Amazon Prime Video is home to a wide array of premium streaming content, with droves of movies and shows to throw on for the whole family. With so many options to choose from, the service can sometimes feel like an embarrassment of riches, leaving you with decision fatigue. Luckily, we’ve compiled a list of the best and brightest movies you can stream on Amazon Prime Video right now. In the interest of keeping things concise, we’re limiting this list to only projects which you can stream through the standard Prime subscription, with no rental fees or add-on services. While this eliminates a few fan favorites, such as Get Out, Nope, and Inglourious Basterds, it ensures you won’t be in for a rude awakening after searching for the following titles during a stay-in date night or group watch.
Without any further preamble, let’s examine some of the best films available to stream through Amazon Prime Video. While the list is highly subjective, the following entries have been ranked in ascending order by their Rotten Tomatoes critic score, with each entrant clocking in with a certified fresh score of 73 percent or higher.
8. Interstellar (2014)
Kicking off our list with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 73 percent we have Interstellar, the Christopher Nolan trip through space that will have you questioning if love can permeate the fourth dimension. The film touts a star-studded cast including Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Timothée Chalamet, and David Gyasi. This movie was hailed by real scientists and NASA engineers for showcasing some of the best representations of theoretical physics in space travel, and celebrated by film fans for utilizing mostly practical effects, as well as a killer score which makes the film instantly memorable even ten years after release.
If you’re looking for a heart-wrenching science fiction adventure with incredible action set-pieces, talking robots, and intense interplanetary exploration, look no further than Interstellar. The film is widely regarded as one of the best sci-fi movies of all time, and is certainly among the top films available to stream on Amazon Prime.
7. Burn After Reading (2008)
Burn After Reading is a Coen brothers classic comedy of errors that will have you lamenting the stupidity of the world around you while laughing at the absurdity of it all. The film centers on an ensemble of D.C. area dummies who inadvertently involve themselves in a complex web of espionage and infidelity. Like Interstellar, Burn After Reading is led by a litany of A-listers, including Brad Pitt, who is having more fun in this role than he ever has before or since. In a long list of classic Coen brothers films to choose from, some fans consider Burn After Reading to be the best project they’ve ever produced.
If you’d like to see for yourself, Burn After Reading is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video today. The film packs a ton of interwoven plot lines into an incredibly tight 96 minute runtime, making this film one of the most easily digestible picks on this list. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes have given this movie a certified fresh score of 78 percent, though even that figure is criminally low.
6. Bottoms (2023)
For a more recent sampling of Amazon Prime’s finest films, be sure to check out the 2023 comedy Bottoms, starring Rachel Sennott and The Bear‘s Ayo Edebiri. The film has been described as “the hornie*st, bloodiest high school movie of the 21st century” by Rolling Stone, and offers a fresh and unique take on the standard coming-of-age comedy formula. The narrative of Bottoms centers on a pair of lesbian teenagers starting a pseudo fight club at their high school in order to boost their social status, attract women, and express a newfound sense of empowerment. The film is a laugh-out-loud riot featuring NFL legend Marshawn Lynch, in a role that really puts his comedic acting chops to use.
Unlike the previous films on this list, Bottoms premiered on Amazon Prime Video after a limited theatrical run, meaning it’s unlikely that the streaming rights will be shuffled around much in the coming years. In the past, films such as Interstellar, Burn After Reading, and others have been known to trade streaming hands frequently, as services generally only license them for blocks of several months to a year at a time. Still, don’t let Bottoms‘ accessibility prevent you from catching it right away, as the film provides a perfect modern twist on a classic format.
5. Malcolm X (1992)
We couldn’t make this list without including the critically-acclaimed biopic of American civil rights icon Malcolm X, starring Denzel Washington in the leading role. The film, which was written and directed by Spike Lee, offers a compelling look into the life, origins, and politics of one of the greatest thought leaders of the 20th century, in unflinching detail.
