The Best Movies on Netflix Canada, According to Rotten Tomatoes
Updated: May 30, 2021If you're stuck inside watching movies on Netflix Canada all day, why not stream the best ones? Rotten Tomatoes—the popular site that aggregates reviews from critics and creates a score that's "fresh" or "rotten"—has put together a list of the top movies ever based on adjusted score and number of reviews. So, get cozy with your bowl of popcorn and start watching these guaranteed fresh flicks on Netflix.
1. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Number of reviews: 145
Rating: 98%
One of Hollywood’s most indelible achievements, The Wizard of Oz follows the courageous Dorothy (Judy Garland), who’s whisked away to a magical land after a tornado rips through her Kansas farmhouse. It’s a testament to Oz‘s enduring popularity that more than 80 years after its release, new generations of audiences continue to fall in love with its kooky cast of characters (the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, the Wicked Witch of the West), trippy Technicolor visions and universal wisdom. There’s no place like home, indeed.
2. Us (2019)
Number of reviews: 549
Rating: 93%
While on a beach vacation in Santa Cruz, California, Adelaide Wilson (Lupita Nyong’o) and her family are alarmed when four mysterious figures show up on their driveway. Soon, the Wilsons discover that the unwanted guests are actually their doppelgängers—and that these terrifying “others” want to take their place by any means necessary. Written and directed by Jordan Peele (Get Out), Us is a wildly imaginative mash-up of atmospheric horror and social commentary.
3. BlacKkKlansman (2018)
Number of reviews: 444
Rating: 96%
In 1972, the Colorado Springs Police Department hires its first Black officer, Ron Stallworth (John David Washington). Determined to make a difference, Stallworth asks to be an undercover cop and comes up with a bonkers plan: to infiltrate the Colorado chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. Stallworth enlists the help of a fellow cop, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), but gets more than he bargained for when he’s inadvertently granted access to David Duke (Topher Grace), the Klan’s leader.
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4. The Irishman (2019)
Number of reviews: 452
Rating: 95%
As the director of Goodfellas, Casino and The Wolf of Wall Street, Martin Scorsese has often been accused of glorifying the lives of immoral men. With that in mind, The Irishman feels like a retort. Not one second of this 209-minute opus, which charts the life of Pennsylvania hit man Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) and his relationships with mob boss Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) and Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino), could be mistaken for glamorous. After all, where’s the allure in killing your best friend, losing the love and trust of your family, and seeing history move on without you? The Irishman is both a moving portrait of a deeply flawed man and a fitting coda to the mob movie genre.
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5. The Godfather (1972)
Number of reviews: 132
Rating: 97%
A horse’s head, a double-murder in a quiet Bronx restaurant, a doomed marriage in Sicily, that ominous baptism—every moment in The Godfather feels iconic and pitch-perfect. And though writer-director Francis Ford Coppola and his cast—Brando, Pacino, Duvall, Keaton and Caan, to name a few—have certainly made other great movies, The Godfather feels like a summation of everything cinema has to offer.
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6. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Number of reviews: 390
Rating: 97%
After being bitten by a radioactive spider, Brooklyn teen Miles Morales gains superpowers similar to Spider-Man. But when Spider-Man is suddenly killed, Miles discovers that there are many high-flying superheroes from other dimensions just like him. Using his newfound capabilities, Miles must wage battle against Kingpin, a powerful crime lord who can open portals to other universes—and who was responsible for killing the original Spider-Man.
These action movies on Netflix Canada will get your adrenaline pumping!
7. Roma (2018)
Number of reviews: 396
Rating: 95%
Directed by Oscar-winner Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity) and set in the Colonia Roma neighbourhood of Mexico City in 1971, this semi-autobiographical film follows Indigenous live-in maid Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio, in her screen debut) and the wealthy household she cares for: Sofia, doctor husband Antonio, and their four young children. Soon, Cleo’s turbulent personal life begins to mirror the disintegrating marriage of her employers, while political tensions in Mexico boil over into full-blown violence. Photographed in stunning black-and-white, Roma is personal storytelling on the grandest scale imaginable.
8. Selma (2014)
Number of reviews: 311
Rating: 99%
Aiming to secure equal voting rights for Black Americans, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (David Oyelowo) leads three protest marches in 1965 along the highway from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital of Montgomery. The Oscar-winning Selma dramatizes this dangerous campaign, which culminated in President Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) signing the Voting Rights Act. Tessa Thompson, Giovanni Ribisi and André Holland co-star in director Ava DuVernay’s breakthrough feature.
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9. Arrival (2016)
Number of reviews: 431
Rating: 94%
Quebec native Denis Villeneuve has established himself as one of modern cinema’s foremost talents, directing the critically acclaimed Prisoners (2013), Sicario (2015) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017). His most impressive—and moving—feature, however, is Arrival. This sci-fi drama follows Dr. Louise Banks (Amy Adams), a renowned linguist who is recruited by the U.S. Army after an extraterrestrial spacecraft arrives in rural Montana. Her mission? Decode the aliens’ language and eventually communicate with them. Sounds simple enough, but thanks to a handful of transcendent scenes and one especially clever twist, Arrival is one of the best entries in the genre.
