Critical acclaim isn’t always the best indicator of quality. After all, some of my favorite movies have been universally bashed by critics, while others I absolutely loathe have been revered beyond belief. But…critical acclaim also isn’t a bad place to start. Especially when a movie approaches the elusive 100% approval rating—an incredible rarity in today’s polarized critical community. Many films do come close to such perfection, and several of them are available on our favorite streaming services. But which ones are they? And how do you find them?

Don’t worry, I’ve done the work for you. I scoured every movie on Netflix and found the ten highest rated ones. I chose to only look at movies with at least 75 reviews, and of all the films I observed, the ten I found for this list have achieved an approval rating of at least 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. Which means, according to the critical consensus, you’re looking at the absolute best of the best on Netflix. Some of my personal favorites can be found on this list, and I’m confident that you could very well find a new favorite as well.

The Most Critically Acclaimed Movies On Netflix

The Wailing (2016)

86 reviews — 99% approval rating

The Wailing may not be very well known by your casual moviegoer, but those interested in South Korean cinema, and those interested in mystery films that tread off the beaten path, are well aware of what has cemented itself as one of the best horror movies of the 21st century. Suspenseful, unpredictable, visceral and daring, this philosophically penetrating film challenges the conventions of horror as we know them. The Wailing centers on a South Korean village where a series of violent murders and mysterious illnesses have baffled local police. This story’s protagonist, the bumbling officer Jong-goo (Kwak Do-won), investigates the mystery and becomes obsessed with a strange, unnamed Japanese man who recently arrived in the area. Before long, Jong-goo’s young daughter becomes “possessed,” leading Jong-goo to enlist the help of a shaman. At the same time, he must question whether to trust “The Woman in White,” who claims to know how to stop these evil forces. This often quiet film has thunderous presence, with director Na Hong-jin methodically pacing the story to slowly unravel its mystery and reveal the mystical powers at play. You’ll get lost in the rural environment of this beautiful, unnerving film, with its rain-soaked forests, foggy mountains and shadowy interiors setting the tone for an eerie, immersive experience unlike any you’ve every seen.

Here’s a great breakdown of The Wailing’s themes and plot for anyone interested in understanding the movie’s deeper meaning.

Tangerine (2015)

168 reviews — 96% approval rating

LGBTQ+ films have a rich history, with the emergence of queer subtext between the 1940s and 1960s (in films like Rebecca and Suddenly, Last Summer) leading to the gay liberation movement between the 1960s through 1980s (The Boys in the Band and Sunday Bloody Sunday) leading to the new queer cinema of the 1990s (Poison and The Watermelon Woman), the genre’s trail has now led to its mainstream breakthroughs in the 21st century, with movies like Brokeback Mountain, The Kids Are All Right, Moonlight and Call Me By Your Name creating greater visibility for the long-oppressed community. Oh, and let us not forget one of the best modern LGBT!+ films: Tangerine. Set in Los Angeles, this independent drama follows Sin-Dee (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez), a transgender sex worker who decides to confront her boyfriend and the woman he’s having an affair with. Accompanied by her friend Alexandra (Mya Taylor), Sin-Dee traverses the streets of L.A. on Christmas Eve, encountering various people from their community along the way. Her journey paints an empathetic portrait of people living on the margins, with director Sean Baker giving them agency, depth and humanity, all while avoiding sensationalism or exploitation. This energetic, fast-paced story benefits the raw, naturalistic performances set against the neon lights, the brightly painted walls, the golden-hour sunlight of Los Angeles.

The Lego Movie (2014)

259 reviews — 96% approval rating

Unfortunately, at this point, it seems The Lego Movie franchise has played itself, with its gimmickry starting to feel stale after so many repeated attempts. But I remember watching The Lego Movie in theaters back in 2014, and the energy was much different back then. Because Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s movie wasn’t just more run-of-the-mill animation—it felt revolutionary. With its meta-humor and self-referential jokes, with its rapidly paced story moving at a breakneck speed, with its phony stop-motion animation achieving a never-before-seen aesthetic, this wildly entertaining film from Lord and Miller—the guys who directed 21 Jump Street and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, who would go on to produce and oversee the Spider-Verse franchise—felt unparalleled in its pure creativity and inventiveness. For those who haven’t seen it yet, the story follows Emmet (Chris Pratt), an ordinary construction worker in the Lego world, who (in a clear spoof of The Matrix) is mistakenly identified as “The Special,” a prophesized hero who will save the universe. Alongside a group of Master Builders, including the tough Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) and the wise Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman), Emmet embarks on an adventure to stop the evil Lord Business (Will Ferrell) from using a superweapon to glue the Lego world together. Sit back, relax and enjoy some of the most effortless entertainment you’ll ever see in cartoon form.

