In just the first two weeks of the new year, Netflix’s January 2025 schedule has kicked off 2025 with some of the best movies and shows. But, even the best streaming services, Netflix included, have their downsides, and it’s already started removing some top-tier films from its back catalog.
There are plenty more flicks set to leave Netflix in January, too, and this quartet, all of whom have a Rotten Tomatoes that exceeds 90%, are up for the chopping block. So, here’s why you need to stream them before they depart the platform.
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
RT Score: 91%
Age rating: R
Length: 157 minutes
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Leaving on: January 31
Kathryn Bigelow’s war drama meets mystery thriller places a strong fictional female lead directly at the centre of what was one of the biggest manhunts ever, earning Jessica Chastain a nomination for Best Actress at the Oscars and a win at the Golden Globes.
The aftermath of the September 11 attacks left a hole in the hearts of the American people, and perpetrator Osama bin Laden becomes the target of a global manhunt. Zero Dark Thirty tells the story of the 10-year long search for the terrorist leader, with CIA analyst Maya (Chastain) becoming an integral part of the worldwide search. Over the next decade, it’s Maya’s determination and drive that assists the Navy SEALs in locating and eliminating one of the most dangerous people on the planet.
The Gift (2015)
RT Score: 91%
Age rating: R
Length: 108 minutes
Director: Joel Edgerton
Leaving on: January 20
Joel Edgerton has starred in lots of well-known movies, including Star Wars‘ Attack of the Clones (2002) and Revenge of the Sith (2005), plus and the aforementioned Zero Dark Thirty. The Gift, though, marks Edgerton’s first time in the director’s chair and, given its overwhelming response on Rotten Tomatoes, it proved to be a shrewd move on his part to helm the flick.
Edgerton’s psychological thriller follows married couple Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robin (Rebecca Hall) who find themselves reunited with Gordo (Edgerton) – an old school friend of Simon’s. Following uninvited appearances and a slew of gifts from Gordo, Simon and Robin’s lives are altered drastically as secrets from the past emerge, and Robin uncovers the truth about what really went on between her husband and the intimating individual who’s suddenly reappeared in his their life.
The Babadook (2014)
RT Score: 98%
Age rating: R
Length: 93 minutes
Director: Jennifer Kent
Leaving on: January 25
Prior to watching The Babadook, I became familiar with Kent’s supernatural horror because of how its titular character emerged as a queer icon. After watching it as part of the supernatural horror movies I stream ahead of Halloween 2024, I got to appreciate it as an engaging account that explores grief, the struggles of single parenting, and the refrain from madness.
In the years after her husband’s passing, Amelia (Essie Davis) is left to raise her erratic six-year-old son Samuel (Noah Wiseman) who’s convinced that he’s being visited by a dark monster in his dreams. He becomes even more convinced when a storybook called ‘The Babadook’ appears in their home, which leads his behavior to become even more unpredictable and Amelia taking desperate measures to control him. When the hallucinations latch on to her own mental state, she questions the possibility that Sam is telling the truth about the eponymous creature.
Selma (2014)
RT Score: 99%
Age rating: PG-13
Length: 128 minutes
Director: Ava DuVernay
Leaving on: January 15
A mere 1% away from a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, Selma is a triumph of a historical drama.
Set during the height of the Civil Rights Movement and based on the 1965 marches, the US’ Black population continues to experience the racial discrimination in spite the 1964 legal desegregation of the South. To secure legal equal voting rights for Black people, legendary activist Martin Luther King (David Oyelowo) sparks a campaign which resulted in the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, which lasted a total of 19 days and led to a seismic shift in racial equality across America. Stream it on Netflix ASAP.
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