Back in Action has been trashed – but there's a key factor that explains which films are unexpected streaming hits.

Netflix is kicking 2025 off in decidedly low-key fashion. By its standards, the streamer's lineup of film originals in January is surprisingly slight. There are still a few Netflix-exclusive movies worth recommending this month,

The last month or so has been big for surprise additions to Netflix’s streaming roster. A few weeks ago, the streaming service added a bunch of big Warner Bros. releases to the lineup without announcing them in the monthly newsletters.

This month’s selection of movies includes an underseen rock opera, one of the best movies of the 2000s, a paranoid thriller about American misdeeds abroad, and a nice pre-Oscars catch-up on one of Timothée Chalamet’s best performances.