The word 'classic' gets thrown around a lot when it comes to movies, but it takes a very special motion picture to make it into the 100% critically acclaimed on Rotten Tomatoes club.
So, while there are lots of great movies on Netflix, Max, Hulu, Prime Video, Disney Plus and Shudder that are available right now, only a select few hold a perfect Rotten Tomatoes rating.
Now, there has not been a single new entry to the club in 2023 so far. Though there are more members of the flawless club available to watch on the best streaming services right now. We've gathered together seven of them, some you might well have seen, others you probably won't, but all are bonafide classics.
The Terminator
James Cameron's relationship with critics has been up and down, to say the least, but this 1984 dystopian classic has them all agreeing. It's a perfect blend of action, science-fiction and good popcorn-munching fun.
The movie turned Arnold Schwarzenegger into a superstar and made its budget back more than 12 times over. For the uninitiated, Schwarzenegger plays the Terminator, a musclebound cyborg assassin sent back in time from 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor (played by Linda Hamilton).
What Connor doesn't know is that her unborn son will one day save mankind from extinction by Skynet, a hostile artificial intelligence in a post-apocalyptic future, and when Kyle Reese (played by Michael Biehn), a soldier ordered to protect her, arrives, her world is turned upside down.
Bold, imaginative, rip-roaring and the definition of iconic, you can see why critics universally adored this Cameron classic and why we rate it among highly among all James Cameron movies ranked.
Available to stream on Max in the US, and Prime Video in the UK and Australia.
Leave No Trace
Before she teamed up with Edgar Wright to chill us all in Last Night In Soho, actress Thomasin Mackenzie made her name in this tender drama, where she stars alongside Ben Foster.
Foster plays Will, a former soldier who has lived perfectly happily off the grid in the forests of Portland for years. A sufferer from PTSD, Will makes money for himself and Mackenzie's Tom by selling the medication he is given from his veteran status to another veteran. But, when he is spotted doing this by a passing jogger, their whole world is thrown into chaos.
The most-reviewed release to hold a 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating, the movie somehow avoided any Oscars nods, likely down to its tiny budget. Do not make the same mistake the Academy did.
Available to stream on Starz in the US, on premium rental in the UK and on SBS On Demand in Australia.
One Cut Of The Dead
Released in 2017, One Cut Of The Dead is a true one-off. A weirdly compelling zombie-led, post-apocalyptic romp and dark comedy, but a movie well worth that perfect rating.
The movie, which was made in South Korea, starts out following a team of actors and filmmakers who are tasked with shooting a zombie film for live television, and who must do so in a single take.
But, their director, who is deeply in debt and in last chance saloon with his creditors, has decided to shoot on an abandoned weapons plant, which was built in World War II. To add some real bloodshed, the director arranges for a blood pentagram to be painted to revive real zombies. And, guess what? It is on.
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes were wowed by its fresh take on such a well-trodden genre and for its many laugh-out-loud moments.
Available to stream on Shudder worldwide.
The Last Picture Show
Peter Bogdanovich's 1971 coming-of-age drama made stars of Jeff Bridges and Cybill Shepherd, and, earned itself a flawless rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Set in 1951, the movie follows a group of high-school students who are coming to terms with life in their slowly dying North Texas town, particularly Bridges' Duane and Timothy Bottoms' Sully, who are both involved with very different women, but obsessed with escaping their surroundings.
Will they escape? Or choose the safe option and stay? That is elegantly explored by Bogdanovich in this timeless drama.
Available to stream as part of The Criterion Collection in the US, and on premium rental in the UK and Australia.
Toy Story/Toy Story 2
Of all the illustrious installments in Pixar's history, only two have flawless scores. While Up, Coco, Monsters Inc and The Incredibles hit the high 90s, only Toy Story and its sequel Toy Story 2 have 100%.
Both Toy Story and the sequel are the perfect mixtures of childlike wonder, zany humor, and poignant melancholy. It's impossible to imagine there's anyone who hasn't seen them, but, if you haven't, correct that at the earliest opportunity.
Available to stream on Disney Plus all over the world.
His House
While most Netflix originals attract billions of views, their relationship with critical acclaim is not a close one. But, in 2020, that trend was well and truly bucked by writer/director Remi Weekes with His House.
Starring Wunmi Mosaku, Sope Dirisu, and House of the Dragon's Matt Smith, the movie follows refugee couple who make a harrowing escape from war-torn South Sudan to find a new life in England.
Once there, they struggle to adjust to their new life in an English town and the tragic sacrifices they made on the journey begin to haunt them...
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes adored the movie's original take on horror, and its blend of spiky commentary with jump scares and nail-gnawing tension.
Available to stream on Netflix worldwide.
