Netflix has its share of critically acclaimed movies and duds coming to the streaming service in July. Read on to find out which are the best and worst-reviewed movies in the new batch.
As usual, most of the movies new to the streaming service will premiere at the beginning of the month. As such, July 1 marks the debut of director Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy and director Robert Zemeckis’ Back to the Future trilogy, which were both well-received by critics and audiences.
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On the contrary, there are two other new movies on Netflix in July that finish out an infamous movie trilogy that appeared to be doomed by the critical reception of the first film in the series.
Not included in this assessment are four Netflix original films that are making their debuts on the streaming service in July, including movie legend Eddie Murphy’s long-awaited return to the Beverly Hills Cop series with Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. None of the four new Netflix originals were reviewed by critics before the publication of this article.
Here are the five best-reviewed and five worst-reviewed movies coming to Netflix in July, based on critics’ ratings on the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes. RT “fresh” or “rotten” rating ties are broken by RT Audience Scores.
The Best-Reviewed Movies Coming To Netflix
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5. ‘American Hustle’ (2013)
Directed by David O. Russell, American Hustle follows a pair of grifters, Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) who are forced into an undercover operation after being busted by FBI Agent Richie DiMasso (Bradley Cooper).
The FBI’s target is a group of corrupt politicians, including Camden, New Jersey, Mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner). American Hustle also stars Jennifer Lawrence as Irving’s wife, Rosalyn, who gets caught up in the sting operation.
RT critics gave American Hustle a 92 percent “fresh” rating based on 298 reviews, while more than 100,000 RT users collectively gave the movie a 74% “fresh” Audience Score.
American Hustle was nominated for 10 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Russell, as well as Best Actor and Actress nominations for Bale and Adams, and Best Supporting Actor and Actress nominations for Cooper and Lawrence.
American Hustle debuts on Netflix on July 1.
4. ‘Spider-Man 2’ (2004)
A rare sequel that’s just as revered as its original film, Spider-Man 2 finds Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) encountering a new nemesis, Dr. Otto Octavius/Doc Ock (Alfred Molina).
Kirsten Dunst returns as Peter’s crush, Mary Jane Watson, while James Franco reprises his role of Peter’s best friend, Harry Osborn, from the original Spider-Man in 2002.
RT critics gave Spider-Man 2 a 93% “fresh” rating based on 277 reviews, while RT users gave the movie an 82% “fresh” Audience Score based on 250,000-plus user ratings.
Spider-Man 2 debuts on Netflix on July 1.
3. ‘Captain Phillips’ (2013)
Based on a real-life incident in 2009, Captain Phillips stars Tom Hanks as Captain Richard Phillips, whose vessel—the MV Maersk Alabama—became the first U.S. cargo ship to be hijacked in 200 years.
Barkhad Abdi also stars as Muse, who leads the band of Somali pirates who hijack Phillips’ ship.
RT critics gave Captain Phillips a 93% “fresh” rating based on 281 reviews. The RT Audience Score was 89% percent “fresh” based on 100,000-plus user ratings.
Captain Phillips was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture. Abdi also earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination in his first screen role.
Captain Phillips debuts on Netflix July 1
2. ‘Back to the Future’ (1985)
Back to the Future stars Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, a California teen in the 1980s who is accidentally transported back to the 1950s in his mentor Doc Brown’s (Christopher Lloyd) DeLorean car/time machine.
Because of his inadvertent blast into the past, Marty puts his future in jeopardy when he encounters his parents Lorraine and George (Lea Thompson and Crispin Glover). Thomas F. Wilson also stars in Back to the Future as George’s bully, Biff Tanen.
RT critics gave Back to the Future a 93% “fresh” rating based on 111 reviews, while the sci-fi adventure comedy earned a 95% “fresh” Audience Score based on 250,000-plus user ratings.
Back to the Future debuts on Netflix on July 1.
1. ‘Call Me by Your Name’ (2017)
Timothée Chalamet stars in Call Me by Your Name, which chronicles a love affair in Italy in 1983 between 17-year-old Elio (Chalamet) and his father’s research assistant, Oliver (Armie Hammer), a 24-year-old graduate student.
