Watching Amazon Prime video
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The Best Movies On Amazon Prime Video: Top 5 Films Most Recommended By Critics

January 19, 2023
by Stephanie Vallette

Looking for something to watch? Look no further than the list below! Study Finds went on a search for the best films on Amazon’s streaming service that critics say will capture your attention. With 26,300+ movies, Prime Video has one of the world’s largest streaming libraries! But with so many choices, it can be hard to figure out which ones are the best movies on Amazon Prime. 

If you’re like many people, it’s hard to even find the time to watch everything you want to see. Did you know the average person has a watch list? And it has 13 TV shows and 16 movies on it — averaging a total of 104 hours, according to a new study. In fact, a massive 68 percent of Americans have a TV show and movie watch list so long, it’s “nearly impossible” for them to get through it. But maybe you’re a part of the other group that doesn’t have an endlessly long watch list. Either way, we’ve found the consensus on five recommendations that are watch-list-worthy films. 

These movies on the streaming giant stand out from the rest. And that’s pretty impressive because Amazon Prime Video isn’t a small fish in a big streaming pond anymore. It even made it on the list of the top five streaming services recommended by experts. But is it worth it? In a survey on streaming subscriptions, half of those surveyed say they turned to free, ad-supported streaming services as a way to cut costs and supplement their subscription bills. One reason Amazon Prime is such a popular streaming service is because it’s free with an annual Prime membership. 

Are you already a Prime member with those delivery trucks zooming to your house on a regular basis? Or are you just interested in seeing what all the fuss is about on Amazon Prime Video? Good news: Prime members just need to login to watch content, and new subscribers can sign up for a free 30-day trial. So, the next time you turn on the tube, check out the flicks below. These are considered the best of the best movies on Amazon Prime by 12 critics! 

The List: Best Movies On Amazon Prime Video

1. “La La Land”

You’ll get wrapped up in this film, according to The Wrap: “Damien Chazelle’s Oscar-winning La La Land is at once a joyful Hollywood musical and a somber story of what we sacrifice to make our dreams come true. Ryan Gosling is an aspiring jazz musician and Emma Stone is an aspiring actress, both just trying to make it big in Los Angeles. Their paths cross, stars align, and a head-over-heels romance ensues.” 

“Marrying modern Hollywood with classic Tinseltown vibes, this enchanting musical tells the tale of two nobodies desperately chasing their dreams. Brought together by mutual misfortunes, they find each other in their hours of need and hit it off. Encouraging one another to try something different, professional success soon blooms alongside romance. The timeless tale of Hollywood versus the heart is just around the corner though, playing out in big 1940s-style dance numbers,” Complex raves.

UPROXX thinks this movie rocks enough to be No. 1: “La La Land shows how ambition and success can unite people, and also how it can divide and change them in an idyllic, colorful version of Los Angeles.” 

2. “Licorice Pizza”

GamesRadar says to put this movie on your radar, writing, “The coming-of-age drama stars a 15-year-old actor Gary Valentine who falls hopelessly in love with an early-20s photographer’s assistant named Alana Kane. The HAIM sisters also make a cameo, as well as Tom Waits, George DiCaprio, and Bradley Cooper. The film earned three Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.” 

“Is it possible to be nostalgic for a time and place you’ve never been to? Licorice Pizza — Paul Thomas Anderson’s ode to 1970s San Fernando Valley — makes a strong case for ‘yes.’ It’s a film of misadventures laced with self-reflection, as the perfectly matched leads ricochet through waterbed sales, criminally mistaken identities, and violent run-ins with movie producer Jon Peters, all set to a period-perfect soundtrack and framed in the hazy light of a half-remembered California summer,” Wired writes.

How-To Geek says, “Set in 1973, it stars Cooper Hoffman as a scrappy teenage entrepreneur who falls for a slightly older woman played by musician Alana Haim. Both of them are somewhat immature, figuring out their lives and their places in Los Angeles’ sprawling, Hollywood-adjacent suburbs. Anderson captures the swooning, often foolish experience of young love alongside the changing social climate in a period of transition for the city and the country.” 

3. “Raiders of The Lost Ark”

The New York Times thinks this movie is a pop culture icon: “So much of this 1981 Steven Spielberg adventure has entered the realm of pop culture immortality — the rolling boulder, the melting Nazi face, the truck chase — that it’s easy to forget how fleet-footed, fresh and funny it is. Riffing on the Saturday afternoon serials that thrilled them as children, Spielberg, the director, and George Lucas, the producer, packed a full series of heroes, villains, cliffhangers and fisticuffs into a single crowd-pleasing feature.” 

“The film that spawned one of the greatest adventure franchises of all time, Raiders of the Lost Ark introduces Harrison Ford as intrepid archeologist Indiana Jones, whose efforts to recover priceless historical artifacts often end up with him running, fighting, or flying for his life — occasionally assisted by his signature bullwhip. It’s easy to see why audiences became enamored with Dr. Jones after watching this saga play out,” Digital Trends says.

The Wrap recommends the entire Indiana Jones series as a must-watch. “There’s never been a better time to binge-watch the entire ‘Indy’ franchise so far. ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ is one of the best films ever made; ‘Temple of Doom’ is an underrated gem that also happens to be one of the darkest films of Steven Spielberg’s career; and ‘Last Crusade’ is a rip-roaring delight.”

4. “Manchester By The Sea”

CNET recommends this movie, saying, “Prepare for Amazon’s first big, prestigious movie to wallop you in the chest. A broken man who’s experienced terrible losses becomes the guardian of his teenage nephew. Lee Chandler’s story will hit you with punch after emotional punch, as will the immense performances. Manchester by the Sea is full-bodied, unforgettable storytelling.” 

“Yes, it’s a bruising watch to see Casey Affleck’s Lee Chandler try to overcome the emotional baggage of his hometown and all hi.  s memories within it in Manchester by the Sea. But it’s a rewarding, uplifting one as well given that filmmaker Kenneth Lonergan paints an honest, human portrait of what it means to be there for the ones we love. This may very well be a perfect movie. I challenge anyone to name a single misjudged moment or a scene out of key. It’s less like watching a movie and more like paratrooping into a real scenario populated with authentic people,” Decider describes.

This film also won multiple awards. “Casey Affleck won an Academy Award for his performance in this powerful drama,” Digital Trends mentions. “The film also earned director Kenneth Lonergan an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.”

5. “My Policeman”

 

Tom’s Guide talks about what makes this one of the best movies to watch on Amazon Prime Video: “In My Policeman, [Harry Styles] stars as a gay cop in 1950s Brighton … in the closet, though, married to teacher Marion. He has a secret affair with museum curator Patrick. Years later, the older version of Tom has a reunion with older Patrick that is both unexpected and painful.” 

“The British film My Policeman is getting a wide range of reviews from critics and audience members alike. Styles plays a British cop who is the pointy end in a love triangle that features his to-be wife and a museum curator, with their messy love stuff played out over two timelines as they try to mend the past much later in life (with different actors),” according to TV Guide. 

With so many movies on Amazon Prime, there are surely more to watch! Let us know in the comments your recommendations for the best movies to check out.

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Note: This article was not paid for nor sponsored. StudyFinds is not connected to nor partnered with any of the brands mentioned and receives no compensation for its recommendations. This post may contain affiliate links.  

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