Warning: This piece contains mild spoilers for Netflix's The Discovery.

As much as we all obsess over Stranger Things, remember that Netflix started with movies. And back when the company didn't make headlines with its first original TV programming, 2012's Lilyhammer, it didn't make headlines with its first original film, either—a documentary released in that same year called Art of Conflict: The Murals of Northern Ireland.

The key difference in these two programming tracks, of course, is that Netflix has hit a few series homeruns since. Orange is the New Black, Stranger Things, Making A Murderer, and House of Cards were hits with viewers as well as the Golden Globes and the Emmys. And while some Netflix documentaries have succeeded within their niche, it's harder to point to an original narrative film reaching the same levels of buzz (the Idris Elba-led Beasts of No Nation has probably been the biggest hit; those Adam Sandler originals that kids supposedly love and Netflix keeps making don't count).

But in 2017, Netflix seems hellbent on flipping this script. The company made a bold declaration in March that it would produce 30 original movies in 2017. These will not be small mumblecore affairs. A trailer for the Will Smith-led Bright ran during the Super Bowl, Brad Pitt stars in the war-in-Afghanistan inspired War Machine, and filmmakers from Bong Joon-hoo (Snowpiercer) to Martin Scorsese (... a lot of stuff) have signed up to make their next films for Netflix. All but the Scorsese film are expected to surface in this 2017 crop.

This weekend, Netflix unveiled Exhibit A in the company's new push to find bigscreen attention for its littlescreen theatrical debuts. The Discovery, a sci-fi tale boasting the likes of Rooney Mara, Jason Segel, Jesse Plemons, and Robert (freakin') Redford, can be streamed as soon as you open another browser tab. And luckily—unlike prior Netflix original films with stars like Paul Rudd and Ellen Page—this one merits watching.

You call that a premise? This is a premise

The Discovery hits the ground running in its very first scene. Dr. Thomas Harbor (Redford) invites a TV journalist into his house for the first public interview since he discovered definite proof of an afterlife—"a new plane of existence,” as the scientist prefers to call it. Through his work, Harbor repeatedly observed brain wavelengths on a subatomic level leaving the body after the death... but he hasn't yet discovered where they go. When the journalist challenges him about this and states that this makes the finding uncertain or perhaps dangerous for public consumption, Harbor responds without a hesitation: "When you see a train leave the station, do you need to know where it's going to know it leaves?"

Of course, Harbor's discovery has been dangerous for the public at large. Six months after his announcement, the suicide rate has skyrocketed to one million and counting, including high-profile celebrities, athletes, and even a colleague of Dr. Harbor's.

"Do you feel responsible for all those people killing themselves?" the journalist asks.

"No."

Perhaps, Harbor responds that way because he steadfastly believes in sharing truth with the world. But we soon learn that he has also started running something of a commune—a big former summer camp facility where people who've attempted (and failed) to move on to this afterlife can come together in a supportive community that values living. Harbor's sons eventually help him run the place (perhaps one of them moreso than the other, since he's a neurologist). They simultaneously aid Harbor's continued research while quietly investigating what exactly they're seeing take place in their father's lab. After all, Harbor insists on more work. He wants to find out exactly where this train goes even if it means he may have to ride it.

Big screen talent, small screen film

Director Charlie McDowell and writing partner Justin Lader have a growing reputation for intricate, puzzle-like scripts (the duo's first public splash came from The One I Love, starring Mark Duplass and Elisabeth Moss). Here, they manage to build another mind-bender with more traditional story elements at the core, including a budding relationship and a complicated family dynamic. Your mileage may vary, but watching a group of people navigate this premise alone puts The Discovery toward the top of Netflix features to date.

I hesitate to say any more about The Discovery's plot, not only because it twists and turns, but because this film (if enjoyed) is the kind that's ideal for Netflix. On first watch, you'll witness everything reveal itself just as the characters try to make sense of it all. Then on that second viewing (because Netflix... it no longer requires a second ticket and large popcorn purchase), subtle actions and statements suddenly fill with meaningful clues. In an interview with The Ringer on Friday, McDowell compared The Discovery to his experiences revisiting Arrival after learning the central conceit. The Discovery didn't blow my mind on quite the same level, but the last third definitely caught me off guard.

Overall, The Discovery skillfully avoids veering too far towards either side of scientific and religious beliefs about death. Instead, it puts a scientific character at the core without dwelling on the details beyond that first scene. Harbor's tools to research his discovery resemble large CAT scan machinery, and most of the drama beyond that comes from what happens between the living.

But even a film with a great premise and some delightful surprises would fall flat with dull characters, so Redford as Harbor feels pivotal. He carries the same authoritative, seductive, and slightly terrifying vibes that Phillip Seymour Hoffman famously provided as an explicit cult leader in The Master. Redford's presence lends The Discovery the near-instant stature Netflix likely craves for its current film push. (Has The New York Times reviewed many prior Netflix originals?)

"[Redford]'s this sort of untouchable figure. I didn't think of him right away because there's no thought in my mind that he'll be in my movie," McDowell told The Ringer. But when the director got a list of people who were available from an agent, Redford was on the list. The icon turned out to be a fan of The One I Love, so McDowell and his writing partner flew across country to meet him ASAP. And now, McDowell's telling Ringer Editor-in-Chief Sean Fennessey that the film works because Redford possesses this Einstein or Steve Jobs-like presence—"this character is someone that has to be believable for everything to work."

Given Redford's involvement, it's no coincidence The Discovery debuted at Sundance before going live this weekend on Netflix. And because of the way Hollywood awards season works, if critical buzz nudges Netflix into thinking Redford or McDowell have a chance at nominations, the film could end up with a theatrical run. Maybe that's unlikely—The Discovery has its moments, but you can reference some of its formula in other films, and, of course, bigger Netflix originals are on the horizon.

However, the company did take a similar hybrid on-demand/limited release approach to Beasts of No Nation back in 2015 when Idris Elba had some Oscar momentum, though nothing came out of the experiment. McDowell admitted to The Ringer that he did initially want The Discovery to have a theatrical run. But after Netflix pitched him on its film intentions, the director became less tied the idea. In fact, he encourages fans to go enjoy that repeat viewing.

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or ideation, please take advantage of the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 in the US or the Samaritans at 08457 90 90 90 in the UK.

Listing image by Netflix