At the midpoint of this year, Netflix‘s slate of original films was largely disappointing and wildly uneven.
Thankfully, Netflix apparently saved its top-notch flicks for the second half of 2025. Now, a handful of these films may actually be legitimate Oscar contenders.
The Watch With Us team has narrowed our choices down to the best Netflix movies of 2025.
Since there are still over two weeks left in 2025, you should have more than enough time to watch all of these films before the awards season starts.
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5. ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ (2025)
If you want to follow another former James Bond actor who’s solving mysteries, the alternative pick to Wake Up Dead Man is The Thursday Murder Club, a very funny comedy/mystery flick from director Chris Columbus. Pierce Brosnan does have a leading role in this film, but he takes a backseat to Helen Mirren‘s Elizabeth Best. Elizabeth is the ex-spy in this flick, and she’s found joy in her retirement years by assembling Ron Ritchie (Brosnan), Professor Ibrahim Arif (Ben Kingsley) and Joyce Meadowcroft (Celia Imrie) to help her solve cold case crimes as part of the Thursday Murder Club
Their beloved retirement community is threatened when the co-owner, Tony Curran (Geoff Bell), is murdered and his partner, Ian Ventham (David Tennant), wants to shut it down and force the residents out. For once, the Thursday Murder Club has a present-day murder to solve, and their own fate relies on finding the killer before they’re forced to leave their new lives behind them.
The Thursday Murder Club is streaming on Netflix.
4. ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ (2025)
If there’s a single movie that’s dominated Netflix this year, it’s KPop Demon Hunters. Sony Pictures Animation may have made a big mistake letting this one go direct-to-streaming, as it’s had a constant presence on Netflix’s top 10 list for six months, and it’s done incredibly well during limited runs in theaters. This film also has a strong shot at becoming Netflix’s first-ever Oscar-winner for Best Animated Picture.
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The story follows a K-pop girl band called Huntrix, which features Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong) and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo). This trio is also a successful group of demon hunters who are out to banish those creatures from the world. However, Rumi is secretly part-demon herself, and she’s terrified about what will happen if her bandmates and closest friends ever learn the truth.
KPop Demon Hunters is streaming on Netflix.
3. ‘Steve’ (2025)
Will Cillian Murphy get a second Oscar for Best Actor? We wouldn’t bet against him after seeing his performance as the leading character of Steve. In the ’90s, Steve is the headteacher at a “last chance” school for boys with severe emotional and behavioral problems. Steve has run himself ragged trying to protect these kids from themselves and give them a place in this world.
That’s why Steve feels so betrayed when the word comes down that the school is set to be closed. As Steve scrambles to deal with the news, one of his students, Shy (Jay Lycurgo), is rejected by his family and emotionally abandoned. How Shy handles that burden adds additional layers to the story and gives the film its emotional resonance.
Steve is streaming on Netflix.
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2. ‘Frankenstein’ (2025)
For almost any other filmmaker, yet another remake of Mary Shelley‘s Frankenstein wouldn’t be a serious contender for the Best Picture award at the Oscars. But director Guillermo del Toro has already won two Oscars for directing a monster flick, The Shape of Water, and his passionate take on Frankenstein is arguably even better than that film.
Del Toro definitely adds his own flourishes to the story of the Creature (Jacob Elordi) and the mad scientist, Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), who brought him to life from a collection of body parts. The film takes the time to give both the monster and the man a chance to share their stories with the audience before letting them judge which one is the monster.
Frankenstein is streaming on Netflix.
1. ‘Train Dreams’ (2025)
If Train Dreams doesn’t get nominated for Best Picture this year, it’s going to be an upset. This is the kind of period drama that major studios used to regularly make on their way to collecting Oscar gold. There’s a dream-like quality to director Clint Bentley‘s adaptation of Denis Johnson‘s acclaimed novella, and it’s a haunting frontier tale centered on Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton).
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Robert’s life was defined by solitude until he met and married Gladys Olding (Felicity Jones) and started a family with her. But his work on the railroad and the psychological toll it takes on him is immense. Without spoiling too much, Robert is also traumatized by an apparent tragedy that may reshape his entire existence. But you’re going to have to watch the movie to discover how that plays out.
Train Dreams is streaming on Netflix.
