It's hard to believe it's only been eight years since Netflix released its first original film. The streaming service now churns out dozens of original feature films every year, most of which are shoddy and on the verge of being forgotten. But even among the formulaic romances and thrillers, there are plenty of gems, from artistically accomplished indie films picked up at film festivals to award-winning auteur projects and genre films that bring fresh approaches to familiar formulas.

The best Netflix original films of 2023 encompass all of these niche genres, with something for every type of viewer. Whether you love watching new Netflix releases every week or shy away from the streaming service's originals, here are seven films from this year that are worth your time and attention, in order of their Rotten Tomatoes scores.

For more recommendations, check out 15 New Shows and Movies to Watch in January 2024 on Netflix, Hulu, and more.

More than two decades after the original "Chicken Run," this sequel offers a slight but satisfying variation on the plot of the first film. The chickens, who previously escaped from a farm being prepared for slaughter, are now trapped in a high-tech poultry processing facility and once again plot an elaborate escape, but this time the protagonists Ginger and Rocky's daughter also make an appearance. [Unlike "Wallace and Gromit" and "Shaun the Sheep," these hilarious and witty chickens belong to Aardman, a stop-motion studio. Nevertheless, the franchise does not need drastic changes. The characters are as delightful as ever, the story is clever and fun, and the animation is gorgeous and intricate in the Aardman tradition.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79 View on Netflix

Bradley Cooper directs and stars in this biopic of legendary conductor, composer, and classical music advocate Leonard Bernstein. The structure of "Maestro" can be unwieldy in its overview of Bernstein's career and artistic accomplishments, as it jumps through years at a time.

Cooper is more interested in the complex relationship between Bernstein and his wife Felicia, played by Carey Mulligan. Mulligan gives an excellent performance as a talented and intelligent woman overshadowed by her famous husband in both public and private life. Shot in black-and-white and color and in multiple aspect ratios, Cooper brings a striking visual style to what could have been a conventional biopic.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80 Watch on Netflix

Phoebe Daimber and Alden Ehrenreich have palpable chemistry, whether tearing each other's clothes off or tearing each other apart emotionally, in this tense drama about workplace politics and toxic romance, directed by screenwriter Chloe Domont show. Emily (Dynever) and Luke (Ehrenreich) work at the same high-paying Wall Street hedge fund and are secretly engaged. Their blissful relationship is shattered when Emily is promoted ahead of Luke, and Emily becomes increasingly jealous and vindictive.

Although classified as a thriller, "Fair Play" is more about the psychological breakdown of its characters than sensational suspense or violence. Although the film moves toward a final confrontation, the wounds inflicted on the characters are more psychological than physical. In this microcosm of a fractured relationship, Domont sharply examines the unstable dynamics of contemporary gender.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86 Watch on Netflix

No need for a sophisticated plot in this brutal, action-packed, streamlined revenge thriller from Korean filmmaker Lee Chong-hyun. Starring Jung Jung-soo as a former security guard who vows revenge on a sex offender who exploited and threatened his best friend. When his friend is found dead from suicide, Ok-joo, played by Jeong, systematically hunts down and disposes of the culprits who ruined the young woman's life.

It would be easy to root for Ok-joo to destroy these unrepentant villains in the most violent way possible, but director Lee delivers that desire in a series of expertly directed action scenes that rival big-budget Hollywood films. Jeong plays Ok-joo with a mixture of steely determination and wistful pathos, channeling her grief and anger into a brutal beating down of self-inflicted scumbags.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91 Watch on Netflix

By deconstructing society's obsession with crappy tabloids, director Todd Haynes turns a seemingly salacious subject into a complex and provocative drama. Natalie Portman plays actress Elizabeth Berry, who studies for a role in a film about a past scandal in which a middle-aged woman was arrested for having sexual relations with an underage boy; 20 years later, that relationship, Gracie (Julianne Moore) and adult Joe (Charles Melton ) have turned into a marriage with three children as they seem to be building a life together, away from controversy.

Elizabeth spends time with Gracie and the people in her life, trying to understand the often impenetrable woman she has come to play. Portman and Moore give captivating performances in a layered and challenging film that constantly questions the preconceptions of its characters and its audience.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91 Watch on Netflix

Based on the popular graphic novel by ND Stevenson, "Nimona" is set in a world that combines a sci-fi future with medieval fantasy. Ballister Boldhart (Riz Ahmed) is framed for the attack on the queen, and the chaotic, gleefully destructive Nimona (Chloe Grace Moretz) insists on becoming his partner, whether he likes it or not.

Moretz plays Nimona with boundless energy and enthusiasm, and the animation is richly detailed. The fast-paced storyline can seem a bit disjointed, but it is creative and funny, with simple but valuable lessons about tolerance, and a refreshingly upbeat and unflinching approach to LGBTQ representation.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95 View on Netflix

Combining science fiction, social commentary, and black-sploitation parody, director and co-writer Jewel Taylor's debut film is a fun, funny, and entertaining film. But it's a stylish and ambitious mess, with genuine passion and anger. Jamie Foxx, John Boyega, and Teyonah Parris play a trio of classic "urbanite" drama characters whose deliberately stereotypical representations point to the dark secrets of their impoverished community.

When drug dealer Fonteyn, played by Boyega, wakes up the day after being shot and seemingly killed, fully recovered, pimp Slick Charles (Fox) and prostitute Yo-Yo (Paris) join him to investigate a strange local phenomenon, leading to a wider conspiracy leading to a broader conspiracy. Taylor exploits the absurd premise and makes incisive observations about institutional racism and economic inequality without losing the film's goofy sense of humor.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95 Watch on Netflix