Best Movies on Netflix Right Now
Last updated: April 14, 2026
How this list works: I update this page every week. New arrivals land at the top. The catalog picks at the bottom are tested — I’ve watched all of them. If something leaves Netflix or stops being worth recommending, it goes. No padding. No filler.
Table of Contents
🆕 New This Week (April 14–20, 2026)
A Quiet Place Part II (2021)
Genre: Horror / Sci-Fi | Runtime: 1h 37m | Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
The Abbott family’s world expanded — and got scarier. Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, and the series’ impeccable sound design return for a sequel that trades the claustrophobic farmhouse of the original for a wider, even more relentless post-apocalyptic landscape. It doesn’t top the first film (nothing will), but it absolutely earns its place as a worthy follow-up. If you haven’t seen it, this is the weekend pick.
Worth it? Yes. One of the better studio horror sequels of the 2020s.
Him (2025)
Genre: Horror / Drama | Runtime: 1h 52m | Rotten Tomatoes: 62%
A rising American football prospect enters a mentorship with a veteran quarterback that turns into something far darker. Director Justin Tipping earns points for ambition — it’s rare to see NFL culture used as a horror backdrop — but the execution is uneven. With the NFL Draft happening this month, the timing makes it relevant, but keep your expectations in check.
Worth it? For horror fans only. Skip it if you need a strong script to go with your scares.
Thrash (2025)
Genre: Action / Horror | Runtime: 1h 33m | Rotten Tomatoes: 38%
Sharks in a flooded hurricane town. That’s the pitch, and that’s basically all you get. The premise is gleefully dumb, the execution is frustrating. Unless “sharks in floodwater” is the exact specific genre you’re craving tonight, your time is better spent elsewhere on this list.
Worth it? Hard pass. Fun concept, forgettable movie.
🎯 Best Movies on Netflix Right Now — My Top Picks
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026)
Genre: Horror | Runtime: 1h 49m | Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Ralph Fiennes anchors this Nia DaCosta-directed sequel, and the film had a rough start — Sony’s decision to release it just months after Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later confused audiences who assumed it was a re-release. They were wrong. This is its own brutal, deeply unsettling thing, following Spike and a gang of tracksuit-clad Satanists through a changed Britain. The cinematography is stunning. Watch this before the conversation catches up.
Why it’s on this list: One of the best horror films of 2026, landing on Netflix while most people still haven’t seen it.
Anaconda (2025)
Genre: Comedy / Monster | Runtime: 1h 58m | Rotten Tomatoes: 74%
Jack Black and Paul Rudd play two buddies who travel to the Amazon to shoot their own remake of the 1997 Anaconda — and get hunted by the real thing. The meta-humor lands more than it doesn’t. It’s currently dominating Netflix’s US charts, and for once the algorithm and I agree: this one is genuinely fun. Don’t read too much into it. Just watch it.
Why it’s on this list: It’s the most-watched movie on Netflix right now for a reason.
A House of Dynamite (2025)
Genre: Political Thriller | Runtime: 2h 11m | Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Kathryn Bigelow’s first film since Detroit (2017) and it was worth the wait. A nuclear missile has been launched at Chicago by an unknown source. U.S. officials have hours to figure out who did it and stop what comes next. Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, and Greta Lee lead an exceptional cast through a film that never lets you breathe. A rare Netflix Original that feels like a real theatrical event.
Why it’s on this list: The best Netflix Original of 2026 so far, full stop.
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man (2025)
Genre: Crime Drama | Runtime: 2h 14m | Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Cillian Murphy returning as Tommy Shelby was the most-anticipated Netflix event of the year. The film delivers — it’s darker, more contained, and more emotionally honest than the later series seasons. If you watched the show, this is mandatory. If you never did, the film is self-contained enough to work on its own.
Why it’s on this list: 91% on Rotten Tomatoes and one of the most-watched films on Netflix globally in early 2026, with over 44.7 million views in its first two weeks.
His Three Daughters (2024)
Genre: Drama | Runtime: 1h 55m | Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
An old man is dying in hospice. His three daughters — Elizabeth Olsen, Carrie Coon, and Natasha Lyonne — are together in his New York apartment for what might be the last time. They don’t get along. What follows is one of the sharpest, most human pieces of writing Netflix has produced. Carrie Coon in particular is stunning. This one asks nothing of you except attention.
Why it’s on this list: 98% on RT. If you haven’t seen it, this is the most urgent recommendation on this page.
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
Genre: Sci-Fi / Action | Runtime: 2h 5m | Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
Post-war Japan, devastated and broken, faces a new kind of catastrophe. This Japanese-language kaiju film earned an Academy Award for visual effects while costing a fraction of what Hollywood typically spends on its monster movies. The human stories are genuine. The destruction is extraordinary. According to Box Office Mojo, it became the highest-grossing Japanese live-action film ever released in the US.
Why it’s on this list: It’s simply one of the best blockbusters of the decade. No other kaiju film comes close.
