The 20 best-reviewed movies currently on Netflix
Time to knock 'What to expect when you're expecting' from your homepage
If you made the mistake of “accidentally” clicking on What To Expect When You’re Expecting then your Netflix homepage is probably something you swiftly minimise when someone else comes near your computer. But, don’t be fooled as there’s a whole truckload of high quality films to be enjoyed.
Hoping to give your watch list a refresh, we trawled through the thousands of options out there and found the most critically adored movies currently available on Netflix. Have an Oscar-winning week, yeah?
(Images: All Star, Rex Features)
You might like: Netflix documentary with 93% on Rotten Tomatoes
12 Angry Men
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 92%
Genre: Drama
Oscars: None
What the critics said: "It makes for a fine actors’ showcase." Mike D'Angelo, Entertainment Weekly
Anomalisa
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 93%
Genre: Drama
Oscars: One nomination
What the critics said: "It's weird and brilliant and heartbreaking and unlike anything you've ever seen." Brad Keefe, Columbus Alive
Young Frankenstein
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 93%
Genre: Spoof
Oscars: Two nominations
What the critics said: “The Brooks of 'Young Frankenstein' isn't really skewering the conventions of the horror movie - he's paying tribute to them, and using them as scaffolding for his particular brand of goofy, Borscht Belt burlesque." Jason Bailey, Flavorwire
Ex Machina
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 93%
Genre: Sci-fi
Oscars: One win, one nomination
What the critics said: “The Swedish actress Alicia Vikander ("The Fifth Estate") infuses Ava with the just the right mixture of iciness, vulnerability and mystery. It's a star-making performance." Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
Whiplash
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 94%
Genre: Drama
Oscars: Three wins, two nominations.
What the critics said: “I suggest you take a defibrillator to Whiplash, since the chances of a heart attack or spontaneous combustion during viewing are high." Kate Muir, The Times
Fargo
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 94%
Genre: Crime comedy drama
Oscars: Two wins, five other nominations
What the critics said: "A crime gem that is darkly funny even when it's chilling - and certain to become a classic." Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle
You Can Count On Me
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 95%
Genre: Comedy drama
Oscars: Two nominations
What the critics said: "A fountain of narrative surprise. You never know where this thing is going. And it's such a pleasure to tag along with these characters." Desson Thomson, Washington Post
Chasing Ice
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 96%
Genre: Documentary
Oscars: One nomination
What the critics said: "If you're looking for eye-popping evidence that the world's glaciers are melting, don't miss the small-scale but spectacular documentary, Chasing Ice." Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
Good Will Hunting
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 97%
Genre: Comedy drama
Oscars: Two wins, seven other nominations
What the critics said: "Intimate, heartfelt and wickedly funny, it's a movie whose impact lingers." Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle
Life Itself
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 97%
Genre: Documentary
Oscars: Shortlisted but not nominated
What the critics said: "If you aren't moved by Life Itself, you ought to have your heart examined." Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
The Hunt For The Wilderpeople
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 97%
Genre: Comedy
Oscars: None
What the critics said: “One of the most sincere and funny portraits of family life to come along in a while." April Wolfe, L.A. Weekly
Das Boot
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 98%
Genre: Drama
Oscars: Six nominations
What the critics said: "The execution is second to none; taut, claustrophobic and overwhelming." Nick De Semlyen, Empire Magazine
Under The Shadow
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 98%
Genre: Horror
Oscars: None
What the critics said: "Under the Shadow is an eerie, often unsettling, Iranian feminist horror film set in Tehran in 1988, at the height of the Iran-Iraq War." Kevin Maher, The Times
Let The Right One In
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 98%
Genre: Horror
Oscars: None
What the critics said: "A true original: love story, horror film and social drama. At once brilliant in its parts, and more than the sum of them." Matt Bochenski, Little White Lies
It Happened One Night
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 98%
Genre: Romantic comedy
Oscars: The "big five", best picture, director, actor, actress, and writing
What the critics said: "One of those stories that without a particularly strong plot manages to come through in a big way, due to the acting, dialog, situations and direction." Variety
Airplane!
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 98%
Genre: Spoof
Oscars: None
What the critics said: "At a time when throwaway gags seem like a luxury in any film, Airplane! has jokes—hilarious jokes—to spare." Janet Maslin, New York Times
Annie Hall
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 98%
Genre: Romantic comedy drama
Oscars: Four wins, one other nomination
What the critics said: "A touching and hilarious love story that is Allen's most three-dimensional film to date." Joseph McBride, Variety
Blackfish
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 98%
Genre: Documentary
Oscars: None
What the critics said: "An extraordinary, must-see examination of what humans do to killer whales so that these amazing creatures can become one more entertainment." Joe Neumaeir, New York Daily News
How to Train Your Dragon
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 98%
Genre: Family
Oscars: Two nominations
What the critics said: "An exhilarating epic that mixes comedic and touching moments with some of the best action sequences ever created with CGI animation." Tom Horgen, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Rear Window
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 100%
Genre: Mystery thriller
Oscars: Four nominations
What the critics said: "It's one of Alfred Hitchcock's inspired audience-participation films: watching it, you feel titillated, horrified, and, ultimately, purged." Michael Sragow, New Yorker
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