Netflix has revealed that there are some great new titles arriving next month. Looking at everything new on Netflix in September, we’ve spotted plenty among the lineup that we’re excited to watch, including several new Netflix movies that were all well-received by critics and viewers alike.
We all know the struggle: Netflix’s library is big and ever-growing, making it difficult to actually settle in and find something to watch, which is why we’ve done the hard work for you to pick out the most highly rated movies that are coming to the best streaming service in September.
I’ve pulled together a real mix of genres in this list, so no matter whether you’re after sci-fi, animation or a Steven Spielberg classic, there’s something for everyone. Here are my top five acclaimed movie picks on Netflix, along with why I think they’re worth your time. Plenty of other critics would agree, too!
Edge of Tomorrow
Netflix release date: September 7
RT Score: 91%
Length: 113 minutes
Director: Doug Liman
Main cast: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson
If you’re after a gripping action flick that’s as funny as it is thrilling, Edge of Tomorrow is the perfect choice. Set in a future where most of Europe is being invaded by an alien race, a public relations officer with limited combat experience is forced by his superiors to fight against the aliens, only to find himself experiencing a time loop in the process. We’ve got our fair share of time loop movies now, like Happy Death Day and, of course, Groundhog Day, but this one is definitely up there.
Not to mention, it’s got a brilliant cast too. Action royalty Tom Cruise is joined by A Quiet Place‘s Emily Blunt, The Sinner‘s Bill Paxton and The Banshees of Inisherin‘s Brendan Gleeson, so you’re in for a real treat performance wise. Entertainment writer Grace Morris also says that the movie is one of her favorite sci-fi movies – to find out why, read her article about why Edge of Tomorrow deserves a sequel.
Jaws
Netflix release date: September 1
RT Score: 97%
Length: 124 minutes
Director: Steven Spielberg
Main cast: Richard Dreyfuss, Roy Scheider and Robert Shaw
Jaws is one of those movies you shouldn’t confess you’ve never seen otherwise you’ll get a chorus of “what do you mean you haven’t seen Jaws?!”. But hey, I’m not here to judge if you haven’t seen one of the best Netflix movies. Luckily, you’ll be able to soon stream the Spielberg classic, so you can rectify that situation – and trust me, you really should, especially if you caught the terribly rated Netflix shark movie Under Paris in June. Or, if you’re anything like me, you can decide you want to watch it for the millionth time now it’s part of Netflix’s library. Here are five more fun Netflix monster movies to watch after you’ve caught up with this classic.
In this masterpiece that blows other shark movies out of the water, Sheriff Brody teams up with a marine biologist and a local fisherman to hunt down a great white shark who has been attacking locals. But it’s so much more than that, and considering you barely see the shark, it’s more about the dynamic between these three very different men, and the quirks of Amity Island. There’s also a very punchable mayor character too, if that takes your fancy.
Midnight Run
Netflix release date: September 1
RT Score: 95%
Length: 126 minutes
Director: Martin Brest
Main cast: Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton
Robert De Niro isn’t just about gangsters and hard-boiled roles, he’s also a very effective comedic actor. Personally, I loved him most in Stardust but I digress, he’s just as good in Midnight Run. He’s a bounty hunter here, who is hired by a bail bondsman to find an accountant and bring him to Los Angeles. This accountant has got himself in heaps of trouble involving money and the mob, which we all know never ends well.
If you like unlikely duos, De Niro’s bounty hunter and Charles Grodin’s embezzling accountant are sure to deliver laughs, and Danny Elfman provides a banging soundtrack as always, so it’s a very well-rounded piece indeed.
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Netflix release date: September 1
RT Score: 95%
Length: 85 minutes
Director: Nick Park
Main cast: Peter Sallis, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Peter Kay
We’ve really come a long way from A Grand Day Out, where one man and his dog flew to the moon in search of cheese. Like, they could’ve just gone to the corner store I guess, but that wouldn’t have been a very good short film.
Ever since then, Wallace and Gromit have gone global and advanced from shorts to feature-length movies, with The Curse of the Were-Rabbit being their first proper big screen appearance. Parodying monster movies with classic British hilarity, this labor of love took five years to make, because stop-motion animation is no easy medium. It was worth it though, and a second feature-length movie about everyone’s favorite feathered outlaw Feathers McGraw, Vengeance Most Fowl, hits the streamer in December.
Grave of the Fireflies
Netflix release date: September 16
RT Score: 100%
Length: 89 minutes
Director: Isao Takahata
Main cast: Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Yoshiko Shinohara, Akemi Yamaguchi
If you’ve been through our list of every Studio Ghibli movie ranked, you’ll know that Grave of the Fireflies is considered the studio’s darkest movie. Indeed, you’ll need your tissues for this one. This haunting animated movie follows two siblings who are orphaned by an air raid during World War II, and have to try and survive in Kobe, Japan, most of which had been destroyed during the close of the Pacific War.
While it’s not an easy movie by any means, it is an essential watch as it’s widely regarded as one of the best war movies of all time. If you’re in the mood for further devastation, both emotionally and literally on screen, I would also recommend When the Wind Blows by Raymond Briggs, a British movie which follows a similar premise, seeing an elderly couple trying to survive a nuclear war. For more anime, here’s where to watch Studio Ghibli films from anywhere.
