Looking for something good to watch? Get the most of your Amazon Prime membership with a movie from Prime Video’s vast library. Here are the best of the best.
Sure, Netflix and Hulu have spent a lot more time focusing on original content than Amazon Prime Video, but their massive library that includes its award-winning Originals, blockbusters, dramas, and everything in between more than makes up for it. And don’t forget, Amazon’s recent purchase of MGM means that it’s just a matter of time before subscribers start seeing titles from MGM’s 100-year catalog of hits, from James Bond to Rocky to classics like The Wizard of Oz. So if you thought choosing something to watch on Prime Video was hard before, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Now and into the future, we’re still going to be here sifting through the titles to make sure you spend less time searching for something to watch and more time actually watching with this list of the best movies on Amazon Prime Video right now. Roar. We’ve also put together guides to the best shows on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Netflix, and the best movies on Disney+. If you’re among the multitude of people whining that everything’s been done before or that remakes and re-imaginings are all anyone does anymore, then for that reason alone, Annette is worth a try. We’re not saying you’re going to like it. The critics seem to be pretty divided on this one, with many praising it for its originality, while others call it too odd for its own good. But risky performances from two Hollywood greats, Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard and the twice-nominated Adam Driver, make Annette already worth the price of your Prime membership. With a story and original music (yes, it’s a rock opera with lots of singing, so buckle up) written by Ron and Russell Mael of the quirky ’80s pop band Sparks (who are kind of having a moment right now with the Edgar Wright documentary about them, The Sparks Brothers), Annette follows the love journey of a most unlikely couple, Henry (Driver), a harsh stand-up comedian, and Ann (Cotillard), a beautiful and world-famous opera singer, whose lives in the spotlight are rocked with the arrival of their daughter, Annette, who has mysterious abilities. Intrigued? Rotten Tomatoes: 72% Genre: Musical, Drama, Romance Stars: Adam Driver, Marion Cotillard Director: Leos Carax Rating: R Runtime: 141 minutes Watch on Prime Video Nominated for five Academy Awards in 2005, including Best Picture and Director for Alexander Payne (who also won for Best Adapted Screenplay, by the way), Sideways is a charming, California wine country-set dramedy drenched in sun-kissed landscapes, flowing reds, and… a wine snob yelling about merlot. OK, it’s a lot more than that. Paul Giamatti is the delightfully disgruntled Miles, a middle-aged failed writer and recovering divorcé, who escapes with his friend Jack (Thomas Haden Church) for a week of wine tasting in the Santa Ynez Valley before Jack ties the knot. But Jack’s got other ideas for the week, as he sets his sights on Stephanie (Sandra Oh), a wine server, and swears Miles to secrecy about his upcoming nuptials. Things get hot between Jack and Stephanie, while Miles and Stephanie’s friend Maya (Virginia Madsen), also a divorceé with some baggage, begin to fall for each other. Can Miles keep Jack’s secret? Does he even want to? And what of his budding romance with Maya if he lets it slip? Full of wit, humor, and more than a few jabs at the pretentiousness of the wine elite, Sideways is a rom-com well paired with, perhaps, a nice cab sauv (spit). Rotten Tomatoes: 97% Genre: Comedy, Drama Stars: Paul Giamatti, Sandra Oh, Virginia Madsen, Thomas Haden Church Director: Alexander Payne Rating: R Runtime: 127 minutes Watch on Prime Video Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ben (Brendan Gleeson) are bad men. They kill people for money. It’s a very stressful job, and after one particularly difficult hit has Ray riddled with guilt, the pair retreat to the quaint, medieval tourist town of Bruges, Belgium, to lay low and await instructions from their employer, Harry (Ralph Fiennes). What’s a team of hired killers to do in one of Europe’s most romantic and historic towns, go sightseeing? While that’s exactly what Ben spends his time doing, Ray, on the other hand, can’t stop thinking about the botched job until he meets the enchanting Chloe (Clémence Poésy), a member of a film crew in town shooting a movie. For the first time, the hilariously sarcastic and cynical Ray starts to see a future beyond the “life.” But just as Ray starts to get swept away by Chloe and the picturesque Bruges, Harry shows up with very different plans. Written and directed by Martin McDonagh ( Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), In Bruges is a smart, beautifully shot, fish-out-of-water comedy, but with silencers. Rotten Tomatoes: 84% Genre: Comedy, Crime, Action, Suspense Stars: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes, Clémence Poésy Director: Martin McDonagh Rating: R Runtime: 107 minutes Watch on Prime Video Whether the Val Kilmer in your mind’s eye is him in some of his iconic roles like Top Gun ‘s Iceman, The Doors ‘ Jim Morrison, or Batman Forever ‘s caped crusader, or you kept up with the ’80s heartthrob into his later, quieter career for films such as Kiss, Bang, Bang and beyond, one thing is for sure — you’ve never seen Val Kilmer like this. Fascinating and often heart-wrenching, Val is an Amazon Original autobiographical documentary assembled by the actor and directors Leo Scott and Ting Poo from more than 40 years of home video recordings Kilmer obsessively took throughout his life and career — including behind-the-scenes