A fun assortment of movies arrived on Netflix this month. Indeed, the streamer’s April acquisitions include an underrated mid-2010s disaster thriller and an oft-forgotten crime drama from “The Martian” and “Blade Runner” director Ridley Scott. Three entertaining, well-executed sequels arrived on the streaming platform this month as well, as did a 2007 romantic war epic that proves hard to forget and animated sequel that is smarter, funnier and more romantic than its slight reputation suggests.
Here are the seven best movies new to Netflix in April.
“A Quiet Place Part II” (2021)
2021’s “A Quiet Place Part II” may not have been able to replicate the ingenious, refreshing creativity of its parent film, but the sequel offers just as much of the nerve-shredding tension as fans of the franchise have come to expect from it. Directed, once again, by John Krasinski, the sequel opens with a show-stopping horror set piece and then goes on to expand its franchise’s story and world in ways that feel genuinely worthwhile and compelling. Even better, the film ended up being — even if unintentionally so — a strong lead-in to its astonishing 2024 prequel “A Quiet Place: Day One.”
“Everest” (2015)
Despite its star-studded, strong ensemble cast, 2015’s “Everest” has been a bit lost to time. It deserves a better fate than that. Director Baltasar Kormákur’s well-staged, surprisingly understated survival thriller adapts the true story of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster and follows a group of climbers who end up stranded in a bad storm while climbing the famous mountain and forced to fight for their survival while crews stationed lower than them stage a number of ambitious rescue attempts. Anchored by a cast that includes, among others, Jason Clarke, Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, Robin Wright, Keira Knightley and Emily Watson, “Everest” is a haunting and deeply immersive thriller.
“Atonement” (2007)
Speaking of Keira Knightley, the actress also stars in director Joe Wright’s masterful, tragic 2007 romantic war drama “Atonement.” Based on Ian McEwan’s acclaimed novel of the same name, “Atonement” follows a thirteen-year-old aspiring writer (Saoirse Ronan) as she unintentionally ends up interfering in a passionate romance between a housekeeper’s son (James McAvoy) and her older sister (Keira Knightley), whose lives are forever changed by misunderstandings and the breakout of the Second World War.
The most visually ravishing film that Wright has ever made, “Atonement” is an intensely felt drama full of enough style, romance, tragedy, regret and yearning to leave an indelible mark.
“Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” (2015)
When it comes to the best “Mission: Impossible” film, practically every one of the franchise’s entries has its own, passionate base of defenders. But no conversation about that topic is complete without at least the mention of 2015’s “Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation.” Frequent Tom Cruise collaborator Christopher McQuarrie’s first stint directing a “Mission” film is a Hitchcockian action romp that injected fierce, invigorating new life into the franchise with the introduction of Rebecca Ferguson’s scene-stealing, exiled MI6 agent Ilsa Faust.
Punctuated by a number of thrilling action sequences, including one show-stopping, beautifully conducted opera house assassination, “Rogue Nation” is as fun as it is artfully made, superficially entertaining as it is unforgettable.
“Scream” (2022)
It may seem hard now, four years and one truly unfortunate sequel later, to remember just how much of an achievement 2022’s “Scream” was, but the film deserves a spot on this list. The first “Scream” film not directed by horror master Wes Craven sees Radio Silence directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett reboot the franchise with a largely new cast of young stars but the same mix of blackly comic, meta humor and blood-soaked, ruthless violence that made it so beloved in the first place.
The result is a sequel-reboot that makes very few missteps, and which successfully gets back to the heart of what makes “Scream,” against all odds, such an enduring and seemingly unkillable horror property.
“American Gangster” (2007)
2007’s “American Gangster” is one of the most underrated movies that “Alien” director Ridley Scott has ever made. Written by “Ripley” creator Steven Zaillian and based loosely on the life and criminal career of real-life gangster Frank Lucas, the film follows an ostracized New York City cop (Russell Crowe) in the late 1960s who is tasked with bringing down a Harlem drug lord (Denzel Washington) who has begun using returning Vietnam War servicemen to smuggle heroin into the States.
Featuring a reliably commanding performance from Washington and made with some of Scott’s signature directorial style, “American Gangster” serves as both a fascinating crime drama and an unvarnished look at corruption both on the streets of America and within its governmental systems.
“Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” (2012)
“American Gangster” and “Everest” are not the only underrated movies on this list. There is also 2012’s “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted.” Featuring a screenplay famously co-written by “Marriage Story” filmmaker Noah Baumbach, this oft-forgotten “Madagascar” sequel follows the franchise’s central group of wayward Central Park Zoo animals as they attempt to return to New York City by traveling across Europe as part of a circus. Bursting with color, absurdist humor and some surprising romance, “Europe’s Most Wanted” is an animated adventure with the power and wit to entertain the whole family.
Everything New on Netflix in April 2026