What makes Amazon Prime Video one of the best streaming services to subscribe to is its countless selection of great movies to watch. From Oscar darlings like Oppenheimer to blockbusters like Close Encounters of the Third Kind, to even more lighthearted crowd-pleasers in the vein of the Amazon Prime original movie, Red, White & Royal Blue, there is something for everyone to enjoy with an Amazon Prime subscription. Take a look at our picks for the best movies on Amazon Prime, as of July 1, 2024, below.
Oppenheimer (2023)
Christopher Nolan earned an Academy Award for Best Director for the Best PIcture Oscar winner, Oppenheimer, which stars Cillian Murphy as the titular physicist who led the development of the atomic bomb.
Stream Oppenheimer on Amazon Prime.
Beetlejuice (1988)
Before Michael Keaton reprises “the Ghost with the Most” in the upcoming sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, revisit (or discover) director Tim Burton’s original horror-comedy movie classic about a recently deceased couple (played by Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin) who begrudgingly enlist the help of the titular “bio-exorcist” to rid their home of its new living inhabitants.
Stream Beetlejuice on Amazon Prime.
Skyfall (2012)
One of the best Daniel Craig-led James Bond movies, director Sam Mendes’ breathlessly thrilling Skyfall, sees a presumed dead 007 return to help M (Judi Dench) hunt down a foe from her past (played by Academy Award winner Javier Bardem).
Stream Skyfall on Amazon Prime.
Just Mercy (2020)
In one of Michael B. Jordan’s best movies – director Destin Daniel Cretton’s powerful courtroom drama, Just Mercy – the actor portrays real-life civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson, who comes to the defense of a wrongly convicted man on death row (played by Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx).
Stream Just Mercy on Amazon Prime.
Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
Adam Sandler stars in one of his best romantic-comedy movies – Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch-Drunk Love – as an insecure man named Barry and the challenges he faces after finding romance for the first time with Lena (Emily Watson).
Stream Punch-Drunk Love on Amazon Prime.
American Fiction (2023)
Jeffrey Wright earned his first Academy Award nomination for leading American Fiction – writer and director Cord Jefferson’s adaptation of Percival Everett’s satirical novel Erasure – as a frustrated Black author who finally lands his first best-seller, but under a pen name and with a book full of racial stereotypes.
Stream American Fiction on Amazon Prime.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Director Steven Spielberg crafts one of the most harrowingly realistic and simply best war movies of all time with Saving Private Ryan, which follows a group of soldiers (led by Tom Hanks) risking their lives to bring a family’s last surviving son home during World War II.
Stream Saving Private Ryan on Amazon Prime.
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Tom Cruise reprises his role as rebellious naval aviator Maverick – this time as a mentor to a group of younger pilots – in Top Gun: Maverick, which became the most popular movie of 2022 and the actor’s biggest hit to date.
Stream Top Gun: Maverick on Amazon Prime.
St. Elmo’s Fire (1985)
Name any of the most popular actors of the 1980s and there is a good chance that they were in St. Elmo’s Fire – director Joel Schumacher’s ensemble drama following a group of college friends and their struggles post-graduation.
Stream St. Elmo’s Fire on Amazon Prime.
Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (1977)
Steven Spielberg would redefine the alien invasion movie genre with his breathtaking hit, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, which is led by Oscar winner Richard Dreyfuss as one of many people irrevocably affected by proof of otherworldly visitors.
Stream Close Encounters of the Third Kind on Amazon Prime.
Brick (2006)
First-time writer and director Rian Johnson incorporates elements of an old-fashioned detective thriller into a modern-day, coming-of-age drama with Brick, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a high schooler investigating his girlfriend’s murder.
Sophie’s Choice (1983)
Meryl Streep earned her second Academy Award for portraying the title role of Sophie’s Choice – a Holocaust survivor who strikes up a passionate romance with a Jewish American man (played by Kevin Kline).
Stream Sophie’s Choice on Amazon Prime.
Super Size Me (2004)
The late Morgan Spurlock became one of the most esteemed documentarians of his time with his Oscar-nominated breakthrough hit, Super Size Me, which chronicles his experimentation with eating only at McDonald’s for 30 days.
Stream Super Size Me on Amazon Prime.
The Holdovers (2023)
Forced to remain on campus during holiday break, a disgruntled prep school teacher (played by Paul Giamatti), a troubled student (played by Dominic Sessa), and a cafeteria worker (played by Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph) form an unexpected bond. From director Alexander Payne and writer David Hemingson, The Holdovers is destined to be a holiday comedy classic for its tenderly heartbreaking and uplifting moments, wonderful performances, and convincing ‘70s-style aesthetic.
Stream The Holdovers on Amazon Prime.
Monster (2003)
After killing a client in self-defense, a Daytona Beach sex worker (played by Charlize Theron) adopts the deadly act as a typical part of her operation. Theron earned an Oscar for her performance as infamous serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Patty Jenkins’ great directorial debut, Monster.
Stream Monster on Amazon Prime.
