Take the guesswork out of what to watch with our curated list of the best movies streaming on Amazon Prime Video right now.
Finding a good movie to watch on Amazon Prime Video can be difficult to say the least. While Amazon’s robust library of titles is available to every Amazon Prime subscriber, they don’t exactly make it easy to find what you’re looking for. That’s where we come in. Below, we’ve assembled a growing list of the best movies on Amazon Prime right now. Our carefully curated selection runs the gamut from crowd-pleasing blockbusters to Oscar-winning dramas to delightful rom-coms and beyond. There’s a little something for everyone, so stop the endless scrolling and simply choose one of these great movies to watch.
Check out our list of the best movies on Amazon Prime video below. The list will be updated weekly with new titles.
Who doesn’t love a good legal thriller? They truly don’t make movies like “The Firm” anymore – a character-driven, two-and-a-half-hour mid-budget human drama. Based on the John Grisham book of the same name, the 1993 release stars Tom Cruise as a Harvard Law School graduate who lands a high-profile gig at a top law firm in Memphis, But as he gets deeper into the job, he starts to uncover secrets and conspiracies within. The late, great Sydney Pollack directs and the cast includes Jeanne Tripplehorn, Ed Harris, Holly Hunter and Hal Holbrook.
One of the greatest romantic comedies – nay, one of the greatest movies ever made, “The Apartment” is a stone-cold classic. Billy Wilder’s 1960 film stars Jack Lemmon as a lonely worker at a large insurance corporation who allows upper management to use his apartment for extra-marital affairs, in the hopes that his loyalty will one day be rewarded. But when he develops a crush on the building’s elevator operator (played by Shirley MacClaine), he’s disheartened to discover she’s having an affair with his boss. Funny, romantic and shockingly real, “The Apartment” has endured for a reason.
All this talk of aliens, why not revisit Tim Burton’s delightfully nutty 1996 film “Mars Attacks!” Based on a cult trading card series, the film is dripping with camp as it follows an alien invasion and the myriad of characters who make contact with the killer extra terrestrials. The all-star cast includes Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Michael J. Fox, Sarah Jessica Parker, Pierce Brosnan, Natalie Portman, Lisa Marie and Tom Jones. This one is bitingly funny, and you’ll walk away wondering how Burton convinced a major studio to spend so much on a film like this.
Before “The Mummy” or “The Pirates of the Caribbean,” there was “The Mask of Zorro.” The 1998 film is based on the classic TV series of the same name, but director Martin Campbell injects this 19th century-set tale with enough intrigue, adventure and swashbuckling to keep a grin on your face from beginning to end. Anthony Hopkins stars as the original Zorro, who has been in prison for 20 years. When a hapless bandit played by Antonio Banderas breaks him out, he sets about training him in the ways of Zorro to help rescue his daughter, played by Catherine Zeta-Jones, from the clutches of the man who first put him in prison.
One of the best sci-fi movies and comedies ever made, “Galaxy Quest” is also lowkey one of the best “Star Trek” movies ever made even though it’s not technically in that franchise. The 1999 film follows the aging stars of a beloved 1980s sci-fi TV series who now spend their days appearing at conventions to make ends meet, despite the fact that they all hate each other. But when a group of aliens who mistook their TV show for “historical documents” seeks their help, they’re transported to outer space to bring their expertise to a brewing war. Tim Allen fills the William Shatner role, while Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver and Sam Rockwell round out an incredible ensemble. The film is inventive and packed with laughs, and while it pokes fun at the fandoms surrounding such franchises, it always does so with love.
Filmmaker Steven Soderbergh had such a great 2000 that he was nominated for the Best Director Oscar twice, competing against himself for “Traffic” and “Erin Brockovich” – and he won for “Traffic,” flying in the face of speculation that he would split the votes. It was well-earned, too, as “Traffic” is an engrossing crime drama that chronicles the drug trade from various angles. The sprawling ensemble follows Mexican police officers fighting corruption south of the border, a conservative judge (played by Michael Douglas) struggling with his daughter’s drug addiction as he’s appointed “drug czar,” and an undercover DEA investigation in San Diego. The various threads interweave in curious ways, and Soderbergh brings a distinct aesthetic to each.
