The holiday season is upon us and there are quite a few great movies on Amazon Prime Video this December to put you in a festive mood. Of course, as one of the best streaming services to subscribe to, the platform offers plenty more than just great Christmas movies on Amazon Prime to choose from – such as action flicks like The Terminator, comedies like My Old Ass, and a little bit of everything with Catch Me If You Can – and that is not even counting the many great Amazon Prime original movies to choose from. Take a look at even more of the best movies to watch with your Amazon Prime subscription, as of December 1, 2024, in the following guide.
The Holiday (2006)
Director: Nancy Meyers
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black
What it’s about: Two disappointed and broken-hearted women – one from L.A. and one from England – each find unexpected romance when they switch houses for Christmas.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: One of the best romantic movies to watch during Christmas is The Holiday, which offers two heartwarming and hilarious love stories in one.
Die Hard (1988)
Director: John McTiernan
Starring: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginal VelJohnson
What it’s about: A New York cop becomes the only hope to save his estranged wife and her co-workers when European thieves take them hostage in an L.A. skyscraper on Christmas Eve.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Arguably the all-time best Christmas action movie is Die Hard, which became an instant classic for its heart-racing sequences and Bruce Willis’ brilliant everyman approach to playing John McClane.
My Old Ass (2024)
Director: Megan Park
Starring: Maisy Stella, Aubrey Plaza
What it’s about: A mushroom trip allows teenage Elliott to communicate with her future self.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: The coming-of-age fantasy comedy My Old Ass has been well-received for its inventive concept, hilarious performance, and insightful message.
Good Will Hunting (1997)
Director: Gus van Sant
Starring: Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Minnie Driver, Ben Affleck
What it’s about: A young, mathematically gifted custodian is forced to seek psychological counseling to unlock his full potential
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Earning Matt Damon and Ben Affleck Oscars for their screenplay, Good Will Hunting is a wonderful, inspiring drama about redemption and self-discovery.
The Terminator (1984)
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton
What it’s about: A soldier from a wartorn future is sent back to the past to protect the mother of humanity’s savior from an unstoppable killing machine.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: With the pulse of a slasher movie and the thrills of an action flick, the time travel movie favorite The Terminator is a timeless, pulse-pounding masterpiece.
Uncle Buck (1989)
Director: John Hughes
Starring: John Candy, Jean Louisa Kelly, Macaulay Culkin, Gaby Hoffmann
What it’s about: An irresponsible Chicago native is put in charge of his angsty teenage niece and her younger brother and sister.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: One of John Candy’s best movies, Uncle Buck, sees him give one of his most charming and hilarious performances in the title role.
Children Of Men (2006)
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Starring: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore
What it’s about: In a wartorn dystopian future where women can no longer conceive, a man is tasked with escorting the first pregnant woman in years to safety.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: For its brilliantly crafted story and visually striking aesthetic, this Oscar-nominated adaptation of P.D. James’ novel Children of Men is considered one of the best movies of the 2000s.
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks
What it’s about: A teenage con artist assumes various identities and occupations to evade a veteran FBI agent’s detection in the 1960s.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Based on an allegedly true story, Catch Me If You Can is one of Steven Spielberg’s best movies of the 2000s for the wonderful performances that enrich its already engrossing cat-and-mouse game.
Monkey Man (2024)
Director: Dev Patel
Starring: Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley
What it’s about: An unnamed man wages a personal war against corruption in Mumbai.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Dev Patel makes a promising directorial debut with one of the most moving and exciting thrillers of 2024, Monkey Man.
Clueless (1995)
Director: Amy Heckerling
Starring: Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd
What it’s about: The life and times of wealthy, socially successful Beverly Hills teen, Cher Horowitz.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Alicia Silverstone gives one of her definitive performances in one of the best high school movies of all time, Clueless, which is loosely inspired by Jane Austen’s Emma.
Moon (2009)
Director: Duncan Jones
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey
What it’s about: An astronaut tasked with mining the lunar surface makes a startling discovery about his job.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Sam Rockwell’s devastating performance makes the fascinatingly bleak Moon one of the best space movies of its time.
True Romance (1993)
Director: Tony Scott
Starring: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette
What it’s about: After experiencing love at first sight, a pop culture fanatic and a sex worker steal a case of drugs and go on the run hoping to sell it.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Only writer Quentin Tarantino to craft a crime drama as funny, heartwarming, and insightful as one of the best ‘90s movies on Amazon Prime, True Romance.
Zoolander (2001)
Director: Ben Stiller
Starring: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Christine Taylor, Will Ferrell
What it’s about: An airheaded male model becomes unwittingly embroiled in an international assassination scheme.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Based on a character he created for the 1996 VH1 Fashion Awards, Zoolander is one of Ben Stiller’s best movies and one of the most gut-busting satires of its time.
