Look, we’ve all been there. You scroll through Netflix for 40 minutes, getting increasingly angry, and either finally settling on something you’ve seen three times or, back in the day, having to just give up. It’s January 2026, and it’s just after Christmas; you’re skint after Christmas, and you just want something decent to watch. Simple as that. The thing is, these days Netflix throws so much at you that it is hard to keep up with what is really great on the service, especially when it comes to the best films on Netflix UK. Yeah, they have thousands of titles. But how many of them are really worth your time? So here’s what I’ve found after spending way too much of my evening doing exactly what you’re about to do.
12 Years A Slave
Just landed back on Netflix this month. If you somehow slept on it when it was released in 2013, here’s your chance. Steve McQueen’s film about Solomon Northup is unforgivingly brutal. Fair warning, though: it’s not an easy watch. At all. But it’s one of those films you know you have to see, even if you’ll only be able to watch it once. Chiwetel Ejiofor gives the kind of performance that haunts you for days. The film won Best Picture at the Oscars, and it deserved every bit of recognition it got. It’s heavy. Really heavy. But then, that’s sort of the point, isn’t it?
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The Rip
This one dropped in mid January, and it’s proper good if you’re after action. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck play Miami cops who find $24 million in a stash house. Of course, it all goes sideways from there. The cast alone is mental. Steven Yeun, Kyle Chandler, Scott Adkins. It’s from Joe Carnahan, who directed The Grey, so you know it’s not going to be boring. Good for a Friday night when you want explosions and car chases and don’t care to strain your brain.
Baby Driver
Back on the platform again. Edgar Wright’s 2017 comedy about a getaway driver who performs his job to the tune of his music playlist. It’s slick as anything. The choreography is brilliant, and the action syncs up with the soundtrack perfectly. Ansel Elgort is Baby, this kid who’s in debt to this crime boss. Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, and Jon Hamm. Yeah, it’s a little awkward with the Spacey thing now. But the film itself remains cracking entertainment. The movie features fast cars, good tunes, and well-executed chase scenes.
Jurassic Park
The original is streaming right now. Not the new ones. The 1993 Spielberg classic that scared the absolute daylights out of everyone when it came out. I watched this again last month, and you know what? It holds up. The dinosaurs still look better than half the CGI in films made last year. That T. rex scene in the rain? Still terrifying. My mate’s kid watched it for the first time recently and couldn’t sleep properly for a week. Mission accomplished, Spielberg.
Ford v Ferrari
Christian Bale and Matt Damon in a film about building a car to beat Ferrari at Le Mans. Even if you’re not bothered about motors, this one’s a cracker. Bale plays Ken Miles, a temperamental British driver who’s absolutely brilliant but can’t play the corporate game. The racing scenes are intense. You can practically smell the petrol. But it’s really about the friendship between Miles and Carroll Shelby, played by Damon. Proper character stuff wrapped up in a racing film. Won a couple of Oscars for editing and sound, which makes sense when you watch it.
Ex Machina
If you like science fiction that makes you think, this is your movie. Oscar Isaac stars as a tech genius who brings a young programmer to his isolated estate to put the final touches on his latest AI creation. Alicia Vikander is the robot, and she’s just the right kind of creepy. It’s one of those movies like, “Oh, I think I know where this is going,” and then it takes a left turn, and you are completely wrong. This was before Alex Garland knobbed around with Annihilation and Civil War. Small cast, tight script, massive ideas.
Darkest Hour
Gary Oldman won an Oscar for playing Churchill in this 2017 film. And yeah, he earned it. The makeup alone is incredible; you genuinely forget it’s Oldman under there. It focuses on Churchill’s first month as Prime Minister during World War II, when things looked absolutely dire. Kristin Scott Thomas plays his wife. It’s not a full biography, just this specific moment when Britain had to decide whether to negotiate with Hitler or fight on. Proper tense stuff, even though you know how it ends.
Run Away
The newest Harlan Coben adaptation dropped on New Year’s Day. This has become a bit of a tradition at this point, hasn’t it? New year, new Coben thriller. James Nesbitt stars as a father looking for his runaway daughter, who gets ensnared in a murder. Ruth Jones is in it too. I know these Coben adaptations are truly daft if you think them through too much. But they’re also massively addictive. Eight episodes of twists and turns that make no sense until all of a sudden they do. Great for binge-watching over a weekend.
Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials Mystery
Chris Chibnall adapted this one. He did Broadchurch, so he knows his way around a mystery. Three-part series starring Helena Bonham Carter and Martin Freeman. A prank at a country manor leads to murder, and Lady Eileen ‘Bundle’ Brent has to figure out what happened. It’s classic Christie stuff. Big house, lots of suspects, secrets everywhere. If you’ve burned through all the Knives Out films and need something similar, this’ll do the trick.
His & Hers
Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal play ex-spouses who both end up involved when a body turns up in their town. She’s a detective. He’s a news reporter. Neither trusts the other. This one’s getting decent buzz. It’s a proper thriller with enough twists to keep you guessing. And let’s be honest, Thompson and Bernthal could read the phone book and make it watchable. They’ve got that kind of screen presence.
People We Meet On Vacation
Netflix is pushing this one hard. Emily Bader and Tom Blyth portray best mates who have been going off on summer holidays together for 10 years. And this year, they are finally posing the question that everyone else has been asking: Should they just get together already? It’s adapted from an Emily Henry novel. You liked the book; you like this. If you need something that’s more rom-com that isn’t completely terrible, give it a go. Sometimes you just need something light, and this fits the bill. Now, a quick mention for best films on Prime UK, since I know some of you have both. Prime’s got The Boys latest season, Fallout if you’re into post-apocalyptic stuff, and they just added a bunch of classic Bond films. Worth checking if you’ve exhausted Netflix.
What About The Classics?
Here’s the thing about Netflix and older films. Their classic collection’s a bit hit and miss. One month, you’ve got Lawrence of Arabia, the next it’s vanished. They just added Mean Girls back, both the original and the sequels. Not exactly cinema history, but people seem chuffed about it. The Jurassic Park trilogy’s on there. District 9 is back. There’s Free Solo, that documentary about the bloke who climbs El Capitan without ropes! It’s on Netflix if you feel like some sweaty palms and existential dread. But if you want the real old classic stuff, you won’t really find it on Netflix. They focus more on recent stuff. Which is fine, just don’t expect a huge Criterion Collection situation.
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The Verdict
The best films on Netflix UK right now? Depends what you’re after, doesn’t it? Big action? The Rip’s your best bet. Something heavier? 12 Years A Slave. Mystery? Take your pick between the Christie adaptation or the Coben series. The point is, there’s decent stuff on there if you know where to look. You just have to wade through all the algorithm’s daft suggestions first. Why does it keep recommending films you’ve already watched? Nobody knows. Anyway, that’s what’s actually worth your time this month. Save yourself the scrolling paralysis. Pick something. Watch it. Get on with your evening. What are you leaning towards then?
