The 8 best new Netflix original films

On the hunt for a new Netflix film to be obsessed with but not feeling up to scrolling through endless offerings? Don’t worry. Mashable is here to help!

We’ve sorted through Netflix’s new releases from the past six months of 2022 — April through September, if you’re keeping score — to bring you a list of the eight best new Netflix original films. From animated adventures to dark comedies to sports dramas, these selections are guaranteed people-pleasers.

Here, from most to least recent, are the eight best new Netflix original films you can stream right now.

1. Do Revenge

Dressed for revenge.
Credit: Kim Simms / Netflix

Looking for a revenge flick that pays tribute to teen classics like Mean Girls, Heathers, Cruel Intentions, and more? Then check out Do Revenge, a dark comedy sure to join the canon of iconic high school films. Students Drea (Camila Mendes) and Eleanor (Maya Hawke) couldn’t be more different… apart from the fact that both have major bones to pick with people who ruined their reputations. They decide to team up and execute one another’s revenge plans, which leads down a winding road of morally dubious choices, snappy one-liners, and excellent outfits. Mendes and Hawke have great chemistry, but it’s Sophie Turner who damn near steals the show in a bit part that simply must be seen to be believed. — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: Do Revenge is now streaming on Netflix.(opens in a new tab)

2. Drifting Home

Not your normal ocean excursion.
Credit: Netflix

Drifting Home isn’t a perfect movie, but it is a beautiful one. Hiroyasu Ishida’s anime fantasy follows a group of school children who visit an abandoned — and possibly haunted — apartment block one summer, only to find themselves transported to a different world altogether. “This sea-bound world is where Drifting Home really comes into its own,” we wrote in our review. “Kei Machida’s cinematography brings the ocean to life, alternating between expansive blue skies, blood-red sunsets, and churning grey storm-fronts, with the apartment block clinging on through it all like some giant, crumbling life raft.” Over the course of this strange journey we learn more about the kids struggling to survive it, delving into their pasts for a poignant story that’s ultimately about grief and loss. — Sam Haysom, Deputy UK Editor

How to watch: Drifting Home is now streaming on Netflix.(opens in a new tab)

3. I Used to Be Famous

Your new favorite band is here.
Credit: Netflix

One of the most heartwarming films you’ll see all year, I Used to Be Famous is the story of the bond between two very different musicians. One is Vince (Ed Skrein), a former boy band member who’s trying to scrape together a new music career. The other is Stevie (Leo Long), an autistic drummer whose gift for rhythm kicks off a collaboration with Vince. Sure, I Used to Be Famous can fall into some predictable story beats, but when they’re this wholesome and this well-acted, what’s not to love? — B.E.

How to watch: I Used to Be Famous is now streaming on Netflix.(opens in a new tab)

4. Seoul Vibe

Good Seoul vibes only.
Credit: Song Kyungsub / Netflix

If you’re pining for the earlier, less spacebound days of The Fast and the Furious, you might want to take a spin with Seoul Vibe. Set in 1988 in the lead-up to the Seoul Olympics, this action heist thriller from director Moon Hyun-sung follows five friends collectively known as the Sanggye-dong Supreme Team. There’s top driver Dong-wook (Yoo Ah-in), navigator Bok-nam (Lee Kyoo-hyung), master of disguise Yoon Hee (Park Ju-hyun), DJ and mixtape aficionado John (Ko Kyung-pyo), and team MacGyver Joon-gi (Ong Seong-wu). When they’re put in a perilous situation they can’t get out of and asked threatened into infiltrating a crime ring, things actually seem pretty sweet at first with all their new gear — but then they get pretty damn real. — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor

How to watch: Seoul Vibe is now streaming on Netflix.(opens in a new tab)

5. The Sea Beast

Here there be sea monsters.
Credit: Netflix

Chart a course for adventure with The Sea Beast, a tremendous animated film from Big Hero 6 co-director Chris Williams. In a world awash with sea monsters, only the brave hunters stand between humanity and certain destruction. Chiefest among them is the great Jacob Holland (voiced by Karl Urban). However, when a naval battle goes awry, Jacob and plucky young stowaway Maisie Brumble (voiced by Zaris-Angel Hator) find themselves stranded in uncharted waters. Their journey home brings them closer to unexpected allies and forces them to confront potentially dangerous beliefs. Boasting excellent animation, an important message, and heart-pounding action sequences, The Sea Beast is a film the whole family can enjoy (and should watch immediately). — B.E.

How to watch: The Sea Beast is now streaming on Netflix.(opens in a new tab)

6. Hustle

Adam Sandler + basketball = a good movie.
Credit: Scott Yamano / Netflix

Adam Sandler scores big-time with Hustle, his first major dramatic film since Uncut Games. While both Uncut Gems and Hustle focus on basketball, Hustle is far less stressful and far more heartwarming. Sandler plays Stanley Sugerman, an international scout for the Philadelphia 76ers who would much rather help coach. On a scouting trip to Spain, he encounters Bo Cruz (Juancho Hernangómez), an amateur player with a ton of raw talent. Stanley sees greatness in Bo, so he devotes himself to helping him make it in the NBA. Their growing friendship and perseverance cement Hustle as a truly great feel-good sports film. — B.E.

How to watch: Hustle is now streaming on Netflix.(opens in a new tab)

7. Bubble

Look at all the pretty bubbles!
Credit: Netflix

If you’ve ever pondered what The Little Mermaid would look like as part of a post-apocalyptic world in which parkour battles determine social dominance and supplies among disgruntled youths, watch Bubble.

Attack on Titan director Tetsuro Araki and Japanese animation studio Wit Studio have crafted a visually magnificent anime from Hans Christian Andersen’s tragic underwater fairytale, which takes a more whimsical approach to the justifiably bleak apocalypse genre. After glimmering, transparent orbs suddenly cascade from the sky, Tokyo is abandoned and then contained within a giant dome. It’s here we meet the stoic Hibiki (voiced by Jun Shison) whose daily parkour races to survive with his crew are upturned with the arrival of a strange girl (voiced by Riria), who somehow saves his life. — S.C.

How to watch: Bubble is now streaming on Netflix.(opens in a new tab)

8. Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood

Houston, we’re having a great time.
Credit: Netflix

Boyhood and Before Sunrise director Richard Linklater takes on the 1969 moon landing in Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood. Using a combination of 2D, 3D, and rotoscope animation, Apollo 10½ tells the story of the moon landing both as it happened and through the eyes of young kid Stan (Milo Coy), who fantasizes about being selected by NASA to go to the moon. Deftly combining fantasy and reality, Apollo 10 ½ is a nostalgic gem that’s pure Linklater. — B.E.

How to watch: Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood is now streaming on Netflix.(opens in a new tab)

UPDATE: Oct. 7, 2022, 5:00 a.m. EDT This article has been updated to reflect current streaming options.