Netflix is a streaming powerhouse that doesn’t just rely on the acquisition of older and recent titles to bring in viewers. They produce more original films and television shows than any other streaming platform, resulting in a bevy of popular hits. The downside to this is that Netflix produces so many things that people often don’t even realize what they’ve released. That was certainly the case in 2024. Here are 10 Netflix original movies, ranging from good to excellent, that you may have missed in 2024.
The Beautiful Game
One of several strong performances Bill Nighy gave in 2024 (three of which were on Netflix, including Joy and That Christmas), The Beautiful Game is an inspiring tear-jerker based on a true story. Nighy plays Mal, the manager of England’s homeless football team, taking his players to Rome with the hope of being crowned champions of the Homeless World Cup, a global street soccer tournament. At the last minute, he decides to bring with them a talented striker named Vinny (Micheal Ward), who could give them a real chance at winning, but only if he’s ready to let go of his past and become part of the team.
Made with the support of the Homeless World Cup, The Beautiful Game is a film about second chances, where homeless teams from around the world find that all roads lead to Rome, and everything’s to play for. Unlike most underdog sports movies, the film shines a light on an underseen community that people rarely associate with athletics.
Shirley
Shirley is the kind of Oscar bait that in most other years would become an awards contender, but for whatever reason, the film fell through the cracks in 2024. That’s despite its excellent lead performance from Regina King. Shirley tells the story of the first Black congresswoman and political icon, Shirley Chisholm, and her trailblazing run for president of the U.S.
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The film chronicles her audacious, boundary-breaking 1972 presidential campaign. While the film itself is a bit by-the-numbers, Greg Archer of MovieWeb writes, “Bottom line: You’re here for Regina King’s powerful performance and to learn more about a fascinating woman who stood out among a sea of middle-aged white males. And maybe that’s enough.”
The Wages of Fear
While there was no chance in hell that any remake could reach the same tense heights as the original film, 2024’s The Wages of Fear was nonetheless a noble modern attempt which updated the classic with contemporary technology and cinematic techniques. In the middle of the desert, near a refugee camp, an oil well catches fire, directly threatening the lives of the population. Dispatching experts to the site, the company operating the well realizes that it has only one solution to avert the catastrophe: detonate the oil well with nitroglycerin within 24 hours.
Against a large sum of money, a powerhouse team is then sent 800 km away to transport 200 kg of explosives in two trucks. The team now has less than 20 hours to reach the oil well. 20 hours to traverse hostile zones controlled by armed rebels, cross minefields, and drive two trucks loaded with nitroglycerin over rough terrain! The race against the clock has begun, leading to a wonderfully suspenseful film that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
That Christmas
Based on the charming trilogy of children’s books by beloved writer/director Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Love Actually, Yesterday), That Christmas follows a series of intertwined tales about family and friends, love and loneliness, and Santa Claus making a big mistake, not to mention an enormous number of turkeys. It becomes a very sweet movie for kids and adults alike, with a wonderful message that encourages people not to judge a book by its cover.
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The heartwarming comedy from Locksmith Animation marks Curtis’ first foray into animation, serving as the film’s writer and executive producer, and also the feature directorial debut of renowned animation veteran Simon Otto (Love, Death & Robots, How to Train Your Dragon). In MovieWeb’s review for That Christmas, Julian Roman wrote, “Children of all races and ethnic groups will see themselves reflected in a hilarious adventure with a lot of heart [that] also teaches lessons of selflessness and maturity.”
The Deliverance
A movie with an intelligent and honest approach to theology and religion’s place in Black culture, The Deliverance slid under the radar of horror fans, but its genre also scared away fans of director Lee Daniels, who is traditionally known for his dramas (Precious, The Butler). While it received a divided (though mostly negative) response from audiences and critics, MovieWeb’s Julian Roman truly enjoyed the film, writing, “The Deliverance lands a knockout blow by exploring powerful themes of abuse, alcoholism, and attempted reconciliation against a creepy supernatural backdrop. Andra Day and an unrecognizable Glenn Close lead a dynamic ensemble cast through a raw, brutal ordeal.”
In the film, Ebony Jackson, a struggling single mother fighting her personal demons, moves her family into a new home for a fresh start. But when strange occurrences inside the home raise the suspicions of Child Protective Services and threaten to tear the family apart, Ebony soon finds herself locked in a battle for her life and the souls of her children. Inspired by a true story, The Deliverance is a genre-defying take on darkness, possession, and finding a higher power.
Pedro Páramo
- Release Date
-
November 6, 2024
- Runtime
-
130 Minutes
- Director
-
Rodrigo Prieto
Cast
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Manuel Garcia-Rulfo
Pedro Páramo
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Tenoch Huerta Mejía
Juan Preciado
-
-
Ilse Salas
Susana San Juan
Based on Juan Rulfo’s masterpiece, which is often considered one of the most important books in the history of Mexico and Latin America, Pedro Páramo follows Juan Preciado, who, upon his mother’s death, goes to the remote village where he was born in search of his titular father. There, he encounters a ghost town, where he meets a series of mysterious people and learns about his dead father’s ruthless quest for wealth and power.
