5 award-winning movies you need to add to your Netflix watchlist

Published Jul 23, 2026, 2:30 PM EDT After graduating from Marist University with a degree in communications and journalism, Dan Girolamo has over 10 years of experience writing about entertainment and sports. Dan's work can be seen in various publications, including Digital Trends, SportsCasting, and Tom's Guide. Throughout his career, Dan has interviewed several high-profile filmmakers and creatives, including Brendan Fraser, Jamie Lee Curtis, Caitriona Balfe, Frank Grillo, Miranda Cosgrove, Jai Courtney, Chris Columbus and James Cameron. Dan joins How-To Geek as a Senior Editor. When he's not writing about entertainment, Dan is either watching a movie or praying for the New York Knicks to win a championship. Awards are certainly not the most important aspect for judging a movie's quality. Other elements, including box office and cultural impact, can help influence how an audience reacts to a movie. However, awards can influence your decision when choosing a movie, especially on Netflix, a streaming service with thousands of movies to watch. Netflix U.S. is home to dozens of movies that have won major awards from notable ceremonies like the Oscars, Golden Globes, and Critics' Choice Awards. As we head into fall, a season when many studios release their prestige projects, here are five award-winning Netflix movies to add to your watchlist. Our top selection is a Best Picture-winning epic from the 1960s, followed by a sports underdog story from the 1970s and an immersive World War I thriller. 5 Spider-Man 2 The best live-action Spider-Man movie of the 21st century Comic book movies can win Oscars, too. Take Spider-Man 2, which won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. Even the AFI named Sam Raimi's Spider-Man sequel one of the 10 best movies of 2004. I'll go one step further—Spider-Man 2 is on Mount Rushmore for superhero movies. It's the perfect mix of breakneck action and emotional consequences. In Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) experiences an existential crisis. Peter acknowledges his gifts as Spider-Man, but that doesn't stop him from wanting to live a normal life, one that includes Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) by his side. While he contemplates his life, Doctor Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina) wreaks havoc across the city as he plans a dangerous experiment that could kill millions. Martin Scorsese will probably not be watching Spider-Man 2, but you can—make sure to do it before it leaves Netflix on August 4. 4 Train Dreams A moving depiction of grief Every year, there are always movies that sneak up and surprise you. Train Dreams falls in that category, a movie I wish I saw in theaters when I had the chance. I vividly remember streaming it on a Sunday night and sitting still for 10 minutes after it ended. I needed a moment to process this moving film about an ordinary life. Train Dreams chronicles the life of Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton), an orphan who builds a life as a railroad construction worker living in the shadow of the Pacific Northwest. Grainier meets some extraordinary people in his life. He also loses several key figures along the way. Train Dreams proves that there is beauty in all forms of life, especially in the quiet moments. Train Dreams surprisingly landed a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars, and it won Best Cinematography at the Critics' Choice Awards. 3 1917 The one-shot technique pays off 1917 is Sam Mendes' war film set during World War I, an underutilized movie setting compared to World War II. In 1917, two British soldiers, William Schofield (George MacKay) and Tom Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman), are tasked with delivering an important message to a British colonel by the next day to stop an attack that would result in mass casualties. It sounds like a standard war movie, but 1917's appeal is the one-shot technique. Mendes filmed the movie to look like two continuous shots. Audiences feel as though they're along for the treacherous journey the entire time. As one of the best war movies, 1917 is a technical masterclass from Mendes and cinematographer Roger Deakins. The movie won three Oscars, including Best Cinematography for Deakins. Mendes and 1917 famously lost Best Director and Best Picture in an upset to Bong Joon Ho and Parasite. 1917 Release Date January 10, 2020 Amazon Fire TV Stick (HD) Integrations Alexa Storage 8GB A simple and affordable streaming device that supports all your favorite services in HD. 2 Rocky The greatest underdog story in sports Rocky is back in the news because of the recent trailer for I Play Rocky, the rags-to-riches story of how Sylvester Stallone wrote the Oscar-winning movie and fought to star in it. With I Play Rocky arriving in November, it's a good time to brush up on the script and role that changed Stallone's life. Philadelphia-based boxer Rocky Balboa (Stallone) is given the opportunity of a lifetime when he's chosen to fight world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). Under the tutelage of his weathered trainer, Mickey (Burgess Meredith), the down-on-his-luck Rocky defies the odds and becomes a local hero as he pushes Creed to the limit. Rocky is the quintessential underdog story on and off-screen, as it rode that wave of momentum to a shocking Oscar win for Best Picture. Rocky Release Date November 20, 1976 1 Lawrence of Arabia David Lean's masterpiece inspired a generation of filmmakers ​​​​​​​ After seeing The Odyssey, I can't help but think of Christopher Nolan's love and appreciation for Lawrence of Arabia, David Lean's groundbreaking biographical drama about the life of T. E. Lawrence. The movie is frequently cited as one of the greatest movies ever made and has a strong case for being the greatest epic ever made. Set during WWI, British Lieutenant Lawrence is tasked with finding Prince Faisal (Alec Guinness) in Arabia to help in their fight against the Turks. As Lawrence spends more time in Arabia, he eventually supports and leads the natives in their battle against the Ottoman Empire. Nolan has cited Lawrence of Arabia as one of the reasons he shoots on film, and Lean's affinity for spectacle and detail clearly inspired Nolan's filmmaking. Lawrence of Arabia won seven Oscars, including Best Director and Best Picture. More Netflix content coming your way Netflix truly is a treasure trove of content. You could spend hours scrolling the genre pages. To save time, I have some suggestions. For thrillers, watch The Hunger Games or Fargo, the latter winning multiple awards at the 1997 Oscars. If you're searching for more critically acclaimed projects, try Emmy-nominated shows like The Beast in Me and The Diplomat. Subscription with ads Yes, $8/month Simultaneous streams Two or four