Some brilliant movies have landed on streaming platforms this year but many come with a catch. They’re only available to rent or they disappear from one service just as they pop up on another, which makes them harder to recommend depending on which service you’re subscribed to or where you live.
But if you have a subscription to one of the best streaming services, there are many you can just hit play on, whenever you want and wherever you are. These are known as originals. The movies made by the platforms themselves. They can be hit or miss, but 2025 has quietly delivered a handful of gems so far – just look at our rankings of the best Netflix movies and best Disney+ movies for an idea.
From dreamy animation and gripping crime dramas to skin-crawling body horror and breathtaking documentaries, this list spans genres and moods. All of these picks are available right now on Netflix, Disney+ and Hulu in the US, UK and Australia. No cinema trips or rental fees necessary. Just excellent films ready to stream.
1. Control Freak
Where to watch: Disney+ (AU, UK), Hulu (US)
Release date: 2025
Rotten Tomatoes score: 64%
Length: 104 minutes
Director: Shal Ngo
Main cast: Kelly Marie Tran, Miles Robbins, Toan Le, Kiều Chinh
Age rating: Not rated (AU, UK), R (US)
This skin-crawling Hulu original (which you can also watch on Disney+ in Australia and the UK) is a very strange, slow-burn horror with a standout central performance from Kelly Marie Tran (who most people will recognize from Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi).
Control Freak follows Valerie “Val” Nguyen (played by Tran), a successful motivational speaker whose life begins to unravel when she develops an unbearable itch on the back of her head. But what starts as a small inconvenience spirals into grotesque body horror, vivid hallucinations and a descent into her family’s haunted past. This is a dark story with a folklore horror-esque vibe that weaves together themes of generational trauma, cultural expectations and the supernatural.
It’s a little messy in places – the pacing drags and some of the characters feel underdeveloped – but Tran is magnetic throughout with a lot of intensity and vulnerability. I also found the sound design to be especially effective, making some scenes physically uncomfortable in the best way. It’s not the best horror film you’ll ever watch but it has enough tension and originality to make it well worth your time. Especially if you’re in the mood for something weird, thoughtful and a bit gross.
2. Lost in Starlight
![Lost in Starlight | Official Trailer | Netflix [EN SUB] - YouTube](https://i0.wp.com/img.youtube.com/vi/VvMbyw_vIcA/maxresdefault.jpg?w=696&ssl=1)
Where to watch: Netflix (AU, UK, US)
Release date: 2025
Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%
Length: 96 minutes
Director: Han Ji-Won
Main cast: Kim Tae-Ri, Hong Kyung, Kang Goo-Han, Ahn Yeongmi
Age rating: PG
Lost in Starlight is a charming, animated Netflix original that I’d recommend as the perfect lazy Sunday watch. It’s part sci‑fi romance, part dream-like adventure. It’s set in a near‑future, neon‑lit Seoul and follows astronaut‑in‑training Nan‑Young, whose mother vanished on a mission to Mars 20 years earlier. She meets Jay, a former musician turned repairman, and their worlds collide when Jay fixes Nan‑Young’s old record player, sparking a star‑crossed connection that’s cute and, at times, a little sickly sweet.
Visually, Lost in Starlight is really stunning. Its animation is rich with soft, vibrant colors that shift to match emotional beats, from Seoul’s bustling streets to the vastness of space. The voice performances also feel warm and genuine, capturing the characters’ messy emotions.
At its heart, Lost in Starlight explores how love can survive across millions of miles. So if you’re in the mood for a heartfelt, beautifully animated tale about love and space-spanning emotions, then it’ll hit all the right notes.
3. Revelations
Where to watch: Netflix (AU, UK, US)
Release date: 2025
Rotten Tomatoes score: 68%
Length: 100 minutes
Director: Yeon Sang-Ho
Main cast: Ryu Jun-yeol, Shin Hyun-been, Shin Min-jae
Age rating: Not rated (AU, UK), R (US)
Revelations is a dark, psychological thriller from director Yeon Sang‑ho, probably most famous for zombie action movie Train to Busan. The story follows Pastor Sung Min‑chan, who becomes fixated on the idea that ex-convict Kwon Yang‑rae is involved in the disappearance of a young girl from his church. At the same time, Detective Lee Yeon‑hee is haunted by visions of her dead sister.
What begins as a slow-burn mystery spirals into a frantic exploration of guilt, faith and who gets the right to exact vengeance. The lines between justice and obsession blur and Revelations forces you to sit with uncomfortable questions, like what happens when belief overrides reason? And who gets to decide who’s guilty?
With strong performances and a tense atmosphere, Revelations is more than just a whodunit. It feels like a deeper look at moral ambiguity and the darkness we all carry. If you’re drawn to slow-building, emotionally charged thrillers that challenge your perspective, then Revelations is well worth watching.
4. Ocean With David Attenborough
Where to watch: Disney+ (AU, UK, US)
Release date: 2025
Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%
Length: 95 minutes
Director: Toby Nowlan, Colin Butfield, Keith Scholey
Main cast: David Attenborough
Age rating: PG
Ocean with David Attenborough is a breathtaking feature-length documentary movie. And at 99, Sir David has never sounded more urgent or passionate about his mission.
Made by National Geographic and available on Disney Plus, the film takes us from vibrant coral reefs and kelp forests to the exposed seabeds devastated by industrial bottom trawling. Against this backdrop, Attenborough reflects on his lifetime of ocean discoveries and makes a heartfelt plea for better marine conservation.
Cinematographically, it’s stunning. Expect sweeping underwater scenes that capture life in the ocean with incredible beauty, while sequences that expose destructive fishing techniques are heartbreakingly real.
If you want a beautifully-shot, emotionally charged documentary that marvels at the natural world and doesn’t hold back from confronting our role in its decline, this is a powerful, must-watch film.
5. Havoc
Where to watch: Netflix (AU, UK, US)
Release date: 2025
Rotten Tomatoes score: 63%
Length: 107 minutes
Director: Gareth Evans
Main cast: Tom Hardy, Jessie Mei Li, Justin Cornwell, Quelin Sepulveda
Age rating: 18 (AU, UK), R (US)
Havoc is a grimy crime story from Gareth Evans, the director behind The Raid. It stars Tom Hardy as Walker, a morally dubious cop in a gritty, unnamed US city.
It begins with a drug deal that goes wrong and ends up involving the mayor’s estranged son in a deadly web of corruption, Walker begins a mission through gang-ridden streets to put things right. Which, as you can imagine, is the perfect fuel for Evans’ trademark violence.
Hardy anchors the chaos here with a brooding, intense and weathered presence – which we all know he’s very good at. The film’s late-night urban landscape adds a lot of atmosphere, pairing neon-lit rain-soaked alleyways with explosive and brutally choreographed fight scenes.
No, you’re not going to find the most intricate story here that you’ll be thinking much about after the credits roll. But if you’re craving relentless action, atmospheric grit and don’t mind a thin-ish plot in favor of stylish carnage, then it’ll get your adrenaline pumping.
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