The Perfect Neighbor (2026)
Genre: Documentary | Runtime: 1h 42m | Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Director Geeta Gandbhir’s documentary examines the 2023 murder of Ajike “AJ” Owens in Florida — a Black mother of four shot by her neighbor through a closed door — and the stand-your-ground laws that shaped the aftermath. It premiered at Sundance to extraordinary reviews. It’s a difficult, necessary watch. Not Friday-night entertainment, but exactly the kind of documentary that earns the “important” label without being preachy.
Why it’s on this list: Sundance-acclaimed. The best documentary currently on Netflix.
The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson (2026)
Genre: True Crime Documentary | Runtime: 1h 28m | Rotten Tomatoes: N/A (new)
Currently dominating Netflix’s movie chart. Pro cyclist Moriah Wilson was murdered in 2022 in what became one of sport’s most disturbing true crime stories. This Netflix documentary brings the story together with clarity and emotional weight. True crime is dominating the movie chart this week, and this documentary has taken a comfortable lead over licensed catalog hits.
Worth it? Yes — particularly if you followed the original case.
📽️ Catalog Picks Worth Watching This Month
These aren’t new, but they’re the catalog films I’d point anyone to first right now.
RRR (2022)
Genre: Action / Adventure | Runtime: 3h 7m | Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
S.S. Rajamouli’s epic about two real figures from India’s history who become friends before fighting the British Raj together. It runs over three hours. You won’t feel it. The action sequences are genuinely physics-defying in a way that makes most Hollywood blockbusters look timid. This is the film that convinced a generation of Western viewers to stop ignoring non-English cinema.
American Gangster (2007)
Genre: Crime Drama | Runtime: 2h 37m | Rotten Tomatoes: 80%
Just added to Netflix this month. Ridley Scott directing Denzel Washington as drug kingpin Frank Lucas, with a throwback script from Steven Zaillian. This is one of Scott’s most underrated films, and it holds up completely. If you missed it in theaters or haven’t revisited it in years, now’s the time.
Hell or High Water (2016)
Genre: Crime / Drama | Runtime: 1h 42m | Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Two brothers rob banks to save their Texas ranch. Two Rangers try to stop them. Before Taylor Sheridan became the Yellowstone machine, he wrote this — and it remains his best work. Chris Pine and Ben Foster are excellent. Jeff Bridges earned an Oscar nomination. One of the best crime films of the 2010s.
Ex Machina (2014)
Genre: Sci-Fi / Thriller | Runtime: 1h 48m | Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Alex Garland’s directorial debut, about a programmer invited to test an AI housed in a humanoid robot body. In 2026, it hits differently — the questions it asks about consciousness, manipulation, and who controls emerging intelligence feel less like speculative fiction and more like something we should have been taking notes on. Oscar Isaac is terrifying in it.
Anatomy of a Fall (2023)
Genre: Legal Drama | Runtime: 2h 32m | Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
A woman is suspected of murdering her husband. The trial unfolds. Sandra Hüller’s performance won a Palme d’Or at Cannes and is one of the great acting performances of the decade. The film is a Palme d’Or winner that refuses easy answers. Stick with it.
Train to Busan (2016)
Genre: Horror / Thriller | Runtime: 1h 58m | Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
The zombie film that made everyone reassess zombie films. A train to Busan, South Korea. A viral outbreak. A father and daughter trying to survive. The action is relentless, but it’s the characters you’ll remember. This is the standard against which every zombie thriller should be measured.
Glory (1989)
Genre: War / Drama | Runtime: 2h 2m | Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Denzel Washington’s Oscar-winning performance in Edward Zwick’s Civil War drama about the first all-Black regiment in the Union Army. Described by film critics as one of the finest Civil War movies ever made, it remains a benchmark. Some movies age. This one deepens.
📅 Coming to Netflix Soon
- Merrily We Roll Along — Already available. The acclaimed Broadway recording of Stephen Sondheim’s most controversial musical, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Jonathan Groff.
- Apex — April 24. An action thriller that’s been generating serious word-of-mouth.
❌ Skip These (So You Don’t Have To)
A few titles showing up in your recommendations that don’t deserve your evening:
- Thrash — As covered above. Sharks-in-floods premise, no follow-through.
- Him — Well-intentioned but messy. Only for dedicated horror completionists.
How I Pick These
I don’t sort by Rotten Tomatoes score alone. A 95% score means something different for a beloved 2023 arthouse film than for a comfortable crowd-pleaser from 2004. My criteria for every recommendation here:
- Is it actually good? I’ve watched everything on this list.
- Is it worth your specific evening? I categorize by what you’re in the mood for, not just what critics liked.
- Does it earn its runtime? Anything over 2 hours gets extra scrutiny.
- Is it still on Netflix? I verify before every update. Titles leave without notice.
Consumer tech & culture writer. 200+ gadget reviews. Covers phones, laptops, gaming, streaming, puzzles, and digital culture. Writes for real people buying real products.