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. It's earned honors at award shows including the Oscars, Golden Globes and Emmys.
The streaming giant won three Oscars in 2025, and action-thriller Rebel Ridge nabbed an Emmy Award for Best TV Movie this year. Popular films like KPop Demon Hunters, which is now the platform's most-watched movie ever, have also 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. We recommend checking out one of our favorite Quentin Tarantino films, Inglourious Basterds, which is leaving Netflix at the end of the month. And if you haven't seen it yet, Godzilla Minus One, the Oscar-winning monster movie helmed by Yamazaki Takashi, is also worth your attention. That film is getting a newly-announced sequel, Godzilla Minus Zero, so now's a great time to see the original.
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
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Universal Pictures/The Weinstein Company Inglourious Basterds (2009) One of Quentin Tarantino's best, Inglourious Basterds is an alternate World War II history that reimagines what would have happened if a group of American soldiers carried out a plot to assassinate a group of Nazis in Paris during the war. The film co-stars Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Melanie Laurent and Diane Kruger, and it won Christoph Waltz an Oscar for his darkly comedic portrayal of Austrian SS officer Hans Landa. Catch it soon, because it's leaving Netflix on Nov. 30.
Toho Godzilla Minus One (2023) 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. A sequel to the Sony film has also just been announced; Godzilla Minus Zero is expected in theaters in late 2026. Watch Godzilla Minus One on Netflix
Paramount Pictures Election (1999) Election was one of filmmaker Alexander Payne's first films and the dark, comedic satire still holds up, maybe even more now that ever. Reese Witherspoon stars as Tracy Flick, an over-achieving high school student running for office, and Matthew Broderick is Jim McAllister, a teacher at Tracy's school who attempts to sabotage her campaign. Skewering politics, high school, sexism and more, the film is well worth a watch.
Warner Bros Tenet (2020) Christopher Nolan, who wrote and directed Tenet, was adamant that the film be released in theaters in 2020, and so it became the first major premiere of the COVID era. While it certainly deserved to be seen on a big screen, the time-bending action thriller that stars John David Washington and Robert Pattinson is well worth watching at home. The film dropped on Netflix Nov. 1.
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