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10. Marriage Story (2019)
Number of reviews: 388
Rating: 94%
Boasting two career-defining performances and a brilliant script, writer-director Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story is a searing portrayal of divorce and fleeting love. Charlie (Adam Driver), a successful theatre director, and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson), a veteran actress, have been seeing a mediator to work through their marital issues. But one day, Nicole serves him divorce papers, setting the table for a painful custody battle for their son.
These romantic movies on Netflix Canada should be viewed with a box of tissues nearby. (You’ve been warned!)
11. Leave No Trace (2018)
Number of reviews: 238
Rating: 100%
Leave No Trace, the second-most reviewed film to receive a 100 per cent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, tells the story of Will, an Iraqi War veteran suffering from PTSD (Ben Foster) who lives in a public park in Portland, Oregon, with his 13-year-old daughter Tom (Thomasin McKenzie). One day, they’re spotted, arrested and given food and a home by social services. Faced with this opportunity for a fresh start, Will struggles to overcome his demons and adjust to regular life, while his daughter feels her father is holding back her true potential.
12. Argo (2012)
Number of reviews: 358
Rating: 96%
In 1979, Iranian militants take over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and hold 52 American diplomats and citizens hostage. Amid the commotion, six Americans escape and find refuge with the Canadian ambassador. Enter Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck), a CIA operative who’s tasked with rescuing the group. His plan? Pose as a Hollywood producer scouting locations in Iran and train the Americans to act as his crew. Argo received seven Academy Award nominations and won three, for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film Editing.
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13. La La Land (2016)
Number of reviews: 464
Rating: 91%
The Oscar-winning La La Land charts the romance of aspiring actress Mia (Emma Stone) and devoted jazz pianist Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) from first meeting to break-up in the City of Dreams, delivering a bevy of tunes along the way. An unapologetic homage to the classic movie musicals of the 1950s and ’60s, La La Land features sensuous throwbacks to Singin’ in the Rain, The Band Wagon, West Side Story and The Young Girls of Rochefort.
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14. Gravity (2013)
Number of reviews: 355
Rating: 95%
Immediately hailed as a modern classic and nominated for 10 Oscars, Gravity rewrites the rules of the sci-fi thriller and adds new ones too. After a routine spacewalk goes catastrophically wrong, two astronauts—the brilliant but inexperienced Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and the mission’s commander (George Clooney)—find themselves floating in outer space with nothing but each other. Visually dazzling and narratively taut, Gravity is a pulse-pounding survival story for the ages.
Are you a fan of Gravity? Don’t miss these other amazing sci-fi movies on Netflix Canada!
15. The Godfather Part II (1974)
Number of reviews: 114
Rating: 96%
What is left to say about The Godfather Part II that hasn’t already been said? The much-loved “Greatest Sequel Ever” is, like its predecessor, a tragedy worthy of Shakespeare. In this 1974 classic, mob boss Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) seeks to expand his criminal enterprise to Cuba, while his father, Vito (Robert De Niro, shown in flashbacks), flees to New York City from Sicily and very quickly learns that—contrary to the old adage—crime does pay.
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16. Baby Driver (2017)
Number of reviews: 392
Rating: 92%
When Baby (Ansel Elgort) puts in his earbuds and presses play, he’s the best getaway driver in the game. Baby works for Doc (Kevin Spacey), a criminal mastermind who assembles new crews for every armed robbery he plans, Baby being the only constant. When Baby repays his debt to Doc, he decides to quit his life of crime and devote himself to his love, Debora (Lily James)—but Baby’s criminal past threatens to destroy his future in unexpected ways. If you want non-stop action, a bangin’ soundtrack, and a good amount of soul, Baby Driver should be at the top of your Netflix Canada viewing list.
17. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Number of reviews: 391
Rating: 92%
Following the events of Captain America: Civil War, young Peter Parker (Tom Holland) navigates his double-life as a teenager at Midtown High School in New York City, and as the youngest member of the Avengers. Against the commands of his mentor, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Parker begins to investigate the city’s newest villain, Vulture (Michael Keaton), a salvager-turned-arms trafficker with mysterious intentions. While one could argue that there are simply too many superhero movies and shows these days, Spider-Man: Homecoming is too fun, action-packed and smart to ignore.
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18. Hell or High Water (2016)
Number of reviews: 281
Rating: 97%
In order to stop their family’s West Texas ranch from being foreclosed, two brothers (Chris Pine and Ben Foster) begin robbing small banks to pay off their mortgage. Meanwhile, clever Texas Ranger Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges) is hot on the brothers’ tail and vows to ambush them at the scene of their next crime. A sleeper hit, Hell or High Water was nominated for four Academy Awards in 2017, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Bridges.
Next, check out these other thriller movies on Netflix Canada.