After ending 2023 with several prominent original movies, Netflix is starting 2024 at a more deliberate pace. Fortunately, Netflix still had enough finished films to release three new original movies in January: Society of the Snow, Lift, and Good Grief. That lineup may not be as impressive as last month’s Maestro, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, and Leave the World Behind, but it’s still worthy of a few movie nights.
As long as Netflix keeps releasing new original movies, it gives fans a reason to stay home and enjoy the films as they see fit. Sometimes, it’s a lot more fun than going to a theater. And if you’re looking for more viewing options, check out our fill lineup below of the best Netflix original movies right now.
If you don’t find what you’re looking for here, try our other lists of the best Netflix original series, the best Hulu original series, the best Amazon Prime original movies, and the best Amazon Prime original series.
Society of the Snow (2023) new
There are plenty of movies about survivors overcoming the odds in a heartwarming way. Society of the Snow is not one of those films. Director J. A. Bayona (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) dramatizes the story of the 1972 Uruguayan plane crash that has become famous (and infamous) for the lengths that the people on board had to go to in order to pull through.
If you don’t already know the details about what happened, it’s better to remain in the dark about who makes it out alive, and what they had to do. Regardless, this is a thrilling film that could potentially snag Best Foreign Film if it lands an Oscar nomination.
Lift (2024) new
There aren’t many movies that start with a heist that involves NFTs, so Lift may be a bit dated on arrival. Cyrus (Kevin Hart) leads a crew that includes Denton (Vincent D’Onofrio), Camila (Úrsula Corberó), Mi-Sun (Kim Yoon-ji), Magnus (Billy Magnussen), and Luke (Viveik Kalra). They stage the kidnapping of NFT artist N8 (Jacob Batalon) to drive up the price of his work.
However, Cyrus’ ex-lover, Abby (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), is an Interpol agent who is wise to his tricks. Once Abby realizes what Cyrus has done, she uses it to blackmail him and his team to take on an even more daring heist. And in order to rob a terrorist named Jorgenson (Jean Reno), Cyrus and his team will have to pull off their plan while Jorgenson’s plane is still in the air.
Good Grief (2023) new
Schitt’s Creek co-creator Daniel Levy makes his directorial debut with Good Grief, a film that he wrote and stars in as well. Levy portrays Marc, a man who is deeply in love with his husband, Oliver (Luke Evans), before Oliver dies in a tragic accident at Christmastime. To cheer up their friend, Thomas (Himesh Patel) and Sophie (Ruth Negga) accompany Marc on a trip to Paris.
What Marc doesn’t tell Thomas and Sophie is that he’s discovered evidence that Oliver was unfaithful to him, and his lingering anger over that betrayal is keeping him from getting past his grief. Even a new man in his life, Theo (Arnaud Valois), may not be able to help Marc let go of his pain.
Maestro (2023)
Maestro may be Netflix’s best hope for Oscar gold this year. Bradley Cooper directed, wrote, and stars in the film as the famous composer Leonard Bernstein, with Carey Mulligan as Leonard’s wife, Felicia Montealegre. The movie spans Leonard’s decades-long relationship and eventual marriage to Felicia, for whom he left his relationship with David Oppenheim (Matt Bomer).
Despite having children with Felicia, including Jamie Bernstein (Maya Hawke), Leonard continuously seeks out affairs with other men, which pushes his bond with Felicia to its breaking point. To keep the love of his life, Leonard needs to prove himself to her one last time.
Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)
Rebel Moon is basically Zack Snyder’s Star Wars, and he couldn’t even keep it contained to a single movie. On the upside, that means Netflix is investing in two big-budget sci-fi films for 2023 and 2024. The first film, Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire, follows Kora (Sofia Boutella), a former member of the Imperium who is seeking a chance to reinvent herself on Veldt, a world far out of the reach of Motherworld’s intergalactic empire.
Or so Kora thought. When the Imperium arrives on Veldt with plans to bring it under Motherworld’s control, Kora rebels. And she also seeks out warriors like Titus (Djimon Hounsou), Kai (Charlie Hunnam), Gunnar (Michiel Huisman), Tarak (Staz Nair), and Nemesis (Doona Bae), who are willing to lay down their lives to keep Veldt free.
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (2023)
Despite a 23-year gap between films and a largely new voice cast, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget seamlessly picks up after the original animated classic. Rocky (Zachary Levi) and Ginger (Thandiwe Newton) now have a daughter, Molly (The Last of Us’ Bella Ramsey), and the rest of the chickens are enjoying their freedom on a secluded island.