The Raid Movies (2012, 2014)
Director: Gareth Evans
Starring: Iko Uwais, Arafin Putra
What it’s about: An Indonesian S.W.A.T. team becomes trapped in a rundown apartment complex while trying to make a large drug bust and, soon after, one of its members is tasked with infiltrating a crime syndicate with ties to police corruption.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Two of the most acclaimed action movies in recent memory are the no-holds-barred fighting thriller The Raid: Redemption and its crime epic follow-up The Raid 2.
The Indiana Jones Movies (1-4) (1981-2008)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen
What it’s about: The adventures of globe-trotting, daredevil archeologist, Indiana Jones.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: While being a tribute to cinema’s early action serials, the Indiana Jones movies (the first four of which are available on Amazon Prime) have since become some of the genre’s most influential films.
- Stream Raiders of the Lost Ark on Amazon Prime
- Stream Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom on Amazon Prime
- Stream Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade on Amazon Prime
- Stream Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull on Amazon Prime
Modern Times (1936)
Director: Charlie Chaplin
Starring: Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard
What it’s about: The Tramp and a homeless woman struggle to make ends meet amidst the rise of the Industrial Revolution.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: While released years after talkies took over, Modern Times is, arguably, Charlie Chaplin’s funniest and most timeless silent film.
Challengers (2024)
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Starring: Zendaya, Mike Faist, Josh O’Connor
What it’s about: A tennis prodigy-turned-coach’s husband aims to correct his losing streak by beating his former best friend, who is also her ex-boyfriend.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: The 2024 sports movie Challengers became one of the most talked about films of the year for its intriguing plot and steamy subject matter.
Everybody Wants Some!! (2015)
Director: Richard Linklater
Starring: Blake Jenner, Glen Powell, Zoey Deutch
What it’s about: In 1980 Texas, college freshman Jake spends four days of debauchery with his baseball teammates.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Richard Linklater’s charming coming-of-age comedy Everybody Wants Some!!, which is also one of Glen Powell’s best movies, tells you everything you need to know about the college experience with only rarely showing the inside of a classroom.
Creed (2015)
Director: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone
What it’s about: The illegitimate son of Apollo Creed asks Rocky Balboa to help train him to become a champion.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: A continuation of the Rocky movies, Creed is a modern boxing movie classic all its own, with brilliant fight choreography, breathtaking performances, and moving themes of forming one’s own path toward glory.
Nosferatu (1922)
Director: F.W. Murnau
Starring: Max Schreck, Alexander Granach
What it’s about: A real estate agent encounters the grim and grotesque Count Orlok.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Before Count Dracula first hit the big screen, F.W. Murnau released an unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel called Nosferatu, which is still considered one of the all-time best vampire movies and one of the silent era’s most terrifying films.
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning (2023)
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell
What it’s about: The latest assignment for Ethan Hunt and his team puts them at odds with a sophisticated computer program.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: For its breathtaking action sequences and ingenious cast additions, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning is one of the best Mission: Impossible movies yet but the story is not over as the upcoming Mission: Impossible 8 is still on its way.
Lisa Frankenstein (2024)
Director: Zelda Williams
Starring: Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse
What it’s about: A socially awkward ‘80s teen finds an unexpected connection with a reanimated corpse.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: From Oscar-winning writer Diablo Cody, Lisa Frankenstein is a “fun, twisted romance” on fire with beautiful production and costume design and winning ‘80s nostalgia.
Breakfast At Tiffany’s (1961)
Director: Blake Edwards
Starring: Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard
What it’s about: A young socialite strikes up a friendship with her new neighbor (played by George Peppard) that could evolve into something more.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Inspired by Truman Capote’s novel, Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a fabulous romantic-comedy movie featuring Audrey Hepburn in her most iconic role, Holly Golightly.
Oppenheimer (2023)
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr.
What it’s about: Gifted physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer is tasked with helping the government end World War II by developing the atomic bomb.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: The Best Picture Oscar winner for 2024, Oppenheimer – one of the most absorbing history lessons put to film – also took home awards for Best Director, Best Actor for Cillian Murphy, Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey Jr., and more.
Skyfall (2012)
Director: Sam Mendes
Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench
What it’s about: A presumed dead 007 returns to help M hunt down a foe from her past.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: One of the best Daniel Craig-led James Bond movies, is the breathlessly thrilling Skyfall, which boasts a spine-tingling villain performance by Javier Bardem and an Oscar-winning title song by Adele.
