Paramount Plus adds a ton of new movies every month — even more if you opt for Paramount Plus with Showtime. It may not be one of the best streaming services out there, but it’s not because it lacks great movies.
And this month there are seven that clearly rise to the top that anyone with Paramount Plus can watch. All seven of these options have critics scores of 85% or higher (the lowest rated one is 88%) on the review-aggregating site Rotten Tomatoes and all are “Certified Fresh.” So you can choose any one of these movies and know that you’re going to get something worth watching.
So without further ado, here are the seven highest-rated movies that are new to Paramount Plus in October 2023.
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Inarguably one of the greatest movies of all time, Raiders of the Ark isn’t exactly a hidden gem. In fact, you’d probably need to be as hidden from the world as the Ark of the Covenant to not be aware of the 1981 action movie that spawned not just an incredible franchise but a cultural phenomenon.
But just in case you’ve been lost in the desert for millennia, I’ll catch you up to speed really fast. Directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Lawrence Kasdan, Raiders of the Lost Ark stars Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, a globetrotting, Nazi-punching archeologist who occasionally pretends to be a mild-mannered professor — though there isn’t much of that in Raiders. Instead, you get 115 action-packed minutes hunting one of the greatest treasures still hidden from man. Even if, like me, you’ve already watched Raiders of the Lost Ark hundreds of times, it’s still worth watching again.
Genre: Action-adventure
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Stream on Paramount Plus
Face/Off
Nicolas Cage is one of my favorite actors, in no small part due to his impressive range. And Face/Off is one of the best Nicolas Cage movies at showcasing that range, where both he and John Travolta have to not only play themselves but also each other in one of the best action movies of all time.
In Face/Off, Cage stars as criminal Castor Troy alongside Travolta as FBI special agent Sean Archer. I don’t want to give away too much, but let's just say that the depths these two men go to gain an edge over the other are truly shocking. This John Woo action thriller is one of the most unique action movies ever made and is a must-watch for any action movie fan, Nicolas Cage fan or John Travolta fan. Basically, there’s something for everyone, so don’t pass this movie up while it’s on Paramount Plus.
Genre: Action thriller
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
Stream on Paramount Plus
Planes, Trains & Automobiles
Planes, Trains and Automobiles stars Steve Martin as Neal Page, a high-strung advertising executive and John Candy as Del Griffith, a good-hearted shower curtain ring salesman who excels at annoying Neal. They're both forced to travel from Witchita, Kansas to Chicago when a blizzard diverts their flight from New York City. But it’s a race against the clock as well, as Neal is trying to get home in time for Thanksgiving Dinner.
If you’re a fan of comedy movies, it doesn’t get much better than Planes, Trains and Automobiles. It’s also one of the best road trip movies ever made and features Steven Martin and John Candy playing off of each other like comedic geniuses at the height of their powers. Add in the fact that it’s also a John Hughes movie, and you won’t be surprised that this is one of the highest-rated movies new to Paramount Plus this month.
Genre: Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
Stream on Paramount Plus
Clerks
While I can see why critics rate Planes, Trains and Automobiles higher than Clerks — even director Kevin Smith might concede that argument — Clerks is easily my favorite comedy new to Paramount Plus this month. It’s honestly one of the formative movies of my youth and without it I don’t know if I’d be as passionate about film as I am today.
Shot entirely in black and white in what could be borderline considered a student film, Clerks is a brilliant window into a day in the life of two convenience store clerks Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran) and Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson), and is relatable for anyone who has ever had to get through a day at a meaningless job. It’s witty, it’s clever, it’s a very tight 92 minutes and after you watch it you might find yourself watching it again.
Genre: Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
Stream on Paramount Plus
District 9
I actually only ever saw District 9 for the first time a few weeks ago when reviewing the Meta Quest 3. It came up on Pluto TV and I just couldn’t stop watching it. While District 9 is a movie about aliens living on Earth, it’s a surprisingly grounded film that delves deeply into xenophobia and social segregation. In fact, the movie, directed by South African director Neill Blomkamp, was inspired by real events that occurred in Cape Town's District Six during apartheid.
Much like with apartheid, the humans in charge are not the good guys in District 9. While Wikus van de Merwe (Sharlto Copley) has seemingly good intentions, the company he works for is monstrous and even he is not immune from treating the aliens of District 9 as second-class. While it’s a tough film to watch at times, when you’re done you certainly won’t be surprised that it was nominated for Best Picture at the 82nd Academy Awards.
Genre: Science fiction
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
Watch on Paramount Plus
Minority Report
It’s pretty amazing that a movie as good as Minority Report slips through the cracks when discussing the best Tom Cruise movies or Steven Speilberg movies. It’s even more amazing when you consider that Minority Report is based on a Philip K. Dick novella, putting it in the company of beloved films like Blade Runner and Total Recall. Yet, again, when we talk about these sci-fi classics, Minority Report is rarely mentioned in the same breath.
The oddest part of all? There isn’t really a reason why Minority Report should be consistently left out of these conversations. Starring Tom Cruise as Chief John Anderton, a member of the Precrime department that is tasked with arresting criminals before they can commit crimes, the movie is based on a brilliant premise. It also features an excellent cast that includes Max von Sydow as Lamar Burgess, the Director of Precrime and Colin Farrell as Danny Witwer, an agent from the U.S. Department of Justice. So if you want an excellent sci-fi thriller to watch this month, it’s tough to do better than Minority Report.
Genre: Science fiction
Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%
Watch on Paramount Plus
The Warriors
If you’ve seen John Wick: Chapter 4, then The Warriors will be a familiar movie to you. The entire chase through Paris act of the Keanu Reeves masterpiece is a not even slightly subtle homage to this 1979 classic. Set in a dystopian New York City, the city is overrun by warring street gangs and violent police officers. But one man, Cyrus (Roger Hill), leader of the Gramercy Riffs wants to unite the gangs against the police and take control of the city.
But like many charismatic revolutionaries, Cyrus is gunned down by someone who finds his ideas too radical. Unfortunately for The Warriors, a gang from Coney Island, they're the ones falsely accused of the killing and now need to escape back to Coney Island through a sea of rival gangs hungry for revenge.
If you’re a fan of action set pieces as finely choreographed as dance numbers, definitely check out The Warriors. Once you’re done, make sure to also check out our guide to watching the John Wick movies in order for more of the same.
Genre: Action thriller
Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%
Watch on Paramount Plus
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