25 best movies on Amazon Prime Video, ranked
We're panning for gold in the Amazon film library to bring you these brilliant Prime Video treats.
One of the best things about Amazon Prime Video: many people don't realise they have it at first. You get access with Prime subscription, so when the penny drops it feels like you get a Netflix-a-like for free - as this best movies on Amazon Prime Video list proves.
It's not a perfect service. Spend long enough browsing and you'll find the equivalent of a VHS collection sat in the backroom of a charity shop for 10 years. E.T. rip-off Extraterrestrial Visitors and Hot Wax Zombies on Wheels are unlikely to feature on many must-watch lists.
However, Amazon Prime is home to hundreds of great films worth watching. We've picked out a few handfuls of our favourites, ones we think you should stream as soon as you get a free hour or two...
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25. If Beale Street Could Talk
This film has heavyweight pedigree. It is Barry Jenkins’ follow-up to Oscar Best Picture winner Moonlight, and was adapted from a novel by James Baldwin.
The Academy must have thought Jenkins had had enough love, because If Beale Street Could Talk is a much stronger film than some of that year’s Best Picture nominees. It’s an affecting story of a young black couple’s lives in New York.
24. Get Duked
This one is an Amazon Original and is a fun frolic through the Scottish highlands, as part of the Duke of Edinburgh, as we follow four hip-hop loving city dwellers who are chased by a huntsman. Directed by Ninian Doff, who cut his tooth on music videos for the likes of Run The Jewels and The Chemical Brothers, this is a hilarious boys' own adventure. We do prefer the original title of the movie, though, which was Boyz In The Wood.
23. How To Build A Girl
We suspect that How To Build A Girl was destined for the big screen but because of the recent Covid-19 situation it’s come straight to Amazon Prime. Whatever the case, we're glad it's here as it’s a great adaptation of Caitlin Moran’s fantastic novel. It’s set around the 90s music scene, a great backdrop for a story about a girl trying to make it as a teenage rock critic. Beanie Feldstein is superb as Johanna Morrigan, the main protagonist based loosely on Moran’s own life.
22. The Color Out Of Space
The Colour Out Of Space is a fantastic retelling of a HP Lovecraft story. Starring Nicolas Cage and Joey Richardson as a couple who have moved from the city to country, we see strange things happen when their black magic loving daughter seemingly summons creatures from the cosmos. Magenta-tinged horrors happen with the film ratcheting up to its terrifying, surreal finale.
21. True History Of The Kelly Gang
The True History of the Kelly Gang is a brutal movie, brought to life by the mesmerising acting of George MacKay, Essie Davis and Nicholas Hoult. Based on Peter Carey's novel this is an almost psychedelic retelling of the Kelly Gang's exploits. Director Justin Kurzel does a brilliant job with the source material.