Netflix‘s library changes constantly, but the best movies tend to stick around. While new releases and trending titles dominate the conversation, some films remain essential viewing no matter when they arrived on the platform. From award-winning dramas and acclaimed Netflix originals to blockbuster crowd-pleasers, the streaming service offers far more than its ever-changing Top 10 list.
We’re now past the halfway point of 2026, and Netflix has already delivered plenty of memorable films. The biggest conversation starter in recent weeks has been Office Romance, while Voicemails for Isabelle has also found a devoted audience thanks to its unexpected mix of heartbreak and rom-com charm.
Other notable additions to the Netflix’s library this year include 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, The Rip, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, and Frankenstein, making 2026 a strong year for Netflix movies overall. Read the rest of our guide for the best movies on Netflix below.
We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Hulu, and the best movies on Amazon Prime Video.
Voicemails for Isabelle (2026)
Grief and romantic comedy rarely share the same space this comfortably, but this Netflix original pulls it off. Zoey Deutch plays Jill, a baker in San Francisco who keeps calling her late sister’s old number just to talk, unaware that the number has been reassigned to someone else. That someone is Wes, played by Nick Robinson, who ends up falling for her one message at a time.
The film’s real strength lies in how well it balances tone, letting quiet sadness and Jill’s voicemail rants coexist without either side undercutting the other. It leans warm and funny more than it leans sad, with just enough heartbreak to make the romance land harder. What stuck with me most is how the voicemails themselves become a character, messy and unfiltered in a way scripted dialogue rarely is. It is a comfort watch with an unexpectedly tender core.
Watch Voicemails for Isabelle on Netflix
Office Romance (2026)
Netflix has found plenty of success with romantic comedies over the years, but Office Romance stands out thanks to its charismatic leads and easygoing charm. The film follows two ambitious professionals whose carefully planned careers are thrown off course when an unexpected workplace connection begins to blur the lines between business and personal life. What starts as a professional relationship gradually develops into something more complicated as both try to balance their ambitions with their growing feelings for one another.
While Office Romance doesn’t reinvent the genre, it succeeds by delivering exactly what audiences want from a modern romantic comedy: likable characters, sharp chemistry, and a story that is both funny and heartfelt. The film quickly became one of Netflix’s most talked-about releases of 2026, proving that well-executed crowd-pleasers can be just as memorable as the platform’s prestige dramas and blockbuster spectacles. For viewers looking for a lighter option among Netflix’s biggest movies, Office Romance is an easy recommendation.
Watch The Office Romance on Netflix
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026)
The second chapter of the revived 28 Days Later franchise picks up where Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later left off, splitting its story between two deeply uncomfortable threads.
Teenager Spike is now trapped with Jimmy Crystal’s gang of Satan-worshipping sadists on the mainland, while Ralph Fiennes’ Dr. Kelson quietly makes a discovery that could change everything the survivors thought they knew about the Rage Virus.
Directed by Nia DaCosta, this sequel revitalizes the franchise with a chilling, atmospheric tone and visceral action. It’s a must-watch for its innovative take on the “fast zombie” genre and its high-stakes tension, which proves that there is still plenty of life and horror left in the series. It is unfornuate that not every movie in this franchise is available on Netflix right now, the good news is that its direct prequel, 28 Years Later (2025), is still on the platform. So I recommend that you fully catch up with the events before watching The Bone Temple.
Stream 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple on Netflix
Remarkably Bright Creatures (2026)
In this Netflix movie, Sally Field plays Tova, a widow who spends her nights cleaning a small town aquarium and quietly talking to Marcellus, a Pacific octopus with more personality than most humans. What this film does best is balance whimsy with real emotional weight, using Marcellus’s dry, judgmental narration to lighten scenes that could otherwise feel heavy.
It sits somewhere between a cozy small-town drama and a gentle mystery, with just enough melancholy. My favorite part is how unbothered the film is by its own strangeness, treating a talking octopus as the most reasonable character in the story. It is a soft, hopeful watch for anyone who wants a good cry without the exhaustion.
Watch Remarkably Bright Creatures on Netflix
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man (2026)
Taking place a decade after Peaky Blinders ended, The Immortal Man follows Tommy Shelby as he lives in exile in World War II-era Birmingham. However, Tommy’s own son, Duke (Barry Keoghan), creates havoc as he leads the Peaky Blinders and aids the Nazis in their conquest of Europe.
With his country caught under fire, Tommy must face the ghosts of his past and rise from the ashes to save Birmingham from destruction, culminating in a dark, epic conclusion to the character’s story.
Stream Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man on Netflix.
War Machine (2026)
This sci-fi action film follows a squad of Army Rangers whose training turns deadly when they get shot out of the sky. Led by Staff Sergeant 81 (Alan Ritchson), the squad finds themselves hunted through the forest by a giant alien robot with powers beyond anything they’ve seen before.
As the soldiers try to survive and warn everyone of this alien killer, the film delivers an epic battle between man and machine that fans of Predator and The Terminator should enjoy.
Stream War Machine on Netflix.