However, Ginger is correct to be suspicious about a nearby construction site, because their former owner, Mrs. Tweedy (Miranda Richardson), is looking for revenge. Meanwhile, Molly proves to be far too rebellious to remain in the sanctuary, which forces Ginger, Rocky, and their friends to undertake a risky trip to the outside world, where they will have to break into the new Funland Farms to save their child and secure their future.
Leave the World Behind (2023)
It’s anything but a wonderful apocalypse in Leave the World Behind, Sam Esmail’s adaptation of Rumaan Alam’s novel. Julia Roberts stars as Amanda Sandford, the wife of Clay (Ethan Hawke), and the mother of their two children: Rose (Farrah Mackenzie) and Archie Sandford (Charlie Evans).
After experiencing a series of unexplained events at their vacation rental house, Amanda and Clay are alarmed by the sudden arrival of the home’s owner, G.H. Scott (Mahershala Ali), and his daughter, Ruth (Myha’la). G.H. claims there is a blackout in the city, but the crisis is much deeper than that. And if this is the apocalypse and the end of everything they’ve known, can the two families truly trust each other?
Rustin (2023)
Fear the Walking Dead and Euphoria standout Colman Domingo is winning a lot of praise for his performance as the title character in Rustin. So don’t be too shocked if a Best Actor Oscar nomination comes out of that. As for the film itself, it chronicles the life of Bayard Rustin, a civil rights activist who should be more of a household name like his contemporaries, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Aml Ameen).
So why isn’t Rustin more widely known for helping to organize the pivotal 1963 March on Washington? Because Rustin was gay, and his contributions to the movement were downplayed. But this film may go a long way toward changing that.
The Killer (2023)
Michael Fassbender’s title character in The Killer certainly has a lot to say in his inner monologue, but he never shares his name with the audience. The Killer seems like a consummate professional as an assassin right up until he completely botches a hit early in the film even after meticulously preparing for it.
Failure is not an option in this world, because now the killer is the target of his own organization. There’s a price on his head, and The Expert (Tilda Swinton) and The Brute (Sala Baker) are both out to collect. But not if The Killer finds them first.
Pain Hustlers (2023)
Emily Blunt’s Liza Drake is a struggling single mother in David Yates’ Pain Hustlers. Because Liza has to take care of her daughter, Phoebe (Chloe Coleman), she proves to be receptive to an offer from Pete Brenner (Chris Evans) to join a pharmaceutical startup led by Dr. Neel (Andy Garcia).
Liza is given the task of getting local doctors to recommend and prescribe the company’s signature drug. This turns out to be something that Phoebe has a talent for. But there’s a darker side to this hustle that threatens to pull Liza into a criminal conspiracy that may destroy everything she loves.
NYAD (2023)
There aren’t a lot of movies about long-distance swimmers, but Diana Nyad is one of a kind. Nyad is a biopic that casts Annette Bening as the title character who is facing an existential crisis in her 60s. Nyad’s best days as a swimmer are behind her, and she has to live with the regret that she was never able to finish her attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida.
That’s why Nyad goes to her friend, Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster), to help her make a daring new attempt to swim that treacherous stretch of water without a shark cage getting in her way. However, not even Nyad herself realizes just how grueling and challenging the swim will be once she’s in the ocean.
Reptile (2023)
A simple murder case is anything but routine in the new thriller Reptile. Someone has brutally murdered Summer Elswick (Matilda Lutz), and suspicion falls on her boyfriend, Will Grady (Justin Timberlake); her ex-husband, Sam Gifford (Karl Glusman); and a third man, Eli Phillips (Michael Pitt).
Detective Tom Nichols (Benicio del Toro) is in charge of the investigation, and he trusts his wife, Judy (Alicia Silverstone), with details about the case because she notices things that he doesn’t. Unfortunately for Tom, the closer he looks at Summer’s murder, the more he sees the connections to his own life and to a larger conspiracy.
Fair Play (2023)
Hedge fund co-workers Luke (Alden Ehrenreich) and Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) share a lot in Netflix’s erotic thriller, Fair Play. They both have a passion for the business, and each other, even though their relationship is strictly forbidden by their company. Regardless, their relationship goes smoothly, especially when Luke believes he’s getting a coveted promotion.
When the job goes to Emily instead, her relationship with Luke starts to go very badly. Luke’s jealousy and paranoia poison every aspect of his bond with Emily, to the point where they can no longer trust each other. And if they aren’t careful, the fallout may also crush their career ambitions.
