In my humble opinion, Netflix's January 2025 schedule is one of the best I've seen so far because not only are there more movies with great Rotten Tomatoes scores arriving in the new year, but there are three movie franchises that have caught my eye – read my article about everything new on Netflix in January for more.
I've included a cop comedy trilogy with Jackie Chan, a live-action reimagining of a '70s cartoon, and an early '00s superhero trilogy – a mixed bag of different genres that show why Netflix is one of the best streaming services. And while these movies may not be the highly rated pictures we usually like to recommend in our best Netflix movies guide, that doesn't mean that they haven't been successful with audiences. But let's be honest, who doesn't like to watch an unserious comedy or cult classic every now and then?
Rush Hour
Director: Brett Ratner
Main cast: Chris Tucker, Jackie Chan, Tom Wilkinson
Arriving on: January 1
Despite the fact that the Rush Hour movies' Rotten Tomatoes critic scores sit on the lower end, audiences have regarded each highly as comedy movies. Additionally, the movie series was a massive box office success when its first installment was released in 1998, ultimately paving the way for its second and third sequels.
Adopting the buddy cop genre, when a Chinese government official's daughter is kidnapped detective Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) is recruited to help the FBI with the case. When the FBI palm him off to the LAPD, he meets Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker) and the two quickly realize that they don't get along, however, when Carter finds out that he's also been ditched by his own workforce the two join forces to solve the case by themselves.
Scooby-Doo
Director: Raja Gosnell
Main cast: Freddie Prinze. Jr, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, Linda Cardellini
Arriving on: January 1
I can't recall the amount of times I've wanted to re-watch these childhood favorites of mine and haven't been able to find them on any streaming service. But that feeling is no more, and Netflix is kicking off 2025 in the best way possible.
In the first live-action Scooby-Doo movie, the Mystery Inc gang falls apart after a mission gone wrong, only to be reunited two years later unexpectedly. Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby are recruited individually to solve a mystery at Spooky Island - a theme park inundated with students on Spring Break who arrive as their normal selves, and leave as completely different people.
Spiderman
Director: Sam Raimi
Main cast: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, James Franco
Arriving on: January 1
Everything about Raimi's original Spiderman trilogy screams early '00s, which is why I can't help but return to it, and now that it's coming back to Netflix in January 2025, I can relive that iconic kiss scene as many times as I wish.
Based on the comics by Stan Lee, high school student Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) finds himself changing drastically after being bitten by a genetically-altered spider. When he masters his new-found superhuman strength and ability to cling to surfaces, he uses his powers to become a neighbourhood hero and put a stop to crime.
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