Directed by Luca Guadagnino, Call Me by Your Name earned four Oscar nominations including Best Picture and Best Actor for Chalamet. The film won a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for screenwriter James Ivory.
RT gave Call Me By You Name a 94% “fresh” rating based on 364 reviews. RT users gave the film an 86% “fresh” Audience Score based on 10,000-plus user ratings.
Call Me by Your Name debuts on Netflix on July 1.
The Worst-Reviewed Movies Coming To Netflix
5. ‘Bad Boys II’ (2003)
The first sequel to the 1995 hit Bad Boys, Bad Boys II reunites Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as Miami police detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, who are trying to stop a Cuban drug cartel from smuggling ecstasy into their city.
Arriving on Netflix in time to capitalize on the theatrical success of Bad Boys: Ride or Die, the first two films in the four-chapter action series didn’t receive nearly the critical praise.
Bad Boys II has the worst Rotten Tomatoes score in the franchise, with a 24% “rotten” rating based on 186 reviews. Viewers reacted much differently, however, giving the film a 78% “fresh” RT Audience Score based on 250,000-plus user ratings.
Bad Boys II debuts on Netflix on July 8.
4. ‘Midnight Sun’ (2018)
Bella Thorne and Patrick Schwarzenegger star as Katie Price and Charlie Reed in Midnight Sun, a teen romance drama about how the couple copes with an illness that prevents Katie from being out in the sun.
RT critics gave Midnight Sun a 20% “rotten” rating, while viewers seemed a little more impressed. Still, the movie was deemed “rotten” with a 56% Audience Score based on 1,000-plus RT user ratings.
Midnight Sun debuts on Netflix on July 15.
3. ‘The Boy Next Door’ (2015)
Jennifer Lopez stars in The Boy Next Door, a crime thriller about how a dangerous situation develops after divorced school teacher Claire Peterson (Lopez) has a one-night stand with her 19-year-old former student, Noah Sandborn (Ryan Guzman).
After the one encounter, Claire tries to end the relationship but Noah becomes enraged.
RT critics gave The Boy Next Door a 12% “rotten” rating based on 139 reviews, while viewers gave the movie a 34% “rotten” Audience Score based on 25,000-plus RT user ratings.
The Boy Next Door debuts on Netflix on July 16.
2. ‘Fifty Shades Darker’ (2017)
Two years after critics trashed Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker—the second book in author E.L. James’ erotic book trilogy—was released.
Dakota Johnson reprises her role of Anastasia Steele, who fell under the spell of billionaire businessman Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan, back for round two) and his lurid world of BDSM in the first film. Fifty Shades Darker finds Christian trying to lure Anastasia back into his life after she left him at the conclusion of Fifty Shades of Grey.
RT critics gave 50 Shades Darker an 11% “rotten” rating based on 209 reviews. Viewers were more split on their reaction to the film, giving it a 48% “rotten” RT Audience Score based on 25,000-plus user ratings.
Fifty Shades Darker debuts on Netflix on July 16.
1. ‘Fifty Shades Freed’ (2018)
E.L. James’ Fifty Shades book-turned-movie trilogy concluded with Fifty Shades Freed.
Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) accepted Christian Grey’s (Jamie Dornan) marriage proposal at the end of Fifty Shades Darker and 50 Shades Freed finds the two as newlyweds. Things get complicated when Anastasia reveals that she is pregnant, but her joy is tempered when she learns Christian is communicating with a former BDSM dominant.
Fifty Shades Freed—like Fifty Shades Darker—received an 11% percent “rotten” rating from RT critics, but this rating was based on 194 reviews. Fifty Shades Freed, however, earned the No. 1 spot as the worst movie new on Netflix in July because it earned a 38% “rotten” Audience Score based on 5,000-plus user ratings.
Fifty Shades Freed debuts on Netflix on July 16.
If viewers want to take in the entire Fifty Shades movie trilogy, Netflix added the first film—2015’s Fifty Shades of Grey—to its streaming platform in June.
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