Suzume (2023)

134 reviews — 96% approval rating

If you’re a fan of anime, then you’re probably a fan of Makoto Shinkai, who gave us classic movies like Your Name. and Weathering with You before delivering what many consider to be his masterpiece, Suzume. What sets Shinkai’s films apart are their hyper-detailed, breathtaking animation, their inclination to blend fantasy with everyday life, their ability to capture unmistakable beauty in the tiniest of moments. But above all else, what I love about Shinkai’s movies, and what I especially love about Suzume, is their willingness to deftly explore themes of loss, of healing, of life-saving connection. His characters have been traumatized by the world, whether by deaths of family members or by environmental degradation, and they must work to free themselves from such emotional muck. This is certainly the case with Suzume (Nanoka Hara), a high school girl who is clearly processing her grief after losing her mother to the Great Earthquake of 2011. Years after her mother’s death, Suzume stumbles upon a mysterious door while exploring an abandoned town in Japan. After opening it, she inadvertently unleashes a series of supernatural events that result in natural disasters. Alongside a young man named Sota (Hokuto Matsumura), Suzume embarks on a journey across Japan to locate and close other doors like the one she opened. This entire journey helps Suzume to become whole again, to process what happened to her mother, to reconnect with her homeland and its people.

Godzilla Minus One (2023)

204 reviews — 98% approval rating

There were lots of great moments at the 96th Academy Awards, but the one that still burns freshest in my memory is when the special effects team for Godzilla Minus One won the award for Best Visual Effects. Working with a $10-15 million budget, it cannot be overstated how monumental it was for this ragtag group of artists to win over films with much bigger budgets, like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Creator. To boot, the special effects in this critically revered Godzilla film envelop a very affecting story about how humans react in the face of catastrophe—a narrative that gains even more depth and agency in the film’s post-World War II Japan setting. The movie follows Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki), a kamikaze pilot plagued by guilt after failing to act during a Godzilla attack on a military base. Returning to find his parents dead from the bombing of Tokyo, Shikishima befriends Noriko (Minami Hamabe), a woman who also lost her family, and they begin caring for an orphaned baby together. As Shikishima tries to rebuild his life, Godzilla reappears, now mutated by nuclear tests and offering an even greater threat to Japan. While the meticulous special effects received awards, the story of Godzilla Minus One is the real winner here, with its fully realized characters reflecting a nation’s long, arduous struggle to rebuild itself and define its identity following the ugliest war in our world’s history.

The Babadook (2014)

249 reviews — 98% approval rating

As you can see, there’s no movie on this list that matches such a high approval rating from so many reviews. Which is kind of crazy, given it doesn’t currently own the kind of popularity that you’d see these days for movies like Hereditary or Longlegs. But back in 2014, The Babadook sure felt like a landmark film. And not because of its terrifying monster—and yes, trust me, the shadowy figure in this movie is truly terrifying—but because of the sincerity employed in exploring its traumatized characters. The story centers on Amelia (Essie Davis), a widowed mother who is struggling to raise her troubled young son, Samuel (Noah Wiseman), who is plagued by nightmares of a monster. After discovering a mysterious book about a creature called the Babadook, strange things start to happen in their home. Amelia’s mental state begins to deteriorate as Samuel insists the Babadook is real, resulting in a psychologically heavy story that builds to a cathartic climax that is both ghastly and revealing. The tone of this winning film is emotionally intense and unsettling, with director Jennifer Kent using the complexity of her characters to drive the horror home. The audience is drawn into Amelia’s mental descent, her attempt to deal with grief and loss, making the terror feel both internal and external. The Babadook represents something far deeper than a simple monster—its a powerful metaphor for how trauma can haunt our lives.

Jaws (1975)

146 — 97% approval rating

For a long time, I’ve held onto this truth: Jaws is a perfect movie. And no, I don’t mean “perfect” as in there’s nothing wrong with it, or that no movie could possibly be better than it. But rather: for such a character-driven film that’s focused on three men’s struggle to get past conflict in their life, every single tic and beat of this movie—from the legendary score from John Williams to its innovative point-of-view shots to its incredible embracement of silence moments to drive the terror—is in service of its ultimate thematic focus on the relationship between human beings and nature. The shark of Jaws is not evil, but merely following its instincts—it is a creature of habit, an inevitability, a demonstration of the unpredictable, untamable forces of life and existence. Like the shark, life can sometimes feel like a predator that’s just waiting to rise and snatch you up. And that struggle is symbolized on the small island town of Amity, where a massive great white shark terrorizes beachgoers. After a series of deadly attacks, the town’s police chief, Brody (Roy Scheider), teams up with a marine biologist named Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and a seasoned shark hunter named Quint (Robert Shaw) to track down and kill the beast. As the three men venture out to sea, they must contend with the unpredictable and deadly killer, risking their own lives to protect the community. At the heart of their journey is the fear of the unknown—a fear we can all understand.

