Everyone loves movies, and there are some of the best movies on Amazon Prime right now that you can watch for free with a Prime membership!
What is Amazon Prime?
Amazon Prime is a membership program where Amazon customers who sign up receive special benefits like free two-day shipping on most orders, same-day delivery (in some areas), special discounts, free movies, books, music, and more. Users pay one annual price and enjoy the benefits all year long.
How Does Amazon Prime Work?
Amazon Prime Video has apps for Android, iOS, and many popular streaming devices like Roku, Fire TV Stick, and Apple TV. You can also access Amazon Prime movies through the web using your browser.
The interface is clean and simple to use with categories like new movies on Amazon Prime, or top movies on Amazon Prime based on user ratings. Using the web or an app, you can scroll through the sections to easily find what to watch on Amazon Prime.
Here is Our List of the Best Movies on Amazon Prime
There are hundreds of movies to watch on Amazon Prime but we have narrowed down the list for you. Without further ado, here are the best movies on Amazon Prime.
- Rocketman
- The Farewell
- Manchester by the Sea
- The Avengers
- The Handmaiden
- Paterson
- I Am Not Your Negro
- One Child Nation
- Knives Out
- How to Train Your Dragon
- Midnight in Paris
- Honey Boy
- The Lighthouse
- Midsommar
- Hereditary
1. Rocketman (7.3 out of 10 Stars on IMDB)
Elton John is a beloved singer/entertainer with a robust fan base. The movie Rocketman is a loosely based autobiography of his life. The movie is enjoyable, although a bit more whimsical than perhaps necessary. The musical numbers are well-choreographed, and the main actor Taron Egerton does a great job portraying Elton John during his critical years. He even sounds pretty good singing Elton's songs.
The movie won an Oscar for "Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures." Jamie Bell, perhaps best known for "Billy Elliot," is a standout in his role, playing Bernie Taupin. Overall, the film was very well received by audiences across the globe. If you have a Prime membership, this is definitely one of the best free movies on Amazon Prime that you won't want to miss.
2. The Farewell (7.6 out of 10 Stars on IMDB)
The Farwell is a poignant comedy/drama about a Chinese family who finds out that their grandmother is dying and chooses to keep the news from her. Instead, they gather at a wedding so they can all be together one last time. The film is touching, sweet, and at times sad. The story is told from the viewpoint of the young-adult granddaughter (played by Awkwafina, an American rapper, and actress) who believes that her grandmother should be told the truth.
It's a blending of East and Western culture, highlighting the differences in how family is viewed and the customs are carried out. Shuzhen Zhao plays the sweet but wise grandmother, and the film surprises you with some amusing quips at times. Awkwafina won a Golden Globe award for "Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy."
3. Manchester by the Sea (7.8 out of 10 Stars on IMDB)
There are some other outstanding movies on Amazon Prime, and one of them is Manchester by the Sea. This drama stars two powerful actors, Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams, and they hit just the right tone of awkwardness and depression, which is the theme that runs through the entire film.
According to IMDB, the film is described as: "A depressed uncle is asked to take care of his teenage nephew after the boy's father dies." However, the underlying current is more about fragile relationships and the slow road back to healing. The movie won two Oscars: Casey Affleck won "Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role," and the film won for "Best Original Screenplay" in 2017.
4. Marvel's The Avengers (8 out of 10 Stars on IMDB)
Another contender for one of the best movies to watch on Amazon Prime is Avengers from 2012. This Sci-Fi movie features a boatload of big-name actors headed up by Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, and Robert Downey Jr. reprising their individual hero roles from various Marvel Comic movies and series.
The storyline centers on a group of metahuman heroes (each with special powers) who come together to fight off a common enemy, an alien who wants to take over Earth and enslave the human race. Although The Avengers did not win any major awards, it was nominated for an Oscar for "Best Achievement in Visual Effects" in 2013. However, it did win some minor awards for best special visual effects, and best science fiction film plus others. The movie earned a solid 8 out of 10 stars in IMDB from more than 1 million users.
