Having has had a few attempts at big Netflix Original movies in previous years, but 2017 saw Netflix become a serious contender with some excellent movie releases flying under their umbrella.
Netflix released a grand total of 41 Original movies in 2017 and has plenty planned for 2018 too but 2017 will mark a landmark year for the streaming service. We’ve seen the stories that Netflix tell mature and some truly beautiful movies rivalling anything that comes out in the cinema have released making Netflix a true player in the movie world.
The top five positions were chosen by our readers in the What’s on Netflix 2017 awards. The battle for the top two positions then took place in the final week of the poll for which we’ve included the final results below.
5. Sand Castle
This isn’t Netflix’s first foray into the war movie arena with previous titles Beasts of No Nation, War Machine and The Siege off Jadotville all coming before it. Although compared to those movies, Sand Castle could come up a little short it’s still an instantly enjoyable war flick.
The movies big draw star is Nicholas Hoult who plays a student wanting to go to college so joins the army to make a little money. The reality is that he has joined the Iraq which at this point, has no real end goal. The movie also looks at the consequences of war particularly on those who are in them.
4. To The Bone
One of 2017’s more controversial releases was that of To the Bone. It starred Keanu Reeves and Lily Collins and delves into the world of anorexia. Lilly Collins plays the role of 20-year-old, Ellen who suffers from the illness. The movie is about her journey to confront and deal with her illness.
This movie split opinions because of the sensitive nature of the topic it covers but at the very least it did strike up a conversation often left by the wayside.
3. OKJA
It’s no surprise that OKJA is one of Netflix’s more expensive movies. It’s absolutely stunning. Set in a future where food resources are scarce, it’s down to an experimental pig to save the day but it’s not quite that simple. The movie goes on to explore animal activism corporate greed and the ethics surrounding our food.
The movie comes from veteran director Bong Joon Ho who along with the star-studded cast including that of Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal and Paul Dano meant that it’s a massive success for Netflix when the movie launched in the summer.
2. 1922
It was a great year to be a Stephen King movie thanks to the update relaunch of IT and the release of 1922. Although 1922 never gained the same popularity than IT, it did provide a hauntingly good movie experience when it landed towards the end of 2017.
Reliving the classic novella of the same name, it tells the story of one man’s crime of killing his wife and the subsequent haunting that takes place. The movie has you on the edge of your seat throughout and although it doesn’t go full horror movie, it’s still enjoyable for hardcore horror fans.
There’s still plenty of other Stephen King titles heading to Netflix.
1. First They Killed My Father
Although this isn’t Angelina Jolie’s first time as a director of a movie, it is one of her finest. The movie that is clearly aimed at an Oscar nomination tells the true story of a 5-year-old girl’s story for survival in Cambodia during Khmer Rouge’s reign on the region.
It does a fantastic job of highlighting events that took place not too long ago in history. The movie is visually stunning and was cast perfectly. The subject matter makes this a hard movie to watch compared to the others mentioned above but it’s certainly the most gripping movie Netflix has ever released.
Did we miss a movie that should’ve been included here? Let us know in the comments.
