Veteran subscribers of the streaming platform would agree that the ever-evolving catalog of movies on Amazon Prime Video is in endless supply. There is almost too much to choose from, which often leads to more time scrolling to find the best movies on Amazon Prime Video than actually spent enjoying the film.
Of course, as any frequent streamer should know, access to that much content is both a blessing and a curse. Allow us to help narrow down your search with our picks for the best movies currently available to stream as of May 1, 2022, unless otherwise specified.
A Quiet Place Part II (2021)
A woman (Emily Blunt) struggles to protect her three children on her own in a world ravaged by otherworldly creatures that hunt their human prey with sound. John Krasinski returned to the world of A Quiet Place for its equally thrilling follow-up both from behind the camera (as writer and director) and to reprise his role in a cold open taking place at the beginning of the invasion.
Stream A Quiet Place Part II on Amazon Prime.
Bill & Ted Face The Music (2022)
A pair of dim-witted best friends (Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter) must finally fulfill their long-overdue destinies of saving the future with the perfect song and hope turning to time travel will, once again, solve their problem. The long-overdue third installment of the inventive, hilarious, and infallibly jovial Bill & Ted movies proved to be worth the wait.
Stream Bill & Ted Face the Music on Amazon Prime.
Independence Day (1996)
Mankind bands together to defend the Earth from a malevolent extra-terrestrial race and its seemingly unstoppable, miles-wide ships. Featuring some of the best visual effects in the ‘90s and one of the most inspiring speeches to come from a cinematic U.S. president, Independence Day is a quintessential blockbuster epic and one of the best alien invasion movies ever made.
Stream Independence Day on Amazon Prime.
Tombstone (1993)
A former lawman (Kurt Russell) is forced to come out of retirement and enlist the help of another famed gunfighter (Val Kilmer) to take on a vicious gang of outlaws in a quaint Arizona town. In addition to being the more acclaimed Wyatt Earp biopic to come out in the early ‘90s, Tombstone is one of Kurt Russell’s best movies and one of the most exciting Westerns of its (or any) time.
Stream Tombstone on Amazon Prime.
Sideways (2004)
A divorced writer (Paul Giamatti) and his soon-to-be married best friend (Thomas Haden Church) spend a week in wine country that takes a few unexpected turns when they meet two attractive, single women (Sandra Oh and Virginia Madsen). Based on the novel by Rex Pickett, Sideways is a poignant, thought-provoking, and romantic dramedy and of director Alexander Payne’s finest works.
Stream Sideways on Amazon Prime.
Shrek (2001)
A curmudgeonly, reclusive ogre (Mike Myers) and a talking donkey (Eddie Murphy) agree to rescue a princess (Cameron Diaz) from a power-hungry, wannabe king (John Lithgow). Based on the children’s book by William Stieg, the first of the Shrek movies deservingly won the first Best Animated Feature Oscar for its cutting-edge CGI and groundbreaking deconstruction of fantasy tropes.
Stream Shrek on Amazon Prime.
Also try streaming Shrek 2 on Amazon Prime.
Field Of Dreams (1989)
A mysterious voice convinces an Iowa farmer (Kevin Costner) to turn his cornfield into a baseball diamond. Costner has starred in many of the best sports movies – several of which are specifically related to baseball, including the heartwarming classic, Field of Dreams.
Stream Field of Dreams on Amazon Prime.
Road To Perdition (2002)
A mafia hitman (Tom Hanks) must keep his young son (Tyler Hoechlin) out of harm’s way after he witnesses a crime in 1930s Chicago. Based on the graphic novel by Max Allan Collins and Richard Piers Raynes, Road to Perdition is a stunning tale of revenge and survival from director Sam Mendes.
Stream Road to Perdition on Amazon Prime.
Zero Dark Thirty (2013)
A CIA operative (Jessica Chastain) endures her own personal morality crisis on a desperate hunt for wanted terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden. From Oscar-winning filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty is one of Chastain’s finest movies and a grounded, gritty political thriller that never fails to get your heart-racing even though you already know the ending.
Stream Zero Dark Thirty on Amazon Prime.
Taken (2008)
After his teenage daughter (Maggie Grace) is kidnapped by human traffickers while on a European getaway, a retired CIA operative (Liam Nesson) takes matters into his own hands. From producer Luc Besson, Taken was a hit that had a profound effect on the action genre for the time and on Neeson’s career, instantly transforming him into one of Hollywood’s most badass leading men.
