4 Best Movies on Amazon Prime: What to Watch Right Now

Picture this: it’s a chilly evening in mid-December and you’re in your teens sitting on your couch staring at the TV over a fireplace eagerly waiting for the next spider-man movie that is to be broadcasted in a couple of minutes – something you’ve been waiting for months. Good times, eh?

From fighting with your siblings for the TV remote to tapping your phone screen and binge-watching your favorite shows and movies at your fingertips, technology sure has come a long way, especially in terms of entertainment.

With so many services out there like Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and so on, it’s almost become too easy to distract yourself any time you want.

And with so much to choose from, it can be quite a trouble trying to decide what you want to watch and before you know it, you have spent an entire hour simply browsing through hundreds of different movies without actually selecting anything.

Been there, done that.

To save you the time and trouble of finding the hottest new quality movies by yourself, we have compiled this quick list of our top picks for the best movies to watch on Amazon Prime Video. Before we start, here’s the SPOILER ALERT warning you’ve been looking for. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s jump right into it.

You Were Never Really Here (2017)

Starring Oscar-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix, much known for his role in the Joker, was quite the menace even before marking his territory in the highly-controversial super-villain blockbuster. You Were Never Really Here, directed by Scottish film director Lynne Ramsey, spun a beautiful story into a visceral and violent drama.

The plot revolves around Joe, an ex-FBI agent who now lives his days as a vigilante trying to rescue missing children and bring the ones responsible for the exploitation of the kids to justice. Joe’s methods, to put it gently, aren’t the most professional and follow an undertone of merciless vengeance.

With corruption and abuse of power waiting to greet him at every step of the way, Joe tries to contain his anger and remorse as he is reminded of the haunting memories of trauma and exploitation that plagued his childhood and adult life.

Driven by guilt and self-hatred for not being able to save himself or his family as a child, Joe’s mission to rescue missing children is one hell of an adventure to watch and we come to see the lengths the man is willing to go to not let his past become someone innocent’s present.

The Prestige (2006)

Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, the man behind the excellence that is Interstellar, The Prestige brings a story of two magician friends turning into bitter enemies trying to outdo each other after a sudden tragedy befalls the two.

Set in the Edwardian era, London, the now-enemies Robert Angier (played by Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (played by Christian Bale), rival against one another in the attempt to perform the ultimate magic trick of all time: teleportation.

After one of them successfully figures out the trick and steals the audience’s attention with a grand performance, the other, fueled with rage and shame, desperately tries to uncover the secret of his rival’s routine in a fury of competitive eagerness and desire to stay in the spotlight.

His search for the same drives him to the edge of insanity as he experiments with dangerous sciences and methods while jeopardizing the lives of anyone who dares step close in these mad magicians’ proximity. Rated 8.5 by IMDb, this mystery thriller is surely something to look out for.

Dead Poets Society (1989)

If you’ve been meaning to go on an emotional rollercoaster ride, Dead Poets Society is probably where you’d wanna start your journey. Starring our beloved actor and comedian Robin Williams, this award-winning 1989 American teen drama is very often regarded as one of, if not the best work of Williams.

The movie hits even deeper now after the death of the actor in 2014. Written by Tom Schulman and directed by Peter Weir, Dead Poets Society carries the message of Carpe diem, a Latin aphorism for “seize the day.” Set in 1959 at Welton Academy, an all-boys boarding school in Vermont, the story revolves around John Keating, a newly-appointed English teacher at the said facility.

Keating encourages his students to pursue after what they feel naturally drawn to in life, break free from the everyday norm and be unapologetic about their desires. A heart-warming philosophy that is given much emphasis evident by the many beautifully-stitched dialogues and poetry readings.

Gladiator (2000)

Inspired by Daniel P. Mannix’s 1958 book Those About to Die, this 2000 historical drama title laid the foundation for movies in the same genre for decades to come. Set in Roman times, Gladiator is a story of injustice, honor, betrayal, and thrust for power.

When Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) deems his own son, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), unfit to rule Rome and suggests the much-respected and loved army general Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe) to take the crown, Commodus murders his father in a spite of rage and disappointment.

With what can only be described as an act of pure envy, Commodus forces Maximus to give up his honorable title, live a life of disgrace as a slave and common gladiator, and orders the murder of him and his family. Hated by the people of Rome for his cowardly ways, Commodus challenges Maximus to a duel to win back people’s approval.

In the subsequent fight-to-death in the Colosseum, Maximus proves his worthiness by defeating Commodus despite being deceitfully stabbed at the start of the match but fails to resist his wounds and eventually dies after asking for political reforms, freedom for his gladiator allies, and reinstatement of Senator Gracchus in his last breaths.

If that’s not good story writing, we don’t know what is. Needless to say, Gladiator is one of our all-time favorites and is definitely worth a rewatch every year or so, just like the other titles mentioned in this list.