Every year it seems likeNetflixgives us just about the best content on any streaming platform. Sure Amazon, Hulu and the others do their best to compete (and withCastle RockHulu sure came close), but ultimately Netflix seems to hold the title every year. So as we are about to bid 2018 adieu it seems like a good time to go to ground and break down the top 10 Netflix originals of 2018.
To that end, it should be acknowledged that your own personal top 10 Netflix originals of 2018 might be markedly different. You might read this year end list and wonder why I chose all the awful Netflix originals that the platform serves up. Or, you might see a kindred spirit who appreciates Netflix’s whimsical nature. This is why these lists are so great and, sometimes, controversial.
There is a bit of an indy/art film bent happening here. At the same time, there is also an appreciation for Netflix’s constant ability to take real risks. That term can often be overused but in the case of their 2018 offerings, that statement is 100% on the money.
So, as the year winds down and the world shuts off for a few hours, sit back and enjoy this list. Who knows maybe it will be spur you to check out some of the films listed here? Either way, the “Top 10 Netflix Originals” stood out in yet another year content that was like no other.
12Black Mirror: Bandersnatch
You really have to hand it to Netflix. Yes, they want to be everything to everyone, but ultimately the ubiquitous streaming platform cannot be anybody but itself.Black Mirror: Bandersnatchis amazing because there’s a very real possibility that your streaming device won’t be able to play it! When arguably the largest streaming portal makes one of their most beloved shows purposely unavailable that is truly amazing. Then you get into the whole game-centric plot of this choose your own adventure tale and it makes one wonder if this is the future of content as we know it.
11Game Over, Man!
The Mail Order Comedy gang, who are responsible for unleashingWorkaholicson the world, made their first feature film together, and it doesn’t just stand as one of Netflix’s best original movies of the year, I’d argue that it’s the best comedy of the year, hands down. This thing doesn’t stop to breath for a second, bringing a spoof ofDie Hardthat has just as much action and pulls off one of the best dick jokes ever. There is a lot of fun to be had withGame Over, Man!, and it’s unlikely we would have gotten the same movie had it been a theatrical release. Netflix let Blake, Adam and Ders run wild. And the results are nothing short of stupendous in every sense of the word. This one deserves true cult status, and we can’t wait to see what the MOC gang does next.
10The Haunting of Hill House
The awesome thing about Netflix is how they give us things we often don’t think or even know we need. Sure, they could have rested on their laurels with the whole cottage industry ofStranger Things. Thankfully they didn’t do that and withThe Haunting of Hill Housethey have ventured intoAmerican Horror Storyterritory, but in the irreverent way that only Netflix can. The premise of theThe Haunting of Hill Houseis simple enough. Told in flashbacks, a family is trying to come to terms with the home they used to live in and why they left in the first place. On the face of it this show seems fairly paint by numbers. However, when you sit down and spend some time with it, the true joy (and fear) comes in just how deftly this Netflix Original subverts your expectations.
9Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
Netflix managed to take a classic character and spin her into a Satanic draft dodger attempting to split her time between her high school friends and the witch world in which she inhabits. This created a very funny, scary show that has captivated people of all ages, and even managed to rile up the Satanic Temple in the process. We got to see monsters, spells and the supernatural take over Netflix for 10 solid episodes of chilling fun. And while it might not be as high brow as some of the other original offerings, it made a lot of noise right out of the gate and has already been confirmed through Season 4.
8Hannah Gadsby: Nanette
We live in a time when half this country thinks we are too sensitive and the other half thinks were not sensitive enough. Then along comes this Netflix gemHannah Gadsby: Nanetteand suddenly we get a whole new perspective on this whole politically correct thing. Just as Eddie Murphy did withRawand Richard Pryor did with his stand-up act, Hannah Gadsby brings us in with the idea of laughter and then truly changes the game. By the time we realize what has happened, we’re involved, we care, and we can’t ever look at the world the same way again. If that isn’t something special than I don’t know what is.
7Narcos: Mexico
Many people felt that the third season ofNarcoswas a bit of a letdown. Well, never a platform to run away from the most important headlines, Netflix changed the game with a sub-series calledNarcos: Mexico. Suddenly, we have the likes of Diego Luna, Michael Pena, and Alyssa Diaz and this show is suddenly on everybody’s lips again. It isn’t just because it looks at the nascent days of the Guadalajara Cartel, it’s because this show is truly blessed with incredible writing, acting, and stories that raise the stakes with every episode. So good is this new Netflix creation, one wonders if they ever need return to the canon series.
While not the best of the Coen Brothers FilmsThe Ballad of Buster Scruggsis a 133 minute beautifully crafted and shot piece of poetry. It serves up 6 stories that aren’t connected but all, in some way, reflect on the human condition in a way that only the Coen Brothers can manage. With a cast that features Liam Neeson (remember, he wasn’t always the star of thoseTakenfilms), James Franco, and Tim Blake Nelson just to name a few, this is the kind of movie that you simply let happen to you. Don’t try and outthink it, don’t try and get ahead of it, just let all of its majestic glory wash over you like the the beautiful prairie landscapes it showcases. Kudos to Netflix for creating a place where films like this can still exist.
5OzarkSeason 2
Man, it sure would’ve been easy for Jason Bateman and Co. to let us down with the second season ofOzark. Somehow though, even as we lost some of the best characters we’ve ever seen on TV, this Netflix original got better and better. We all know the tale of Martin Byrde having to high tail it to Ozarks in a bid to save his life, his family, and $500 million in Cartel drug money. Season 2 continues this but as the circle around Martin shrinks, it gets filled in with new players who are somehow worse than their predecessors. This show is cold, calculating, and raises the stakes without calling attention to the fact that it is doing just that. One can only wonder who will live, who will die, and who will transform in Season 3.
The best description for Alfonso Cuaron’s breathtakingRomais beautiful. Set in the 1970s we follow a maid as she she attempts to make things better for her family. In the process, we see her make things better for everybody else (namely the people she works for) but herself. Factor in the political situation of Mexico during this time and you have a movie that screams Best 2018 Netflix Original! Alfonso Cuaron’s sure-handed direction is at all times on display. Given the geopolitical nature of everything in today’s 24 hour news cycle, it seems that our elected officials would do themselves a service to screen this film. It is a tenderly crafted tale that never shies away from the true reality of its subject matter.
3The Night Comes for Us
Director Timo Tjahjanto serves up a cold blooded thriller of a tale that is wrapped in a story of redemption. Filled with a solid plot, incredible action, and more codas then you can shake a stick at,The Night Comes for Usis a truly riveting tale that fits quite nicely in the world of Netflix. It’s got everything one needs or wants in a story and, at the same time, fills out its 120 minute runtime quite vividly. There is no let-up in this film. Just when you think you know how it is going to end your ideas and perceptions are shifted by the action on the screen. For that reason alone this is one of the 10 best Originals Netflix has to offer for 2018.