The Rip (2026)
Starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, The Rip follows a team of Miami cops who raid a stash house and find over a million dollars hidden away. Since their captain was murdered weeks prior with no justice being delivered, the disgruntled officers decide to keep the money for themselves.
However, these cops soon find themselves way in over their heads as outside parties learn about the cash and try to claim it. Eventually, they begin to suspect one another, threatening to rip friends and partners apart.
Stream The Rip on Netflix.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025)
In Benoit Blanc’s third Knives Out mystery, an “impossible crime” occurs when Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin) is suddenly found stabbed to death in his church. Although the murder is considered a miracle, Blanc attempts to unravel the mystery, leading to a thrilling clash of faith and logic.
While young priest Jud (Josh O’Connor) is considered the prime suspect, Benoit finds that several people close to Msgr. Wicks had a motive. The suspects include housekeeper Martha (Glenn Close), handyman Samson (Thomas Haden Church), Dr. Nat (Jeremy Renner), lawyer Vera (Kerry Washington), aspiring politician Cy (Daryl McCormack), author Lee (Andrew Scott), and cellist Simone (Cailee Spaeny).
Stream Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery on Netflix.
Frankenstein (2025)
Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein opens in 1857, when the crew of a Danish Navy ship comes across the wounded Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) in the Arctic. After the crew battles a vicious Creature (Jacob Elordi), Victor shares his life’s story and how he ended up creating the “monster” that attacked them.
However, we then hear from the Creature about his journey. What follows is a beautiful yet heartbreaking tale of an innocent soul shunned and abandoned by those around him, including Victor, which fills him with rage and loneliness.
Stream Frankenstein on Netflix.
How to Train Your Dragon (2025)
In this live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon, teenage Viking Hiccup (Mason Thames) takes down a legendary dragon known as the Night Fury. But instead of killing the Night Fury, Hiccup forms a friendship with the winged beast, which he names “Toothless.”
While Hiccup trains to be a dragonslayer like his father (Gerald Butler), the former tries to learn more about Toothless. This unlikely bond between human and dragon shows how both races can live side-by-side, but Hiccup must find a way to end his father’s war with the dragons before it’s too late.
Stream How to Train Your Dragon on Netflix.
28 Years Later (2025)
Nearly three decades after the Rage virus outbreak, mainland Europe has been cleared of zombies, and the British Isles have been quarantined. This threequel to 28 Days Later follows young Spike (Alfie Williams) as he embarks on a journey into adulthood and begins hunting Rage-infected people with his father, Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson).
However, when his ailing mother, Isla (Jodie Comer), nears death, Spike takes her into the zombie-filled wilderness to seek help from a mysterious doctor (Ralph Fiennes).
Stream 28 Years Later on Netflix.
KPop Demon Hunters (2025)
The animated adventure quickly became one of Netflix’s most-watched movies ever, and it has spent 37 weeks on its Top 10 list. KPop Demon Hunters follows Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo) of Huntr/x, one of the top K-pop bands in the world. In secret, the girls are demon hunters who protect their fans against evil.
The demon world decides to fight back by creating a rival boy group of demons, the Saja Boys, to steal Huntr/x’s fans. Come for some demon battles, but stay for the irresistible tunes.
Stream KPop Demon Hunters on Netflix.
Carry-On (2024)
Like Die Hard 2, Carry-On is an action thriller set on Christmas Eve in a busy airport. Unfortunately for TSA agent Ethan Kopek (Taron Egerton), his promotion came on the wrong day at the wrong time. An enigmatic traveler (Jason Bateman) wants Ethan to waive a package through uncontested. If Ethan refuses, then his girlfriend, Nora Parisi (Sofia Carson), will be killed.
Ethan’s back is to the proverbial wall, and if he can’t find a way to thwart the plan, then Nora may not be the only casualty. He needs a way to save Nora, and his options are running out fast.
Stream Carry-On on Netflix.
Rebel Ridge (2024)
Aaron Pierre establishes himself as an action hero in the Netflix original film Rebel Ridge. Terry Richmond (Pierre) only wanted to come into town and bail out his cousin, Mike Simmons (C.J. LeBlanc), so they could rebuild their lives together. But when corrupt cops seize Terry’s cash, it leaves him without any way to get Mike out of jail.
Terry tries to be reasonable with Chief Sandy Burnne (Don Johnson), only for these dishonorable men to go back on their word and keep his stolen money while Mike suffers. Now, Terry has to take the law into his own hands to get justice, and not even dirty cops can stand in his way.
Stream Rebel Ridge on Netflix.
Hit Man (2024)
Based on a true story, Richard Linklater’s Hit Man sees Glen Powell as Gary Johnson, a man who has found his calling as an undercover operative for the police. Gary poses as an assassin and helps the cops arrest his would-be clients. It’s a good racket for Gary until he meets Maddy Masters (Adria Arjona), a woman who wants her husband killed so she can escape his physical abuse.
Maddy is the first “client” that Gary has ever been real with, and he doesn’t want to see her get arrested. As much as Gary might try to believe otherwise, helping Maddy and getting emotionally involved with her may bring his life crashing down.
Stream Hit Man on Netflix.