5. The Handmaiden (8.1 out of 10 Stars on IMDB)
The Handmaiden is another delightful movie available to watch right now on Amazon Prime. It stars Min-see Kim, Jung-woo Ha, and Jin-woong Cho. The plot is about a Japanese heiress and a young woman hired to work as her handmaiden. It's a story of erotic intrigue, deceit, and betrayal as the young handmaiden is actually involved in a scheme to defraud the poor heiress. The movie has visually stunning scenes and creates plenty of suspense with plot twists and superb acting.
The Handmaiden won a BAFTA Film Award for Best Film Not in the English Language in 2018.
Critics like Roger Ebert loved the film calling it art crafted by an artist at the peak of his career. The characters are richly fabricated and elegantly portrayed by an exquisite cast. Overall, a great film to watch and whisk you away for a couple of hours.
6. Paterson (7.4 out of 10 Stars on IMDB)
The movie Paterson is a slow-moving, quiet movie about the tiny details in life. It earned 7.4 out of 10 stars on IMDB and movie watchers enjoy the film in great part due to the mastery of actor Adam Driver who plays a bus driver named Paterson in a town called Paterson. The film faintly exudes a hint of depression as it thematically delves deeply into a boring, unrealized life. Paterson is a poet, but no one but his wife ever gets to read his beautiful words.
The supporting cast includes Golshifteh Farahani, Nelli, and Rizwan Manji who are fabulous and add beauty to the ensemble. The movie drags a bit as it gets into the nitty-gritty excruciating details of the simple life but may appeal to many watchers yet may bore others. Basically, Paterson is an illustration of a simple life full of routine and banality, but where you can find small slices of heaven in the cracks.
7. I Am Not Your Negro (7.9 out of 10 Stars on IMDB)
The documentary, I Am Not Your Negro is a close up look at race in America. The film is narrated by Samuel L. Jackson and based on a partial novel by James Baldwin, a writer, and social critic. The documentary/biography features snippets of classic TV shows, news clippings, and vintage photos depicting African Americans across history. Baldwin's novel runs through it like a river touching on his own experience and sorrows.
The film references the murders of Malcolm X, Medgar Evers, and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The story is told with sensitivity and insight but also threads of horror and disgust as the players have to hide their interfacial relationships and shift their mindsets which differ drastically from that of white Americans. I Am Not Your Negro is a must-see film.
8. One Child Nation (7.5 out of 10 Stars on IMDB)
Another excellent documentary on Amazon Prime is One Child Nation. Filmmaker Nanfu Wang was born in China during the 30-year-long one-child law. The rule was enacted because of overpopulation and starvation. After becoming a mother, herself, Wang traveled to mainland China to interview friends and family and others to uncover the shocking truth about how the government enforced this disturbing solution to China's overcrowding problem.
Interviewees openly describe thousands of forced abortions, sterilization, and even murder. The word used to describe this social experiment was ruthlessness. This enlightening film was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking. This one is not for the faint of heart, but it’s a raw, historical landmark and is well worth the angst.
9. Knives Out (7.9 out of 10 Stars on IMDB)
Knives Out is a witty, enjoyable old-fashioned murder mystery supported by an outstanding cast including Jamie Lee Curtin, Don Johnson, Chris Evans, Christopher Plummer, Daniel Craig, and Ana de Armas. The fun begins with the suicide of a wealthy patriarch that is quickly uncovered as a murder.
As detectives interview each member of his eccentric family, the film twists and turns to keep you guessing. The writing is excellent, the dialogue engaging, and the film is just plain fun to watch. Knives Out was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay in 2020 and earned 7.9 out of 10 stars in IMDB.
10. How to Train Your Dragon (8.1 out of 10 on IMDB)
Wading through the deluge of bad movies, it is sometimes nice to just turn on an animated film and escape. How to Train Your Dragon is a perfect oasis. It's cleverly written, beautifully animated with fanciful dragon creatures, and interesting Viking characters. Although it's a children's story, adults will enjoy it too. It stars vocal actors Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, and Craig Ferguson.
Although this tribe of Vikings is supposed to hunt dragons, the hero Hiccup finds and befriends a young dragon and learns a lesson from their friendship. It may not win "best new movies on Amazon Prime," but it's an uncomplicated movie perfect for frittering away a rainy afternoon. The movie was nominated for two Oscars in 2011 for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year, and Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score.
