The best-kept secret about Prime Video movies is that Amazon's always adding excellent films (helping ensure it's one of the best streaming services). July 2023 is no exception, with Oscar winners, family friendly features and an excellent documentary.
How else, we wonder, does Amazon expect us to wait for The Boys season 4? These movies are a suitable way to spend the time, and this story will give you a whole week's worth of movie nights.
These films are all contenders for our list of the best movies on Prime Video, but we know everything is subject to your own interests and preferences. So, for this list, we've used critical consensus to narrow down the field. Each of these films earned a Rotten Tomatoes score of 90% or higher, essentially an A grade.
Here are the best new to Prime Video movies to stream right now.
No Country For Old Men (2007)
The Coen Brothers' adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel is a blisteringly tense film deserving of at least one rewatching. Its two main characters, hitman Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) and Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), find themselves in a terribly sticky situation over a briefcase full of cash. Local sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) is trying to protect Moss, but he's secretly living in his own moral gray area too.
While No Country For Old Men is a pitch-perfect adaptation, Bardem's Chigurh is its shining gem. He's something akin to a realistic horror villain, prowling the lands with his air-powered pistol, staying with audiences forever.
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 93%
Genre: Crime drama
Stream on Prime Video
The Queen of Versailles (2012)
Just like the "Florida men" of newspaper headlines, Florida billionaires David and Jackie Siegel are different. The pair live in a 90,000-square-foot mansion based on France's Versailles Palace, and on top of their eight kids, their marriage has a 30-year age gap. And then everything came crashing down with the 2008 financial crisis.
What follows is a real-life version of Arrested Development, as Jackie is slightly ignorant of the financials and David isn't really finding comfort in their situation. Fascinating and entertaining, The Queen of Versailles is one of those rare documentaries that feels like guilt-free reality TV thanks to director Lauren Greenfield's work to tell the story.
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 95%
Genre: Documentary
Stream on Prime Video
Men in Black (1997)
The adventures of sharp-dressed alien-hunters J (Will Smith) & K (Tommy Lee Jones) in the first Men in Black spawned not one but two sequels off the back of this fantastic movie. An adaptation of a little-known comic book series, Men in Black sees Smith's agent's origin story, as he starts out as a cocky and aloof cop that falls into a mission to save the world.
While Smith's star power in the late 90's was enough to draw people to the movies for anything (hi, Wild Wild West!), Men in Black succeeds because of Smith and Jones as a duo. Their excellent banter, with Smith talking too much and Jones replying in curt snippets, makes Men in Black endlessly rewatchable.
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 91%
Genre: Sci-Fi action comedy
Stream on Prime Video
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Pretty much an instant classic, Stephen Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan features one hell of a cast. Tom Hanks plays the captain leading the troupe, and he's supported by Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore, Vin Diesel, Adam Goldberg, Giovanni Ribisi, Ted Danson, Bryan Cranston, and Paul Giamatti.
And their combined forces have one goal, to track down Private James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon). Unfortunately, Private Ryan's reaction to this news isn't full of gratitude.
If that's not enough to get you to hit play, just watch the 24-minute opening of this World War II film. The famous Omaha Beach scene is enough to keep you entranced in the Spielberg's chaotic retelling of the D-Day, and on the edge of your couch for what comes next.
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 94%
Genre: War drama
Stream on Prime Video
The Iron Giant (1999)
The annals of family-friendly animated movies that become favorites of adults everywhere lists The Iron Giant high on the list. While the film is ostensibly about the giant towering robot (Vin Diesel) that crash-lands on Earth, its true nature concerns troubles faced by families and the war industrial complex's un-ceasing drive to turn everything into a killing machine.
From excellent voice acting performances from Jennifer Anniston, Eli Marienthal, Christopher McDonald and Diesel himself to a hand-drawn aesthetic that feels authentically old fashioned The Iron Giant won over all audiences. Its heart and thrills make for the kind of movie that will have some asking "why can't we get more of this?"
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 96%
Genre: Animated adventure movie
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Serpico (1973)
Director Sidney Lumet's Serpico shows an New York Police Department with two kinds of cops. Frank Serpico (Al Pacino) falls into the idealist camp, but he's surrounded by the other side, the corrupt snakes who take bribes and look at him like a liability.
Based on a true story, Serpico practically reinvented the cop drama for its era, offering a biopic that felt like something bigger. The power of Pacino's performance, however, cannot be understated. One of his earliest roles, Frank Serpico gave the actor a chance to prove what we know now: he's one of the greatest of all time.
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 92%
Genre: Crime drama
Stream on Prime Video
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
This is one of those wonderful cases where a movie's title does it absolutely no favors. Some may have written off "How To Train Your Dragon" on sight, and not ever learned that critics absolutely loved the film, for providing gorgeous animation and a story that mixes joy and mystery.
The adaptation of Cressida Cowell's book follows Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), a Norse teen who doesn't fit in at all. He doesn't really want to engage in the tradition where humans fight off dragons, which is disappointing to his father (Gerard Butler), who just so happens to be his clan's chief. Enter the intimidating-but-lovable Toothless, a dragon that Hiccup befriends, to complicate everything.
Features a stellar supporting cast of voice actors, including America Ferrara, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Craig Ferguson and Kristen Wiig.
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 99%
Genre: Fantasy adventure
Stream on Prime Video
