December brings with it the holiday season and is a time when many families and friends will gather together to enjoy some new Netflix movies. So, I'm happy to report that the streamer has really brought the good stuff for December 2023 with a collection of critically acclaimed flicks.
Netflix has gone heavy on the superheroes this month, with a whole load of DC Cinematic Universe options arriving on the streaming service. You won’t find Batman vs Superman on this list, but you might be surprised to know the much-maligned franchise has a few entries that have earned rave reviews. Viewers not so enamored with comic books haven't been left in the cold. There are plenty of options if you prefer your movies with a little less spandex.
All the new to Netflix movies on this list have scored at least 90% on the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes. That’s not a guarantee that you’ll enjoy a movie, but it’s as good an indication that a movie deserves a place in your watchlist as you’ll likely find. For more recommendations be sure to check out our list of the new movies and shows to watch this month, and check out the new Netflix + Max bundle being offered for $10. Yes, there's a catch.
The Suicide Squad (2021)
The Suicide Squad, the sort of semi-sequel to 2016’s critically panned Suicide Squad, is pretty much everything its predecessor wasn’t. Written and directed by James Gunn, the man responsible for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, it’s a riotous comic book movie that brings together an eclectic group of anti-heroes on a blood-soaked mission to save the world. It’s violent, sweary and a whole lot of dumb fun.
This time, the titular group of convicts is sent on a mission to the fictional South American island of Corto Maltese to find a laboratory and destroy all the classified information within. Succeed and their sentences will be lessened. Fail and the consequences will be deadly. Margot Robbie returns as Harley Quinn from the 2020 iteration but new squadmates include Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena) and Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian).
Genre: Superhero
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
Stream it on Netflix
Shazam! (2019)
Shazam! is a novel idea for a superhero movie. It follows a trouble-making foster kid named Billy Batson (Asher Angel) who is selected by a powerful wizard as his new champion. This allows Billy to transform into a fully grown adult superhero (Zachary Levi) by saying the magic word, “Shazam”. Teaming up with his foster brother and best friend, Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer), Billy must stop the sinister Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong) who plans to harass the power of the Seven Deadly Sins to rule the world.
After a string of very serious DC movies, Shazam! Represented a much-needed change of pace in 2019. While the stakes are certainly high, Billy approaches his saving-the-world mission with an air of comedy and Shazam! isn’t afraid to have fun with the inherent silliness of superheroes. Its sequel was released earlier this year and was a dud both critically and commercially, but the first Shazam! movie is still worth your time.
Genre: Superhero
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
Stream it on Netflix
May December (2023)
Directed by Todd Haynes, May December follows an actress (Natalie Portman) preparing for a controversial role by meeting the real-life woman she will be portraying (Julianne Moore), who is infamous for having an affair with a minor. The pair are still together 23 years later despite the scandalous start to their relationship, but the arrival of the actress puts new pressures on them both.
Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, May December received a rave reception right out of the gate and was nominated for the prestigious Palme d’Or. There’s plenty of awards buzz around this one with cast member Charles Melton a frontrunner for the Supporting Actor Oscar after winning the New York Film Critics Circle Award last month. At the same ceremony, the movie also took home Best Screenplay. That should convince you that May December might be one of the strongest Netflix Originals of the year.
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
Stream it on Netflix
Wonder Woman (2017)
Wonder Woman is one of the world’s most iconic superheroes, and in 2017 she was finally brought to the big screen courtesy of this truly excellent action romp. Gal Gadot dons the golden tiara as Diana Prince, an immortal Amazon warrior and princess of Themyscira, who must venture to the outside world after learning that a great war has consumed civilization. A war that Diana believes was started by the Amazon's sworn enemy, Ares.
However, she’s not enduring this mission alone, she has an American pilot named Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) along with her, and together the two battle across wartorn Europe on a singular quest to stop the fighting. During this era, the DCU never managed to achieve the consistent highs of its fierce rival, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Wonder Woman represents arguably DC’s greatest silver-screen effort to date. Director Patty Jenkins crafts a hugely enjoyable superhero movie that inspires but also comments on the nature of humanity. It’s simply wonderful.
Genre: Superhero
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Stream it on Netflix
Love and Monsters (2020)
A hugely overlooked movie upon its release in 2020, Love and Monsters was a victim of poor timing. For understandable reasons, many viewers were not looking for a post-apocalyptic flick considering what was happening in the world at that time. However, now that it’s a few years later, Love and Monsters is most definitely worth circling back to as it’s a delightful fun and charming creature feature.
Set seven years after an apocalyptic event unleashes blood-thirsty monsters on society, humanity has been forced underground. Joel Dawson (Dylan O’Brien) is sick of living among the coupled-up residents of his subterranean colony. So he does the only rational thing he can think of and decides to venture 80 miles across monster-infested land to reunite with his high school girlfriend, Aimee (Jessica Henwick). Enjoyable from start to finish, don’t skip Love and Monsters a second time.
Genre: Adventure
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
Stream it on Netflix
Boyz n the Hood (1991)
A remarkable exploration of 90s Los Angeles, Boyz n the Hood opens with Tre (Cuba Gooding Jr) being forced to move in with his father (Laurence Fishburne) in South Central after his mother fears that he’s falling behind his peers. Once there he bands together with his former childhood friend, Darrin (Ice Cube), and Darrin's half-brother Ricky (Morris Chestnut). While his father tries to guide him, the trio is drawn into the neighborhood’s booming gang culture with increasingly tragic results.
Considered a breakout role for both Ice Cube and Cuba Gooding Jr, Boyz n the Hood isn’t afraid to showcase the tough aspects of Los Angeles’ seedy underbelly but it also explores brotherhood and the influence of somebody’s environment. It’s a powerful movie with an impressive cast that also includes Angela Bassett and Regina King. Its cultural impact was so large that it was nominated for a string of Oscars and selected for preservation in the Library of Congress in 2002.
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
Stream it on Netflix
L.A. Confidential (1997)
One of the most celebrated crime movies ever made, L.A. Confidential was deemed so culturally important in 2015 that it was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress. Even more than two decades after its initial release it’s a gripping epic that explores the intersection of police corruption and Hollywood celebrity. That’s one heck of an elevator pitch!
The film focuses on three detectives within the Los Angeles Police Department (Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce) dispatched to investigate a series of murders. While poking around into these brutal crimes, they discover evidence that suggests corruption within their department and become determined to sniff it out whatever the personal and professional cost. The film also features Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito and James Cromwell. L.A. Confidential is the definition of a 90s classic.
Genre: Crime
Rotten Tomatoes score: 99%
Stream it on Netflix
More from Tom's Guide
