Netflix always starts each month by adding a wave of movies to its content library, and in January 2026, the streaming service is treating subscribers to several worthwhile picks.
On New Year’s Day, Netflix added 30 new movies and shows. That’s a lot of options to sort through. That’s why I’ve turned to review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes to get a steer on the ones most worth adding to my watchlist. While review scores aren’t a flawless metric, as personal tastes differ, they can offer a general guide to help select a quality Netflix watch.
‘12 Years a Slave’ (2013)
Oscar season is in the air, with the nominations for the 98th Academy Awards due to be announced later this month. That makes now a very fitting time to revisit one of the most deserving Best Picture winners of the 2010s, “12 Years a Slave.” This heartwrenching drama is based on the true story of Solomon Northup, a free man kidnapped and sold into slavery in the 19th century. It stars Chiwetel Ejiofor alongside Lupita Nyong’o, the latter winning Best Supporting Actress for her stunning and emotionally devastating turn as a traumatized slave named Patsey.
Set in 1841, Northup (Ejiofor) is a successful violinist in New York. Tricked by two men, drugged, and kidnapped, he is sold into slavery and transported to the South. Suffering unimaginable hardship and cruelty at the hands of a plantation owner (Michael Fassbender), Northup spends more than a decade in chains, dreaming of returning to his wife and young children. While his ordeal is sickening and this drama is frequently hard to watch, “12 Years a Slave” isn’t entirely without hope, and Northup’s refusal to give in to despair is truly inspirational.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
Watch "12 Years a Slave" on Netflix now
‘Free Solo’ (2018)
“Free Solo” is one of my favorite documentaries of all time, and it’s another new arrival on Netflix that is well-timed. Later this month, the big red streaming service will broadcast “Skyscraper Live,” an event that will see world-class rock climber Alex Honnold attempt to scale a 101-floor skyscraper in Taipei without the use of ropes. That makes now the perfect time to watch “Free Solo,” as this visually stunning doc introduced Honnold to many people, including yours truly.
“Free Solo” follows Honnold as he attempts to become the first person in the world to scale El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. That’s a tough challenge under normal circumstances, but he’s attempting to complete the climb while free soloing, rock climbing without any support ropes. One single mistake and he’ll tumble to his death. This documentary covers both his training and attempts to achieve a seemingly impossible goal, and also explores what drives him to partake in such a dangerous activity. It also packs some truly jaw-droppingly beautiful vistas.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Watch "Free Solo" on Netflix now
‘Green Room’ (2016)
“Green Room” is a great pick if you’re looking for a seriously intense dark thriller this month. It’s noted for its graphical violence, high level of tension and also for being the final film released during the lifetime of star Anton Yelchin, who tragically died just a few months after the movie's theatrical debut in 2016. If you like your thriller movies to get pretty brutal, then “Green Room” has plenty to offer, not least of which the frightfully menacing turn from the usually likable Patrick Stewart.
The Ain’t Rights are a scrappy punk band booked to play a backwoods bar. Once they learn the venue is actually a meeting place for a local white supremacist group, they want to pack up and leave pronto. However, when they witness a member of the group murdering a girl, they are trapped in the backstage green room and forced to battle for survival against the skinheads and their leader, Darcy (Patrick Stewart).
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
Watch "Green Room" on Netflix now
‘District 9’ (2009)
Back in 2009, director Neill Blomkamp exploded onto the sci-fi scene with “District 9,” a gritty action movie that represented a high bar the filmmaker has yet to meet again. This impactful sci-fi movie, which explores themes of xenophobia and segregation through an extraterrestrial lens, was such a success that it even nabbed a nomination for Best Picture at the Oscars, a feat rarely achieved in the sci-fi genre (which is often criminally overlooked by the Academy).
It’s set in an alternative South Africa where a large spaceship hovers over Johannesburg. The ship contains millions of insect-like creatures, crudely nicknamed “Prawns.” These otherworldly beings are housed in a ramshackle camp called District 9, which becomes its own community. Our insight into this alien society is a government agent, Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley), who is exposed to an alien fluid that slowly transforms him into a Prawn. Now it’s a race against time to find a cure and expose the sinister scheming of the Multi-National United Corp.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
Watch "District 9" on Netflix now
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