Lilies Of The Field (1963)
A group of European nuns believe their prayers for a new chapel in the desert are answered when an unemployed carpenter’s (played by Sidney Poitier) car breaks down near their farm. Poitier earned a groundbreaking Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Lilies of the Field – director Ralph Nelson’s adaptation of William Edmund Barrett’s novel.
Stream Lilies of the Field on Amazon Prime.
Another Round (2020)
A group of high school teachers conduct an experiment to see how their lives may improve by consuming alcohol on a daily basis. One of the best Mads Mikkelsen movies, co-writer and director Thomas Vinterberg’s Another Round won the Best International Feature Oscar 2021 for its darkly humorous execution of a fascinating concept.
Stream Another Round on Amazon Prime.
Bottoms (2023)
Rachel Sennott and Emmy winner Ayo Edebiri lead the Bottoms cast as two teen lesbians who start an after school women’s self-defense class in hopes to get closer to their crushes. Sennott also worked with director Emma Seligman on the screenplay for this uproarious and subversive coming-of-age comedy.
Stream Bottoms on Amazon Prime.
Heaven Can Wait (1978)
Warren Beatty co-writes, co-directs, and stars in the Oscar-winning, fantastic sports dramedy Heaven Can Wait as a professional football player given a second chance at life on Earth. Reason being, he was accidentally taken too early, leading the people in charge above to transfer his soul into a recently murdered millionaire.
Stream Heaven Can Wait on Amazon Prime.
Women Talking (2022)
Writer and director Sarah Polley won a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for this heart-wrenching, remarkably timely drama based on true events. The aptly titled Women Talking – depicting a group of women discussing whether or not to leave their Mennonite village in light of sexual assault – is anchored by a stunning all-star cast, including Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckely, Frances McDormand, and more.
Stream Women Talking on Amazon Prime.
Polite Society (2023)
A British-Pakistani teen (played by Priya Kansara) aspires to rescue her older sister (played by Ritu Arya) from her impending nuptials. Writer and director Nida Manzoor’s feature-length debut, Polite Society, is an ambitious coming-of-age comedy fused with thrilling, Matrix-style action.
Stream Polite Society on Amazon Prime.
Sicario (2015)
An FBI agent (played by Emily Blunt) begins to question the true intentions of her assignment when she joins a government task force taking on a drug cartel. Also starring Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin, the intense action thriller, Sicario, is one of director Denis Villeneuve’s best movies, featuring visually striking cinematography by Roger Deakins.
Stream Sicario on Amazon Prime.
Interstellar (2014)
A NASA pilot-turned-farmer (played by Matthew McConaughey) goes on an expedition to find the human race a new home as Earth grows more uninhabitable. Writer and director Chrisopher Nolan tries his hand at an ambitious Kubrickian “space odyssey” with the visually stunning cosmic mindbender, Interstellar.
Stream Interstellar on Amazon Prime.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
Join the star-studded Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves cast (including Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, and more) on this epic, fantastic, and often hilarious quest. Most adventurers would agree that directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley’s action-packed fantasy film effectively captures the essence of participating in a campaign for the popular role-playing game.
Stream Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves on Amazon Prime.
Memento (2000)
A former insurance investigator (played by Guy Pearce) desperately tries to overcome his severe condition of short-term memory loss in order to solve his wife’s murder. Cleverly told in reverse order to keep the audience in the protagonist’s headspace, Memento is one of Christopher Nolan’s best movies and a refreshing achievement in the crime thriller genre in general.
Stream Memento on Amazon Prime.
Red, White & Royal Blue (2023)
After an embarrassing cake-related incident that captured the public’s attention, the son of the President (played by Taylor Zakhar Perez) and the prince of England (played by Nicholas Galitzine) are forced to end their feud, which only leads them to fall for one another. Based on the best-selling novel by Casey McQuiston, Red, White & Royal Blue is a winning LGBTQ+ romantic comedy with an upcoming sequel in the works for Amazon Prime.
Stream Red, White & Royal Blue on Amazon Prime.
Manchester By The Sea (2016)
Ill-tempered Boston handyman Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) becomes haunted by painful memories from his past after tragedy suddenly makes him the legal guardian to his teenage nephew (played by Lucas Hedges). Affleck’s inspired performance and director Kenneth Lonergan’s devastating original screenplay earned two Academy Awards for Manchester by the Sea – an acclaimed Amazon original that was also produced by Matt Damon.
Stream Manchester by the Sea on Amazon Prime.
One Night In Miami (2020)
In her first feature-length directorial effort, Academy Award-winning actress Regina King guides four actors at the top of their game (played by Leslie Odom Jr., Aldis Hodge, Kingsley Ben-Adir, and Eli Goree) in the One Night in Miami cast as four of the most famous faces of the 1960s civil rights movement in Kemp Powers' adaption of his own acclaimed stage play.
Stream One Night in Miami on Amazon Prime.
Well, a subscriber to the streaming giant certainly cannot ask for a better assortment of flicks for the ultimate binge. Check back to see what other classics have been added or removed from Amazon Prime Video next month.
