Looking for something worth watching right now? With thousands of TV shows and good movies on Netflix to choose from, finding the perfect film on the best streaming service can be a real pain. Good thing we’ve done some extensive research for you and found the best Netflix movies to stream right now.
If you’re looking for films to watch on other platforms, we’ve also found the best Amazon Prime movies, the best Hulu movies, and the best Disney+ movies for October 2021.
Jaws (1975)
The “first summer blockbuster,” and Steven Spielberg’s initial claim to fame, Jaws is a classic horror film that launched Spielberg’s career to new heights. When a giant shark terrorizes a small beach town, the responsibility falls on a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old sailor to hunt and kill the vicious beast. Masterfully making use of cinematography, music, and limited technology, this film changed the landscape of filmmaking forever. This has gone on to become one of the best movies of all time for its impact on the industry as well as its overall quality.
Director: Steven Spielberg
Main Cast: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss
Runtime: 124 minutes
IMDb Rating: 8.0
Blade Runner (1982)
A sci-fi, cyberpunk dreamscape of epic proportions, Blade Runner is a sci-fi classic that should be viewed by anyone claiming to be a fan of the genre. A man who hunts down cyber-humans known as replicants, a blade runner, must find a small group of them who have commandeered a ship in space and returned to Earth with a mysterious mission. Even if you’ve seen this movie before, it’s the final cut that is featured on Netflix right now, showing new scenes to nerd out to.
Director: Ridley Scott
Main Cast: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young
Runtime: 117 minutes
IMDb Rating: 8.1
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
In one of the most popular movies from the 1980s, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is one of those films that is and will be referenced for many years to come. Ferris (Matthew Broderick) is a class-cutting “wise guy” that has a knack for trouble, so decides that he must go out with a bang one last time before graduation, running wild in the streets of Chicago with his cohorts.
Director: John Hughes
Main Cast: Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara
Runtime: 103 minutes
IMDb Rating: 7.8
Inception (2010)
In a conceptual roller coaster of constantly increasing depth, Inception is Christopher Nolan’s most popular mind-bending action movie that will make you question consciousness itself. A thief named Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) who specializes in corporate espionage by stealing secrets from people’s minds is hired to perform a seemingly impossible task: Plant a life-altering idea into someone’s subconscious. Though at times this movie is a bit over the top, it’s one of the best Nolan films ever, featuring a solid cast and use of creative film tools to wow and challenge audiences.
Director: Christopher Nolan
Main Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elliot Paige
Runtime: 148 minutes
IMDb Rating: 8.8
Pineapple Express (2008)
In an endlessly quotable adventure and one of the best Seth Rogen movies, Pineapple Express established a new era of stoner comedy mixed with outright violence and absolute hilarity. A process server named Dale Denton (Seth Rogen) witnesses his next “client” brutally murder somebody in his home. When it turns out that “client” (Gary Cole) is actually the top dog of the local underground marijuana industry, Dale and his regular dealer (James Franco) have to get lost or get angry.
Directors: David Gordon Green
Main Cast: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Gary Cole
Runtime: 111 minutes
IMDb Rating: 6.9
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Based on the very real exploits of former con-man Frank Abagnale Jr., Catch Me If You Can is a crime drama that details the early life and causes of this mischief. Abagnale (Leonardo DiCaprio) is neither a doctor, a pilot, nor a lawyer, but it makes the forged checks he cashes all over the country that much more believable. Fun and charming are two words that could be used to describe this film, but the performances are what really make it one of the best Steven Spielberg movies ever.
Director: Steven Spielberg
Main Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken
Runtime: 141 minutes
IMDb Rating: 8.1
Good Time (2017)
A wildly original, exciting, and personal film from the Safdie Brothers, Good Time is a slow but sure rise in tension and anxiety that keeps the viewer enthralled. This is a story of Connie Nikas (Robert Pattinson), a selfish con man who dedicates one perilous New York night to the rescue of his brother, who has been arrested due to their foolish attempt at armed robbery. In what is arguably Robert Pattinson’s best performance, he complements the crisp writing, distinctive direction, and indelible cinematography that makes this film a visceral experience.
Director(s): Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie
Main Cast: Robert Pattinson, Benny Safdie, Jennifer Jason Leigh
Runtime: 102 minutes
IMDb Rating: 7.4
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Another fantastically dark film from director Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood is a wonderful addition to the list of all-time best performances from the legendary leading man, Daniel Day-Lewis. A cutthroat oil prospector and entrepreneur named Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) successfully cons locals out of their land using his recently adopted son as a prop, but encounters issues when a young and emphatic preacher (Paul Dano) begins to take notice and dole out his religiously driven justice. This movie is shocking and profound and does well to steadily build tension until the epic and indelible climax.
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Main cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Ciarán Hinds
Runtime: 158 minutes
IMDb Rating: 8.2
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
In one of Clint Eastwood’s best directed and acted films, Million Dollar Baby is a sports drama with unimaginable depth and shattering tragedy. An aging and bitter boxing coach named Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) is pestered by a young woman named Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) to teach her to fight. Reluctant at first to train her — partly because she’s a woman but also for deeper, darker reasons — he eventually gives her a chance and trains her to fight because it’s all she wants to do.
Directors: Clint Eastwood
Main cast: Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman
Runtime: 132 minutes
IMDb Rating: 8.1
Ip Man (2008)
When Japanese forces invade China during World War II, a wealthy and respected Wing Chun Kung Fu master called Ip Man (Donnie Yen) is forced to leave his home and survive on the Japanese-occupied streets of Foshan. This is a biographical tale of Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man (Bruce Lee’s mentor), this film focuses on the events that may have taken place during that time. Due to its historical ode and its epic fighting scenes, this has topped our list of the best kung fu movies ever.
