When looking through what's new on Paramount Plus in December 2024, it's clear there's no shortage of great movies. No, the streamer doesn't quite make the cut for our guide to the best streaming services, but it's not due to a lack of good movies.
Don't just take it from me, either. Looking through everything new to Paramount Plus this month, I found nearly a dozen movies that scored a 95% or higher critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While not a perfect metric, that means that these movies had near-universal acclaim — they aren't just merely good.
After going through that shortlist, I've narrowed it down to the seven best critically acclaimed films dropping on Paramount Plus this month. That includes one of Taylor Sheridan's best movies, an incredible biopic starring Daniel Kaluuya and an all-time great horror movie among many others. So without further ado, here are the seven best movies with 95% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes that are new to Paramount Plus this December.
'Hell or High Water' (2016)
"Hell or High Water" stars Chris Pine and Ben Foster as two West Texas brothers Toby and Tanner. With the Texas Midlands Bank ready to foreclose on their late mother's ranch, they rob the same bank to which they owe money. That catches the attention of the Texas Rangers, and Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges) and Alberto Parker (Gil Birmingham) are sent to hunt down and bring in the brothers.
While some of writer Taylor Sheridan's later works have exhibited some ... questionable writing, there's no doubt that this movie is among his best. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences agreed too. It gave Sheridan a Best Original Screenplay nomination for his writing and the movie a Best Picture nomination, a Best Film Editing nomination and a Best Supporting Actor nomination for Bridges as Hamilton.
Genre: Crime drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Stream it now on Paramount Plus
'Her' (2013)
"Her" stars Joaquin Phoenix as introvert Theodore Twombly. Things aren't going great for Theodore. He's depressed and is currently going through a divorce with his childhood sweetheart. But things start to change when he buys a copy of OS¹ and starts to develop a relationship with the computer's artificial intelligence (voiced by Scarlett Johansson), which names itself Samantha after he chooses to have a feminine voice.
When this movie came out in 2013, it was already prescient. But with the rise of chatbots like ChatGPT with voice and Gemini Live, "Her" has never felt more like a plausible future. Whether or not that's a good thing is subjective, but the movie itself is objectively good and was one of my favorites that year.
Genre: Science fiction romantic comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
Stream it now on Paramount Plus
'Judas and the Black Messiah' (2021)
"Judas and the Black Messiah" stars Daniel Kaluuya as Fred Hampton, chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party. This biopic tells the tale of the true story of how the FBI infiltrated the chapter thanks to Hampton's betrayal by FBI informant Bill O'Neal (LaKeith Stanfield). Yes, you now know who the bad guy is but trust me, the betrayal still stings all the same.
"Judas and the Black Messiah" is all about the performances of its talented cast, which in addition to Kaluuya and Stanfield includes Jesse Plemons, Ashton Sanders and many others. The movie was nominated for several Academy Awards in 2021, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor nominations for both Kaluuya and Stanfield, with Kaluuya ultimately taking home the statuette.
Genre: Biographical crime drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
Stream it now on Paramount Plus
'L.A. Confidential' (1997)
There are incredible casts, and then there's the cast of "L.A. Confidential." Set in 1953 Los Angeles this movie stars Guy Pearce as driven police sergeant Edmund "Shotgun Ed" Exley, Kevin Spacey as narcotics sergeant Jack Vincennes and Russell Crowe as an officer who isn't afraid to use a little violence to get justice. These three are suddenly drawn together when a series of murders and an investigation into police corruption have them all looking for answers.
Aside from these three, the movie also stars Kim Basinger as a high-class prostitute named Lynn Bracken, who hits it off with White. She'd win an Academy Award for her performance. It also stars James Cromwell as LAPD Captain Dudley Smith, David Strathairn as prostitution kingpin Pierce Patchett and Danny DeVito as tabloid journalist Sid Hudgens. If you want a tale of Hollywood's seedy underbelly, there's no better option than "L.A. Confidential."
Genre: Neo-noir crime drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 99%
Stream it now on Paramount Plus
'Rosemary's Baby' (1968)
"Rosemary's Baby" is a quintessential horror classic. A must-watch for any budding fan of the genre. It stars Mia Farrow as Rosemary Woodhouse, who has just moved into the Bramford apartments with her husband Guy (John Cassavetes). But there are early signs that they've made a terrible mistake, including spotting signs of odd behavior by the previous tenant when touring the apartment.
Once Rosemary becomes pregnant though, things take a turn from sinister to eerie. Even how she becomes pregnant is a giant red flag. If you've never seen this horror masterpiece before, don't miss it now that it's streaming on Paramount Plus.
Genre: Psychological horror
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Stream it now on Paramount Plus
'The Iron Giant' (1999)
![The Iron Giant: Signature Edition - Official Trailer [HD] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/obLtyj8hfFk/maxresdefault.jpg)
"The Iron Giant" stars Eli Marienthal as Hogarth Hughes, a 9-year-old boy living in Rockwell, Maine with his widowed mother Annie (Jennifer Aniston). One day while exploring, he discovers the Giant (Vin Diesel) — a massive metal robot from outer space. They quickly become friends as Hogarth helps the Giant evade the paranoid U.S. government agent Kent Mansley (Christopher MacDonald).
Somehow, "The Iron Giant" feels like the animated movie that time forgot. It's a classic, beloved by nearly all who saw it, including myself. It pulls from "E.T." in a way that doesn't feel derivative, and director Brad Bird would go on to great success at Pixar in subsequent years. It also might be Vin Diesel's best performance, and I'm not saying that as an insult. Yet, with a box office of just $31.3 million, not many people saw it. So make sure to watch it now that it's on Paramount Plus.
Genre: Animated science fiction
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
Stream it now on Paramount Plus
The Killing
"The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlin" is based on the horrifying true story of the death of Kenneth Chamberlin Sr. Chamberlain was a 68-year-old Black retired Marine and a former Department of Corrections officer. Yet, when he accidentally triggered his LifeAid medical emergency necklace, it only took police less than two hours to shoot him dead in his home.
In this gripping dramatization of the events that led to Chamberlain's death, the slain senior citizen is played by Frankie Faison. Due to the LifeAid device recording the entire incident, the movie is able to recreate the horrible affair in a manner that's been praised by critics and audiences alike. Don't miss it.
Genre: Thriller drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Stream it now on Paramount Plus
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