Many people regard the Oscar Awards as the most significant and prestigious awards in the global entertainment industry.
Thankfully, some Oscar winning movies on Netflix will satisfy our viewing pleasure. The Academy Awards recognizes films for their artistic and technical prowess.
It commonly goes as “the Oscars” to the global audience. This prestigious event holds once every year to celebrate outstanding movies.
Presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the awards recognize excellence in cinematic achievements.
The assessment comes from the Academy’s voting membership. Different categories of winners go home with a copy of a golden statuette as a trophy.
This trophy officially goes by the name “Academy Award of Merit,” even though people refer to it as the Oscar. In addition, the trophy depicts a knight rendered in the Art Deco style.
I’ll advise you to grab popcorn as you go through this list of Oscar winning movies on Netflix. You never know when you will begin streaming some of them.
1. Django Unchained (2012)
- Director: Quentin Tarantino
- Star Cast: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, and Walton Goggins
- Oscar Awards: Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
This American revisionist western film turned out to be a brilliant creation of director Quentin Tarantino. Currently, you can find this movie among the Oscar winning movies on Netflix. In some ways, it serves as a throwback to the 70s era.
The music, violence, visuals, and humor create an exciting movie experience. Once again, we have a Tarantino masterpiece on our hands. The cast delivered superb performances to create smooth onscreen vibes.
To everyone’s surprise, as if the humor wasn’t enough, Kerry Washington learned German for the role. Further down the line, we find the impeccable Waltz filling the screen with his unmistakable charisma.
Nevertheless, the movie remains a Jamie Foxx film. He brought so much life to his role, blending it with the real-life scenario. If you can ignore the violence, the film will entertain you all through its runtime. You will want to add this one to your binge list.
2. Inglourious Basterds (2009)
- Director: Quentin Tarantino
- Star Cast: Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Daniel Brühl, and Til Schweiger.
- Oscar Awards: Best Supporting actor
The next film on our list of Oscar winning movies on Netflix is Inglorious Basterds. It takes us back to the Nazis era, exploring the wicked acts of the time.
Pulling the curtain back to 1941, the film opens with an interrogation of a French farmer, Perrier LaPadite.
SS-Standartenführer Hans Landa suspects that the Dreyfuses are hiding under the floorboards in LaPadite’s home. To save his family from the Nazis, LaPadite confirms the suspicion. Consequently, the Nazis kill all but one of the Drefuses.
Inglorious Basterds come as a throwback to the propaganda films that popped out to boost morale during the second world war. Watching the movie reveals Pitt and his costars having a good old time.
Nevertheless, Christopher Waltz is the film star, playing the SS colonel whose specialty was tracking down the Jewish escapees. Brad Pitt leads the group of GIs on the sole mission of killing any Nazi they find.
Their exploits in killing senior Nazi officials soon get to the hearing of Fuehrer himself.
3. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
- Director: Denis Villeneuve
- Star Cast: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, Mackenzie Davis, and Carla Juri
- Oscar Awards: Best Cinematography and Best Visual effects.
Blade Runner 2049 is a thrilling look at robots and artificial intelligence evolution. It goes beyond what we know today to postulate an interesting story of bioengineered humans having the ability to reproduce.
This subject becomes the center point of an impending war between humans and their bioengineered counterparts. The film flexes an interesting underlying concept despite bombing at the box office.
Nevertheless, anyone willing to explore the far-reaching hands of bioengineering will love this movie. It received several nominations at the 90th Academy awards but went home with only two Oscars from the event.
4. Interstellar (2014)
- Director: Christopher Nolan
- Star Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, Ellen Burstyn, and Michael Caine
- Oscar Awards: Best Visual Effects
This epic science-fictional fiction film won the hearts of many with its stunning visuals. Subsequently, it took home a prestigious Academy Award, coming top in the Best visual effect category.
We expect nothing less from a prolific director like Christopher Nolan.
Interstellar explores man’s journey as a group of astronauts traverses the universe searching for a habitable planet. Before then, life on earth had become unbearable, driving him to extinction.
You can watch this movie on an IMAX screen to completely immerse yourself in the whole experience. It is an amazing movie, and Christopher Nolan put up an intensive scientific story.
Unfortunately, some viewers might get lost in the complicated scientific theories. However, if you take your time to follow the movie, you will have a good viewing experience.
Thankfully the film is currently available on Netflix, ready to thrill any viewer that streams it. Grab your popcorn and have a good time with the spectacular visual effects.
5. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
- Director: George Miller
- Star Cast: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Riley Keough, and Zoë Kravitz
- Oscar Awards: Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing.
Judging by the name and costume choice, one might be tempted to believe that this film is all about madness. However, there is a pattern to the madness that will ensure a thrilling experience for lovers of the genre.
Mad Max: Fury Road went home with six academy awards from the 88th Academy awards. It is an intense action film that lives up to its predecessors and takes the whole franchise to a new level.
This movie is a long chase film that brings all its elements and focuses to the action. People expecting a solid plot development will be disappointed.
On the other hand, fans of the series can catch the action among the Oscar winning movies on Netflix.
Outstanding cinematography and an intelligent direction have made the film a good viewing experience. Indeed, it would have taken just one bad director to spoil all the fun in the film.
The suspense and action deliver an incredible spectacle for any viewer.
6. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
- Director: Steven Spielberg
- Star Cast: Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Matt Damon, and Tom Sizemore
- Oscar Awards: Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Film Editing, and Best Director
Steven Spielberg is a widely celebrated director in the film industry. People have always rated his movies as epic, considering the detail, storytelling, and effects used.
Similarly, you can look at his highest-grossing movies for a pleasurable weekend experience.
Saving Private Ryan follows the efforts of a small unit as they attempt to rescue the last surviving member of a family of four brothers. It takes you behind enemy lines to explore the war-thorn world uniquely.
Action fans will be disappointed by the lengthy and shaky dialogue throughout the film. Nevertheless, the movie depicts the historical record accurately and delivers a well-made brutal story for historians.
7. The Matrix (1999)
- Director: The Wachowskis
- Star Cast: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantoliano
- Oscar Awards: Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing, and Best Visual Effects
Luckily for us, this epic science fiction movie returns to our screens as one of the Oscar winning movies on Netflix. This film changed the entire film industry with its incredible visuals and sound effects in so many ways.
Today, people celebrate its franchise as one of the most successful movie franchises in the world. Keanu Reeves gave us a spectacular performance as Leo in the film, and his onscreen charisma was charming and impeccable.
This movie’s bold production design and dazzling effects will take your imaginations up through the roof. In addition, the super slick editing and consistently jaw-dropping cinematography broke so many grounds in the world of special effects.
Another thing people will love about this movie is its plot which brilliantly explores mysticism and philosophy. It might not be thrilling to some, but it is undoubtedly one of the best films of the late 1990s.
8. King Kong (2005)
- Director: Peter Jackson
- Star Cast: Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Colin Hanks, Jamie Bell, and Andy Serkis
- Oscar Awards: Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects.
This movie probably marked the beginning of the modern-day monster verse that culminated in Godzilla. Interestingly, it comes in as the eighth installment in the monster franchise that began in 1993.
King Kong is an incredible masterpiece from Peter Jackson that broke past the previous installments to be among the best monster movies on Netflix. It gained popularity due to its excellently composed computer-generated imagery.
The film follows the Venture crew members as they struggle to stay alive after landing on Skull Island. Initially, everyone thought that Kong was the monster, but the giant tried to protect what he loved.
Fascinated by the beast, we see man’s desperate attempts to capture the monster and make a spectacle of it. Nevertheless, they soon realize that it was a big mistake.
9. Dunkirk (2017)
- Director: Christopher Nolan
- Star Cast: Fionn Whitehead, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jack Lowden, Harry Styles, Aneurin Barnard, James D’Arcy, and Barry Keoghan
- Oscar Awards: Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Film Editing.
Dunkirk is an innovative and fresh look at an old world war two-story. It offers fresh visual insights into what happened in Dunkirk during the evacuation of Allied soldiers.
In the movie, Allied soldiers retreated to Dunkirk during the Battle of France. A young British private, Tommy Jensen, survives a German ambush in the town. Luckily for him, he is saved by a group of allied soldiers defending the beach.
Tommy meets thousands of troops waiting for the evacuation vessels and an Inventor Gibson on the beach. The duo attempt to flee Dunkirk by boarding a hospital ship but gets ordered off. However, dive bombers quickly sink the ship not far off from shore.
Visually, Dunkirk competes favorably with other war movies out there. There is seemingly no end to the action from the beginning scene to the closing sequence. Hence, don’t expect a break from a subplot development in the film.
10. Gladiator (2000)
- Director: Ridley Scott
- Star Cast: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Hounsou, and Richard Harris
- Oscar Awards: Best Picture, Best Actor for Crowe, Best Costume Design, Best Sound, and Best Visual Effects.
