The best movies on Netflix UK to watch right now
Netflix has well over 5,000 films and, despite it being easier than ever to stick on almost any film in the world, it has never been harder to pick which film to watch.
Personally, when I open Netflix the absolutely alarming amount of choice leads to me scrolling all the films I could watch for thirty minutes before realising it’s now too late to watch anything anyways.
Netflix’s algorithm means that oftentimes we are just served up either the newest original film they’ve added or another film that’s incredibly similar to the last one we watched.
We have decided then to pull together 25 of the best movies on the platform from a wide variety of genres to ensure there’s something for everyone. Netflix’s offering is surprisingly varied, with films such as The Dark Knight, Uncut Gems, and Mission Impossible joined by some much lesser-known gems you might not have heard of.
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This list is not solely decided by Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb, but near every film on this list ranges from 80% to a near-perfect 99%.
This list was last updated on 3 November, all films featured were available on Netflix UK at that time with no tags saying they were ‘leaving soon’.
The Dark Knight (2008)
If you’re putting together a list of the best movies on Netflix and are ignoring some of the consensus great films like The Dark Knight for the sake of not being predictable, you’re not doing a proper list.
The second Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale film is one that is so highly lauded that it is easy to forget until you rewatch it how much of an exhilarating watch it is.
With Heath Ledger’s obviously all-timer performance leading to a posthumous Oscar win it has a score of 9.1 on IMDb which places it first all time.
Runtime: 2 hours 32 minutes
Age Rating: 12A
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Director: Christopher Nolan
Watch The Dark Knight here
Athena (2022)
This film sees a group of French youths begin to riot after their leader’s brother is murdered by the police.
Its opening scene is an incredible one-shot 12 minute scene that sees the youths break into a police station, steal a police van and weapons, and turn their local estate into a fortress.
Oftentimes foreign films are solely thought of as lofty high-brow three hour thrillers, but this French-language action-thriller is an exhilarating watch.
Runtime: 1 hour 39 minutes
Age Rating: 15
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Director: Romain Gavras
Watch Athena here
Good Will Hunting (1987)
Similarly to The Dark Knight when you rewatch Good Will Hunting you’re left with one resounding feeling every single time: God that’s so much better than I remember.
The movie saw Matt Damon and Ben Affleck win an Oscar for Best Screenplay at the age of just 27 and 25 respectively, with Robin Williams winning for Best Supporting Actor.
For the very few who haven’t seen it, Damon stars as a young working-class genius who works as a janitor at MIT when he is taken under the wing of a therapist played by Williams.
An undeniable all-timer, it is well worth a watch or rewatch at any time.
Runtime: 2 hours 6 minutes
Age Rating: 15
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Director: Gus Van Sant
Watch Good Will Hunting here
Blair Witch Project (1999)
Sitting at the very top spot of our list of the best Halloween movies on the platform, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Blair Witch Project made this list.
The horror revitalised the found footage subgenre and is a disturbingly creepy watch.
Going in though you will never be able to feel the genuine terror people did in the cinemas, where the actors had been made to sign NDAs to not appear in public and, in a pre-widespread internet age, convince many moviegoers they were real people who were genuinely dead.
Runtime: 1 hour 18 minutes
Age Rating: 15
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Director: Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick
Watch Blair Witch Project here
Rebel Ridge (2024)
This. Movie. Rules. If you haven’t seen Rebel Ridge and fancy a politically-interesting action-thriller that stars Aaron Pierre as a marine who decides to take down a local police force after they steal money he needs to keep family safe, you should absolutely change that.
The director, Jeremy Saulnier, also created the movie Green Room which stars Patrick Stewart alongside some huge names before they were famous (such as Callum Turner and Joe Cole) and followed it up with the Netflix original Rebel Ridge.
Originally set to star Daniel Kaluuya, Aaron Pierre was brought in last minute and produces a performance oozing with charisma and menace that announced him as an action star immediately, leading to his role as Green Lantern in the DCU.
