8 Totally Underrated Netflix Original Movies

Robbie Amell (The Flash) stars as Renton in the 2016 sci-fi flick ARQ. Renton is an engineer who created the ARQ, a powerful machine that can operate indefinitely without any kind of energy source. When a rebel group goes after the device, Renton and his ex-girlfriend Hannah (Rachael Taylor) are taken hostage during a home invasion. Renton is killed when trying to escape . . . only to wake up again moments later and have the events repeat themselves. He quickly realizes that he, Hannah, and the four killers are stuck in a time loop caused by the ARQ.

With each new loop, Renton puts together a new piece of the puzzle and uncovers an underlying secret of Hannah's, the truth about the criminals and their motifs, and a potential solution to the ARQ. However, when the others catch on to the fact that they're in a time loop, he is no longer the only one looking to alter its outcome, and he has to fight for his life over and over again. What results is a shocking revelation that you'll never see coming. ARQ is the science-fiction thriller you didn't know you were missing.

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Now that the new year has begun, Barack Obama's presidency will soon be coming to an end. While the nation has focused on this particular chapter of his life, Obama's time before the White House is noteworthy as well. In fact, the early stages of his relationship with First Lady Michelle Obama were depicted in the August 2016 theatrical film Southside With You.

In December, Netflix explored his even earlier years in Barry, a 2016 biographical drama that follows the president's life when he attended Columbia University in the early 1980s. The film stars newcomer Devon Terrell as Barack Obama, as well as Jason Mitchell (Straight Outta Compton), Ellar Coltrane (Boyhood), Ashley Judd, and Jenna Elfman.

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Based off of the 2005 novel of the same name, Beasts of No Nation is a war drama that follows a child soldier's time though a horrendous war. Agu (Abraham Attah) is a young boy who lives with his parents and three siblings in a small West African village. A civil war breaks out, and while Agu's mother and youngest siblings flee, his father and brother are murdered. Running for his life, Agu escapes into the forest and is taken in by a rebel faction.

The faction's leader, Commandant (played by Idris Elba), takes Agu under his wing and puts him on a brutal path of crime and murder. However, after Agu is sexually abused by Commandant, he no longer knows what to believe and who to trust. Now for the first time in a long time, Agu works to make decisions for himself, but struggles to revert back to the boy he once was. Will the ruthless actions of his past come back to haunt him, or will he be given a second chance at a better life? Find out when you watch Netflix's award-winning drama Beasts of No Nation.

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After his son tragically dies as a result of his negligence, Ben's life is falling apart. His wife is demanding a divorce and his career is in the crapper. In need of a new job, Ben (Paul Rudd) becomes the caregiver of Trevor (Craig Roberts), an 18-year-old boy suffering from muscular dystrophy. Together, the two embark on a road trip to see the World's Largest Pit as well as reconnect Trevor with his estranged father.

Along the way, they encounter Dot, an orphaned runaway played by Selena Gomez, and Peaches (Megan Ferguson), a pregnant woman just days away from giving birth. As the four of them travel together, Dot and Trevor grow closer, a family secret is revealed, and Ben becomes convinced that the car that has begun following them belongs to his wife's lawyer, literally making it impossible for him to escape his troubles. Watch these characters form unlikely friendships in the heartwarming dramedy.

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Released in October 2016, Mascots is a mockumentary that takes a look under the hood . . . so to speak. The Christopher Guest comedy follows various professional sports mascots as they compete for the prestigious Gold Fluffy Award at the World Mascot Association Championship. The film features Jane Lynch, Fred Willard, Ed Begley Jr., Chris O'Dowd (Bridesmaids), Oscar Nunez (The Office), Jennifer Coolidge, Zach Woods (Silicon Valley), and more. When the heads come off, the fists come out.

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After a mysterious aberration assassinates a Delta Force operative, the US military enlists the help of DARPA researcher Dr. Mark Clyne (James Badge Dale). He, along with military escorts, ventures to the worn-torn capital to get a better look at these murderous figures. Upon closer inspection, Clyne concludes that the aberration is a translucent humanoid figure capable of inflicting monumental death and destruction without being affected by typical army weapons. After he and his team as well as the base of operations are attacked, Clyne flees for his life and stumbles upon the truth about what exactly these aberrations are, who created them, and why. He's equipped with all the knowledge that he needs, but can he defeat them?

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Ellen Page stars as Lu (short for Tallulah), a drifter who commits petty crimes with her boyfriend Nico (Evan Jonigkeit) in order to get by. When she wakes up one morning to find Nico gone, Tallulah follows him to New York where his mother Margo (Allison Janney) lives. Lu arrives in the city and meets Carolyn, an inattentive mother who's more concerned with drinking and meeting guys than raising her young daughter, Maddy.

Lu forms an immediate bond with the child and agrees to babysit, taking her back to her van to sleep after Carolyn passes out drunk. Carolyn awakes to find Maddy missing and, convinced that she's been abducted, calls the police. When Lu notices the police cars, she panics and runs to Margo's house with Maddy in tow, whom she says is her and Nico's child. Margo takes them in, despite dealing with her own issues . . . such as her husband leaving her for another man. Tallulah, Margo, and Maddy form a bond that they all desperately needed, only to have it threatened as the police pursuit intensifies.

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An aspiring DJ, a hopeless romantic, a young couple in love, an ambitious first-generation youth, and an incorrigible grump cross paths the night of the XOXO music festival. A place where anything seems possible, each of these six strangers sets out to fulfill a dream. However, as they encounter one obstacle after another, they begin to lose hope. It's only after they let go of their plans and decide to live in the moment that things truly begin to happen. Filmed at various raves and festivals across the country, the romantic drama stars Sarah Hyland and Graham Phillips and features great music and even greater costumes.

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