Society of the Snow (2023)
Disaster movies often focus on spectacle, but Society of the Snow succeeds because it never loses sight of the people at the center of the story. Based on the true story of the 1972 Andes flight disaster, the film follows a Uruguayan rugby team whose plane crashes deep in the mountains, leaving the survivors stranded in one of the harshest environments imaginable. As the days stretch into weeks, they are forced to make impossible choices in order to stay alive.
Widely regarded as one of Netflix’s best original films, Society of the Snow is both a gripping survival thriller and a powerful examination of resilience, friendship, and human endurance. Director J.A. Bayona brings remarkable authenticity to the story, creating a film that feels immersive, emotional, and deeply respectful of the real people who lived through the tragedy. It’s the rare movie that is as compelling as it is moving, earning its place among the best films currently streaming on Netflix.
Stream Society of Snow on Netflix.
Woman of the Hour (2023)
Some of the best thrillers leave viewers uneasy long after the credits roll, and Woman of the Hour accomplishes exactly that. Inspired by real events, the film stars Anna Kendrick as an aspiring actress who unknowingly crosses paths with serial killer Rodney Alcala while appearing on a popular television dating show in the 1970s. What begins as a seemingly ordinary encounter gradually evolves into a tense and unsettling examination of manipulation, power, and missed warning signs.
Marking Kendrick’s directorial debut, Woman of the Hour stands out for its confident storytelling and thoughtful approach to a chilling true story. Rather than relying on sensationalism, the film focuses on the people caught in Alcala’s orbit and the societal attitudes that allowed him to operate in plain sight. Smart, suspenseful, and anchored by strong performances, it’s one of the most compelling Netflix originals released in recent years.
Stream Woman of the Hour on Netflix.
Anatomy of a Fall (2023)
A German author living in the French Alps is charged with murdering her husband after he is found dead in the snow below their chalet. The only witness is their partially blind eleven-year-old son. What follows is two and a half hours of a courtroom drama that refuses to let you settle into a comfortable verdict.
This film is a masterclass in ambiguity, anchored by Sandra Huller’s haunting, complex performance. It is not a whodunit in any conventional sense, and it expertly challenges your perceptions of truth, uncovers messy realities of domestic life, and how little any of us can truly know about another person.
Stream Anatomy of a Fall on Netflix.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning (2023)
In Ethan Hunt’s (Tom Cruise) penultimate adventure, a rogue AI known as “The Entity” threatens to conquer cyberspace. As world governments try to seize control of the Entity, Ethan and the IMF team race to assemble the key needed to find and destroy the AI once and for all.
During his action-packed adventure, Ethan crosses paths with Gabriel (Esai Morales), a villain from his past who is working with the Entity to conquer the world. With so many adversaries and so little time, Ethan must make some impossible choices to complete his mission and save humanity. But can he save everyone?
Stream Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning on Netflix.
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
There is an English dub of Godzilla Minus One on Netflix, but the original Japanese voice track has better performances. This is one of the best Godzilla movies ever made, in part because the creature is allowed to be a fearsome monster instead of a heroic giant. It’s also notable for featuring a strong focus on the human side of the story, especially with the main character, Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki).
In the last days of World War II, Shikishima can’t bring himself to fulfill his duty as a kamikaze pilot. A chance encounter with Godzilla only brings more shame upon Shikishima. During the aftermath, Shikishima forms an unexpected bond with Noriko Ōishi (Minami Hamabe) and the infant child she adopted. Yet Shikishima’s inability to let go of his regret may destroy him before Godzilla can get around to killing him and everyone else in Japan.
Stream Godzilla Minus One on Netflix.
The Green Knight (2021)
In this film from director David Lowery and A24, we witness the adventures of one of King Arthur’s most famous knights, Sir Gawain (Dev Patel). Specifically, we see Gawain face off against the immortal Green Knight (Ralph Ineson), who demands that he face him again one year later.
In a test of courage, Gawain ventures out to find the knight and meet his fate. Along the way, he encounters bandits, giants, and many other mystical figures that make for a legendary adventure.
Stream The Green Knight on Netflix.
Atonement (2007)
A misunderstanding and accusation of a young girl alters the course of several lives forever – separating her sister Cecilia from her lover Robbie during the height of WWII. This romantic and tragic movie is famous for its stunning cinematography and five-minute unbroken tracking shot of the Dunkirk beach.
You should watch Atonement for the palpable chemistry between Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, the breathtaking period costumes, and its heartbreaking exploration of guilt and the power of storytelling. But it is the ending that will wreck you with one of the most devastating finales in modern British cinema.
Stream Atonement on Netflix.
Memento (2002)
Some movies make you follow a mystery, and this one makes you live inside it. Christopher Nolan’s breakout thriller follows Leonard, played by Guy Pearce, who cannot form new memories and pieces together his wife’s murder using notes, photos, and tattoos.
Memento is one of my personal favorites that recently arrived on Netflix, and I love how this movie unfolds in reverse, so you experience Leonard’s confusion firsthand instead of watching it happen to him. It is tense and cerebral more than emotional, though the tragedy underneath sneaks up on you by the end.
Stream Memento on Netflix.
