If you feel like you've 'completed Netflix', don't cancel it just yet. You've probably not taken a deep dive into the library of one of the best streaming services. There's a lifetime's worth of content to enjoy.
We're not talking about filler either, chances are you've missed some genuine gems, with over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. If you're about to rewatch the same old classics or start The Office or Peep Show for the twelfth time, try something a bit different.
1. The Mitchells vs. the Machines
If you've completed the best of Pixar and want a flick for all the family, The Mitchells vs. the Machines should be your go-to. With a whopping 97% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, it seems I'm not alone.
National Lampoons Vacation meets the Terminator is not a traditional description for a family film but that's as close as I can get to describing this story. While the Mitchells are on an ill-fated family road trip, it just so happens that the world gets overthrown by robots. Of course, it falls to our family to stop them. Funny, smart and sweet in equal measure.
2. Love and Monsters
Don't come for me but I think that Love and Monsters is the best Fantasy YA movie of the 21st century. You can keep your Hunger Games and Harry Potter. Despite my protestations, it seems like a sequel will never happen, but with 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, I'm not the only one who'll be saddened by that news. This is a brilliant fusion of romcom, road trip and dystopian apocalypse.
Love and Monsters may seem like typical post-apocalyptic fare but the characters, story (and monsters themselves) are genuinely fresh takes on well-trodden tropes. Dylan O'Brien plays it perfectly as lovelorn coward Joel while we're also treated to one of the best dogs that cinema has seen. Essential viewing for pretty much anyone I would say.
3. Little Evil
Have you ever just thought that a kid was pure evil? Not just a pain in the neck but literally the antichrist? That's the premise of Little Evil. Severance star Adam Scott stars alongside Evangeline Lilly in this horror comedy that might put you off having kids for life.
Not one for the faint of heart, this is a razor-sharp comedy with a wicked sense of humour, paid testament by its 92% Rotten Tomatoes score. Written and directed by Tucker and Dale Versus Evil creator Eli Craig, any parent will find it all too relatable.
4. Attack the Block
John Boyega may be tearing it up in the new Netflix movie They Cloned Tyrone but it was another sci-fi comedy, Attack the Block, that really put him on the map.
When aliens attack a South London council estate, It's up to a group of local kids to fight back and save the world but they hardly have the resources of the crew from Independence Day. This is less fighter jets and more frying pans, but still has 90% on Rotten Tomatoes.
A riotous comedy that also has a lot to say about race and class in the UK, Attack the Block is a rare movie that you can enjoy as both a popcorn flick and as something a bit deeper.
5. Blue Jay
Lastly, something that could make even the most hardened viewer shed a tear or two. Blue Jay is a touching story of lost love that still makes me well up to think about. With 91% on Rotten Tomatoes this is a weepy with real quality behind it.
Mark Duplass (who also wrote the screenplay) and Sarah Paulson are pretty much the only characters in this two-hander that resembles a play at times. When Duplass' Jim returns to town to sort his late mother's affairs, a chance meeting with old flame Amanda sees the two take a trip down memory lane, for better and worse.
I can't say much more but please watch this movie. Shot entirely in black and white, the soundtrack is pure perfection and the performances achingly real. Keep tissues close by.