Spy Kids: Armageddon (2023)
The Spy Kids franchise is getting a reboot of sorts in Spy Kids: Armageddon, with Robert Rodriguez once again in the director’s chair. In this sequel, the focus shifts to the Tango-Torrez family, which is the union of the world’s two greatest secret agents: Nora (Gina Rodriguez) and Terrence (Zachary Levi). That leaves their children, Patty (Everly Carganilla) and Tony (Connor Esterson), with a lot to live up to.
But when Patty and Tony are tricked into helping Rey “The King” Kingston (Billy Magnussen) take over the world’s technology, it falls upon them to rectify their mistake by joining the family business and saving the world.
Love at First Sight (2023)
Hadley Sullivan (Haley Lu Richardson) and Oliver Jones (Ben Hardy) experience instant affection in Love At First Sight. But just because there’s love doesn’t necessarily mean that romance will follow. Hadley and Oliver meet each other while waiting for a flight to London, and they bond during the long overseas trip. But at the airport, they part without closure.
As Hadley and Oliver deal with their respective family drama, they realize that they want to give love a chance if they can reunite with each other. Yet some things are better left to fate.
You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2023)
You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah is the story of the friendship turned rivalry between two young Jewish girls, Stacy Friedman (Sunny Sandler) and Lydia Rodriguez Katz (Samantha Lorraine). These inseparable BFFs both have their eyes on Andy Goldfarb (Dylan Hoffman), and that leads to some serious ruptures in their previously steadfast bond.
Adam Sandler produced the film and co-stars as Stacy’s father, Danny Friedman, with Idina Menzel as his wife, Bree Friedman. Danny and Bree have a lot of conflicts with Stacy over her pending Bat Mitzvah, but they also have the emotional experience to help their daughter find a way forward without sacrificing her friendships.
Heart of Stone (2023)
Even without superpowers, Gal Gadot is a real wonder woman in Netflix’s action thriller Heart of Stone. She’s even got a secret identity as Rachel Stone, an unassuming tech for MI6 on a team with Parker (Jamie Dornan), Bailey (Paul Ready), and Yang (Jing Lusi). But Rachel’s true allegiance lies with The Charter, a secretive peacekeeping organization that has codenamed her Nine of Hearts.
After jeopardizing her cover to save her team, Rachel is thrust into a situation that forces her to question her loyalties when a threat emerges that has global implications. And even the people closest to Rachel can’t be trusted.
The Monkey King (2023)
The legend of the Monkey King has been explored several times in adaptations of the Chinese novel, Journey To the West. And now, Netflix’s The Monkey King reimagines the tale as an animated epic. Jimmy O. Yang headlines the film as the Monkey King, an actual monkey whose quest for acceptance leads him to act recklessly and risk the lives of his tribe.
After stealing a weapon from Dragon King (Fire Island‘s Bowen Yang) to battle a demon, Monkey King takes on a young girl named Lin (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport) as his assistant. But the Dragon King’s revenge is already in motion and Monkey King can’t escape the consequences of his own actions forever.
Love, Sex and 30 Candles (2023)
Nimona (2023)
Chloë Grace Moretz provides the voice of the title character in Netflix’s Nimona, and she’s definitely no Disney princess. Quite the opposite in fact. Nimona is more of a mischievous shapeshifter who has taken it upon herself to help a would-be knight, Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed), clear his name for the assassination of the queen.
Calling Ballister “Boldheart” is a real bit of nominative determinism, especially when he’s already defying norms by loving another man. But when Nimona’s secrets come to light, Ballister must decide whether to be a “hero” or a friend.
Bird Box Barcelona (2023)
While Bird Box Barcelona initially presents itself as simply a Spanish spinoff of the original Bird Box, it goes in some much darker directions. That’s because Sebastián (Mario Casas) is one of the few who can see the ethereal beings who are driving humanity to suicide. Sebastián believes that the creatures are divine and that it’s his destiny to make other people give into their influence.
When Sebastián joins a new group of survivors, including Claire (Georgina Campbell), and a young girl named Sofia (Naila Schuberth), he fulfills his duties until he finally has a reason to question whether his religious zealotry is truly the right course of action.
The Out-Laws (2023)
In The Out-Laws, Owen (Adam DeVine) finally meets soon-to-be father and mother-in-law, Billy (Pierce Brosnan) and Lilly McDermott (Ellen Barkin), during the run-up to his wedding to Parker (Nina Dobrev).
Owen was excited to welcome Billy and Lilly into their lives, or at least he was until he realized that they are the notorious Ghost Bandits. And Owen knows this because they robbed his bank almost as soon as they rolled into town. But when her parents’ double life puts Parker in jeopardy, Owen is going to have to embrace his inner outlaw as well.