footage with Tom Cruise, Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, and more. Now in his ’60s and recovering from throat cancer surgery that has left him with the need to speak through a voice box on his trachea, Kilmer’s doc is a deep look inward at his life, his rise and fall from fame, his personal triumphs and failures, and, ultimately, his coming to terms with all of it. Rotten Tomatoes: 93% Genre: Documentary Stars: Val Kilmer Director: Leo Scott, Ting Poo Rating: R Runtime: 108 minutes Watch on Prime Video The nutters behind Shaun of the Dead do what they do best in 2011’s hilarious alien adventure, Attack the Block, starring who would become two of cinema’s biggest sci-fi stars, the Star Wars prequels’ John Boyega and current Doctor Who, Jodie Whittaker. When their South London apartment complex neighborhood is bombarded with furry, razor-toothed alien visitors hell-bent on a takeover, the kids and adults band together to defend themselves and their block. An invasion flick with heart, Attack the Block adeptly shows the transformation of the mischievous and questionably delinquent youngsters into heroes, using their street smarts to send the aliens packing. Rotten Tomatoes: 90% Genre: Sci-fi, Comedy, Action Stars: John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker, Alex Esmail, Leeon Jones Director: Joe Cornish Rating: R Runtime: 80 minutes Watch on Prime Video Bathtubs, puddles, kitchen sinks full of dishwater: If you were of the generation that was terrified by Stephen Spielberg’s legendary shark film Jaws, no body of water — big or small — was safe after that. You probably know the premise by now, but it all starts when a young woman is killed by a shark off the coast of the small New England town of Amity Island. The shifty town mayor (Murray Hamilton) doesn’t want to shut the touristy beach down, but Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) has a bad feeling about this and knows something bigger is asunder. Much bigger. Following his instincts to protect the town, Brody enlists the help of shark expert Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and a prickly sea-worn boat captain (Robert Shaw) and his not-big-enough boat to hunt down the Great White. If, after watching the first film, you’re not afraid of the water for life, Prime Video is also streaming Jaws 2 and Jaws 3 so you can stage your own Shark Week. Rotten Tomatoes: 98% Genre: Adventure, Horror, Mystery & Thriller Stars: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Murray Hamilton Director: Steven Spielberg Rating: PG Runtime: 124 minutes Watch on Prime Video More than a decade before Dazed and Confused, there was Fast Times at Ridgemont High, which introduced the world to Sean Penn in one of his greatest and oft-imitated roles, stoner surfer Jeff Spicoli. Based on the book Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A True Story by Cameron Crowe (which he wrote after going undercover at a San Diego high school), this classic ’80s coming-of-age comedy follows various plotlines in the lives of a handful of California high schoolers. Sophomores Stacy (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and Mark (Brian Backer) are getting curious about sex, and are respectively egged on by seniors Linda (Phoebe Cates) and slimy ticket scalper Mike Damone (Robert Romanus) to go all the way. Meanwhile, Stacy’s older brother Brad (Judge Reinhold) has the perfect life — he’s popular, has a good job, and a great girlfriend — until it all comes crashing down when he’s fired. That brings us to Spicoli. When he’s not hot-boxing his VW van with his surfer bros, he’s at war with the perpetually stuffy Mr. Hand (Ray Walston), a teacher of Jeff’s who has it out for him and his stoner ways. Rotten Tomatoes: 96% Genre: Comedy, Drama Stars: Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates, Ray Walston Director: Amy Heckerling Rating: R Runtime: 90 minutes Watch on Prime Video Necessity is the mother of invention, as they say. So when the struggling Oakland A’s 2002 baseball team needed to work with a limited budget while still assembling a winning team, General Manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) turns to the unconventional (at the time) use of analytics to do it. Beane recruits intelligent young Yale economics grad Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) as his assistant GM, whose use of sabermetrics brings together undervalued players that the data would suggest have strengths that would be great when combined with other overlooked players. Is Beane and Brand’s nerdy approach the future of baseball? Will it pay off and bring the A’s to the World Series? Well, if you don’t already know the answers to these questions (it’s all in the source material, too — author Michale Lewis’s 2003 nonfiction novel, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game), we highly suggest watching this Oscar-nominated movie. Rotten Tomatoes: 94% Genre: Biography, Sports, Drama Stars: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Robin Wright, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Chris Pratt Director: Bennett Miller Rating: PG-13 Runtime: 143 minutes Watch on Prime Video A young boy cries in pain, lying on a table in a hospital ER, his leg bloody and broken. Barely 21 years old, Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio), posing as a doctor and clearly nauseous at the sight of blood, is called to assist the two junior doctors on the case. “Dr. Harris, do you concur?” is all the freaked-out Frank can muster before passing the boy off and rushing away. Another narrow escape for the young con man, who, by the time Stephen Spielberg’s brilliant Oscar-winning film Catch Me If You Can come