One of the greatest rom-coms ever made, “When Harry Met Sally” stars Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal as two acquaintances who ride together from Chicago to New York City, where both are moving. They flirt and argue during the drive, agreeing never to see each other again once it’s over. But over the years they keep bumping into one another, each at different stages in their own romantic relationships, and they eventually strike up a close kinship – but could love be bubbling just under the surface? The 1989 release was written by Nora Ephron and directed by Rob Reiner, and the push-and-pull of Ephron’s romantically optimistic script and Reiner’s pessimistic outlook on love make this an all-time classic.
The 2022 horror drama from “Call Me by Your Name” and “Suspiria” director Luca Guadagnino stars Timothee Chalamet and Taylor Russell as two young cannibals living in 1980s America, struggling to contain their impulses as they strike up a tenuous relationship. Based on the book of the same name by Camille DeAngelis, it’s a chilling, moving and sometimes sweet film that will rattle you to your bones with a stirring performance by Mark Rylance.
Bradley Cooper’s 2018 take on “A Star Is Born” is a wonder. The Oscar-winning film, co-written and directed by Cooper, follows an aspiring young artist played by Lady Gaga who strikes up a relationship with an aging singer (played by Cooper). As the young ingenue’s star is rising, his is falling – exacerbated by alcoholism and depression. It’s a hugely emotional, immaculately crafted film that also boasts an incredible soundtrack of original songs. – Adam Chitwood
If you’re merely looking to laugh, you can’t go wrong with “The 40-Year-Old-Virgin.” A comedy classic, the film from co-writer and star Steve Carell and director Judd Apatow kicked off a new era for the genre, with a heavily improvised format that combines raunchy humor with heart. Carell plays the titular virgin, who runs the gamut on the dating scene as egged on by his co-workers, only to strike up a relationship with a single mom/grandmother played by Catherine Keener. It’s sweet and spicy all at once, with standout supporting turns from Paul Rudd and Jane Lynch. – Adam Chitwood
Ridley Scott’s 2000 epic “Gladiator” took the Oscars by storm, winning Best Picture and Best Actor among others, and it still holds up as a tremendously exciting historical drama. Set in 180 AD, Russell Crowe stars as a Hispano-Roman general who is betrayed and forced into hiding following the murder of his family. He finds himself conscripted to become a gladiator, fighting to the death for the amusement of audiences, and eventually makes his way back to Rome where he comes face to face with the emperor who betrayed him. Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, and Djimon Hounsou round out a terrific ensemble cast. – Adam Chitwood
Here’s something the whole family can enjoy. The 2010 DreamWorks Animation film “How to Train Your Dragon” is a deeply empathetic tale of a small Viking village and a young man named Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) who strikes up a friendship with an injured dragon, despite the village’s assertion that dragons are dangerous creatures not to be befriended. A sweet, heartwarming story ensues buoyed by a tremendous score from composer John Powell. – Adam Chitwood
If you’re itching for more meta fun after “Barbie,” check out “The Truman Show,” a film director Greta Gerwig says she looked towards for inspiration for her take on “Barbie.” Directed by Peter Weird, the 1998 film stars Jim Carrey as a man who has no idea that his entire life is being filmed for a reality TV show, and that his small town is actually an enormous soundstage in which every moment of his life is loosely scripted. It’s wholly unique and inventive, and came at a time when “reality TV” was first starting to take hold of audiences all over the world. In a testament to its quality, it holds up tremendously well today. – Adam Chitwood
Have you ever wondered how Nike secured the rights to Michael Jordan’s likeness and created the unstoppable Air Jordan brand? Well, even if you haven’t, here’s a movie that explains it anyway.
