacobs coaxes some incredible performances out of each actress for this intimate, emotional and often funny study of family dynamics.
Genre: Drama/Biopic
Rating: R
Colman Domingo earned an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin in this film about a man whose legacy has often been overlooked in civil rights history. Bayard Rustin fought alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and helped organize the 1963 March on Washington and the Freedom Rides, among other major historic events.
Rustin’s outspoken activism and homosexuality made him a target — not just for political adversaries but sometimes even among his allies. The film explores the life of a man whose legacy has long been overlooked.
Always Be My Maybe (2019)
Genre: Comedy
Rating: PG-13
Always Be My Maybe stars Ali Wong and Randall Park as Sasha and Marcus, childhood best friends who grew up next door to one another in San Francisco. The two fall out after attempting the whole “friends with benefits” thing as teens, but 15 years later, they reunite — uncomfortably — when Sasha returns to her hometown for work.
As Marcus struggles with his feelings for Sasha, she goes off and dates Keanu Reeves (playing a hilariously over-the-top version of himself), as she tries to figure out how she feels about her old friend. Charming and sweet, the film is a rom-com that’s reliably funny thanks to its leads and excellent supporting performances from Michelle Buteau, Vivian Bang and Reeves.
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
This biographical film nabbed seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Picture. Maestro tells the story of conductor Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper) and his relationship with actor Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan). In addition to starring in the romance drama, Cooper also directed and co-wrote the film and produced it alongside Hollywood legends Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
Genre: Action
Rating: PG-13
Godzilla Minus One is an Academy Award-winning Japanese-language movie written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki. Set in 1945, the story centers around Kōichi Shikishima, a young pilot dealing with PTSD in a post-World War II era. After surviving an encounter with Godzilla, he and others realize the kaiju is gearing up to attack Tokyo. The Sony film is available to stream on Netflix now.
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Based on the novel by Elena Ferrante, The Lost Daughter stars Olivia Colman as a woman traveling alone to a seaside resort where she observes a mother and daughter. They send her into a bit of a spiral, recalling her own experiences as a young mother. The screenplay was adapted and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal in her directorial debut.
Society of the Snow (2023)
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
The award-winning film, Society of the Snow, is based on true events and adapted from the book of the same name. In 1972, a rugby team from Uruguay boarded a plane to Chile for a game. The plane crashed in the Andes mountains, leaving survivors to contend with injuries, illness, cold temperatures and death. Not everyone makes it and those facing death make agonizing choices to live.
The Greatest Night In Pop (2024)
Genre: Documentary
Rating: PG-13
If you weren’t around at the time, it’s hard to explain just how huge We Are the World was. Recorded by a supergroup of popular musicians — assembled on the fly on the night of the 1985 American Music Awards — the charity single benefiting Ethiopian famine victims sold more than 20 million copies and featured the likes of Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Diana Ross. (It feels impossible to imagine so many mega-stars assembling in one room for something like this today.)
Luckily for us, there were cameras rolling the entire time as dozens of the world’s most famous musicians pulled the epic all-night recording session. The recently departed Quincy Jones proves to be the night’s true star, wrangling a studio full of nerves, egos, and a little too much wine to produce something genuinely special.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
Genre: Mystery/Comedy
Rating: PG-13
A standalone sequel to 2019’s hit film Knives Out, Glass Onion follows detective Benoit Blanc’s (Daniel Craig) mission to uncover a mysterious death, after tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) invites friends to his private Greek island. The film features fun plot twists and is broken up by lighthearted humor and aloof characters played by an all-star cast. The third Knives Out film, Wake Up Dead Man, is arriving to the streamer on December 12.
Leave the World Behind (2023)
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Rating: R
An absorbingly unsettling psychological thriller, Leave the World Behind chronicles the strange events that arise during a family’s getaway at an opulent rental home. A blackout renders their phones, TVs and other electronics useless and two strangers show up at the door. TikTok has been flooded with clips and analyses of this apocalypse movie, with people reflecting on potential “hidden messages” and real-life parallels. Check it out and see what you make of it.
Genre: Drama/Musicals
Rating: R
Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldaña and Karla Sofía Gascón star in Emilia Pérez, a film that earned a whopping 10 Golden Globe nominations this year and picked up four awards, including Best Picture Musical or Comedy and the Best Supporting Actress trophy for Saldaña. In the film, Gascón stars as Mexican cartel leader Emilia who hires a lawyer (Saldaña) to help fake her death so that Emilia can finally live authentically as her true self. The crime-comedy-musical that defies all labels was also named one of the 10 best films of 2024 by the American Film Institute.
Genre: Family movies
Rating: PG
This animated drama, based on the graphic novel of the same name, is set in a futuristic medieval world, in which a knight (Riz Ahmed) is framed for a crime. A shapeshifting teenager named Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz) — whom he’s been trained to destroy — may be his only hope for proving his innocence.
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG-13
This biographical film tells the story of two sisters, Yusra (Nathalie Issa) and Sarah Mardini (Manal Issa), who escape war-torn Syria. Amid all the strife and upheaval, Yusra works toward her dream of swimming in the Olympics. It’s a touching narrative of hope and survival.
All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
A World War I drama based on the classic novel of the same name, this epic depicts the horrors of war through the eyes of 17-year-old German soldier Paul Bäumer (Felix Kammerer). At first enthused about joining the army, in spite of his parents’ wishes, Bäumer gets a violent wake-up call. All Quiet on the Western Front was a dominating force at the 95th Annual Academy Awards, as it was nominated for nine Oscars and ultimately walked away with four, including Best International Feature Film.
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG-13
Annette Bening and Jodie Foster both scored Oscar nominations (for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress) for their roles in Nyad, the Netflix original film about marathon swimmer Diana Nyad and her devoted coach Bonnie Stoll.
The remarkable true story is not a full biopic but a chapter of Nyad’s accomplished life when, at the age of 60, Nyad became obsessed with completing the arduous, near-impossible 110 mile swim from Cuba to Florida. Determined to become the first person to finish the swim without a shark cage, the film is a story of Nyad’s determination, ushered along by the support of those closest to her.
Genre: Action
Rating: PG-13
The Netflix original Back in Action topped the Netflix Top Ten when it arrived in January but it’s not too late to catch the buzz on this entertaining action romp. The film reunites Cameron Diaz, who has spent the last few years away from the spotlight, with Jamie Foxx for their third film. The duo star as former CIA agents who have attempted to get out of the spy business and raise a family, only to get pulled back into their old jobs.
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma nabbed him the best director Oscar in 2018 (the film earned two other Oscars that year, too), a first for a foreign-language film. It’s inclusion in the award show marked the first time a film distributed by a streaming platform was eligible for major awards. The film, set in the early 1970s, stars Yalitza Aparicio as the live-in housekeeper for a wealthy Mexico City family as she deals with her own pregnancy, the troubles within the family she works for and the escalating political turmoil in the city around her.
Untold: Crime & Penalties (2021)
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-MA
Untold is Netflix’s answer to ESPN’s 30 For 30 and the documentary series features dozens of fascinating behind-the-scenes stories from the world of sports. One of the very best is the 2021 documentary called Crime & Penalties. It’s about a minor league hockey team that an alleged mob boss bought as a gift for his teenage son, who turned out to be a pretty good team manager. Even if some of the movie’s main players might be criminals, the story behind this ragtag team of brawling bros proves truth is often stranger than fiction.