A League Of Their Own (1992)
A former major leaguer (Tom Hanks) is hired to manage a team of talented female athletes as part of the the first all-women’s baseball league during the 1940s. Also starring Academy Award winner Geena Davis and pop star Madonna, A League of Their Own is a refreshing, inspiring sports drama inspired by true events from director Penny Marshall.
Stream A League of Their Own on Amazon Prime.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
A disillusioned child psychologist tries to help a young boy with the ability to see the unwitting, lingering spirits of the deceased. Also starring an 11-year-old Haley Joel Osment in an Oscar-nominated role, not only is The Sixth Sense one of the best Bruce Willis movies, but probably the finest work of writer and director M. Night Shyamalan.
Stream The Sixth Sense on Amazon Prime.
Also try streaming Unbreakable on Amazon Prime.
Titanic (1997)
After a chance meeting on the maiden voyage of a luxury, seemingly unsinkable passenger ship, a young, impoverished man (Leonardo DiCaprio) and an unhappily engaged socialite (Kate Winslet) fall in love. Eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, went to Titanic – writer and director James Cameron’s epic, romantic, fictionalized retelling of the shocking tragedy from 1912.
Stream Titanic on Amazon Prime.
Cast Away (2000)
After suffering a crash landing on a deserted island, a FedEx employee (Tom Hanks) struggles to survive with no one but a volleyball to keep him company. Hanks (who also came up with the idea for the film) reteams with his Forrest Gump director Robert Zemeckis for Cast Away – an engaging, and even inspiring, survival tale.
Stream Cast Away on Amazon Prime.
Date Night (2009)
A couple (Steve Carell and Tina Fey) try to escape the mundanity of married life with a night on the town that, after a case of mistaken identity, becomes a fight for their lives. Carell and Fey’s perfect chemistry makes director Shawn Levy’s Date Night one of the funniest and most thrilling romantic comedies of its time.
Stream Date Night on Amazon Prime.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
A trio of escaped convicts (George Clooney, Tim Blake Nelson, John Turturro) endure a series of bizarre misadventures while searching for buried loot in the 1930 South. Joel and Ethan Coen’s modernized retelling of Homer’s The Odyssey, O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a hilarious, hair-raising adventure with a killer original soundtrack that won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2001.
Stream O Brother, Where Art Thou on Amazon Prime.
Carrie (1976)
A teenager (Sissy Spacek) discovers that she has telekinetic powers which are interpreted as a devilish abomination by her religious fanatic mother (Piper Laurie). Both Laurie (as one of the greatest female horror movie villains) and Spacek in the title role received Oscar nominations for Carrie – Brian De Palma’s sensational adaptation of Stephen King’s classic novel.
Stream Carrie on Amazon Prime.
Compliance (2012)
A fast food restaurant manager (Ann Dowd) subjects her young, innocent employee (Dreama Walker) through increasingly humiliating circumstances by the request of an unseen caller who claims to be a police officer and accuses her of theft. Inspired by an unbelievable true story, director Craig Zobel’s Compliance is a simple, but incredibly disturbing, thriller that sheds light on how easily unsuspecting people can be manipulated into committing heinous acts.
Stream Compliance of Amazon Prime.
Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior (2003)
A young martial artist (Tony Jaa, who’s among the cast of The Expendables 4) travels to Bangkok in search of a sacred statue stolen from his village in Thailand. Former stuntman Jaa does all of his own stunts in Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior – the hard-hitting, visceral cult action classic that made him an international star.
Stream Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior.
Young Frankenstein (1974)
The grandson of Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) travels to Transylvania where he continues the work his ancestor started years earlier. Do not be fooled, however, by the plot of Young Frankenstein as writer and director Mel Brooks’ classic is more of a brilliantly parodic homage to the 1931 adaptation of Mary Shelley’s seminal novel than a continuation.
Stream Young Frankenstein on Amazon Prime.
The Last Waltz (1978)
Legendary musicians like Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan, and others join the members of The Band for their final performance together on Thanksgiving in 1976. The whole historic occasion was captured by director Martin Scorsese and released as The Last Waltz – one of the most acclaimed and influential concert documentaries ever made.
Stream The Last Waltz on Amazon Prime.
