The Prime Video movies section is heating up in June 2023. A wave of new movies is hitting the streaming service, and we've plucked out a selection of critically acclaimed titles worth watching.
Amazon Prime membership comes with the perk of being able to watch the best movies on Prime Video, one of the best streaming services. More new titles arrive every month, which can make it difficult to pick just one to view on movie night.
That’s why we’ve narrowed down the list to seven films with Rotten Tomatoes scores of 90% or higher, essentially an A grade. Here are the best new to Prime Video movies to stream right now.
Air (2023)
This crowd-pleasing sports drama comes from the production banner of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, the longtime friends who first broke out in Hollywood with Good Will Hunting. Like that movie, Air features an underdog, a rare talent and a whip-smart parental figure.
Affleck directs himself and his pal Damon, who plays Nike exec Sonny Vaccaro. In 1984, the shoe company’s basketball division is failing, so CEO Phil Knight (Affleck) charges Vaccaro with finding a new spokesperson. Vaccaro wants to pursue recent draft pick Michael Jordan, but he’ll have to convince his bosses, develop a prototype shoe and win over Jordan’s mother Deloris (Viola Davis).
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 92%
Genre: Biographical sports drama
Stream on Prime Video
Arrival (2016)
Arrival is unlike like any alien movie you’ve seen before. Director Denis Villeneuve created a sci-fi masterpiece that veers away from the typical invasion thrills and treads a more cerebral, emotional path.
Amy Adams stars as linguist Louise Banks, who is recruited by the Army to study one of 12 massive spaceships that have appeared in locations around Earth. Along with physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), she races to figure out how to communicate with the visitors before worldwide panic triggers a war.
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 94%
Genre: Science fiction drama
Stream on Prime Video
Boyz N the Hood (1991)
Coming-of-age films have been a staple of American cinema since the beginning, but the experiences of Black teens weren't centered until John Singleton made Boyz N the Hood. His portrait of young men growing up in South Central Los Angeles is considered one of the most influential and seminal Black movies of all time. It was a commercial and critical success that turned Singleton into the first Black individual nominated for the Best Director Oscar.
After a fight at school, Tre (Cuba Gooding Jr.) is sent to live with his father, Jason "Furious" Styles (Larry Fishburne), in South Central. Furious is a strict taskmaster who means to instill respect in his son. Tre’s friends Doughboy (Ice Cube) and Ricky (Morris Chestnut) don’t have the same kind of parental support at home, so they become embroiled in gang culture.
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 96%
Genre: Drama
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The Kids Are All Right (2010)
Like Boyz N the Hood, this lovely, warm dramedy broke ground, but for portraying a same-sex couple raising children. Lisa Cholodenko’s film put gay and lesbian families firmly in the mainstream and earned a Best Picture Oscar nomination in the process.
Jules (Julianne Moore) and Nic (Annette Bening) are longtime spouses with two teens, Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and Laser (Josh Hutcherson), who were conceived via artificial insemination. Curious about their biological father, they reach out to the sperm donor, a restaurateur named Paul (Mark Ruffalo). But their peaceful family life is soon disrupted when the kids invite Paul into their lives.
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 92%
Genre: Comedy/drama
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Robocop (1987)
Both taking a page from and satirizing cyborg killer flicks like Blade Runner and Terminator, Robocop uses excessive violence and outlandish action scenes to explore themes of desensitization, corporate corruption and urban decay. Paul Verhoeven uses his film as a blunt tool to break down what it means to be a hero and a human.
In a dystopian Detroit, Omni Consumer Products has been granted control over the police force. When cop Alex Murphy (Peter Weller) is killed in a shooting, the company transforms his body into a cyborg with no memories. He’s programmed to eradicate crime, but as the past begins to resurface, Alex turns on his bosses. And since he’s been built to kill, things get very bloody.
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 91%
Genre: Science fiction action
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Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright’s witty take on a zombie flick has monsters and thrills, while being utterly droll, sarcastic and uproarious. Thirtysomething Shaun (Pegg) is a going-nowhere salesman who’s just been dumped.
He drowns his sorrows at the local pub with slacker best friend Ed (Nick Frost), but when they wake up in the morning, a zombie apocalypse has hit London. Shaun has to dig deep within himself to rise to the occasion and protect his ex Liz (Kate Ashfield) and his mom (Penelope Wilton).
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 92%
Genre: Zombie comedy
Stream on Prime Video
Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Romantic movies don't usually get a lot of love at the Oscars, but Silver Linings Playbook beat the odds thanks to a stacked cast of A-listers. Bradley Cooper stars as Pat, a man with bipolar disorder who leaves a mental facility to move back in with his parents (Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver) after an emotionally devastating divorce.
As a way of winning back his ex-wife, he teams up with a vivacious young widow Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) in a dance competition. As they grow closer, Pat begins to see Tiffany as more than just his dance partner.
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 92%
Genre: Romantic comedy
Stream on Prime Video
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