Runtime: 2 hours 11 minutes
Age Rating: 15
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Watch Rebel Ridge here
Goodbye June (2025)
Goodbye June has the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score of any film on this list which is a major shame. The film is a beautiful Christmas family film about a family gathering around their dying mother.
Kate Winslet’s directorial debut, she also stars alongside an all-star cast including Toni Colette, Johnny Flynn, Andrea Riseborough, Timothy Spall, and Helen Mirren.
Whether at Christmas or just a time where you need a good cry, it’s well worth a watch and better than it’s RT score.
Runtime: 1 hour 54 minutes
Age Rating: 15
Rotten Tomatoes: 65%
Director: Kate Winslet
Watch Goodbye June here
Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
Me having a job at LADbible is, in my view, a minor miracle considering during my job interview when asked my favourite film ever I said Perks of Being a Wallflower. The movie, based on a novel and directed by its author, is the quintessential coming of age film.
Starring Logan Lerman alongside Emma Watson (who has an admittedly terrible American accent) this story of coming to terms with grief and trauma whilst you’re in your late teens and are finding yourself is an absolute tear jerker.
Whilst it is at times a super fun and engaging film be warned, only tap into Perks of Being a Wallflower if you are ready and willing to have a great cry. The way it more accurately than any other coming-of-age film captures the confusion and fear of your late teens makes this my personal pick for my favourite film ever.
Runtime: 1 hour 45 minutes
Age Rating: 12
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Director: Stephen Chbosky
Watch Perks of Being a Wallflower here
On the Waterfront (1954)
If you had to make any big criticisms of Netflix’s library it is that their catalogue of older films is undeniably lacking. Thankfully though they have On the Waterfront, an all time classic that won a whopping eight Oscars including a Best Picture win and Best Actor for Marlon Brando.
Brando stars as a former prize-fighter who has become a worker at the docks in Hoboken, New Jersey and gets drawn into a shocking crime involving corrupt gangster union bosses and a worker they have killed.
Most film fans are reticent to try the older classics, but this is one of the greatest films ever made and more than worth a watch.
Runtime: 1 hour 48 minutes
Age Rating: PG
Rotten Tomatoes: 99%
Director: Elia Kazan
Watch On the Waterfront here
Love and Monsters (2020)
Love and Monsters is a fairly little-known adventure-romance film starring Dylan O’Brien.
If you want an easy fun watch it is a great time, following O’Brien as one of the human’s to have survived a radioactive apocalypse that turned normal creatures like frogs into terrifying beasts who took over the world, forcing humanity underground.
Love and Monsters might not change your life, but it is a very fun romp that is perfect for a Friday night unwind.
Runtime: 1 hour 49 minutes
Age Rating: 12
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Director: Michael Matthews
Watch Love and Monsters here
Searching (2018)
Searching is a film that very easily could have been a cool concept and nothing more, but there’s a lot going on under the hood in this inventive thriller.
The concept is simple yet vastly complex at the same time: A man tries to figure out where his daughter has gone missing through her online presence, except the entire thing is presented on a computer screen.
Starring John Cho the film could so easily have been a gimmick but it instead fills it with shocking revelation after shocking revelation until you’re so enthralled you forget that it’s all on a laptop screen.
Runtime: 1 hour 42 minutes
Age Rating: 12
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Director: Aneesh Chaganty
Watch Searching here
Uncut Gems (2019)
This thriller starring Adam Sandler is directed by the since-split Safdie Brothers and feels like you’re on the verge of a panic attack from the first shot to the last.
Populated by several non-actors, including Kevin Garnett playing himself in an incredible acting debut, it feels real and grimy and invigorating.
Between Sandler’s all-timer performance (that was robbed of an Oscar if you ask me) great outings from the non-actors and names such as Idina Menzel and Lakeith Stanfield, and the thrill-a-minute pacing, it is a great watch.
