The 10 Best Movies Coming to Netflix in May – Full List | Films | Entertainment

It’s the start of a new month, and if you feel like you’ve exhausted your watchlist options, you’re in for exciting times.

Netflix UK is stocking the shelves with some serious heavy hitters this May – from sci-fi satires and animated masterpieces to true-story crime epics and George Clooney-led features.

We’ve scrolled through the latest additions so you don’t have to, picking out ten of the very best films that are already available to watch today – and adding the full list of releases further down. Whether you’re into gripping thrillers or nostalgic 1970s Americana, there’s something here for everyone.

Airport (1970)

Before Airplane! turned jetliner disasters into comedy, Airport made them gripping Oscar-winning entertainment. This is the original star-studded aviation thriller that kicked off the disaster film craze of the 1970s.

The plot follows the chaos behind the scenes of a Chicago airport during a snowstorm, complicated by a suicidal passenger attempting to blow up a Boeing 707 mid-flight. It was a massive box office hit and nominated for ten Oscars in total, including Best Picture.

Based on the novel by Arthur Hailey, Airport features an ensemble cast led by Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Jean Seberg, and Helen Hayes – who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.

American Gangster (2007)

Ridley Scott’s slick crime epic tells the real-life story of Frank Lucas, the Harlem heroin kingpin who smuggled drugs into the US during the Vietnam War inside soldiers’ coffins. Denzel Washington delivers a towering performance as Lucas, with Russell Crowe playing the determined cop on his trail.

With a screenplay by Schindler’s List writer Steven Zaillian, American Gangster is both a tense police procedural and a study in ambition and morality. It was nominated for two Academy Awards and grossed over $266 million worldwide. With support from Chiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin and Ruby Dee (who earned an Oscar nomination), this is a must-watch for fans of The Godfather or Scarface.

American Graffiti (1973)

Before Star Wars, George Lucas was already making waves with American Graffiti, his nostalgic ode to early 1960s youth culture. Set over one night in Modesto, California, it follows a group of teenagers cruising, racing and contemplating their futures on the cusp of adulthood.

Starring a young Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Cindy Williams, and Harrison Ford, it’s a nostalgic look at vintage diners, sock hops and car radios. Produced by Francis Ford Coppola and featuring a soundtrack of early rock ‘n’ roll hits, American Graffiti earned five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.

Burn After Reading (2008)

A gym employee finds a mysterious CD filled with what he believes are government secrets. What follows is a series of miscommunications, blackmail attempts, and absurd deaths – in classic Coen Brothers chaotic form. The film skewers everyone from CIA agents to self-obsessed gym-goers, with a plot that spirals into total madness.

Burn After Reading is a sharp, darkly funny satire starring Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton and George Clooney.

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Zack Snyder’s remake of George A. Romero’s 1978 zombie classic redefined the genre for the 21st century. Gone were the slow, shambling corpses, and in came fast-moving, terrifying undead.

Set inside a shopping mall where survivors hole up as a zombie outbreak engulfs the world, Dawn of the Dead balances intense action with grim satire on consumer culture. With a screenplay by Guardians of the Galaxy’s James Gunn, it stars Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames and Mekhi Phifer.

Ocean’s Trilogy (2001–2007)

Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen redefined the modern heist movie, combining old-school Rat Pack charm with ultra-cool aesthetics and one of the most stacked casts in Hollywood history. George Clooney leads the pack as Danny Ocean, with Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Don Cheadle and Andy Garcia all joining the fun.

The trilogy starts with the Vegas casino job of Ocean’s Eleven, followed by globetrotting chaos in Twelve, and closes with a slick revenge mission in Thirteen. While the first film remains the standout, all three offer stylish escapism with sharp direction and laid-back humour. Ocean’s Eleven alone grossed over $450 million and remains one of the most popular crime capers ever made.

Starship Troopers (1997)

On the surface, Starship Troopers is a bombastic sci-fi action film about soldiers battling giant alien bugs. But beneath the surface, it’s a biting satire of fascism, propaganda, and military excess. Starring Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, and Neil Patrick Harris and directed by Paul Verhoeven (RoboCop, Total Recall), the film blends ultraviolent spectacle with tongue-in-cheek commentary on war films and authoritarian culture.

