6 new to Netflix movies with 90% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes

Netflix was a little bit lazy over the holiday season dropping only a small slate of new movies last month but the streaming service is picking up the slack in January 2025 with a load of new additions to its library that you’ll want to get added to your watchlist.

The highlights this month include one of the most celebrated and emotionally resonant Best Picture winners in history, and it comes from legendary director Steven Spielberg. Plus, if you want something on the other end of the scale, my favorite horror movie of the entire 21st century has just arrived on Netflix — and it’s going to haunt your dreams until February.

Even better, every single pick on this list has scored at least 90% or higher on review site Rotten Tomatoes. That doesn’t guarantee each one will appeal to your unique tastes, but it’s a strong indicator of their overall quality. So, these are the six new to Netflix movies that you need to watch in January 2025….

'Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl' (2024)

One of my earliest childhood memories is watching my family’s VHS copy of “A Grand Day Out” so many times that the plastic started to crack and warp. I was obsessed with the first adventure of the lovable inventor Wallace and his best pooch pal Gromit, and almost three decades later my fondness for the cheese-loving pair hasn’t abated whatsoever.

I was thrilled when the duo was confirmed to return for their second feature-length adventure following 2005’s “The Curse of the Were-Rabbit,” and after getting to watch this new installment over the festive season, I can confidently say it warrants its 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes. In “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl,” the pair square off against an old enemy, Feathers McGraw, who is back on the scene looking to settle old scores.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%
Stream it on Netflix now

'Schindler's List' (1998)

“Schindler’s List” is one of the most critically acclaimed movies ever made. Steven Spielberg’s World War II masterwork was a Best Picture winner, and that’s just the tip of its lengthy list of award wins. However, it’s more than just an exceptionally well-crafted movie, it’s also a vitally important watch, showcasing an act of heroism that should never be forgotten, and serving as a timely reminder to future generations. If you watch just one movie on this list, it should be this one, but prepare yourself as it’s an extremely heavy watch.

The movie recounts the wartime efforts of Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), a German businessman who became a vital ally for Jewish people in occupied Kraków, Poland. Turning his factor into a safe refuge for those being persecuted by German forces, he managed to save more than 1,100 Jewish people who would have otherwise been sent to the gas chambers at the Auschwitz camp. This movie is a fitting tribute to a remarkable man.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%
Stream it on Netflix now

'You Hurt My Feelings' (2023)

Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tobias Menzies star in this comedy-drama about a novelist and therapist united in a loving marriage. Well, it was a loving marriage, until Beth (Louis-Dreyfus) overhears Don (Menzies) giving a brutal, but admittedly honest, assessment of her latest book (spoilers: He doesn’t like it very much). This causes a whole tidal wave of passive-aggressive drama as Beth becomes increasingly annoyed and distrustful of Don.

The low-key movie was praised for its sharp writing (courtesy of writer/director Nicole Holofcener), alongside the performances of the two leads. Julia Louis-Dreyfus in particular shines, with the movie giving her a suitable vehicle for her comedic talents and dramatic chops. If you want a movie that’s charmingly small in scope, “You Hurt My Feelings” is a great pick, and its observations on relationship dynamics are frank and relatable.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
Stream it on Netflix from January 26

'Spider-Man 2' (2004)

Netflix has added the whole Sam Raimi “Spider-Man” trilogy this month and frankly, you should watch them all. Yes, you should even stream the very flawed and frustratingly overstuffed “Spider-Man 3,” if only for the many memes the flick has birthed. However, if you really only have time for a single one, “Spider-Man 2” is the best of the trilogy, and by a comfortable margin. In fact, it’s every bit as enjoyable as any modern Spider-Man movie in the MCU.

The movie picks up a couple of years after its predecessor and sees Peter Parker (Toby Maguire) at a crossroads. While he feels a personal responsibility to be New York City’s protector as Spider-Man, his heroism is taking a toll on his civilian life, particularly his relationship with best friends Harry Osborne (James Franco) and Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). If his relationship drama wasn’t enough, he’s also forced to face a new threat, Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), who has turned into a villain by an experiment gone wrong.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Stream it on Netflix now

'Dallas Buyers Club' (2013)

“Dallas Buyers Club” is typically considered the culmination of the so-called “McConaissance,” a period between 2011 and 2014 where actor Matthew McConaughey looked to prove himself as a serious performer after being type-cast in rom-coms in the early 2000s. And McConaughey certainly proved himself in this biographical drama, scooping the Oscar for Best Actor, while co-star Jared Leto picked up the Best Supporting Actor statue that year.

Set in ‘90s Texas, salt-of-the-earth Ron Woodroof (McConaughey) is shocked to learn he has AIDS and may have just about a month left to live. Refusing to wait around to die, he starts an underground pharmaceutical drugs trade, smuggling in medication not yet approved by the US government with help from a fellow AIDS patient (Leto). Becoming a lifeline for many people with nowhere else to turn Woodroof proves to be an unconventional savior.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
Stream it on Netflix now

'Hereditary' (2018)

For me, Ari Aster's “Hereditary” is the best horror movie of the 21st century, and probably second only to “Alien” in my all-time ranking. This 2018 chiller is the type of movie that is so disturbing that part of you will want to look away, but it grips you so completely that you’ll feel utterly compelled to see it through to its haunting final moments. Plus, Toni Collette gives the best performance of her impressive career and really should have been in the Oscar race (Shame on the Academy for so frequently overlooking the horror genre).

I am eager to avoid spoilers, as I believe the best way to experience "Hereditary" is to know as little as possible beforehand but Collette plays the mother of a young family who is tormented by dark secrets and a sinister ancestry in the wake of her mother passing away. Credit to Alex Wolff and Ann Dowd for phenomenal supporting turns, but this is Collette’s movie, and she gives a performance that remains iconic in the genre.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
Stream it on Netflix from January 15

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