Here are the top films available on the streaming platform.
From star-studded originals to classics worth re-watching, here are the most notable titles available to stream on Netflix right now. See which award winners, iconic comedies and family-friendly flicks are available on the streaming platform in January 2022. From director Lin-Manuel Miranda comes this moving musical about Jonathan Larson, the young theater composer who endured countless battles while waiting tables and writing the musical that would become « Rent. » The ensemble cast features Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Shipp and Vanessa Hudgens. In her review for The A.V. Club, Caroline Siede wrote: « In joyfully embracing just about every tool in the movie-musical toolbox, Miranda crafts a fitting tribute to the act of artistic creation. And he might just make some musical converts in the process. » The year is 2054. A police department uses psychic beings to stop crime before it happens in this thriller directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise. Critics made « Minority Report » one of the highest-reviewed movies of 2002. In his review for the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert wrote: « This film is such a virtuoso high-wire act, daring so much, achieving it with such grace and skill. ‘Minority Report’ reminds us why we go to the movies in the first place. » Paul Thomas Anderson’s period drama stars Mark Wahlberg as a nightclub employee who makes it big in the 1970s porn industry. Variety critic Emanuel Levy calls it « darkly comic, vastly entertaining and utterly original. » A family on a road trip finds themselves in the middle of a robot apocalypse in this goofy family flick from Netflix. According to /Film ‘s Josh Spiegel: « It’s an unbeatable combination of humor and heart. » Nat Love assembles a gang to take down the person who murdered his parents. An ensemble cast features Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Lakeith Stanfield and Damon Wayans Jr. It holds an 88% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and an exemplary 93% audience score. Greta Gerwig’s coming-of-age flick centers on Saoirse Ronan as an artistically inclined high school senior with a strained relationship with her mother. « ‘Lady Bird’ is that rare movie in which everything astonishes and leaves you charmed, breathless, and anxious for more, » wrote film critic Rex Reed ( Observer). Adam Sandler takes a dramatic turn as a fast-talking New York City jeweler in the film that earned him an Independent Spirit Award for best male lead. According to The Wall Street Journal ‘s Joe Morgenstern: « Mr. Sandler is flat-out sensational as Howard Ratner. » The director of « Training Day » and the writer of « True Detective » teamed to create this Netflix original crime thriller about a 911 dispatch operator who tries to save a distressed caller. Jake Gyllenhaal stars, with support from Christina Vidal, Ethan Hawke, Paul Dano and Peter Sarsgaard. Eddie Murphy’s portrayal of Rudy Ray Moore, a 1970s comic and blaxploitation pioneer, garnered well-earned praise from critics. « This isn’t just a jokey comedy vehicle for Eddie Murphy, » wrote TV Guide ‘s Jordan Hoffman. « This is truly one of the year’s best films. » Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson both earned Oscar nominations for their portrayals of a stage director and an actress engaged in a bitter divorce. Chicago Tribune ‘s Michael Phillips described it as « beautiful, witty, sad and hopeful. » The 2020 Academy Award-winner for best documentary feature, « American Factory » chronicles what happens when a Chinese billionaire opens a factory in an abandoned General Motors plant in Ohio. « It’s a great, expansive, deeply humanist work, » Vulture ‘s David Edelstein said of the first film produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company. Robert Pattinson tries to free his brother following a botched bank robbery in this crime thriller from « Uncut Gems » filmmakers Josh and Benny Safdie. The Globe and Mail ‘s Brad Wheeler reviewed the film positively: « Tense, immersive and excellently assaulting, ‘Good Time’ is hella time. » A martial arts master mentors a bullied teen in this memorable ’80s film that launched a franchise. « ‘The Karate Kid’ was one of the nice surprises of 1984 — an exciting, sweet-tempered, heart-warming story with one of the most interesting friendships in a long time, » wrote Rogert Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times. This Netflix documentary provides an intimate look at the life of former first lady Michelle Obama as she embarks on a 34-city book tour. « For every sobering note, ‘Becoming’ has a dozen uplifting moments, » wrote film reviewer Richard Roeper in the Chicago Sun-Times. A girl meets a mythical moon goddess in this whimsical animated adventure from Netflix. Screen Rant ‘s Molly Freeman dubbed it, « An explosion of wonder, color and magic. « ‘Over the Moon’ tells a beautifully sentimental story of family and love, with super catchy songs mixed in. » Quentin Tarantino’s blood-drenched Western about nefarious characters sheltering from a blizzard features a star-studded cast, including Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Reelviews movie critic James Berardinelli had high praise for the film: « This is a high-wire thriller, full of masterfully executed twists, captivating dialogue, and a wildly entertaining narrative that gallops along at a pace to make three hours evaporate in an instant. Best film of the year? Yes. » This Golden Globe winner for Best Animated Feature Film is a family-friendly sequel worth streaming on Netflix. « ‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’ is the rare sequel that improves upon its predecessor in nearly every single way imaginable, » according to Screen Rant ‘s Ben Kendrick. « Looper » is a time travel sci-fi thriller directed by Rian Johnson. It revolves around a future where hit men send their targets 30 years into the past to be murdered and cleaned up without a trace.