Though divisive on release, Starship Troopers has since been reappraised as a cult classic, beloved for its bold visuals, subversive themes and sheer audacity.

The Equalizer 2 (2018)

Denzel Washington returns as Robert McCall, a retired black-ops operative with a strong sense of justice and a particular set of skills. In The Equalizer 2, McCall takes on a more personal mission: investigating the murder of a close friend and former colleague.

Directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day), this sequel builds on the original’s vigilante action, offering a more introspective and emotional look at McCall’s character. While it didn’t receive the same critical acclaim as the first film, it still performed solidly at the box office, and Washington’s presence keeps it compelling throughout.

The Mule (2018)

At 88 years old, Clint Eastwood starred in and directed The Mule, based on the true story of Leo Sharp – a World War II veteran who became a drug courier for the Sinaloa Cartel in his 80s. In the film, Eastwood plays Earl Stone, a horticulturist facing financial ruin who unknowingly becomes one of the cartel’s most successful traffickers.

With a supporting cast including Bradley Cooper, Michael Peña, and Laurence Fishburne, The Mule is a late-career character study that combines humour, regret, and slow-burn tension. It earned praise for Eastwood’s understated performance and marked another solid entry in his long directing career.

Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)

Aardman Animations’ beloved clay duo made the leap to feature-length cinema with this Oscar-winning comedy. Directed by Nick Park and Steve Box, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit finds Wallace and his loyal dog Gromit running a humane pest control service – until a mysterious vegetable-munching beast begins terrorising the local village just before the big gardening competition.

Featuring the voices of Peter Sallis, Helena Bonham Carter, and Ralph Fiennes, the film blends British eccentricity, slapstick humour and charming stop-motion animation. It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, cementing Wallace and Gromit as global favourites at the time.

Full list of May releases:

May 1

• The Biggest Fan
• The Four Seasons
• Airport
• Airport ’77
• Airport 1975
• Ali
• American Gangster
• The Mule
• Ocean’s Eleven
• Ocean’s Thirteen
• Ocean’s Twelve
• The Paper Tigers
• American Graffiti
• Burn After Reading
• Constantine
• Crazy, Stupid, Love.
• Dawn of the Dead
• Eat Pray Love
• The Equalizer 2
• Hanna
• Home
• The Jerk
• The Lego Movie
• Mid90s
• Past Lives
• Sisters
• Starship Troopers
• The Sugarland Express
• Trainwreck
• Trolls
• Twilight
• The Twilight Saga: New Moon
• The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
• The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 1
• The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 2
• Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

May 2

• Peninsula
• Train to Busan
• Unseen – Season 2

May 4

• Conan O’Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor

May 5

• Britain and The Blitz
• Mighty Monsterwheelies

May 6

• The Devil’s Plan – Season 2
• Untold: Shooting Guards

May 7

• Full Speed – Season 2
• Last Bullet

May 8

• Blood of Zeus
• FOREVER
• Heart Eyes
• Karol G: Tomorrow was Beautiful

May 9

• A Deadly American Marriage
• Bad Influence
• Nonnas
• The Royals
• Tastefully Yours
• All American – Season 7

May 13

• Bad Thoughts
• Untold: The Liver King

May 14

• American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden
• Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story
• Married at First Sight – Season 17
• Rhythm + Flow: Poland
• Smile
• Snakes and Ladders

May 15

• Bet
• Vini Jr.
• Love, Death & Robots – Volume 4
• Thank You, Next – Season 2
• Franklin
• Pernille – Season 5
• Secrets We Keep

May 16

• Dear Hongrang
• Football Parents
• The Quilters
• Rotten Legacy

May 20

• Untold: The Fall of Favre

May 21

• Real Men
• The UnXplained
• Sneaky Links: Dating After Dark
• Newly Rich, Newly Poor

May 22

May 23

• Fear Street: Prom Queen
• Off Track 2
• Air Force Elite: Thunderbirds
• Forget You Not

May 24

May 26

• Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders
• CoComelon

May 28

May 29

May 30

• A Widow’s Game
• The Heart Knows
• Lost in Starlight