While July 2022 is a horror month for Netflix’s series, with the release of the final episodes of Stranger Things and the first season of Resident Evil, on the movie side of the business, love is in the air. Among the best original movies coming to Netflix in July 2022, we have not one, not two, but four great romances to enjoy alone or with our loved ones, a burst of good energy that will sure uplift our mood.
Romance is not everything, though, as Netflix still has a highly-anticipated animated release, a new bizarrely funny interactive experience, and an action-packed espionage thriller. As usual, there’s something for everyone as a new batch of original productions debuts on Netflix, and we chose the seven best new movies on Netflix in July 2022 to help you choose what to watch next.
Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between
Director: Michael Lewen
Writers: Amy Reed, Ben York Jones
Cast: Jordan Fisher, Talia Ryder, Ayo Edebiri, Nico Hiraga
When It’s Available: July 6
July starts on a high note as Netflix releases Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between, the highly-anticipated coming-of-age romance based on the best-selling novel by author Jennifer E. Smith. The movie stars Jordan Fisher and Talia Ryder as a young couple who made a pact to break up just before college, so both of them could follow the path that best suited them. However, before saying goodbye forever, the two will go on one last epic date that’ll force them to relieve all the good moments they’ve shared together. So, instead of accepting their fate of being separated for good, the two will realize that maybe they still want to be together. But what to do if sticking together might mean one of them will have to abandon their future? It looks like a bittersweet story about the power of love and the constraints of life and the perfect way to start July.
The Sea Beast
Director: Chris Williams
Writers: Chris Williams, Nell Benjamin
Cast: Karl Urban, Zaris-Angel Hator, Jared Harris, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Dan Stevens, Kathy Burke
When It’s Available: July 8
Coming from Oscar-winning filmmaker Chris Williams (Moana, Big Hero 6), The Sea Beast features the voice of Karl Urban as a mighty monster-hunter who sails the Seven Seas to protect humanity against all sorts of dangers. In the animated adventure, Urban’s monster-hunter will get stuck with a young girl who dreams about becoming an adventurer. Together, they will uncover secrets about the sea beasts and realize that the creatures might not be as evil as everyone thinks. Of course, it will be hard to prove coexistence is possible when humans are usually so afraid of what they do not understand. The Sea Beast is an exciting high-sea adventure for the whole family, inspired by 16th and 17th-century drawings of sea creatures used to warn sailors of dangerous waters worldwide. And due to Williams' experience to create animated masterpieces, we are all very excited to watch The Sea Beast.
Ranveer Vs Wild with Bear Grylls
Director: James Turner
Writer: Shantanu Srivastava
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Bear Grylls
When It’s Available: July 8
Bollywood meets survival reality shows in Ranveer vs. Wild with Bear Grylls, an unexpected interactive special that will allow viewers to decide the fates of two men trying to survive in nature. Just like Bear Grylls’ previous Netflix series, You vs. Wild, the new special will feature all the classic adventures in the wilds, as the survival specialist teaches the viewers how to find water, food, and shelter in the most inhospitable regions of the globe. For the one-shot special, Grylls will be accompanied by Bollywood superstar Ranveer Singh. That should add a new flavor to the test-and-approved formula, and with the possibility to interact and guide the duo to the wrong paths, Ranveer vs. Wild with Bear Grylls should be a very fun experience.
Dangerous Liaisons
Director: Rachel Suissa
Writers: Rachel Suissa, Slimane Baptist-Berhoun
Cast: Paola Locatelli, Simon Rerolle, Ella Pellegrini, Alexis Michalik, Julien Lopez
When It’s Available: July 8
While there’s nothing new in adapting a popular novel into a movie, Netflix’s French production Dangerous Liaisons is giving a modern spin to a book of the same name published in 1782 by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. The book follows the story of a young woman who thinks she has found the love of her life, only to discover she’s part of a cruel bet between her supposed new partner and his friends. More than three centuries later, the story remains relevant, because, surprise surprise, humans are still jerks. The new adaptation of Dangerous Liaisons stars Paola Locatelli as a 17-year-old girl who moves away from Paris to the French West Coast, only to fall prey to a handsome surfer and an Instagram queen who wants to humiliate her in public. It will be interesting to see how a story so old translates to our times.
Persuasion
Director: Carrie Cracknell
Writers: Alice Victoria Winslow, Ron Bass
Cast: Dakota Johnson, Cosmo Jarvis, Henry Golding, Mia McKenna-Bruce, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Richard E. Grant
When It’s Available: July 15
Viewers passionate about period romances will be happy to learn the next movie adaptation of a Jane Austen novel is coming to Netflix this month. Starring Dakota Johnson, Persuasion follows an Englishwoman who gets a second chance to live a romance with the man she loved in her youth. However, the timing couldn’t be worse, as there’s a second man courting her, one who could be better for her family. That’s right, Persuasion has everything we love so much about Austen’s classic stories, including a love triangle and the difficult choices between passion and duty.
The Gray Man
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Writers: Joe Russo, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana De Armas, Billy Bob Thornton, Regé-Jean Page, Alfre Woodard, Dhanush
When It’s Available: July 22
If you must choose only one Netflix movie to watch in July 2022, it should be The Gray Man. The thriller brings Avengers: Infinity Wars and Avengers: Endgame directors, the Russo Brothers, back to helm a blockbuster-budget film filled with exciting action set pieces. Second, the all-star cast is led by Hollywood legends Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans. Finally, there’s no going wrong with a good old espionage movie about two men trying to outsmart each other. In The Gray Man, Gosling plays the titular character, a mercenary assassin who worked for many years for the CIA, before defecting. Now, the Gray Man will be hunted by one of his former colleagues, Evans’ Lloyd Hansen. All The Gray Man’s trailers and clips promise an action-packed movie with a lot of smart dialogues and real emotional stakes, so everyone should keep an eye out for it.
Purple Hearts
Directors: Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum
Writer: Kyle Jarrow, Liz Garcia
Cast: Sofia Carson, Nicholas Galitzine, Anthony Ippolito, Linden Ashby, John Harlan Kim, Chosen Jacobs, Kat Cunning, Scott Deckert
When It’s Available: July 29
Netflix will start July 2022 with romance and will finish the month in the same way. Starring Sofia Carson and Nicholas Galitzine, Purple Hearts follows a couple who gets together for material reasons but end up finding love in each other. Based on Tess Wakefield’s novel of the same name, Purple Hearts follows Cassie Salazar, a wannabe musician who gets drowned in medical bills after being diagnosed with Type II diabetes. To evade bankruptcy, Cassie ends up marrying Luke (Galitzine), an Army officer who could give her great medical insurance coverage. Luke has his own selfish reasons to marry Cassie, and the two will have to juggle their feelings as they realize they are falling in love for real. Purple Hearts has original songs written and produced by Justin Tranter, with Carson signing the soundtrack as co-writer.