The Perfect Find (2023)
The Perfect Find is not entirely unlike the classic romantic comedy How Stella Got Her Groove Back. Both films feature 40-year-old Black women who reinvigorate their lives when they find new romance with much younger lovers. But in this film, Jenna (Gabrielle Union) carries the weight of her personal failures with her, especially in the aftermath of her breakup with Brian (DB Woodside). She even has to ask her frenemy, Darcy (Gina Torres), for a job.
That’s why it may have been a bad idea for Jenna to romance Darcy’s son, Eric (Keith Powers), who also happens to be her new co-worker. Jenna didn’t originally know that Darcy was Eric’s mother, and she doesn’t let that stop her from pursuing a relationship with him regardless of the consequences.
Extraction 2 (2023)
Thor: Love and Thunder‘s Chris Hemsworth has rediscovered his calling as an action star in Netflix’s Extraction franchise, and he reprises his role as Tyler Rake in Extraction 2. After narrowly surviving the events of the first film, Tyler and his team take on a righteous mission to rescue his ex-sister-in-law, Ketevan (Tinatin Dalakishvili), and her children from her abusive husband, Davit (Tornike Bziava).
Since Davit is a drug lord who is holding his own family hostage, Tyler and his team don’t hold back. Unfortunately for them, Davit’s older brother, Zurab (Tornike Gogrichiani), is now eager to get his revenge on Tyler, and he’ll go to great lengths to do so.
Luckiest Girl Alive (2022)
Mila Kunis’ Tiffani “Ani” Fanelli is the titular Luckiest Girl Alive, but only because no one knows the secrets that she’s been carrying for years. When she went to high school, Ani was one of the survivors of a deadly shooting. And one of the reasons why Ani is so haunted is that she knew the shooters, and she also knew why they made their plans.
In the present, Ani goes out of her way to avoid one of the other survivors, Dean Barton (Alex Barone), while preparing for her wedding with Luke Harrison (Finn Wittrock). However, Ani can’t run from her past forever. And her secrets will be revealed.
Lou (2022)
Who is Lou? In the movie that shares her name, Lou Adell (Allison Janney) is simply the landlady for a young mother, Hannah Dawson (Jurnee Smollett), and her daughter, Vee (Ridley Asha Bateman). At least that’s what Lou wants everyone to believe. It’s a deception that she has learned to live with.
But when Vee is kidnapped by her biological father, Philip (Logan Marshall-Green), Lou springs into action and displays fighting skills that go far beyond the ordinary. Lou also has a personal connection to this drama, and she won’t stop until Vee is back home where she belongs.
Take Care of Maya (2023)
There’s a new documentary climbing the movie charts on Netflix called Take Care of Maya. But fair warning: This film may make you very angry when you learn what Maya Kowalski and her family went through when she suffered from rare and baffling medical symptoms. When Maya’s parents, Beata and Jack, pushed for better care and more transparency from Maya’s doctors, they found themselves accused of abusing their daughter.
That pits Beata and Jack against the medical establishment, and even against each other before a tragic turn of events changes everything. The story’s final chapter hasn’t been written yet, but Take Care of Maya is a cautionary tale that parents should watch no matter how painful it gets.
The Mother (2023)
What if the Terminator was a woman? That’s not quite the premise of The Mother, but Jennifer Lopez’s titular assassin is just about as unstoppable as a killer machine from the future. The only thing that could give this woman pause is her teenage daughter, Zoe (Lucy Paez), whom she gave up years before in the hope that she could grow up safely.
The Mother’s plans are upended when her enemies discover Zoe’s identity and kidnap her. That’s why the mother pulls out all of the stops to save Zoe, and then starts training Zoe so she can protect herself as well.
A Tourist's Guide to Love (2023)
Chupa (2023)
Director Jonás Cuarón’s Chupa has a lot in common with Stephen Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Both films are about a young boy who befriends a creature of unknown origin. In this case, it’s a chupacabra cub that is found by Alex (Evan Whitten), a 13-year-old who is visiting his family in Mexico after the death of his father.
Finding Chupa gives Alex a new sense of purpose as he attempts to care for the cub. But an unscrupulous scientist, Richard Quinn (Christian Slater), will do anything to capture Chupa and prove his theories about the mythical chupacabras. So it falls on Alex to keep Chupa safe.
AKA (2023)
Brush up on your French or turn on the subtitles for AKA, an old-school action flick that may remind you of Man on Fire. Alban Lenoir co-wrote the film and stars as Adam Franco, an undercover French operative who infiltrates the crime organization of Victor Pastore (Eric Cantona).
