Welcome to January. A new month means more movies are heading to Netflix. Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz are teaming up in the new action comedy Back in Action, which starts streaming on January 17. Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar is already one of the most popular movies on Netflix. You can also see if Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 is worth the hype.
While the high-profile movies dominate the Netflix homepage, there are thousands of other movies ready to be streamed. Some of them are extremely underrated and deserve a new audience. These five films fit the mold. Our choices include a Ron Howard epic, a Fast and Furious entry, and a charming crime comedy.
We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
In the Heart of the Sea (2015)
In the Heart of the Sea depicts the events that inspired Herman Melville (Ben Whishaw) to write Moby Dick. In 1820, the Nantucket Whaling Company commissions the ship Essex out to sea on a whale hunt. The crew includes Captain George Pollard (Benjamin Walker), first mate Owen Chase (Furiosa‘s Chris Hemsworth), second mate Matthew Joy (Cillian Murphy), and cabin boy Thomas Nickerson (Tom Holland).
After striking out in the Atlantic, the crew tries the Pacific, where they encounter a monstrous sperm whale that destroys the Essex. The surviving crew faces starvation, dehydration, and mutiny as they drift into the ocean. In the Heart of the Sea is a good old-fashioned epic about human resilience as man battles beast.
Stream In the Heart of the Sea on Netflix.
Focus (2015)
Focus is a movie that relies on movie stars to carry it. In 2015, Will Smith was beginning his comeback, and Margot Robbie was strengthening her ascension to stardom. Together, the two performers formed a charismatic team in Focus. Nicky (Smith) is a veteran con artist who follows strict rules that keep him focused on the job. Nicky takes the inexperienced Jess (Robbie) under his wing.
Nicky breaks one of his rules by becoming emotionally involved with Jess, so he ends it. Three years later, Nicky runs into Jess while working an important job in Buenos Aires. Old feelings resurface, and Nicky attempts to rekindle his relationship with Jess. Is Nicky willing to risk failing his task to start over with Jess?
Stream Focus on Netflix.
Shiva Baby (2020)
Are you an anxious person? If so, Shiva Baby is similar to your worst anxiety attack. Rising star Rachel Sennott (Bottoms) stars as Danielle, a college student who attends a Jewish funeral service with her parents. Little did Danielle know that the shiva would become a place of awkward encounters and stressful situations.
First, Danielle sees her sugar daddy, Max (Danny Deferrari). Then, Danielle runs into her ex-girlfriend Maya (Molly Gordon), who is held in high regard by the neighbors. With each passing moment, things get more difficult for Danielle, as she makes the worst out of unavoidable circumstances. Sennott and director Emma Seligman are on to bigger things, but Shiva Baby will be the movie many point to as their breakout.
Stream Shiva Baby on Netflix.
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
Up until Furious 8, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift was widely considered the weakest entry in the franchise. However, the eighth, ninth, and tenth films were poorly received, which raised the reputation of Tokyo Drift. Christopher Nolan even calls Tokyo Drift his favorite in the franchise, and that’s a man who knows a thing or two about good movies.
After a street racing incident, high schooler Sean Boswell (Lucas Black) is sent to live with his naval officer father (Brian Goodman) in Japan as punishment. Despite promising to stay out of trouble, Sean gets mixed up in Japanese street racing known as drifting. Sean manages to agitate the best drifter in town (Brian Tee), and he tries to steal his girl (Nathalie Kelley). Sean’s only way out is to be the best driver in town.
Stream The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift on Netflix.
The King (2019)
This could be the year of Timothée Chalamet as he tries to win the Oscar for playing Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. On his rise to superstardom, Chalamet headlined The King as a young Henry V. Before he became the king, Henry was known as Hal, one of King Henry IV’s sons who had no interest in ruling England.
After upstaging his brother and witnessing his father’s death, Hal must accept his family’s legacy and become the next King of England. Henry quickly learns that other rulers think little of him. They even try to kill Henry V by hiring assassins and ambushing him in battle. While The King is no Braveheart, it’s gripping enough to warrant a rewatch thanks to Chalamet’s strong performance.
Stream The King on Netflix.
