Netflix’s Best Original Movies, According to Rotten Tomatoes

Netflix has so many movies that it is hard to sift through the gunk to get to the good stuff. Rotten Tomatoes can be a helpful starting point to find the best the streamer has to offer though. Only a few original Netflix movies have earned 100% fresh ratings, and we’ve put together a list of them.

Rotten Tomatoes‘ fresh ratings are based on reviews from movie critics around the world. Films with “fresh” ratings earned at least 60% positive reviews from critics, while those with less than 60% positive reviews get slapped with “rotten” status. The “certified fresh” label is reserved for movies with 75% or higher positive reviews and at least five reviews from Top Critics. Films in wide release also need at least 80 reviews, while limited-release movies need at least 40.

The best films on Netflix, at least according to Rotten Tomatoes, are their documentaries. The Oscar-nominated Crip Camp, the Emmy-winner Dick Johnson is Dead, and the essential Athlete A are all among the six originals. The only fictional Netflix feature with a perfect score is Remi Weekes’ horror film His House. Scroll on for a brief look at the only Netflix movies with perfect Rotten Tomatoes scores.

Strong Island (2017)

Strong Island is a 2017 true-crime documentary on the case of William Ford and directed by Ford’s brother Yance. Ford was a 24-year-old African-American man killed by 19-year-old Mark P. Reilly. An all-white grand jury in Suffolk County, New York declined to indict Reilly, who claimed self-defense. Strong Island was nominated for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar in 2018. 

Athlete A (2020)

Athlete A is a must-see documentary directed by Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk that details the Larry Nassar scandal that engulfed USA Gymnastics. The film also follows the Indianapolis Star journalists who broke the story. Nassar sexually assaulted hundreds of young girls while serving as USA Gymnastics’ team doctor. Athlete A won Best Sports Documentary at the 2020 Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards.

The Square (2013)

The Square, directed by Jehane Noujaim, focuses on the political crises in Egypt, beginning with the Egyptian Revolution of 2011. It was nominated for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. The film also won Emmys for Oustanding Directing, Outstanding Cinematography, and Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming.

Dick Johnson is Dead (2020)

Kirsten Johnson’s Dick Johnson is Dead is a surprisingly hilarious and touching film. Johnson’s father Richard suffers from dementia, and she hatched ideas to show his “death” through various staged “accidents.” Johnson won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program.

Crip Camp (2020)

Nicole Newnham and James Lebrecht’s Oscar-nominated Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution is an emotional look at Camp Jened, a summer camp in New York for teens with disabilities. The film tells the story of the teens who grew up to become disability rights activists. Barack and Michelle Obama served as executive producers.

His House (2020)

His House, which debuted at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, was written and directed by Remi Weekes, from a story by Felicity Evans and Toby Venables. The movie is about South Sudanese refugees Bol (Sope Dirisu) and Rial (Wunmi Mosaku), who struggle to adjust to living in an English town while evil resurfaces. The movie earned widespread critical acclaim and won four awards at the 2021 British Independent Film Awards.