Runtime: 2 hours 15 minutes
Age Rating: 15
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Director: The Safdie Brothers
Watch Uncut Gems here
She’s Gotta Have It (1986)
If you’re ever unsure what to watch, Spike Lee films are always a good choice if you ask me. She’s Gotta Have It is his feature directorial debut and was made for a tiny budget of just $175,000.
This romcom stars Tracy Camilla Johns as a woman who can’t decide which man out of three to date, so instead decides to date all three.
Lee actually acts in the film as well as one of her three boyfriends and, if you’re after a fun romcom, this is a great and slightly underrated classic.
Runtime: 1 hour 28 minutes
Age Rating: 18
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Director: Spike Lee
Watch She’s Gotta Have It here
Dune: Part Two (2024)
Annoyingly Netflix in the UK only has the second Dune, not the first (but a sneaky VPN user might be able to get around this…) but that’s okay for one key reason: the second one is by far the better film and is one of the best blockbusters of the last decade.
Timothee Chalamet helms an absolutely all-star cast in this space sci-fi epic that also features Austin Butler, Stellan Skarsgard, Zendaya, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, and Florence Pugh.
Any Denis Villeneueve film is well worth a watch but Dune: Part Two is a perfect watch in the lead up to Dune: Part Three releasing in cinemas later this year.
Runtime: 2 hours 47 minutes
Age Rating: 12
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Watch Dune: Part Two here
Arrival (2016)
What’s better than one Denis Villeneueve film? Two Denis Villeneueve films! The director, who is set to helm the next James Bond film, is best known in the Sci-Fi realm for his big blockbusters in Dune and Blade Runner but there is a real argument that Arrival is his most thought-provoking movie.
The film sees aliens visiting earth for the first time, with Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner’s characters tasked with trying to figure out how to communicate with creatures that don’t in any way resemble the green antennaed aliens you’d expect from a UFO.
Emotional, thrilling, and with one of the best twist endings of a film in the last decade, Arrival is one of the most underrated Sci-Fi films ever made.
Runtime: 2 hours 47 minutes
Age Rating: 12
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Watch Arrival here
RRR (2022)
Similarly to older films the other biggest criticism of Netflix is their international offerings, but they do however have one of the most acclaimed films outside of the US and UK from the last few years.
RRR is an Indian action epic that is a whopping three hours long but is an absolutely bonkers watch.
The Tollywood film is one of the highest grossing Indian movies ever and was the first and only Indian movie to ever win an Oscar.
Similarly to Athena this defies the stereotype of foreign movies that many western viewers have, RRR is a must-watch thrilling time.
Runtime: 2 hours 47 minutes
Age Rating: 12
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Director: S.S. Rajamouli
Watch RRR here
Aftersun (2022)
This recommendation comes with a serious caveat. Do not watch this unless you are willing to have your heart break into tiny little pieces.
The first time I watched Aftersun I sobbed until my chest hurt, and for anyone who find that kind of experience therapeutic like I do there are few films that do it better.
Brilliantly directed by Charlotte Wells in her feature debut Paul Mescal plays a young dad who takes his daughter on holiday.
Whilst I love Brendan Fraser, him winning Best Actor for The Whale over Mescal was pure robbery, his performance in Aftersun opposite Frankie Corio is pure heartbreak.
Runtime: 1 hour 42 minutes
Age Rating: 12
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
Director: Charlotte Wells
Watch Aftersun here
Field of Dreams (1989)
Americans would probably scoff at you for suggesting this is some sort of lesser known gem, but the baseball aspect of Field of Dreams means that this is a more niche film in the UK.
This, however, is a huge loss, because the film is so much more than baseball and you arguably don’t need to know anything about it to watch this.
Starring Kevin Costner, Ray Liotta, and James Earl Jones, it follows a man who decides to build a baseball field when it begins attracting ghosts.