Bubba Ho-Tep (2003)
Years after letting an impersonator take over his career, an aged Elvis Presley (Bruce Campbell) teams up with a Black man who claims to be the real John F. Kennedy (Ossie Davis) to defend their nursing home from an Egyptian mummy resurrected with malicious intent. From Phantasm creator Don Coscarelli, Bubba Ho-Tep is also one of the best films starring Campbell of Evil Dead fame, let alone one of the wackiest.
Stream Bubba Ho-Tep on Amazon Prime.
Charlie Bartlett (2008)
A precocious teen becomes a hero to his classmates (and enemy to his principal) after assuming the role of their unofficial psychiatrist and pharmacy. The late Anton Yelchin gives a winning, inspiring performance in the title role of Charlie Bartlett that I imagine John Hughes would have been proud of.
Stream Charlie Bartlett on Amazon Prime.
The Proposal (2009)
In order to avoid deportation, a Canadian-born, uptight publisher (Sandra Bullock) forces her young assistant (Ryan Reynolds) to accept her sudden marriage proposal. In addition to being one of the most beloved romantic comedies of its time, The Proposal also sees Betty White give one of the funniest performances of her career.
Stream The Proposal on Amazon Prime.
Dead Poets Society (1989)
A group of close-knit students from an all-male Catholic preparatory school in the 1950s find much-needed inspiration in their rebellious new literature teacher (Robin Williams). Also one of the best Ethan Hawke movies, Dead Poets Society has much to be inspired, warmed, and heartbroken by.
Stream Dead Poets Society on Amazon Prime.
Oculus (2014)
After being released from a mental institution, a young man (Brenton Thwaites) discovers his sister (Karen Gillan) is still trying to prove that an antique mirror is somehow responsible for their traumatic childhood. Among the many titles that prove Mike Flanagan is one of the horror genre’s greatest storytellers, Oculus is one of the earliest, most chilling, and most astonishingly clever examples.
Stream Oculus on Amazon Prime.
Con Air (1997)
After seven years of imprisonment for an accidental murder, a former U.S. Ranger (Nicolas Cage) becomes the last hope at stopping a vicious criminal (John Malkovich) who takes control of a prison transport plane. From producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Con Air is one of Cage’s wildest action flicks and one of the most epic plane hijack movies to come out in 1997 alone.
Stream Con Air on Amazon Prime.
Braveheart (1995)
A Scottish warrior (Mel Gibson) leads his country in a revolt against England’s rule in the 13th Century. Gibson received Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture for Braveheart – the thrilling epic inspired by a true Scottish legend.
Stream Braveheart on Amazon Prime.
Beasts Of The Southern Wild (2012)
A young girl (Quvenzhané Wallis) must brave natural disasters and circumstances of a more fantastic nature in her impoverished Louisiana community when her father (Dwight Henry) falls ill. Wallis became the youngest Oscar nominee on record at 9 years old for her stunning debut performance in Beasts of the Southern Wild, which is one part fairy tale and one part cautionary tale with an urgent environmental message.
Stream Beasts of the Southern Wild on Amazon Prime.
Chronicle (2012)
An encounter with a strange artifact gives three teens extraordinary powers, initially improving their lives until one begins to embrace his darker side. In addition to being one of the most inventive and exciting found footage thrillers, Chronicle could also be considered future Black Panther star Michael B. Jordan’s first superhero movie.
Stream Chronicle on Amazon Prime.
The Big Sick (2017)
A Pakistani-born comedian (Kumail Nanjiani) is forced to confront various aspects of his life when his white girlfriend (Zoe Kazan) is placed in a medically induced coma. Nanjiani and his wife, Emily V. Gordon, received Oscar nominations for writing The Big Sick – a wonderful romantic dramedy inspired by their own real love story.
Stream The Big Sick on Amazon Prime.
On Golden Pond (1981)
A curmudgeonly, retired professor (Henry Fonda) and his wife (Katharine Hepburn) agree to take care of their grandson (Doug McKeon) while their estranged daughter (Jane Fonda) leaves for Europe with her fiancé (Dabney Coleman). Henry Fonda and Hepburn received Oscars for their heartfelt performances in On Golden Pond, which, itself, is one of the most heartfelt and beautifully told family dramas of all time.
Stream On Golden Pond on Amazon Prime.
Paper Moon (1973)
A Depression-era con man (Ryan O’Neal) forms an unlikely partnership with a precocious young girl (Tatum O’Neal) who claims to be his daughter. At 10 years old, Tatum, who actually is Ryan’s daughter, became the youngest Oscar recipient in an acting category ever for her performance in Paper Moon – an inventive, endearing period piece from late director Peter Bogdanovich.
