11 Best New Movies on Netflix: May 2021’s Freshest Films to Watch

Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant star in Notting Hill, a classic rom-com about bookstore owner William (Grant) and glamorous actress Anna (Roberts). When their two separate worlds collide one day with a visit to William’s bookstore, Anna finds herself drawn to a man she never thought she’d fall in love with. Whether you’re watching it for the the first time or the fiftieth, Notting Hill is a must-watch.

Where to watch Notting Hill

Back to the Future introduced us to Marty McFly in 1985, when Michael J. Fox time traveled back to the ’50s thanks to a wonky experiment by his friend Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd). The hit movie spawned two sequels, and this month, Netflix isn’t just releasing the first film in the Back to the Future franchise — we’ll be getting Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III.

Where to watch Back to the Future 

2003’s Mystic River packs a whole lot of star power into one movie. The crime drama stars Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laura Linney, Marcia Gay Harden … and the list goes on. When a man’s daughter is murdered, his two childhood friends are linked to the case — one as a suspect, and the other as the detective investigating the crime. The chilling film earned multiple nominations, including a Best Picture nod at the Oscars.

Where to watch Mystic River 

Say hello to my little friend! Brian De Palma’s famous gangster film is landing on Netflix this month. Al Pacino stars in 1983’s Scarface as Tony Montana, a ruthless drug kingpin willing to murder anyone who gets in his way. But his thrilling rise to the top of the game won’t last forever as Tony threatens to be the cause of his own downfall.

Where to watch Scarface 

Why not have a Julia Roberts double feature and stream The Pelican Brief after Notting Hill? Roberts stars in the 1993 drama as a young law student who teams up with a talented journalist (Denzel Washington) to crack a conspiracy. The thriller comes from the mind of John Grisham, who wrote the book of the same title and also published The Firm, which was later turned into a movie starring Tom Cruise.

Where to watch The Pelican Brief 

Alec Baldwin transforms into John DeLorean in this 2019 film about the infamous automaker. The biopic follows DeLorean in both his life and career, beginning in his days at General Motors and continuing into his mission to make the best sports car in the world. Whether you’re a classic car fan, a history buff or both, Framing John DeLorean is sure to please.

Where to watch Framing John DeLorean 

Netflix snagged the rights to Monster last fall after it first premiered at Sundance in 2018, and now a wider audience can finally see the story of Steve (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), an honors student from Harlem whose life is changed forever when he’s charged with felony murder. When the film hits Netflix May 7, get ready to see a packed cast that also includes Jennifer Hudson, Jharrel Jerome, Jeffrey Wright, and John David Washington, plus Nas and A$AP Rocky.

Where to watch Monster 

French thriller Oxygen is sure to give you goosebumps. The film stars Mélanie Laurent as a woman who wakes up in a cryogenic chamber with no memory of how she got there. Even worse, the oxygen in the chamber is slowly depleting, making her fight for her memory and her survival even more urgent. Oxygen comes from producer Alexandre Aja, a horror mastermind behind movies like High Tension, 2006’s The Hills Have Eyes and Piranha 3D.

Where to watch Oxygen

The long wait for The Woman in the Window is finally over. After plans for a theatrical release were abandoned due to the pandemic, the Amy Adams thriller landed at Netflix, where it’s set to premiere May 14. Adams stars as an agoraphobic, alcoholic, and all around unreliable narrator who watches her picture-perfect neighbors from behind her curtains. But when she witnesses what she thinks is a murder next door, she lets the crime consume her, becoming obsessed.

Where to watch The Woman in the Window 

Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead is giving us the summer zombie blockbuster we’re craving. Set in an apocalyptic Los Vegas, the movie follows a group of mercenaries who band together to try and pull off an ambitious heist. Led by Dave Bautista as Vegas local Scott Ward, the crew plans to break into the quarantine zone of the city and to steal $200 million kept in a vault underneath the Vegas strip. As if the stakes weren’t high enough already, the clock is ticking: they only have 32 hours to get in and out before the city is nuked.

Where to watch Army of the Dead 

Blue Miracle tells the true story of Casa Hogar, an orphanage in Baja, Mexico. After their home is hit by Hurricane Odile in 2014, the boys of Casa Hogar enter Bisbee’s Black & Blue fishing tournament in hopes of winning the prize money to keep their home from closing down for good. The touching story also stars Dennis Quaid as a fishing champ who teams up with the boys of Casa Hogar, and Jimmy Gonzales as Casa Hogar caretaker Omar Venegas.

Where to watch Blue Miracle