A great family film, the movie should be a far bigger cultural moment in the UK than it is, whereas in the US it’s beloved for a reason.
Runtime: 1 hour 47 minutes
Age Rating: PG
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Director: Phil Alden Robinson
Watch Field of Dreams here
Godzilla: Minus One (2023)
If I told you the best Godzilla film ever made came out just a few years ago and is in Japanese not English would you believe me? Well you should, because Minus One is a wicked film that is by far the best Godzilla movie ever, it’s not even close.
The film follows a Japanese WW2 pilot riddled with guilt after abandoning his mission to attack Godzilla, with American nuclear tests then turning the monster into the huge creature we know him as now.
This origin film of sorts for the monster spawned its own sequel, Godzilla: Minus Zero, which came out this year and was widely hailed by critics. Hopefully it comes to Netflix soon and completes this outstanding double feature.
Runtime: 2 hours 5 minutes
Age Rating: 12
Rotten Tomatoes: 99%
Director: Takashi Yamazaki
Watch Godzilla: Minus One here
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Tom Cruise action films might be a pretty obvious recommendation a lot of the time, but when you throw in that Edge of Tomorrow is a groundhog day style science-fiction thriller that sees Cruise’s character become an action hero through pure repetition, this stands out as one of his best.
The film, also starring Emily Blunt, didn’t exactly dominate the box office on release but has slowly become a cult classic, and probably Cruise’s most underrated flick of the last 15 years.
Any time-loop film instantly has me hooked and the unique way they apply it to this movie makes it a great easy-to-watch time.
Runtime: 1 hour 53 minutes
Age Rating: 12
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Director: Doug Liman
Watch Edge of Tomorrow here
The Boy and the Heron (2023)
Between Ice Age, The Lego Movie, K-Pop Demon Hunter, and the latest Wallace and Gromit film, there are some brilliant animated movies on Netflix for the whole family.
The Boy and the Heron might not be as well known as these names yet it’s the best animated movie on the streamer, coming from the legendary Hayao Miyazaki.
The Studio Ghibli movie is best watched in its original Japanese but the English voice cast is star-studded, with Robert Pattinson making headlines for his huge voice transformation for the film.
Add to that Florence Pugh, Mark Hammill, Christian Bale, and Willem Dafoe and you have an all-timer voice cast. The movie won Best Animated Film at the Oscars in 2023 and is one of the best of the last decade and if you’ve never seen a Studio Ghibli film before this is a great place to start.
Runtime: 2 hours 4 minutes
Age Rating: 12
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Watch The Boy and the Heron here
Game Night (2018)
If you’re after a fun 90-minute film night in Game Night is one of the funniest comedies in years. Starring Rachel McAdams, Jason Bateman, and Jesse Plemons, the comedy follows a couple dragged into a world of real consequences when Bateman’s character’s brother is kidnapped midway through a ‘murder mystery’ party.
He chases after his brother thinking it’s part of the game, not realising the deadly situation they are in.
With an outstanding comedic cast including Kyle Chandler, Lamorne Morris, Sharon Horgan, and Billy Magnuseen, if you want to have a good laugh this is the movie for you.
Runtime: 1 hour 33 minutes
Age Rating: 15
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Director: John Francis-Daley and Jonathan Goldstein
Watch Game Night here
I Saw the TV Glow (2024)
This psychological horror comes from Jane Schoenbrun, one of the most fascinating directors around right now who also recently came out with Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma.
If you ask me though I Saw the TV Glow is her masterpiece, a beautiful LGTBQIA+ and transgender-centred horror with one of the most shocking endings ever put to screen.
This is not an easy watch, but it is a thought provoking horror with brilliant writing and cinematography.
Runtime: 1 hour 40 minutes
Age Rating: 15
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Director: Jane Schoenbrun
Watch I Saw the TV Glow here
Da 5 Bloods (2020)
The penultimate film of Chadwick Boseman’s career is also (in my eyes) the best film Netflix have ever made.
