Netflix just dropped a 2015 cinematic gem hailed as “one of the most important films of this era”. The critically acclaimed drama, The Big Short, directed by Adam McKay of Anchorman fame, is ready for subscribers to enjoy at no additional charge.

The movie showcases a dazzling array of talent, featuring Oscar winners Christian Bale and Brad Pitt, along with nominees Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell.

At its heart, The Big Short unravels the buildup to the 2008 financial meltdown, spotlighting a savvy group of investors who foresee the imminent collapse of the US housing market and decide to turn it to their advantage.

Adapted from Michael Lewis’ investigative book, The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, the film investigates the precarious housing bubble of the 2000s—a surge in property prices leading to a devastating crash affecting countless Americans.

Its approachable depiction of intricate financial details endeared it to viewers, earning accolades for simplifying an otherwise daunting subject matter.

One enthusiast raved on Rotten Tomatoes, which awards the film a commendable 89 per cent rating: “All Time Classic. Probably the best business genre film I have ever seen. It takes probably the most complex subject in modern financial history and makes it understandable ENOUGH to pretty much anyone. That alone should have earned an Oscar nomination.”

The film has not achieved critical success but is also revered by moviegoers as a seminal work. An IMDB user expressed their admiration, saying: “The Big Short is one of the most important films of this era and one of the best.”

They added: “I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. It is an illumination, a magical pairing of a director’s sensibility to exactly the correct form that most fully allows it to blossom and hold water.”

The Big Short is streaming now on Netflix.