Sometimes it gets a bad rap, but there’s no doubting the high production value of Netflix’s original programming. The streamer has found several ways into the mainstream and, as much as it produces reality shows that end up being guilty pleasures, they also make noteworthy TV shows and movies.
The following is a list of those movies: the best Netflix original movies to have been released during the present decade and which prove that the streaming platform with the big “N” also cares for quality, award-winning movies. Here are the 10 best Netflix original movies of the 2020s, so far.
10 'The Devil All the Time' (2020)
- Release Date
- September 11, 2020
- Runtime
- 666
The Devil All the Time follows the lives of several characters throughout a couple of decades as their lives fall into a world of corruption and death in Knockemstiff, a small town in Ohio where it all begins. Arvin Russell is a young man whose past is clouded by tragedy, and when he tries to save young Lenora from a predatory priest, he discovers the almost inevitable darkness of those who surround him.
An Underrated Drama That Didn’t Get Enough Love Upon Release
Starring Tom Holland in what could be his best movie, The Devil All the Time came and went, and was quickly forgotten because everyone complained it was too long and bleak. Although it sits at 65% on Rotten Tomatoes, it is one of the best drama thrillers on Netflix, and a solid offer by young director Antonio Campos. The score by Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans will stay in your head for years.
9 'His House' (2020)
- Release Date
- January 27, 2020
- Runtime
- 93
Bol and Rial are asylum seekers who have just escaped the terror of living in South Sudan. Together, they arrive in England without their daughter, as the child lost her life during the trip. They are “welcomed” into the country, but with a few conditions. Aside from the traumatic experience of being refugees, the couple begins to experience a haunting carried out by an entity living in their new rundown house.
Trauma Is Materialized in a Horror Approach
One of the best Black horror films in recent history (100% score on Rotten Tomatoes), His House is a pure horror film that explores the trauma of refugees and gives it a supernatural shade that’s proportional to what they universally go through. It’s scary when exposing its genre tropes, but it’s also a well-acted film led by Wunmi Mosaku, Sope Dirisu, and House of the Dragon’s Matt Smith. When it comes to Netflix original horror, there’s probably nothing better than this one.
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8 'Oxygen' (2021)
- Release Date
- May 12, 2021
- Runtime
- 1hr 40min
In Oxygen, Liz wakes up in a pod. The cryogenic unit is airtight, but its systems announce it’s running out of oxygen. Liz doesn’t know who she is or why she’s trapped in the pod. M.I.L.O., the AI entity that’s controlling everything, provides some clues while also preventing Liz from opening the pod. Eventually, she’s able to contact someone outside, but that’s when she finds the darker truth about her situation.
High Tension Sci-Fi Like You Haven’t Seen
Originally titled Oxygène, this French import was critically acclaimed upon release (it still holds an 89% score on Rotten Tomatoes). While director Alexandre Aja is to be praised for such a bold and risky exercise in tension, the recognition should go to Mélanie Laurent for her ability to embody Liz in such a difficult role with specific physicality, which results in restriction. For fans of sci-fi thrillers, it really doesn’t get any better than Netflix original Oxygen and its twist ending.
7 'The Power of the Dog' (2021)
- Release Date
- December 1, 2021
- Runtime
- 2hr 6min
The Power of the Dog follows Phil and George Burbank, two wealthy but very different siblings who each have their own views when managing their cattle business. Phil is a rough and lonely rancher, but George is more open. The latter falls in love with Rose, a widow who has a son named Peter. When Phil starts humiliating Rose and Peter for various reasons, he ultimately reveals his true feelings and the reasons for his scorning nature.
A Beautiful Oscar Winner
Starring Benedict Cumberbatch in one of his best roles, The Power of the Dogwas acclaimed by critics and audiences and nominated for 12 Academy Awards. Only director Jane Campion won that night, but it was the most powerful contender of the night against the highly-questioned CODA. The 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes speaks for itself for a film that simply gets better with every rewatch. The cinematography by Ari Wegner and score by Jonny Greenwood are two of the several noteworthy aspects of one of Netflix’s best dramas.
6 'All Quiet on the Western Front' (2022)
- Release Date
- September 29, 2022
- Runtime
- 143 Minutes
All Quiet on the Western Frontis the story of 17-year-old Paul Bäumer, as he enlists with his friends in the Imperial German Army, right as the Germans are thinking of ending the war. Very quickly, Paul loses one of his friends and becomes aware of the horrors of war. What follows is an honest attempt by Paul to leave the conflict alive, even if it means losing the honor of fighting for his country.
One of the Best War Films Ever Made
Based on the novel of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front is the best adaptation of its source material and one of the best war films ever made. Internationally acclaimed, the Netflix anti-war film won four Academy Awards, something rare for a non-English language film. The score by Volker Bertelmann (one of the Oscar wins) will live rent-free in your head.