Gladiator offers an interesting take on the Ancient Roman culture despite facing stiff competition from other movies in the genre. Thankfully, it is one of those Oscar winning movies on Netflix taking us down history lane.
This film hit the screens in 2000 and has remained an epic movie from Ridley Scott. He rarely disappoints with his movies, always giving viewers a visual treat of the plot.
You can find his artistic genius in all his films, including the maligned Legend.
Some scenes in Gladiator may be difficult to watch to their intense graphic settings. Notwithstanding, the visuals team up with an incredible music score from Hans Zimmer to create a thrilling movie experience.
Joaquin Phoenix and Oliver Reed deliver excellent performances on screen together with a convincing act from Russell Crowe in the lead role.
11. Black Hawk Down (2001)
- Director: Ridley Scott
- Star Cast: Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, William Fichtner, and Sam Shepard
- Oscar Awards: Best Film Editing and Best Sound
Black Hawk Down is one movie that will take you into the heart of war, exploring the intense battle at the front lines. On the other hand, things don’t always go as planned, especially when war is behind enemy lines.
In the film, 160 elite soldiers drop into the heart of Mogadishu, hoping to capture two top lieutenants of a renegade warlord. They found a swarm of heavily armed Somalian fighters waiting for them.
Subsequently, the mission soon spirals into a fight for survival as the soldiers get bombarded from every angle. In many ways, the film blends fine action cinematography with some great camera angles that portray up and personal shots.
There is heavy CGI in the movie, but they come off in a way that does not distract you. Rather, it blends with the real action on the screen.
12. The Revenant (2015)
- Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu
- Star Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, and Will Poulter
- Oscar Awards: Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Cinematography
A hunting trip soon turns into a fight for survival when a bear attacks Glass. Later, his hunting crew leaves him for dead after seeing his failing condition.
The Revenant explores the concept of betrayal and survival in this 1820s storyline. It puts up so much brilliance in its visuals and directing, making it one of the Oscar winning movies on Netflix. Currently, the movie has a rating of 8.0 on IMDb.
The movie’s setting has a rich atmosphere with remarkably natural lighting that enhances the cinematography. Indeed, viewers will find an intimate and immersive survival experience from Leonardo Di Caprio’s award-winning.
His performance fills the screen with emotion and honesty to provide an agonizing viewing experience. Similarly, the rest of the cast, like Tom Hardy and Will Poulter, are impressive in their respective roles.
13. American Sniper (2014)
- Director: Clint Eastwood
- Star Cast: Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller
- Oscar Awards: Best Sound Editing.
Despite the thrilling action scenes, this film will be an emotional movie to many viewers. It is difficult to watch a soldier who survived the war in Iraq killed by his comrade on home soil.
Yet, this is the story of Chris Kyle, an elite US sniper with a track record of successful kills. Kyle heads into war after a painful breakup with his ex-girlfriend.
What started as a heartbreak soon becomes a hero story that celebrates Kyle’s efforts on the war front. However, he couldn’t replicate his success at home as he was straying away from his family.
Clint Eastwood depicts the war efforts in a realistic way that doesn’t rub off the very intricate details and often never seen elements of war. He undoubtedly directed a great movie that is one of the best war movies.
14. The Great Gatsby (2013)
- Director: Baz Luhmann
- Star Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Jason Clarke, and Isla Fisher
- Oscar Awards: Best Production Design and Best Costume Design.
The Great Gatsby takes its plot from F. Scott Fitzgerald‘s 1925 novel of the same name. It is an interesting piece that will thrill any patient viewer to watch the story unfold. Nonetheless, it is a simple story with no complicated details.
This impeccable historical drama is a story of love and betrayals wrapped in a body of lies. It still manages to craft a happy ending despite the sad turnaround of events.
As a tribute to the classics, it is interesting to find this film among the Oscar winning movies on Netflix.
15. Forrest Gump (1994)
- Director: Robert Zemeckis
- Star Cast: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, and Sally Field
- Oscar Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Hanks, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Visual Effects, and Best Film Editing
Forrest Gump left the Academy awards with its head high, having won six awards at the prestigious film event. Viewers celebrated the movie for its visual effects, screenplay, and great film editing.
This movie will give you a pleasurable viewing experience thanks to the special effects team’s amazing work. Also, the cool infusion of humor will douse any tension you may have had before watching the movie.