Stream Paper Moon on Amazon Prime.
Lincoln (2012)
President Abraham Lincoln (Academy Award winner Daniel Day-Lewis) struggles to end slavery as the height of the Civil War. Day-Lewis gives an astonishing performance as the 16th President of the United States in Lincoln – an inspiring account of one of the country’s most polarizing times from director Steven Spielberg.
Stream Lincoln on Amazon Prime.
Being The Ricardos (2021)
TV icons Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman) and Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem) struggle to overcome problems affecting their careers and their relationship during one “tense week.” A powerhouse, all-star cast brings writer and director Aaron Sorkin’s razor sharp dialogue to enriching life in Being the Ricardos – a dazzling, Amazon Prime original drama inspired by the stars of the legendary sitcom I Love Lucy.
Stream Being the Ricards on Amazon Prime.
The Terminator (1984)
A soldier (Michael Biehn) from a post-apocalyptic, war-torn future travels back to the 1980s to protect a waitress (Linda Hamilton) who holds the key to humanity’s survival from an unstoppable cyborg that looks human (Arnold Schwarzenegger). Writer and director James Cameron’s sci-fi/action/slasher hybrid The Terminator remains one of the most influential and enduringly iconic films of any kind.
Stream The Terminator on Amazon Prime.
Hellraiser (1987)
A woman (Clare Higgins) begins luring men into her home so her dead, former lover – also her husband’s brother – can feed on their flesh to become whole again and escape persecution from a group of demonic entities. Based on the novella by director Clive Barker, Hellraiser is an ingeniously disturbing and visually inventive cautionary tale that introduced the world to the iconic horror villain now known as Pinhead (Doug Bradley).
Stream Hellraiser on Amazon Prime.
Also try streaming Hellbound: Hellraiser II on Amazon Prime.
Fargo (1996)
A used car salesman’s (William H. Macy) plan to have his wife kidnapped for ransom spirals wildly out of control, catching the attention of a pregnant police chief (Academy Award winner Frances McDormand) in rural Minnesota. Already masters of crime fiction with Blood Simple and comedy with Raising Arizona, Fargo is the acclaimed classic that labeled Joel and Ethan Coen as masters of fusing both genres into one.
The Usual Suspects (1995)
The sole survivor of a deadly gunfight (Kevin Spacey) recalls the story of what led to the violent standoff to a U.S. Customs agent (Chazz Palmenteri). Written by Mission: Impossible movies director Christopher McQuarrie, The Usual Suspects is one of the most acclaimed and influential mystery thrillers of its time, especially for its killer twist ending.
Stream The Usual Suspects on Amazon Prime.
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
A penniless, homeless musician (Oscar Isaac) struggles to hold onto hope and his own ambition during one volatile week in his life. Set against the Greenwich Village folk scene of the early 1960s, Inside Llewyn Davis is a star-studded, thoroughly fascinating, darkly witty period drama that only Joel and Ethan Coen could create.
Stream Inside Llewyn Davis on Amazon Prime.
It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
A desperate businessman (James Stewart) believing the world would be better off without him is visited by his guardian angel (Henry Travers), who shows him a dismal alternate reality in which his wish has come true. Despite not having very much to do with Christmas plot-wise, the inspirational, beautifully told story of Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life has nonetheless become a holiday tradition.
Stream It’s a Wonderful Life on Amazon Prime.
Riz Ahmed received a Golden Globe and Oscar nomination for his performance in the powerful, heartbreaking, and inventively executed Amazon Prime original Sound of Metal as a rock and roll drummer struggling with his own identity and purpose when he begins to lose his hearing.
Stream Sound of Metal 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 (Leslie Odom Jr., Aldis Hodge, Kingsley Ben-Adir, and Eli Goree) as four of the most famous faces of the 1960s civil rights movement in their prime in One Night in Miami, which writer Kemp Powers’ also adapts from his own acclaimed stage play.
Stream One Night in Miami on Amazon Prime.
Vivarium (2020)
With the recent resurgence of Twilight Zone-esque anthology TV series, many films have unsurprisingly attempted to emulate similar styles of analogous, sci-fi social commentary, with Vivarium (starring Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg trapped in a terrifying maze bearing a soulless resemblance to an idyllic suburb) being one of the more unique and persistently unnerving.
Stream Vivarium on Amazon Prime.
Also try streaming The Vast of Night 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.
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