Director: Wilson Yip
Main Cast: Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Siu-Wong Fan
Runtime: 106 minutes
IMDb Rating: 8.0
Mank (2020)
With more Academy Award nominations in 2021 than any other film, Mank held 10 nominations and is a film feat of historic proportions. Herman J. “Mank” Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman) is given a deadline to finish the screenplay for Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane, and must also deal with old Hollywood politics, corruption, and debilitating alcoholism. Filmed in a style reminiscent of the classic Welles films — for which it won best cinematography and production design — this film goes above and beyond its goals, and is one of David Fincher’s best films to date.
Director: David Fincher
Main Cast: Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins
Runtime: 131 minutes
IMDb Rating: 7.0
Extraction (2020)
Lots of violence and big explosions, Extraction is a whole lot of fun and one of the best-choreographed stunt works of last year. When black-market mercenary Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) is hired to save an imprisoned warlord’s son, the stakes rise exponentially as more and more local gunrunners and traffickers learn of the situation. Fulfilling the vision of veteran stunt coordinator/first-time director Sam Hargrave is quite an accomplishment, which makes it a contender for one of the best Chris Hemsworth movies — if you don’t include the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Director: Sam Hargrave
Main Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Bryon Lerum, Ryder Lerum
Runtime: 116 minutes
IMDb Rating: 6.7
The Mitchells vs. The Machines (2021)
If you’re looking for a new family comedy on Netflix, The Mitchells vs. The Machines checks all the right boxes. The plot follows a quirky and dysfunctional family with some generational communication struggles. When the father (Danny McBride) decides to take a road trip to reconnect with his daughter (Abbi Jacobson), they find themselves stuck in a car together as the only humans who can stop the sudden robot apocalypse.
Directors: Michael Rianda, Jeff Rowe
Main Cast: Abbi Jacobson, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph
Runtime: 113 minutes
IMDb Rating: 7.8
The Hateful Eight (2015)
Available in the original 168-minute slow burn, or the extended version cut into episodes, The Hateful Eight is definitely one of Quentin Tarantino’s best films. An unlikely group of Old West strangers ends up stranded in a cabin during a harsh snowstorm, but nothing is as it seems in this situation. Full of expected violence and witty banter, this film leans heavily toward the latter, leaving some audiences impatient with its suspense.
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Main Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh
Runtime: 168 minutes
IMDb Rating: 7.8
Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond – Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton (2017)
This incredibly powerful and reality-bending Netflix documentary chronicles the filming and acting processes behind the film Man on the Moon, where Jim Carrey delves deeply into his own psyche years after his spiritual and mental separation from the “character” of Jim Carrey and into the characters Andy Kaufman and Tony Clifton. Throughout this film, we see hours and hours of behind-the-scenes footage on set, where Carrey (Kaufman) loses his perception of self and even experiences visceral, tear-jerking moments with the real people who were close to Kaufman. This film is one of the best Jim Carrey movies to learn about him as an actor, a character, and a vessel, all of which become ambiguously melded together in a somewhat melancholic showing of sheer talent and wavering identity.
Directors: Chris Smith
Main Cast: Jim Carrey, Danny DeVito, Milos Forman
Runtime: 94 minutes
IMDb Rating: 7.7
Uncut Gems (2019)
A Safdie brothers treasure, Uncut Gems is an emotional and gritty thriller starring the unlikely Adam Sandler, who shines in a new genre of torrential anxiety. With a legendary score designed to keep the audience’s rapt attention, we follow a crafty, talkative jeweler through the streets of New York as he attempts to win big, or else lose it all.
Director: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie
Main Cast: Adam Sandler, Julia Fox, Idina Menzel
Runtime: 135 minutes
IMDb Rating: 7.4
Marriage Story (2019)
This Netflix Original movie is a beautiful look into just how complicated marriage and family can be, dissecting a husband and wife in the middle of a divorce. But Marriage Story isn’t all doom and gloom, it’s an emotional story that shows that divorce doesn’t have to mean the family can’t stay together.
Director: Noah Baumbach
Main Cast: Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson
Runtime: 137 minutes
IMDb Rating: 8.0
Always Be My Maybe (2019)
If you’re looking for a good romantic comedy on Netflix, Always Be My Maybe is a great place to start. The story follows Sasha (Ali Wong) and Marcus (Randall Park), two people who everyone assumed would end up together. Reconnecting after 15 years apart, they begin to think maybe they are meant to be.
Director: Nahnatchka Khan
Main Cast: Ali Wong, Randall Park, James Saito
Runtime: 101 minutes
IMDb Rating: 6.8
The Social Dilemma (2020)
What are the effects of social networks on the human psyche? This Netflix documentary is a terrifying look inside how and why tech giants like Facebook, Twitter, and Google operate in the way they do. You get to hear from tech experts in different fields discussing the negative impact and polarizing nature of these attention-grabbing algorithms they created.
Director: Jeff Orlowski
Main cast: Tristan Harris, Jeff Seibert, Bailey Richardson
Runtime: 94 minutes
IMDb Rating: 7.9
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
This classic 1970s British comedy from Monty Python, considered to be one of the best comedies of all time, follows King Arthur (Graham Chapman) and his Knights of the Round Table as they embark on a low-budget and absolutely absurd search for the holy grail. Comedy ensues as this medieval group of soldiers encounters a plethora of silly obstacles in their quest for greatness.
Directors: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones
Main cast: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle
Runtime: 92 minutes
IMDb Rating: 8.2
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