14 Standout Movies to Stream on Netflix Right Now

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 like Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.

Former Marine Terry Richmond heads into a small town to bail his cousin out of jail where local law enforcement illegally seizes his cash. Tensions mount and corruption reigns as he uncovers a deeper conspiracy that involves murder, collusion and greed.

Godzilla Minus One is an Academy Award-winning Japanese-language movie written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki. Set in 1945, the story centers 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.

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.

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 over 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 the night’s true star, wrangling a studio full of nerves, egos, and a little too much wine to produce something genuinely special.

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.

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.

Martha Stewart may seem enigmatic, but in the Netflix documentary Martha, she opens up about her life, from her rise as the first self-made woman billionaire to the lows of a tumultuous divorce and jail time for lying to the Feds. The film has hovered in Netflix’s Top Ten since its release earlier this fall. Whether you love the woman or loathe her, she remains true to herself throughout the film, never compromising on her high standards for a moment.

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. 

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.

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.

Annette Bening and Jodie Foster both scored Oscar nominations (for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively) 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.

Netflix is known for its original holiday movies and the streaming giant has put out some popular ones for several years now. With its latest Christmas movie, Hot Frosty, the company goes full fan service, referencing many of those older films, including Falling for Christmas and A Christmas Prince (there’s a sly Mean Girls joke, too). It’s also giving fans of family-friendly Hallmark holiday movies a little more skin than they’re used to. When Kathy (Lacey Chabert) places an enchanted scarf on a snowman with chiseled abs (just go with it), it comes to life and she finds purpose and joy while he’s around. The almost perpetually shirtless snowman, Jack, is played by Schitt’s Creek star Dustin Milligan, and let’s just say he’s been working out a lot since he played Ted.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was not just one of the best animated movies of 2023, it was one of the best films of the year, period. The animated superhero movie brings together various versions of Peter Parker/Spider-Man from across time and space, using a portal to connect their worlds as they battle the supervillain known as The Spot. Jam-packed with dozens of famous voices, from Shameik Moore to Jason Schwartzman and Hailee Steinfeld, the film is the first half of an epic saga that’ll conclude with Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, which may not arrive until 2027.