This two-and-a-half-hour masterpiece directed by Spike Lee and helmed by Delroy Lindo follows a group of Black Vietnam war veterans returning to the south-Asian country in search of gold and the remains of their old squad leader.
The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw sums up how brilliant the movie is in his perfect five star review, saying: “It’s all so inventively bizarre that you could treat it simply as a black comedy, but in the final 15 minutes there is an amazing crescendo of emotion… all that paves the way for the final 10 minutes, in which Lee brings in an outpouring of sadness and grief and determination that is almost overwhelming. For all its craziness, Da 5 Bloods finds an operatic anguish and yearning.”
Runtime: 2 hours 36 minutes
Age Rating: 15
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Director: Spike Lee
Watch Da 5 Bloods here
Roma (2018)
If you’re looking at the best original Netflix movie ever made the closest competition for me is Roma, the 2018 Alfonso Cuaron film.
Roma was a milestone movie for Netflix, the first time they truly announced themselves at the Oscars with nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and a first-time Mexican win for Best Foreign Language film.
One of Cuaron’s best movies of a legendary career, Roma is an emotional historical drama that is partially based on the director’s real life, filmed entirely in black-and-white.
Runtime: 2 hours 15 minutes
Age Rating: 15
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Watch Roma here
Mission Impossible (1996), Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol (2011), and Mission Impossible Fallout (2018)
This may be a cop out but considering Netflix UK has four Mission Impossible films and three of them are arguably the very best the franchise has to offer (sorry Mission Impossible 2) you just have to include them.
Between the original Tom Cruise classic which leaned far more tense, Ghost Protocol which reinvented the franchise and has its best action scene (Tom Cruise stuck to the side of the Burj Khalifa), and 2018’s Fallout, which is the undeniable best of the franchise in my eyes, this selection of three would make a great weekend binge.
All in all if you’re ever struggling to pick something to watch, the Mission Impossible franchise will always be there and will never disappoint.
There is a reason they are the blueprint for modern action films, as they combine an insane care and attention to detail with thrill-a-minute storytelling and a lunatic man willing to risk death to please film viewers. (P.S. if you only have to pick one, definitely pick Fallout just for the Henry Cavill arm-reload scene).
Mission Impossible
Runtime: 1 hour 50 minutes
Age Rating: PG
Rotten Tomatoes: 65%
Director: Brian De Palma
Watch Mission Impossible here.
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Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Runtime: 2 hours 13 minutes
Age Rating: 12
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Director: Brad Bird
Watch Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol here.
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Mission Impossible - Fallout
Runtime: 2 hours 28 minutes
Age Rating: 12
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Watch Mission Impossible – Fallout here.
What are the highest-rated movies on Netflix UK?
Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb may be how everyone ranks the best films around but very few people know they’re totally different.
A Rotten Tomatoe score is far more black and white than IMDb, as it doesn’t mean that a 100% film is a 10/10, but that 100% of verified critics reviewing it gave the movie a positive score.
IMDb however is driven by everyday viewers rating a film out of 10, meaning that a 9/10 average is infinitely more impressive than a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The top 10 films from this list on Rotten Tomatoes:
1. Godzilla Minus One
2. On the Waterfront
3. Good Will Hunting
4. Mission Impossible - Fallout
5. Aftersun
6. The Boy and the Heron
7. Roma
8. Rebel Ridge
9. Arrival
10. The Dark Knight
The top 10 films from this list on IMDb:
1. The Dark Knight (9.1)
2. Dune: Part Two (8.4)
3. Good Will Hunting (8.4)
4. On the Waterfront (8.1)
5. Edge of Tomorrow (7.9)
6. Perks of Being a Wallflower (7.9)
7. Arrival (7.9)
8. RRR (7.8)
9. Mission Impossible – Fallout (7.7)
10. Godzilla Minus One (7.6)
Topics: TV and Film, Film, Netflix
Michael Slavin