5 'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery' (2022)
- Release Date
- December 23, 2022
- Runtime
- 2hr 9min
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery follows a tech billionaire named Miles Bron, who invites his friends for a getaway on his private island. Famed detective Benoit Blanc comes along, claiming he was also invited, but Bron insists he wasn’t. However, when one of Bron’s friends dies during a murder mystery game, Blanc’s presence becomes essential to him solving the crime and stopping the killer who walks among the islanders.
One of the Best Sequels in Recent Years
While the film has some detractors, Rian Johnson’s sequel to Knives Out is a great mystery whodunit. It has enough comic relief to keep things fresh while the mystery is solved and your brain is turned to mush with all the thinking you have to do. The cast includes Edward Norton, Daniel Craig, Janelle Monáe, Jessica Henwick, Kathryn Hahn, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, and others, proving Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery has one of the best ensemble casts of a Netflix original movie.
4 'Leave the World Behind' (2023)
- Release Date
- December 8, 2023
- Runtime
- 141 Minutes
The Sandfords decide to spend a getaway weekend far from the city. Their rental seems ideal, but a trip to a nearby beach ends badly, and the mother, Amanda, notices a strange behavior by a client in a local grocery store. A family of two knocks on their rental and claims they’re the owners of the house who had to return from the trip they had planned. Amanda is skeptical, but her husband, Clay, decides to let them in, and soon they all realize they may be witnessing the beginning of a cataclysmic event.
An Eerie Portrayal of Something Real
Leave the World Behind stars Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, and Kevin Bacon in an apocalyptic story by Sam Esmail that hits quite differently. It’s not a panicky movie, with big set pieces, and a climactic third act. Instead, Esmail appeals to the calm nature of well-designed characters who simply won’t admit the worst may have happened. It’s a film that speaks more about the nature of society in the midst of chaos than about the chaos itself. We know it’s a lot to ask, but where’s the sequel to this?
3 'Society of the Snow' (2023)
- Release Date
- December 22, 2023
- Cast
- Enzo Vogrincic , Simon Hempe , Rafael Federman , Santiago Vaca Narvaja
- Runtime
- 2hr 24min
Society of the Snow follows the real-life event that transpired on October 13, 1972, when a plane transporting a rugby team across the Andes mountains in South America crashed in the middle of the mountains. The survivors had to find some way to feed themselves while waiting for help to arrive, but eventually they realized they had to do something else but wait to be rescued.
A Perfectly Depicted Miracle
Netflix’s adaptation of the book of the same name by Pablo Vierci is a very realistic film that shows the “Miracle of the Andes” firsthand and doesn’t exactly try to hide the controversial element of the story. It received critical acclaim and two nominations at the Academy Awards. It holds a 90% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and it triumphed at the Goya Awards (the Spanish Academy Awards), winning 12 of its 13 nominations.
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2 'Under Paris' (2024)
3.5/5
Under Paris
- Release Date
- June 5, 2024
- Cast
- Berenice Bejo , Nassim Lyes , Léa Léviant , Anaïs Parello , Iñaki Lartigue
- Runtime
- 1h 41m
In Under Paris, a marine biologist named Sophia is still grieving over the loss of her partner and her crew during a freak shark attack. Now working in an aquarium in Paris, Sophia is forced to revisit her past when the same shark (they implanted a chip on it) appears to be trapped in the River Seine. When she joins a group of activists seeking to help the creature get back to its habitat, they will face a newly sentient mammal with an agenda.
The Best Action Thriller of 2024, So Far
Originally titled Sous la Seine, Under Paris had everything in it to be a Sharknado-like B-movie with its absurd plot. However, director Xavier Gens constructs a solid shark thriller with all the tension required to stand beside Jaws, and an authentic and interesting story and characters that you will connect with easily. Despite a moderate response from critics, the film stayed on Netflix’s Top 10 of most-watched films more than everyone predicted, and it was so celebrated, that a few months after its release, a sequel was announced. We dare you to find a better action thriller released in 2024.
1 'Mank' (2020)
- Release Date
- December 4, 2020
- Runtime
- 131 minutes
Mank takes viewers to 1940s Hollywood, the glamorous land where Orson Welles is given complete creative freedom to make his next film. Welles hires Herman J. Mankiewicz, a bedridden screenwriter whose past with the industry isn’t exactly friendly, and he intends to express his disdain for Hollywood leaders in his next script. The film? Citizen Kane, Welles’ epic about a man whose story resembled that of media mogul William Randolph Hearst.
A Tribute to Cinema Auteurs
David Fincher’s Mankis a black-and-white biopic that represents a necessary variation from the director’s catalog. Mank is a fascinating journey through the early power dynamics of the film industry, as seen from a filmmaker who doesn’t care for political statements, but only for the integrity of the story. Even though the title was mentioned ten times at the Academy Awards the following year, it only won in the categories of Best Cinematography and Best Production Design.
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