The past makes itself present as the line between the dead and the living is blurred in this surreal tale of desire, hope, regret and resentment. The direction from the great Mexican cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto is gorgeously odd, creating unforgettable visuals in the service of a complicated, melancholic story.
An unabashedly powerful documentary that will inspire empathy and sobs from audiences, The Remarkable Life of Ibelin is a beautiful look at how communities can develop in unique spaces, and how we often don’t see the intelligence and heart behind people with disabilities. When Norwegian gamer Mats Steen died at age 25, his parents mourned what they thought was an isolated life. It was only once they had access to his blog that they discovered the deep friendships he created virtually before passing away from a degenerative muscular disease. They were unaware that Mats had long been leading a vibrant digital life that had left a profound impact on a community of fellow gamers.
“With over 42,000 pages of Mats’ World of Warcraft gaming logs, the filmmakers recreate his activities in the video game through his character Ibelin, visualized in a stunning recreation of the iconic World of Warcraft graphics,” writes Richard Fink in his MovieWeb review. “This allows for a nice change of pace from a traditional documentary, giving the movie its unique visual language but also bringing the viewer closer to Mats’ point of view. Despite the graphics of World of Warcraft being animated, these parts are treated just as real as the live-action segments.
Orion and the Dark
It’s rare that a Charlie Kaufman script will get passed over by many critics and audiences, but Orion and the Dark didn’t make many waves, possibly due to its premiere very early in the year, or maybe because it’s an animated movie. Nonetheless, it’s an incredible one and incorporates many of Kaufman’s idiosyncratic flourishes. Orion seems a lot like your average elementary school kid – shy, unassuming, harboring a secret crush. But underneath his seemingly normal exterior, Orion is a ball of adolescent anxiety, completely consumed by irrational fears of bees, dogs, the ocean, cell phone waves, murderous gutter clowns, and even falling off of a cliff.
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Of all Orion’s fears, the thing he’s the most afraid of is what he confronts on a nightly basis: the dark. So, when the literal embodiment of his worst fear pays a visit, Dark whisks Orion away on a roller coaster ride around the world to prove there is nothing to be afraid of in the night. The film features great voice acting from Jacob Tremblay, Paul Walter Hauser, Ike Barinholtz, Colin Hanks, Nat Fazon, Carla Gugino, Angela Bassett, and Aparna Nancherla, and is a wise delight for both children and adults.
The Piano Lesson
4.5
/5
- Release Date
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November 8, 2024
- Runtime
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125 Minutes
- Director
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Malcolm Washington
The Piano Lessons is a star-studded film (Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, Ray Fisher, Michael Potts, Erykah Badu, Skylar Aleece Smith, Danielle Deadwyler) produced by Denzel Washington, who has been passionate about bringing playwright August Wilson to the screen. His Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork explores the intergenerational dynamics of identity, resilience and transcendence – revealing startling truths about how we perceive the past and who gets to define our legacy.
A simple plot (a family divided about whether to sell a prized heirloom piano) gives way to a complicated meditation on legacy, class, family, and the ghosts of the past. Plus, Danielle Deadwyler is astounding, with Jericho Tadeo writing for MovieWeb, “Ultimately, it’s Deadwyler who steals the film. It’s easy to love her the instant she enters the scene. She may be the sole woman voice of the house, but she’s just as loud. Broken and bruised, yet steadfast in her values, Deadwyler paints a vibrant portrait of the pain that Black women have faced (and continue to face) in this country, the emotional burdens they bear in their families, and above all, the fierceness with which they love. She delivers one of the best film performances of the year.”
His Three Daughters
4.5
/5
- Release Date
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September 20, 2024
- Runtime
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101 Minutes
- Director
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Azazel Jacobs
The excellent filmmaker Azazel Jacobs (French Exit, Momma’s Man The Lovers) assembled three of today’s best actresses and gave them extremely juicy material, resulting in an acting masterclass called His Three Daughters. It’s a melancholic but often funny story of an elderly patriarch and the three grown daughters who come to be with him in his final days.
Katie (Carrie Coon) is a controlling Brooklyn mother dealing with a wayward teenage daughter; free-spirited Christina (Elizabeth Olsen) is a different kind of mom, separated from her offspring for the first time; and Rachel (Natasha Lyonne) is a sports-betting stoner who has never left her father’s apartment — much to the chagrin of her stepsisters, who share a different mother and worldview. While the film gained some acclaim in 2024, it was ignored by many major awards, and it never became the hit that it should have. Now’s the time to change that.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
