The best movies on Netflix include Society of the Snow, The Equalizer 3, Gran Turismo, Catch Me If You Can, Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire, and more.
In a post-Christmas surprise, Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire has completely fallen off the list of the most popular movies on Netflix. And there’s a new champion at the top: The Equalizer 3. Other new arrivals include Aquaman and Justice League, which were probably added to take advantage of any momentum gained from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom being in theaters. Considering those DC titles are both in the top 10 as well, it seems to be working.
Movie fans may also enjoy Society of the Snow, a critically acclaimed survivor thriller that’s already on the Oscar short list for Best Foreign Film. Society of the Snow had a limited theatrical release last month, and it’s now streaming on Netflix.
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Netflix may have a real Oscar contender on its hands with Society of the Snow, a Spanish thriller by Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom director J. A. Bayona. This film is not the first to tell the story of the survivors of 1972 Uruguayan plane crash, which was most notably the subject of the American film Alive in 1993.
However, Bayona’s movie goes to far greater lengths to be authentic than the previous adaptations, including bringing production to the actual site of the crash and utilizing the real accounts of the survivors. Most of the cast members are also newcomers, which works in the film’s favor because it keeps the audience in suspense about who will live, and how far they will go to survive.
Denzel Washington spends so much time sitting down and sipping lattes in The Equalizer 3 that you may start to wonder if the actor himself is injured, and not just his character, Robert McCall. After nearly getting himself killed while recovering stolen funds, McCall slowly recovers in a small town on the coast of Italy. McCall also becomes close to the doctor who saved him, Enzo Arisio (Remo Girone), as well as the police officer who brought him to safety, Gio Bonucci (Eugenio Mastrandrea).
As McCall grows to love the town and its people, he realizes that the Italian mafia is terrorizing his new friends. And if anyone’s going to be terrorizing bad guys in this franchise, it’s Robert McCall. If you’re evil, don’t make McCall stand up. His stuntman will kill you.
On the surface, the premise for Gran Turismo sounds like pure wish fulfillment. It’s about a video game player who uses his Gran Turismo skills to become a pro racer. And yet it’s the mostly true story of Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), a young man who successfully applied what he learned in the Gran Turismo video game to race tracks in reality.
Stranger Things’ David Harbour co-stars as Jack Slater, the head trainer for GT Academy. Jack’s got his hands full trying to take gamers and make them into racers. And despite some initial setbacks, Jack becomes convinced that Jann has what it takes to make it on the pro circuit. From there, the real test of Jann’s talent begins.
Frank Abagnale’s biography, Catch Me If You Can, probably played a little fast and loose with the truth about his life as a con artist. But the novel caught the attention of director Steven Spielberg, who turned the film adaptation into one of his lighter stories before casting Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank and Tom Hanks as FBI Agent Carl Hanratty.
Following his parents’ divorce, Frank runs away and follows in his father’s footsteps by becoming a con man whose gift for deception allows him to pass himself off as a pilot, a doctor, and even a Secret Service agent. Hanratty is one of the first law enforcement officials to realize the scope of Frank’s cons, but as the title hints, catching Frank won’t be easy.
Viewers may find that a lot of things in Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire are very familiar. It has laser swords like Star Wars, a galactic empire like Star Wars, rebel freedom fighters like Star Wars, and a plot straight out of Battle Beyond the Stars, The Magnificent Seven, and Seven Samurai.
None of those similarities will matter if you just want to watch a big-budget sci-fi movie from the comfort of your own home. On that front, director Zack Snyder has delivered exactly what he was supposed to. The story follows a group of warriors led by Kora (Sofia Boutella) as they make their stand against Motherworld and the Imperium on the remote world of Veldt. These rebels may be outgunned and outnumbered, but they’re eager to fight for their freedom.
Composer Leonard Bernstein has been dead for 33 years, but he may prove to be an important figure in next year’s Oscar race. Netflix’s Maestro was written and directed by Bradley Cooper, who cast himself as Bernstein opposite Carey Mulligan as his wife, Felicia Montealegre.
Before falling in love with Felicia, Bernstein was in an affair with David Oppenheim (Matt Bomer). However, Bernstein’s marriage with Felicia doesn’t mean that he plans to give up sleeping with other men. This places an incredible strain on their union, even though the love between Bernstein and Felicia is never in doubt.
Back in 2000, Chicken Run became a surprise hit with fans of all ages. So what if there was a mere twenty-three-year gap between films? It’s not like chickens can tell time! Although the extended period did leave some major roles to be recast, including Zachary Levi and Thandiwe Newton taking over as Rocky and Ginger from Mel Gibson and Julia Sawalha from the original.
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget takes place not too long after the first film, but long enough for Rocky and Ginger to have a daughter named Molly (as voiced by The Last of Us’ Bella Ramsey). The chickens may have escaped from Mrs. Tweedy (Miranda Richardson), but she’s far from through with them. If Ginger wants to keep her family safe, she will have to lead a team to break into Tweedy’s compound and discover what she has in store for them.
The Maze Runner’s Dylan O’Brien stars in Love and Monsters as Joel, one of the survivors of an apocalyptic event that left Earth overrun by giant monsters. Before the world went to Hell, Joel (O’Brien) was deeply in love with Aimee (Jessica Henwick), but they’ve been separated for seven years because it isn’t safe to travel on the surface.
When Joel becomes fed up with himself for feeling useless, he decides to risk everything by leaving the safety of his colony behind so he can reunite with Aimee. Joel has a lot to learn along the way, and he may not get the happy ending he hoped for.
Decades ago, Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Julianne Moore) was sentenced to prison for seducing Joe Yoo (Charles Melton) when he was a child, before marrying him when she was released. In May December, Gracie and Joe believe they can repair the damage to their reputations because a movie is being made about their lives.
Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman), the actress hired to portray Gracie, has other ideas. She’s less interested in redeeming the Yoos than in completely immersing herself in their lives to get a better performance. And Elizabeth is way too close to the subjects of this story.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie pulled off the Herculean feat of making audiences forget all about that live-action Super Mario Bros. film. Instead, Nintendo’s iconic characters, Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day), are right at home in this lavishly animated flick that updates their origin story and sets them on a path of adventure.
In the realm of the Mushroom Kingdom, Princess Peach (Furiosa‘s Anya Taylor-Joy) is preparing to defend her kingdom against Bowser (Jack Black), the king of the Koopas, who is weirdly infatuated with her. Peach doesn’t need Mario to rescue her, at least not a first. But Luigi could definitely use some help as he tries to survive as Bowser’s prisoner. And along the way, Mario can prove to himself that he has the heart of a hero.
Movie lovers have seen the mother-daughter body switch before in Freaky Friday (both versions), so Family Switch is upping the stakes by not only swapping Jess (Jennifer Garner) with her daughter, CC (Emma Myers), but it also has Wyatt (Brady Noon) trade bodies with his father, Bill (The Office‘s Ed Helms).
The reason for the multi-body switch is less important than the need for the family to navigate their new selves on what is the most challenging day of their lives. Jess’ job hinges on her presentation, while CC has a tryout that could land her on the U.S. Women’s soccer team. Meanwhile, Bill’s biggest performance with his band could lead to an actual music career and Wyatt is sure to miss out on early admittance to Yale if his dad is in his body. It’s going to take a miracle for all four of them to get what they want.
