true77
Looking for the best new movies on Netflix? With a diverse range of genres available, it can be overwhelming to decide what to watch. Don’t worry, we’ve curated a list of the top Netflix original films of 2024, covering everything from heartwarming dramas to pulse-racing action-adventures.
22. How to Rob a Bank
Explore the curious world of bank robber “Hollywood” in this bio-doc featuring animated reenactments and interviews. Watch the mystery unfold on Netflix.
21. Damsel
Join Elodie on a survival journey in a dragon’s lair in this kick-ass film starring Millie Bobby Brown. Discover dark fantasy and self-empowerment themes on Netflix.
20. Spaceman
Experience the surreal sci-fi drama of astronaut Jakub Prochazka and his giant space spider friend on Netflix. A unique and enchanting adventure awaits.
Travel back to 1985, when some of the biggest names in music — Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Willie Nelson, Bette Midler, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, and more — came together for a charity single in hopes of making a better world. Centering on interviews with the artists and technicians who made the charity single “We Are the World,” this delightful doc is full of flashy anecdotes, zinging one-liners, and even some heartache. While plenty of interviewees offer fun and insights, Lionel Richie, who also produced the doc, proves the MVP, providing not only plenty of context, but also some stellar impressions of Michael Jackson and his exotic pets.
How to watch: The Greatest Night in Pop is now streaming on Netflix.
17. The Union
Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry team up for an action-comedy that is surprisingly charming! He’s a Boston everyman who works construction by day and by night hooks up with local hotties (including his former seventh-grade English teacher). She’s a globe-trekking secret agent — and his high school girlfriend — who shows up at their old dive bar out of the blue to invite him in on a secret mission. Together, they’re working for The Union.
Explosive espionage action blends with rom-com chemistry as Wahlberg and Berry delve into car chases, gun fights, and plenty of bouncy banter. J.K. Simmons brings gruff bravado, while Evil‘s Mike Colter delivers breathtaking swagger. Full of thrills, fun, and verve, The Union is a great pick for movie night at home.
How to watch: The Union is now streaming on Netflix.
16. Orion and the Dark
Charlie Kaufman, the brilliantly twisted mind behind movies like Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and I’m Thinking of Ending Things, tried his hand at family-friendly fare in 2024 with Orion and the Dark.
Centering on a fearful 11-year-old boy (voiced by Jacob Tremblay), this adaptation of Emma Yarlett’s children’s book follows Orion on an adventure way past bedtime, when the Dark he feared comes out of hiding to introduce himself. Together, they travel the world with the creatures of night and learn what wonders can come from confronting what scares you. An animated adventure about the anxieties of children and their grown-ups, Orion and the Dark is a winsome and weird wonder for all ages. But maybe don’t watch it right before bed. It’s not nightmare fuel, but it’s so surreal it could toy with your dreams!
How to watch: Orion and the Dark is now streaming on Netflix.
Forget Iron Man and Superman, and get ready for the epic adventures of Ultraman! The Japanese sci-fi hero has been the subject of TV shows, movies, and comic books dating back to 1966. But even if you’re not up on all that, don’t worry, because Ultraman: Rising is a terrific entry point for those new to the franchise.
Directed by Shannon Tindle, Ultraman: Rising is a vivid, animated action-comedy that centers on pro-baseball player Kenji “Ken” Sato (voiced by Days of Our Lives‘ star Christopher Sean) as he takes on the mantle of Ultraman. This means not only donning the signature masked, metal super suit and growing to massive size to battle kaijus, but also keeping his identity secret from the press — including keen-eyed reporter Ami Wakita (Julia Harriman). This balance becomes even more precarious when Ken accidentally adopts a baby kaiju, who is as adorable as she is catastrophically destructive. (So, basically your average toddler, but giant, with laser vision!) Packed to the brim with humor, heart, action, and parent-child bonding, Ultraman: Rising is the feel-good superhero 2024 needed.
How to watch: Ultraman: Rising is now streaming on Netflix.
The Platform 2
Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia’s sequel takes us back to the nightmarish world of the original: A vertical prison with a table of food that travels slowly from the top to the bottom, with the prisoners at the top eating well — and the ones at the bottom starving to death.
How to watch: The Platform 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
Slipping into the skin of lovers, frenemies, and rivals, these twentysomethings flirt, fight, and deceive until a deadly turn raises the stakes. And every step of this movie is gleefully twisted. In his Mashable review, Siddhant Adlakha raved, “Wielding devilishly enjoyable visual language, it provides winking hints of catharsis that make even its most audacious, galaxy-brained genre swerves feel like a couple’s therapy session atop the world’s tallest, fastest roller coaster. It’s a frenetic and fascinating film that can’t be missed.” — K.P.
How to watch: It’s What’s Inside is now streaming on Netflix.
The Kitchen
Kibwe Tavares and Daniel Kaluuya’s film The Kitchen is more than a sci-fi drama set in near-future London; it’s a sharp commentary on privatization and oppression, police brutality, and the power of community resistance. It’s also Kaluuya’s directorial debut, and a hell of a watch. Protagonists Izi (Top Boy star Kane Robinson) and Benji (Jedaiah Bannerman) live within the titular neighborhood known as The Kitchen, the last remaining bastion of independent housing in London. Plagued by brutal police raids and skint resources, the community is constantly under threat. It’s a brilliantly shot, superbly acted, and all-too-real cautionary tale. — S.C.
How to watch: The Kitchen is now streaming on Netflix.
The Imaginary
Director Yoshiyuki Momose, who had a hand in such Studio Ghibli classics as Spirited Away and Porco Rosso, offers a fresh tale of adventure with this animated darling. The Imaginary centers on Rudger, a blonde boy who is the devoted imaginary friend to a mischievous little girl named Amanda. Together, they can get up to all kinds of extraordinary adventures. But when a strange man begins poking around, seeking to steal Rudger away, the boy will have to rely on his newfound community of “imaginaries” to get back to Amanda and save her from emotions so big they could swallow her whole. Featuring voice work from Louie Rudge-Buchanan, Evie Kiszel, Hayley Atwell, Sky Katz, Jeremy Swift, Kal Penn, LeVar Burton, and many more, this Netflix original is as full of charm as it is astounding visuals. — K.P.
How to watch: The Imaginary is now streaming on Netflix.
Pierre plays ex-Marine Terry in Rebel Ridge, a film about town-wide corruption fueled by civil asset forfeiture. The stand-off between Terry and the cops is intense, with Saulnier’s expert tension-building. Rebel Ridge is now streaming on Netflix.
Richard Linklater and Glen Powell reunite in Hit Man, a rom-com about a college professor with a side gig as a hit man. The film toggles between hilarious, thrilling, and sexy moments. Hit Man is now streaming on Netflix.
His Three Daughters follows three sisters coping with their father’s final days in hospice care. The drama grapples with grief and sibling rivalry in a cathartic way. His Three Daughters is now streaming on Netflix.
