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Are you struggling to decide on what movie to watch on Netflix? With such a variety to choose from, it’s not the easiest task to pick a movie that the whole family will enjoy. Sometimes it’s best to stick to the classics and the all-time favorites when you’re not sure of the new options.
But how do you know what makes a great movie that’s worth watching? The ratings and critiques of movies will give you the best overview of a movie. Netflix, unfortunately, removed its rating system a while ago and changed to a matching system.
To help you make an informed choice, we have listed several movies below that we recommend you watch on Netflix Canada.
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
We’ve dug deep into the archives to find this all-time greatest comedy-drama. This movie follows the life story of an American con artist Frank Abagnale. It tells an exhilarating tale as it has never been told before.
The movie takes place in the early 1960s, when a younger Abagnale, played by none other than Leonardo DiCaprio, manages to evade his broken family and turns into a scammer by impersonating a Pan Am pilot, then a doctor, and finally a lawyer.
Frank Abagnale begins to make millions of dollars in fraudulent cheques, although this quickly catches the attention of the renowned FBI Agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks). Carl Hanratty is astonished by the creativity and innovation of Frank Abangale as they begin to play a game of “Catch Me If You Can.”
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
If you are a fan of the Mad Max series, the fourth edition of this series shifts into gear. Mad Max: Fury Road is a thrilling two-hour car chase that features cinematic acrobatics, eccentric modified 18-wheelers, towering monster trucks, and hardcore biker gangs.
Max is played by the melodramatic Tom Hardy, who plays second fiddle to the Academy Award-winning Charlize Theron. She plays the role of Furiosa, a war captain in Immortan Joe’s army, who flees his fortress with all his brides.
Furiosa then teams up with Max while attempting to escape from the ever-encroaching hunting party. It has to be said that this is George Miller’s boldest and most gloriously chaotic feature of the century.
The Invisible Man (2020)
The Invisible Man is a science fiction horror film inspired by one of H.G Wells’ classic novels, ‘The Invisible Man,’ which seeks to exploit the powers of technophobia and the side effects of excessive abuse.
This film sees Elisabeth Moss play the role of Cecilia Klass, who believes that she is being haunted by her supposedly deceased boyfriend, Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson Cohen).
Cohen plays the role of a wealthy, abusive scientist who supposedly died from suicide, but after experiencing suspicious happenings, Cecilia believes that he is, in fact, still alive and intends to torment her.
Unforgiven (1992)
This 1992 Western is directed, produced, and stars Clint Eastwood as the main character. Unforgiven follows the life of William Munny, an outlaw turned farmer, who is offered a $1000 bounty for the deaths of two cowboys after they mutilate and disfigure a prostitute.
This film serves as one of the many testimonies of Clint Eastwood’s cinematic skills. The film went on to win four Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, as well as Best Supporting Actor, and Film Editor.
On Body and Soul (2017)
Set on the outskirts of Hungary, the film follows the lives of abattoir manager Endre (Géza Morcsányi) and his co-worker Maria (Alexandra Borbély), a beautiful, autistic quality control inspector.
The pair soon discover that they both experience the same recurring dream. The dream depicts them as deer in a snowy forest, and they soon fall in love.
The film takes us through the development of their budding relationship. However, the pair face challenges due to Maria’s autistic behavioral traits. On Body and Soul is full of dark comedy and romance.
Paddington (2014)
Paddington (Ben Whishaw) is a young Peruvian bear that can talk and walk. He makes the journey from the jungles of Peru to the streets of London, where he soon finds a home with the Brown family.
When the news of a talking and walking bear spreads, taxidermist Millicent Clyde (Nicole Kidman) sets out to hunt Paddington down.
This film is a family-friendly, fun way to have a few laughs and enjoy the adventures of the beloved Paddington bear.
Leave No Trace (2018)
Leave No Trace is an American drama film based on the novel ‘My abandonment’ by Peter Rock, which is based on real-life events.
The film follows the lives of an Iraqi war veteran father (Ben Foster), who is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and who lives in the old-growth forest park with his daughter Tom (Thomasin McKenzie).
The pair live in complete isolation and use their skills and knowledge of the forest to survive. However, Tom is spotted by a passing jogger, and they are both arrested by the Park rangers.
The father and daughter duo are then given a home by the social services officer.
The new challenges that are associated with living in a home begin to overwhelm Will while his daughter is seemingly held back by his actions.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is an American comedy-drama film. The film was directed and created by Quentin Tarantino, and takes place towards the end of 1969, at the end of the hippie era.