11. Midnight in Paris (7.7 out of 10 Stars on IMDB)
Woody Allen's comedy/fantasy film, Midnight in Paris stars Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, and Kathy Bates. The story is set against the beautiful backdrop of Paris. Every night at midnight, the screenwriter (Wilson) goes walking through Paris and mysteriously travels back to the 1920s. This causes some disruption for his fiancée and her family, who they are on vacation with, in Paris.
As always, Kathy Bates is an absolute treasure in this movie, as is Owen Wilson, who plays a wistful, dreamer poetically. In 2012, Woody Allen won an Oscar for Best Writing, Original Screenplay for Midnight in Paris. Like all Woody Allen movies, we will say it's a particular taste you either like it, or you don't.
12. Honey Boy (7.3 out of 10 Stars on IMDB)
Honey Boy is a standout among films. It's not your average drama about a child actor's struggles in a dysfunctional family. Shia LeBeouf wrote the story about his own difficult upbringing. In a bold move, LaBeouf stars in the film playing his own father, James (alcohol, sex offender). Lucas Hedges plays young Shia (called Otis, honey boy), a child actor supporting his father and trying to maintain his own sanity.
The story is told between two timelines and is, at times, heartbreaking and hard to watch. Honey Boy is a must-see for LeBeouf fans as he therapeutically works out his PTSD, addictions, and mental health issues through this gem of a film. Viewers rated it 7.3 out of 10 stars on IMDB, and it won 10 awards out of 35 nominations.
13. The Lighthouse (7.6 out of 10 Stars on IMDB)
Set in the 1890s, two lighthouse keepers are tasked with watching over a lighthouse in a mysterious New England town. In this dark and gloomy film (drama, fantasy, horror), they do their best to maintain their sanity while co-existing. Although the film is disturbingly dark, the two main actors Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattison, nail their characters home with panache'.
The two men do not get along and forced to live in small quarters is simply a contest of who will break down first. Some viewers may find the film upsetting with the aggressive noises, black and white filming, and depressing themes, but if you are in the mood to watch two great performances and unravel a mystery, this is your movie.
14. Midsommar (7.1 out of 10 Stars on IMDB)
Another interesting option on Amazon Prime is Midsommar. A man grudgingly invites his girlfriend (who he is considering breaking up with) to an event in Sweden called the mid-summer festival. They arrive at what looks like an oasis of relaxation and fun. The plot quickly devolves as they realize they are at a cult gathering and bizarre, violent, pagan rituals are on the menu. Amid endless sunshine and the wide-open fields, you still feel the couple's claustrophobia as the vacation quickly unravels.
Their already tenuous relationship is taxed beyond the breaking point in all the gore. Some deep themes are running through this film, such as male privilege, race, and female empowerment, but they are eclipsed by violence and horror. As thrillers go, it may not be the edge-of-your-seat shocker you are looking for, but it still entertains, nonetheless. The story was written and directed by Ari Aster.
15. Hereditary (7.3 out of 10 Stars on IMDB)
Hereditary, another film by Ari Aster, is a star-studded roller coaster ride of horror and mystery. Headed up by Toni Collette (always fantastic) Milly Shapiro and Gabriel Byrne, this movie does keep you guessing the whole way through. The film sits on the premise of a grieving family tortured by some terrifying and disturbing occurrences. Each family member carries their own secrets as they struggle to connect with each other and move past the matriarch's death.
Sheer anger is a strong theme in this movie. The movie ranks up there with the likes of The Amityville Horror, Rosemary's Baby, and The Grudge, among others. You may be reminded of these classics as you sink deeper into the film's web and experience this movie’s surreal nightmare and wonder if you really just saw what you think you did. The film was nominated for 104 awards and won 44 of them. It's that good. If you like mysteries and horror, you cannot miss Hereditary.
Nothing is as enjoyable as immersing yourself in a movie for a couple of hours and getting lost in the story. This list of the best movies on Amazon Prime should give you plenty of options to choose from. There is something for everyone here.