Adam’s fighting prowess earns him a place as the bodyguard for Victor’s stepson, Jonathan (Noe Chabbat). Against his better judgment, Adam actually grows to care about Jonathan and bonds with him. And when Jonathan’s life is in danger, Adam puts his own life on the line to protect him, no matter what the cost.
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022)
Guillermo del Toro is no stranger to the world of the fantastical, which made the director a more-than-natural fit for a reimagining of Pinocchio. With Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, the director goes all-in with stop motion animation for a story takes place in Italy during World War II. In a fit of despair, Geppetto (voiced by David Bradley) cuts down a tree grown in memory of his son who died in World War I, and uses the lumber to create a puppet he calls Pinocchio (Gregory Mann).
Soon after, the Wood Sprite brings Pinocchio to life and tasks Sebastian J. Cricket (Ewan McGregor) with being his guiding conscience. What follows is a story about discovering who you really are in a world full of near-infinite possibilities, both big and small.
The Highwaymen (2019)
Directed by John Lee Hancock, The Highwaymen stars Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson as Frank Hamer and Maney Gault, a 1930s detective duo hell-bent on taking down two of America’s most notorious outlaws: Bonnie (Emily Brobst) and Clyde (Edward Bossert). When the criminals bust a band of cohorts out of a Texas prison, the governor calls upon a retired Hamer to bring down the malcontents once and for all. Initially hesitant to get involved, he changes his mind after a horrifying Missouri shootout involving the fugitives.
After recruiting his old partner, Gault, the two men go to work delivering justice where justice is needed most. A rich character study that gets into the heads of the Texas lawmen who wanted nothing more than to put two terrible people behind bars, The Highwaymen is a thrill from start to finish.
Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018)
Directed by the king of CGI motion-capture, Andy Serkis, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle does its best to stray from Disney’s interpretations of the classic Rudyard Kipling text. While a handful of the core story elements remain untouched, Serkis does opt for a more down-to-earth approach to Mowgli’s (Rohan Chand) coming-of-age tale.
Reared by wolves, Mowgli forges his way through the hierarchical animal kingdom of India, learning crucial lessons from his bear friend, Baloo (voiced and performed by Serkis), and a panther named Bagheera (Christian Bale). While Serkis’ vision tends to ebb and flow, it’s a rooted and ragged reimagining of the Kipling prose that mostly sticks the landing.
Sand Castle (2017)
Roma (2018)
Roma is writer-director Alfonso Cuarón’s homage to his childhood, heritage, and the many places and things that would inspire and invigorate one of the most renowned international auteurs of our time. Part autobiography, part narrative-fiction, the film follows the life and times of Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), a nanny and servant to an upper-middle-class Mexican family.
When the patriarch Antonio (Fernando Grediaga) runs off with his mistress, Cleo is invited by Sofia (Marina de Tavira), the mother of the household, to take a vacation with her and her four children. But after discovering she’s pregnant, civil strife in 1970s Mexico City threatens everything for Cleo and those she cares for most. A brilliant piece of cinema that was nominated for 10 Oscars, Roma is not one to be missed.
Calibre (2018)
The Pale Blue Eye (2022)
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical (2022)
White Noise (2022)
Troll (2022)
The Wonder (2022)
The Good Nurse (2022)
Based on a real story, The Good Nurse follows Amy Loughren (Jessica Chastain), a working single mother whose career as a nurse could be jeopardized if her employers knew that she suffers from cardiomyopathy. Her new colleague, Charles Cullen (Eddie Redmayne), helps Amy hide her secret, and they become good friends. That’s why Amy doesn’t initially believe detectives Danny Baldwin (Nnamdi Asomugha) and Tim Braun (Noah Emmerich) when they tell her that Charles may be connected to several suspicious deaths. Unfortunately for Amy, the more she looks into it, the more she suspects that her friend is a serial killer.
All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
Wendell & Wild (2022)
Day Shift (2022)
Persuasion (2022)
The Gray Man (2022)
The Sea Beast (2022)
Tick, Tick... BOOM! (2021)
The Lost Daughter (2021)
Hustle (2022)
Spiderhead (2022)
Operation Mincemeat (2022)
The Adam Project (2022)
Don't Look Up (2021)
The Power of the Dog (2021)
The Harder They Fall (2021)
Passing (2021)
Army of Thieves (2021)
Nightbooks (2021)
Fear Street Trilogy (2021)
Moxie (2021)
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)
I Care a Lot (2020)
Mank (2020)
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018)
Enola Holmes (2020)
The Old Guard (2020)
The Two Popes (2019)
Always Be My Maybe (2019)
The King (2019)
The Irishman (2019)
Beasts of No Nation (2015)
Okja (2017)
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