American Fiction (2023)
Director: Cord Jefferson
Starring: Jeffrey Wright, Sterling K. Brown
What it’s about: A frustrated Black author finally lands his first best-seller but under a pen name and with a book full of racial stereotypes.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Jeffrey Wright earned his first Academy Award nomination for leading American Fiction – a sharp satire based on Percival Everett’s satirical novel, Erasure.
Super Size Me (2004)
Director: Morgan Spurlock
Starring: Morgan Spurlock
What it’s about: Morgan Spurlock puts his health on the line to document what would happen if he only ate at McDonald’s for 30 days.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: The late Morgan Spurlock became one of the most esteemed documentarians of his time with his Oscar-nominated breakthrough hit, Super Size Me, which convinced the world to rethink how they consumed the fast food industry.
The Holdovers (2023)
Director: Alexander Payne
Starring: Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa
What it’s about: Forced to remain on campus during the holiday break, a disgruntled prep school teacher, a troubled student, and a cafeteria worker form an unexpected bond.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: From writer David Hemingson, The Holdovers is destined to be a holiday comedy classic for its tenderly heartbreaking and uplifting moments, wonderful performances, and convincing ‘70s-style aesthetic.
Monster (2003)
Director: Patty Jenkins
Starring: Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci
What it’s about: After killing a client in self-defense, a Daytona Beach sex worker adopts the deadly act as a typical part of her operation.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Charlize Theron earned an Oscar for her performance as infamous serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Patty Jenkins’ great directorial debut, Monster.
Another Round (2020)
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen
What it’s about: A group of high school teachers conduct an experiment to see how their lives may improve by consuming alcohol on a daily basis.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: One of the best Mads Mikkelsen movies, Another Round won the Best International Feature Oscar 2021 for its darkly humorous execution of a fascinating concept.
Bottoms (2023)
Director: Emma Seligman
Starring: Rachel Sennott, Ayo Edebiri
What it’s about: Two teen lesbians who start an after-school women’s self-defense class in hopes of getting closer to their crushes.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: In addition to co-leading the Bottoms cast, Rachel Sennott also worked with Emma Seligman on the screenplay for this uproarious and subversive coming-of-age comedy.
Women Talking (2022)
Director: Sarah Polley
Starring: Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Frances McDormand
What it’s about: A group of women discuss whether or not to leave their Mennonite village in the wake of a sexual assault.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Sarah Polley won a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for Women Talking – a heart-wrenching, remarkably timely drama based on true events and anchored by a stunning all-star cast.
Sicario (2015)
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin
What it’s about: An FBI agent begins to question the true intentions of her assignment when she joins a government task force taking on a drug cartel.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: The intense action thriller, Sicario, is one of director Denis Villeneuve’s best movies, featuring visually striking cinematography by Roger Deakins.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
Director: Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley
Starring: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page
What it’s about: A charming band of thieves embark on a dangerous quest to retrieve a lost artifact.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Most adventurers would agree that Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves effectively captures the essence of participating in a campaign for the popular role-playing game.
Memento (2000)
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano
What it’s about: A former insurance investigator desperately tries to overcome his severe condition of short-term memory loss in order to solve his wife’s murder.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Cleverly told in reverse order to keep the audience in the protagonist’s headspace, Memento is one of Christopher Nolan’s best movies and a refreshing achievement in the crime thriller genre in general.
Red, White & Royal Blue (2023)
Director: Matthew López
Starring: Taylor Zakhar Perez, Nicholas Galitzine
What it’s about: After an embarrassing cake-related incident that captured the public’s attention, the son of the President and the prince of England are forced to end their feud, which only leads them to fall for one another.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Based on the best-selling novel by Casey McQuiston, Red, White & Royal Blue is a winning LGBTQ+ romantic comedy with an upcoming sequel in the works for Amazon Prime.
Manchester By The Sea (2016)
Director: Kenneth Lonergan
Starring: Casey Affleck, Lucas Hedges, Michelle Williams
What it’s about: Ill-tempered Boston handyman Lee Chandler becomes haunted by painful memories from his past after tragedy suddenly makes him the legal guardian to his teenage nephew.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: Casey Affleck’s inspired performance and Kenneth Lonergan’s devastating original screenplay earned two Academy Awards for Manchester by the Sea – an acclaimed Amazon original that was also produced by Matt Damon.
One Night In Miami (2020)
Director: Regina King
Starring: Leslie Odom Jr., Aldis Hodge, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree
What it’s about: Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown gather together to discuss the state of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.
Why it is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime: In her first feature-length directorial effort, Academy Award-winning actor Regina King guides four actors at the top of their game in the One Night in Miami cast in writer Kemp Powers' adaption of his own acclaimed stage play.
Well, a subscriber to the streaming giant certainly cannot ask for a better assortment of flicks for the ultimate binge. Check back to see what other classics have been added or removed from Amazon Prime Video next month.