The film follows the story of a washed-up TV star, Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), and faithful stunt double, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), as they try to navigate their way back into the ever-changing film industry.
Gravity (2013)
The 10-time Oscar-nominated film Gravity is a science fiction thriller film that was directed by Alfonso Cuarón. This film follows the story of two astronauts, Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and the mission’s commander (George Clooney).
Dr. Ryan Stone is on her first mission to complete some upgrades on the space Hubble when the debris from a shot-down Russian spy satellite knocks Dr. Stone off the Hubble, and she is detached from the spacecraft.
Kowalski (George Clooney) rescues Dr. Stone, but on their way back to the spacecraft, they notice that the debris from the satellites has killed everyone at their base. This leaves them alone in space, so how will they survive?
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Miles Morales leads an ordinary teenage life until he is inadvertently bitten by a radioactive spider which results in him gaining superpowers similar to that of Spider-Man.
However, after the original Spider-man dies, he soon makes the shocking discovery that there are many other spidey superheroes just like him, but from different dimensions.
Miles, along with his new friends, is forced to wage battle against Kingpin (a crime lord who has the ability to open portals to other universes) in order to avenge the original Spider-man’s death.
Lawless (2012)
This film follows an all-star cast with the likes of Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Jessica Chastain, and Shia Laboeuf, who feature in this violent gangster story.
The main protagonists of the film are the Bondurant brothers. They live life according to their own set of rules while running a successful business. However, things get ugly when new authorities try to shut them down.
Of course, the brothers aren’t having it and what ensues is a brilliant blood-stained performance from the whole cast and a truly exciting film to watch.
Wind River (2017)
Taylor Sheridan gives us a true masterpiece with this film that sheds light on true, distressing issues.
When a Native American girl is found dead on her Reservation by a young detective (Elizabeth Olsen), she enlists the help of a tracker (Jeremy Renner) to help her uncover the mystery.
Although the film takes its time to pick up the pace, the action-filled latter part will leave you at the edge of your seat and with a heavy heart due to the film’s poignant message and the real, gritty material that is dealt with.
Captain Fantastic (2016)
Captain Fantastic, directed by Matt Ross, follows the controversial decision of a couple, Ben Cash (Viggo Mortensen, who was nominated for a Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance) and his wife Leslie, to raise their six children in the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest.
The children are raised to be self-sustainable by killing their own food and partaking in tough, boot-camp-like workouts. They are homeschooled in literature, music, and philosophy.
However, this idyllic lifestyle is thrown into disarray when the wife and mother falls ill. Ben and his children are then forced to re-enter a society that disagrees with their way of life.
A truly thought-provoking film that will make us all question our parenting skills.
The Hunt (2013)
The Hunt is a thriller film that features Mads Mikkelsen, who won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival for his performance, as a teacher named Lucas who simply can’t seem to catch a break.
After suffering through a terrible divorce, Lucas moves back to his childhood community, where he becomes a kindergarten teacher. However, his hopes of starting afresh are obliterated when an innocent girl in his class insinuates that he exposed himself to her.
The result of this claim is a community that rallies into an angry mob with the intent of hunting down the “perverted” teacher. And the more Lucas tries to fight for his life, the more chaotic the situation becomes.
Hell or High Water (2016)
This Western film, written by Taylor Sheridan (Sicario) and directed by David Mackenzie, has been described as “one of the most captivating movies of 2016”.
In this film, Chris Pine and Ben Foster play side-by-side as brothers. One brother is rather careful and wishes to make something of his life, while the other brother is an ex-convict with a short temper.
When their family ranch runs into financial hardship, the brothers decide to make a living by robbing the branches of a local bank. Their actions soon attract the attention of Texas ranger Marcus (Jeff Bridges).
Although Marcus is about to retire, he isn’t going to give up on solving this case. Will Marcus be able to catch the brothers red-handed, or will they manage to get away with their crimes?
No Country for Old Men (2007)
Considered by some to be one of the greatest films in history, this blood-filled film follows Llewelyn Moss, played by Josh Brolin, as he stumbles across a deadly drug deal.
Other than bodies, Llewelyn finds a suitcase filled with $2 million, which he decides to take.
His decision to pocket the money results in a bounty over his head, which the terrifying hitman, Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), wants to cash in on.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for some great movies to watch on Netflix Canada from a variety of different genres, look no further than our suggestions above.