to its end, will have also become a master cheque forger and posed as an airline pilot and a lawyer while traveling the world on an adventure to end all adventures. But hot on Frank’s heels is FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), who develops a respect and bond with the young, scared Abagnale, as he chases the master criminal around the globe. Based on the real-life story of Abagnale Jr., Catch Me If You Can is a not-to-be-missed cat-and-mouse film with incredible performances from two of Hollywood’s best. Rotten Tomatoes: 96% Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken Director: Stephen Spielberg Rating: PG-13 Runtime: 140 minutes Watch on Prime Video Starting this writeup on Aliens by telling you that this 1986 sci-fi thriller won two Oscars for visual and sound effects and had four other nominations, including a Best Actress nod for Sigourney Weaver, is just an attempt to distract you from the fact that this film is going to scare the living daylights out of you. Weaver makes her first return as Ellen Ripley, who,57 years after escaping from the horrific alien infestation situation of the first film, is the only person alive who can help a human colony on a distant planet that may be under siege from the same savage species. A crew sent by the corporation that owns the colony includes an android (Lance Henrikson), a couple of Marines (Bill Paxton and Michael Biehn), and shifty company exec Burke (Paul Reiser), who’s more interested in the monetary gains capturing the aliens represents. Boy, are they in for a surprise. Of course, the colony is teeming with the drooling beasts, who begin picking the crew off one by one. Ripley discovers the colony’s sole survivor, a little girl named Newt, and uses everything she knows about the alien enemy to rescue the girl and get off the planet alive. If this James Cameron-directed sequel doesn’t terrify you enough, Prime Video is also streaming the OG Alien film that started it all. Rotten Tomatoes: 97% Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Carrie Henn, Bill Paxton Director: James Cameron Rating: R Runtime: 137 minutes Watch on Prime Video The story of World War II’s infamous hero-villain, U.S. General George S. Patton, is on Amazon Prime Video in all its three-hour glory. Sweeping the 1971 Academy Awards with 10 nominations and seven wins, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor, Patton was hailed as a revelation in filmmaking. George C. Scott’s portrayal of the controversial military figure is nothing short of jarring, capturing all the unpredictability, ruthlessness, and ego of the General, as the film tracks his storied career, shining a light on his victories and defeats on the battlefield, his intense rivalries with German and fellow Allied generals alike, his relieving of duty and fall from grace, and eventual redemption at the famous Battle of the Bulge. Patton is a classic that still holds up today, with Scott’s performance becoming a mold for future hard-assed military film characters. Rotten Tomatoes: 94% Genre: Biography, Drama, War Stars: George C. Scott, Karl Malden, Stephen Young, Michael Strong Director: Franklin J. Schaffner Rating: PG Runtime: 172 minutes Watch on Prime Video For fans of ’90s hip-hop legends A Tribe Called Quest, Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest is required viewing. But even if you’re only vaguely familiar with the group, this directorial debut from actor Michael Rapaport will school you on the world of these iconic artists. Following the trajectory of members Q-Tip (Kamaal Ibn John Fareed), Phife Dawg (Malik Taylor), DJ Producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and Jarobi White from their beginnings in Queens, New York, in the mid-’80s, Beats, Rhymes & Life mixes archival footage with interviews from fellow hip-hop luminaries such as Common, Ludacris, Questlove, and the Beastie Boys to take viewers through the group’s career highs, lows, and conflicts surrounding their controversial and sudden breakup in 1998. Rapaport’s documentary then picks up with the group during their strained reunion for the 2008 Rock the Bells tour, offering faint hope to fans. Rotten Tomatoes: 90% Genre: Documentary Stars: Ludacris, Common, Q-Tip Director: Michael Rapaport Rating: R Runtime: 97 minutes Watch on Prime Video Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist has two great stars ( Scott Pilgrim ‘s Michael Cera and WandaVision ‘s Kat Dennings) who are genuinely great together. Nick (Cera) is bummed out because his girlfriend, Tris (Alexis Dziena), has dumped him, and when she shows up at his band’s gig in Manhattan with a new guy, he gets even more bummed. That is until he meets Norah (Dennings), who has had a serious crush on Nick because of his cool mix-CDs that he made for Tris. The duo serendipitously end up on an adventure through the East Village in search of a secret show by the mysterious band Where’s Fluffy? that has left clues all around town. As they navigate the city in Nick’s beat-up car, he can’t stop thinking about Tris, while the whole time, the real deal is sitting right next to him. Rotten Tomatoes: 74% Genre: Comedy, Drama Stars: Michael Cera, Kat Dennings, Alexis Dziena Director: Peter Sollett Rating: PG-13 Runtime: 89 minutes Watch on Prime Video Edward Bloom (Ambert Finney) is on his death bed. The larger-than-life patriarch has lived what many would say was a fantastical life, filled with circus adventures, giants, witches, and a catfish the size of a whale. Well, only one person would say all that, and that person is Edward himself, who has told these stories and more, over and over to his son, Will (Billy Crudup), who has returned home to be by his estranged dad’s bedside.
