The 10 Best Movies To Watch On Netflix in July 2024
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We get excited each month when a fresh slate of movies streams onto Netflix, which offers more and more cinematic material to sift through on a near-daily basis. But as the month comes closer and closer to its end, there’s always a more pressing matter at hand—the movies leaving Netflix. And July has some doozies heading out that you don’t want to miss. From an Oscar-winning drama about a father’s drive to help his daughters achieve their tennis dreams, to a largely forgotten 1990s dark comedy from one of Hollywood’s most brilliant (and twisted) minds, to one of the most visually intoxicating sci-fi films of the past decade, there are ample choices available to you between now and the end of July.
So where do you start? I’m here to help. Below, I’ve got ten moves leaving Netflix in July 2024 that you do not want to miss. And at the bottom of the article, you’ll find a full list of every single option that’s leaving Netflix by August 1. I hope that I can inspire you to watch at least one of the following movies, because I genuinely love each of them and give them all my highest recommendation.
The 10 Best Movies Leaving Netflix in July 2024
1. King Richard (2021)
2. Looper (2012)
Before everybody seemingly got mad at Rian Johnson for directing Star Wars: The Last Jedi, he was known as an auteur who worked his way up from the independent community, a filmmaker with a specific, uncompromising vision, an artist whose movies explored the human condition, the universal struggles that plague our lives. While both Brick and The Brothers Bloom had unique stories and displayed Johnson’s signature style—innovative narrative structures, a constant building of tension, and clear influences from classic cinema—Looper is where Johnson’s ideas became electric. This sci-fi movie set in the distant future follows a man named Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who’s a “looper” for a living. This means he’s a hitman who offs people sent back from the future. But things become complicated when Joe from the future (Bruce Willis) suddenly becomes the target. Thematically, Looper is all about how we utilize our time, how our fates are not predestined, how time functions as a result of free will, how can alter the course of time based on the life we lead.
3. Waves (2019)
It’s funny that we hear so much about every single A24 movie, given their intense marketing and ability to find innovatively told stories...but then there are movies that go completely under the radar. Waves is one such film. And that’s too bad, because director Trey Edward Shults deserves more love for his psychological drama. This incredibly underrated film thrives on vibrant and fluid handheld camerawork from cinematographer Drew Daniels that immerses you in the story, pulsates with a haunting and atmospheric sound design from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross that captures the characters’ emotional states, and comes right at you with bold and unconventional editing from Schults and Isaac Hagy that creates a sense of disorientation and urgency. All in all, Waves is a sensory experience you shouldn’t miss. The movie chronicles the life of an African-American family in South Florida—specifically, the son, Tyler, whose life spirals after mounting pressures from his father, and the daughter, Emily, who falls for a boy at school—as they navigate love, loss and reconciliation.
4. Glass (2019)
Reboots and sequels that come out years after the original are all the rage these days. From Ghostbusters to Jurassic Park to Halloween, movie theaters have become inundated not with new ideas, but with rehashes of old ideas. Sometimes it works out well (see Blade Runner 2049), while other times...well, not so much (ahem, Indiana Jones). But there’s one movie that, compared to all of those blockbuster hits, unfairly flew under the radar in 2019. I’m talking about the sequel to Unbreakable, aka Glass. This bold take on the superhero genre is actually the third film in a trilogy, with Split being the movie in the middle. It centers on David Dunn (Bruce Willis), a security guard who secretly holds superman abilities, who tracks down Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), a man with multiple personalities known as “Beast.” Eventually, they are both imprisoned in a psychiatric hospital where they meet Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), also known as Mr. Glass, who faces off with them both in a battle of wits and strength.
5. Serial Mom (1994)
To be honest, I was utterly surprised this movie was available on Netflix in the first place, given how perverse it is. Serial Mom comes from the mind of John Waters (who has written some of the most entertaining memoirs I’ve ever read, by the way), who started his career making transgressive cult films like Pink Flamingos (one of my absolute favorites) and Female Trouble, but later found more commercial success with Hairspray and Cry-Baby. His movies are truly bizarre, one-of-a-kind experiences that make you laugh, make you cry, make you...well, make you kind of wish you hadn’t just seen that (in a good way?). Demented, psychotic, unhinged—these are all adjectives to describe his movies, and they certainly describe Serial Mom. This dark comedy follows Beverly Sutphin (Kathleen Turner), an ostensibly cookie-cutter suburban mom who is secretly twisted in the head. She covertly exacts revenge on those who offend her sense of propriety or threaten the happiness of her family (played by Sam Waterston, Ricki Lake and Matthew Lillard). This murder spree eventually attracts the police’s attention, leading to a chaotic and satirical exploration of American suburban life and the cult of celebrity.
6. Big Eyes (2014)
The legacy of Tim Burton is incontrovertible. Does this really need to be argued? You’ve got the original classic, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. Then along came, in order, Bettlejuice, then Batman, then Edward Scissorhands (yes, I just listed the first four movies of his career). From thenceforth, you’ve got a mix of other revered, timeless flicks, from Ed Wood to Sleepy Hollow to Big Fish. And, yes, while he’s had a few missteps along the way, he’s also had a string of underrated films that never got the attention they deserved—and at the top of that list is Big Eyes, which tells the story of Margaret Keane (Amy Adams), a painter who sesignature portraits of children with oversized eyes become a sensation. However, her husband, Walter (Christoph Waltz), swoops in to take credit, claiming the paintings wouldn’t sell if everyone knew they were done by a women. The movie tracks her journey to reclaim her work and cement her status as a true artist. This period piece blossoms thanks to Burton’s trademark aesthetic, with realistic yet stylized visuals, rich symbolism and subdued gothic elements aiding this story’s exploration of artistry and identity.
7. Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)
Currently on Netflix, there are only two of the six live-action Resident Evil movies available: the original Resident Evil from 2002, and the fifth part of the hexalogy, which just happens to be one of the most underrated action movies ever, Resident Evil: Retribution. And while it might seem weird to only have two parts of this series available, I don’t think it matters at all. In fact, you can jump right into Retribution armed with nothing but a scarce understanding of the grand story and be just fine. The series follows a woman named Alice (Milla Jovovich), who becomes humanity’s last hope for survival following a virus outbreak from the Umbrella Corporation’s laboratory. In Retribution, Alice awakens in an Umbrella facility and must fight her way out, all while navigation a simulation that constantly toggles between fiction and reality. Here, you’ll find some of the most energetic gunfights and chase scenes ever, lots of masterfully choreographed fights, incredibly fast-paced editing and immersive visuals that full embrace 3D technology. Director Paul W.S. Anderson made several great Resident Evil movies, but Retribution is his masterpiece.
8. Fresh (1994)
Many movies from the 1990s have ridden their critical acclaim into the present day. Movies that penetrated the mainstream, like Forrest Gump or The Truman Show or Fight Club, have maintained their status, and even less popular independent from the time, like Sex, Lies, and Videotape or Metropolitan or King of New York, were able to build a legacy amongst cinephiles that have lasted to this day. But sometimes...movies just sort of disappear. They have a dedicated audience, sure, but they seemingly lose any and all popular appeal. That was certainly, and unfortunately, the case with Fresh—a movie with an 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes that’s stuffed full of great performances from the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Giancarlo Esposito and, the film’s main young star, Sean Nelson (who won Best Debut Performance at the 10th Independent Spirit Awards). Directed by Boaz Yakin, this crime drama centers on Michael, a 12-year-old boy known as “Fresh” who lives in a crime-ridden neighborhood. The film follows his journey to rise above the harsh realities of his environment.
9. The American (2010)
Action thrillers of the late 2000s and early 2010s, like The American, were a special bunch. They often featured major stars (in this case, George Clooney) traveling to European countries (here we’ve got Sweden and Italy) in order to carry out the tall orders of their extravagant jobs (an assassin who is forced to go into hiding). They’re often slick, sophisticated stories with hard-nosed protagonists who value completing the job and saving themselves above all else—it’s the perfect combination for a director like Anton Corbijn, whose films like A Most Wanted Man and A Wanted Man serve as deep, psychological studies of troubled individuals. The American has always, for whatever reason, flown under everybody’s radars, so I’m happy to highlight it here. The follows Jack (Clooney), who is forced to hide out in a small Italian village after a job goes awry. Posing as a photographer, Jack takes on one last assignment: to build a custom weapon for a mysterious client. Along the way, he forms a close personal relationship with a woman named Clara (Violante Placido) as his past slowly but surely catches up with him.
10. Lucy (2014)
Honestly, there are few directors in the business that get me as excited for a film as Luc Besson. While I don’t love every one of his movies, I can’t deny that he’s going to provide me a completely alien experience. Even his simpler movies, like Léon: The Professional, are full of wonderfully strange choices, and often brimming with humor and heart. The film that most penetrated the mainstream, The Fifth Element, has completely earned its classic status with its vibrant visuals and strong, iconic characters. Even his critically maligned movies, like Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, are, in my opinion, richly deserving of a second chance. But the one movie he made that made stand above the rest is Lucy. This one follows the titular character (Scarlett Johansson), who is inadvertently has a powerful synthetic drug implanted in her body. To no surprise, it gives her superhuman abilities, allowing her to access full control of her brain, and she uses those powers to seek revenge. The high-energy action scenes, armed with visually striking cinematography from Thierry Arbogast and an eclectic musical score from Éric Serra, are masterfully performed, allowing the film’s philosophical questions about human potential to vibrate with personality.
Every Movie Leaving Netflix in July 2024
Note: The dates mark your final days to watch these movies.
- July 23: Big Eyes (2014)
- July 25: Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song (2022)
- July 29: Seven (2019)
- July 31: 90 ML (2019); American Graffiti (1973); Anaconda (1997); Battleship (2012); Born on the Fourth of July (1989); Conan The Barbarian (1984); Enough (2002); Fatal Attraction (1987); Fresh (1994); Fun with Dick & Jane (2005); Glass (2019); God’s Not Dead (2014); Hasta los dientes (2018); Heavy (1995); Hulk (2003); It Could Happen To You (1994); It’s Kind of a Funny Story (2010); King Richard (2021); Knocked Up (2007); Looper (2012); Lucy (2014); Manu (2018); Moneyball (2011); Poms (2019); Public Enemies (2009); Resident Evil (2002); Resident Evil: Retribution (2012); Ride Along (2014); Role Models (2008); Serial Mom (1994); Shrek (2001); Smokey and the Bandit (1977); Smokey and the Bandit II (1980); Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002); Something’s Gotta Give (2003); S.W.A.T.: Under Siege (2017); The American (2010); The Best Man Holiday (2013); The Bye Bye Man (2017); The Eagle (2011); The Great Wall (2016); The Interpreter (2005); The Land Before Time (1988); The Matrix (1999); The Matrix Reloaded (2003); The Matrix Revolutions (2003); The Theory of Everything (2014); The Other Boleyn Girl (2008); Traffic (2000); Trauma Center (2019); Two Lovers (2008); Uyare (2019); Waves (2019)
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