Netflix just issued their latest library update and one of the titles added as of today (May 21) is action gem Thelma. The film was initially released back in 2024 and caught many by surprise for all the right reasons.

According to the film’s synopsis, the story follows a feisty 93-year-old grandmother who gets conned by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson. She then sets out on a treacherous quest across Los Angeles, accompanied by an aging friend (and his motorized scooter), to reclaim what was taken from her.

The story is actually inspired by a real-life experience of the director’s own grandmother. While his real grandmother was actually called Thelma, and was the target of a phone scam, her managed to intervene before it could be completed.

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However, that was enough inspire Josh Margolin to write the screenplay, cranking up the action. He also adds in some tropes of the genre for good measure.

June Squibb leads the cast as the titular character in what was her first leading role at the age of 94. However, this was after a long and varied career spanning more than 70 years.

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It boasts a near perfect 98% rating(Image: Universal)

Eagle-eyed fans will recognise her from previous roles including a guest spot on sitcom Modern Family as Auntie Alice. She also starred alongside Jack Nicholson in About Schmidt, voiced roles in Pixar films including Toy Story 4 and Inside Out 2.

Squibb also earned herself an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress thanks to her performance in 2013 release Nebraska.

She is joined in the cast of Thelma by Marty Supreme and Gladiator II actor Fred Hechinger, Parker Posey, Marvel star Clark Gregg and A Clockwork Orange icon Malcolm Mcdowell. The film also features the final role of Richard Roundtree, who played the original film iteration of Shaft.

Boasting a near perfect 98% rating on website Rotten Tomatoes, critics and fans alike were left impressed with Thelma. Many critics compared it to some of the top tier action movie offerings with one claiming it is ‘even better than Mission Impossible.”

Another seemed to agree by adding: “Mission Impossible wishes it were Thelma—an absolute joy ride from beginning to end with a phenomenally compelling performance from June Squibb.”

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The film saw June Squibb take on her first leading role(Image: Universal)

Someone else shared: “What unfolds is Mission: Impossible on Mobility Scooters, with a soundtrack to match. Thelma and Ben after the crooks; Danny and his parents chasing Thelma and Ben. It is full of humour, and not a little sadness.”

Fans are also full of praise with one declaring: “I can’t think of a more perfect movie. It is an absolute 10 out of 10 for me.”

Meanwhile one person admitted: “Thelma is a low-key masterpiece. A brilliant sendup of the heist genre, a PSA for elder care, and a meditation on aging and inter-generational connection. A thoroughly entertaining and heart-felt action dramedy that doesn’t trade in cheap laughs, and goes deep without getting too heavy.”

Thelma is streaming on Netflix