If you’re a fan of Jaws, be sure to check out my list of the ten best shark movies ever made.

The Teachers’ Lounge (2023)

138 reviews — 96% approval rating

The Teachers’ Lounge is, by far, the least well known movie on this list. Yet, its incredible 96% approval rating speaks major volumes. This independent movie with a straightforward story is one that critics were pushing after it competed for the Panorama Audience Award at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival. And the hype eventually paid off, with German director İlker Çatak’s feature being nominated for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards (where it lost to The Zone of Interest). The story is simple enough, focusing on an idealistic teacher named Carla (Leonie Benesch) who becomes embroiled in a conflict at her German school. After some money goes missing from the teachers’ lounge, one of her students, a young Turkish boy named Ali, is accused of the theft after he is discovered to be carrying lots of money. But after meeting with Ali’s parents and learning it was his allowance, she feels compelled to protect her student and investigate who truly stole the money—which causes tension amongst the staff. From there, the movie delves into the ethical complexity of such a situation, as Çatak provides multiple perspectives and forces the audience to grapple with difficult questions about truth, responsibility and the consequences of one’s actions, creating a story where no easy answers exist and every decision carries emotional and moral weight. Sure, the movie’s plot is simple, but its challenge to the audience, bolstered by its claustrophobia-inducing aesthetic and its slow-burn tension building, is profound and very much felt.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)

210 reviews — 97% approval rating

Taiki Waititi has long enjoyed a critically praised career, with films like Boy (which owns an 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes), What We Do in the Shadows (96%) and Thor: Ragnarok (93%) being hailed as quirky triumphs in comedy. And let us not forget Jojo Rabbit, which earned Waititi his first Academy Award (in the Best Adapted Screenplay category). But of all his films, none own a higher approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes than Hunt for the Wilderpeople, a heartfelt, adventurous, visually vibrant piece of entertainment that perfectly exemplifies how the director balances eccentricity with true-to-life moments that reach through the screen and tug on our heartstrings. The story centers on Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison), a rebellious foster child who is placed in the care of a gruff farmer named Hec (Sam Neill) and his kind-hearted wife, Bella (Rima Te Wiata), in the countryside of New Zealand. After a terrible tragedy that leaves and a giant misunderstanding, Ricky and Hec find themselves on the run in the wilderness when child welfare services seeks to return Ricky to state care. The movie wins from here on out by focusing on the bond between Ricky and Hec, allowing them to find solace in one another when they most feel alone and dejected. The film’s ability to balance dark yet familiar themes of regarding loss, trauma and abandonment with the mundane, lighthearted moments of everyday life achieves a style that truly belongs to Waititi, who has found a way to promote optimism and positivity without feeling preachy or cloying—instead, it’s flat-out infectious.

Aftersun (2022)

244 reviews — 96% approval rating

The final film on this list has the distinction of being my favorite. Strangely, as I’m now realizing, several movies on this list deal with grief, tragedy and trauma, all in a beautiful, moving manner. But Aftersun hits differently for me. Yes, I am someone who’s suffered from depression, but I also know what it’s like to watch someone be irreversibly gripped by depression—an experience that had a far greater impact on me. The feeling of not being able to help, of knowing that overwhelming darkness lies at the end of the road for somebody I love, for somebody who cannot resuscitate themselves, still haunts me years later. To this day, I have not seen another film more exquisitely capture this feeling than Charlotte Wells did in her debut feature film, Aftersun. This meditation on recollection and memory is set during a vacation at a Turkish resort, where Calum (Paul Mescal) and his young daughter Sophie (Frankie Corio) are spending the summer holiday together. Not much happens in the film, as Sophie tries to connect with her father and Calum desperately tries to hide his debilitating depression. While we believe we’re watching their vacation play out in real time, what we’re really witnessing is a memory—Sophie’s memory, as she tries to make sense of their time together and understand what she could have done for her struggling father. On her 31st birthday, the same age at which Calum would eventually take his own life, Sophie revisits photographs and videotape in a moment of emotional turmoil. As Sophie looks back, she isn’t just looking at her father, but evaluating herself, realizing how the traumatic experience shaped her. It’s an ugly confrontation, but an important one for her growth, for her ability to form her own identity and foster a mentally stable environment for her own family.

If you’re interested in the deeper meaning of Aftersun, this article does a great job of breaking down the movie’s plot and themes.