During a 2018 discussion with Timeout, Washington reflected on the groundbreaking success of the film, and some of the difficulty he and Spike Lee faced during production. Washington even went so far as to say that he feared for his life while filming Malcolm X, since the highly political nature of the film made certain powerful people uncomfortable. During the interview, Denzel elucidated “Sh**, we were worrying about getting killed. You’re talking about politics, we were trying to stay alive… ‘Put it this way: we were stepping on some serious toes. And I’m not just talking about the studio.”
Audiences owe it to themselves to see this film at least once in their lives, as it paints an important look into the state of the civil rights movement in America, as well as the racial construction of politics that still exists to this day. Malcolm X is available to stream on Amazon Prime today, for anyone who hasn’t yet had the chance to get educated on the life of the iconic freedom fighter.
4. American Fiction (2023)
American Fiction is another relatively new addition to the Amazon Prime streaming lineup, clocking in with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 93 percent. This certified fresh score isn’t just recency bias either, as the film has already racked up a laundry list of accolades, awards, and nominations. That includes multiple Writers Guild Awards, Critics Association Awards, nearly a dozen Film Festival wins, and even an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.
American Fiction examines the stereotypes and tropes that impact black Americans both in media and in everyday life, under a layer of comedic satire that will have you rethinking the authenticity of some of your favorite movies and shows. The film stars Jeffrey Wright in one of his most inspired performances to date, as he takes on both the archetype as both the learned scholar and the street-wise thug, in order to appeal to the modern literary market.
3. Whiplash (2014)
Whiplash is an intense, PTSD-triggering film which showcases the lengths some people will go to in order to become number one in their desired field. The film stars Miles Teller and JK Simmons, and centers on a young man with dreams of becoming the greatest jazz drummer of his generation. After landing a spot on one of the most prestigious ensembles in the country, the drummer quickly learns that his instructor is a violent, rage-fueled maniac who is outwardly abusive to his students. Despite this, the student eschews any chance at maintaining a normal life in favor of committing himself fully to pleasing his abuser, in an endless pursuit to topple the world of music.
Whiplash is loosely inspired by writer-director Damien Chazelle’s real experience in a highly competitive high school jazz band. Though we’d all like to imagine the film takes some significant creative liberties, many actual musicians have acknowledged that abuse of this kind can run rampant within the most competitive music schools and organizations. The film touts a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score of 94 percent, and serves as one of the best films available on the entire Amazon Prime platform.
2. Creed (2015)
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 10 years, the film Creed likely requires no introduction. This film single-handedly reinvigorated the Rocky franchise, which had seen diminishing returns in its last several outings over the course of the 1990s and early 2000s, and brought the iconic boxing narrative to a whole new generation of viewers. Two Creed sequels have since been delivered to critical acclaim, though nothing quite lives up to the first installment in the rebooted series.
The film stars Michael B. Jordan as the son of legendary boxer Apollo Creed, as he enters into the world of heavyweight boxing in order to fulfill his birthright and follow in the footsteps of his super-star dad. Under the tutelage of Rocky Balboa himself, Creed manages to capture the spirit of his father, and even offers some invaluable assistance to his aging mentor. Creed completely broke the mold of the traditional Hollywood reboot, and managed to carve out its own cinematic identity while shattering all expectations, making it one of the greatest films of the 2010s.
1. BlacKkKlansman (2018)
Topping our list with a staggering Rotten Tomatoes score of 96 percent is another Spike Lee joint, in the form of 2018’s BlacKkKlansman. In a poetic turn of events, this film actually stars Denzel Washington’s son, John David Washington, in the role of real-life DetectiveRon Stallworth. The film is a dramatization of true events, centering on the first black man to ever join theColorado Springs Police Department.Shortly after joining the department, Stallworth begins engaging in regular phone calls with high-ranking leaders of the KKK, posing as a white man. Before long, he has fully infiltrated the racist organization, and enlists the help of a Jewish officer to assist him in bringing the white nationalist criminals to justice.
This film humorously exposes the stupidity and blatant ignorance of racists who sought to stifle the civil rights movement, all while offering a perfectly-captured revenge story. While there are dozens of excellent films available to stream on Amazon Prime Video today, BlacKkKlansman is handily the best of the bunch, and needs to be seen immediately if you haven’t checked it out already.
