What if I told you that there are multiple streaming platforms - such as Tubi, Pluto TV, and more - in which you can legally watch free movies online?
You’d be surprised just how many great movies are available at no cost, with just minimal interruption. The following are our picks for the best movies you can stream online for free right now and where to find them as of March 2025.
Intense Dramas
For when you want to be on the edge of your seat:
Gladiator (2000)
The Director: Ridley Scott
The Cast: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Honsour, Richard Harris
What It's About: A former Roman general who is captured as a slave and turned into a Gladiator returns to Rome to seek vengeance on those that killed his family.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: The film won Best Picture and several other awards, and then years later earned a sequel – if you haven’t seen Gladiator yet, now is the time.
The Nightingale (2018)
The Director: Jennifer Kent
The Cast: Aisling Franciosi, Sam Claflin, Baykali Ganambarr, Damon Herriman, Harry Greenwood
What It's About: An Irish convict takes it upon herself to take down members of the Colonial forces of Tasmania who killed her family and sexually assaulted her.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: Jennifer Kent is responsible for some of the most intense movies of the last decade and The Nightingale is no exception. Its momentum doesn’t slow at all and is a brilliant watch.
Memento (2000)
The Director: Christopher Nolan
The Cast: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Ann Moss, Joe Pantoliano
What It's About: Memento follows the story of a man who suffers from short-term memory loss and who is unable to form new memories, so he uses notes, photos and much more to keep his brain alive, all while trying to track down the person who murdered his wife.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: I mean, it’s Christopher Nolan. You can’t really get much better than him in terms of story and directing. Memento is a thrilling ride from beginning to end.
Lawless (2012)
The Director: John Hillcoat
The Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Guy Pearce
What It's About: Taking place during the Prohibition-era, three brothers work together to start a bootlegging business and try to stop it from getting shut down by the law, leading to violent aftermaths.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: If you’re looking for an intense action film that has fun period costumes, a lot of kick-butt scenes and great acting, then Lawless is the one for you. It’s a great gangster film that has been released over the last couple of decades and one that is awesome to tune into.
The Equalizer (2014)
The Director: Antoine Fuqua
The Cast: Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, Chloe Grace Moretz, David Harbour, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo
What It's About: An ex-Marine takes it upon himself to protect a teenager who is the victim of trafficking, and decides to take out the members of the Russian mob who hurt her.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: There’s a reason why there were several sequels and a whole TV show based around this movie. Denzel is amazing, and the action is intense and fast-paced. A great time for everyone involved.
Requiem For A Dream (2000)
The Director: Darren Aronofsky
The Cast: Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly , Marlon Wayans and Ellen Burstyn
What It's About: The film follows the lives of four people and how their addiction to drugs grows more and more until it ruins their lives, piece by piece.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: The film is considered one of the best of all time and won the Academy Award for Best Picture. But keep in mind that it is a very serious movie – and you probably will feel sad after.
Powerful, Emotional Dramas
For when you want to cry or laugh or do both at the same time, these are the films for you:
Creed (2015)
The Director: Ryan Coogler
The Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Anthony Bellew
What It's About: Adonis Creed trains with Rocky Balboa in order to fight his way to the top.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: If you like the Rocky movies, you’ll like Creed. Jordan and Stallone have fantastic chemistry, and the boxing matches are top-tier. Plus, the emotional beats behind it all make it a wonderfully-crafted film.
Rocky (1976)
The Director: John G. Avildsen
The Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Burgess Meredith
What It's About: A small-time club fighter and collector for a loan shark trains to take down Apollo Creed in the world heavyweight championship.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: It’s Rocky. How do I have to tell you it’s one of the best emotional, inspirational movies out there? Go and watch it – as well as the other Rocky films available on the platform.
August: Osage County (2013)
The Director: John Wells
The Cast: Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Chris Cooper
What It's About: Based on the play of the same name, this Academy Award-nominated movie follows the story of a family reunion taking place, and then subsequently thrown into chaos when the patriarchal figure appears out of nowhere.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: The entire cast is truly talented as heck, but I will say that both Roberts and Streep knock it out of the park for this emotional drama.
A Night To Remember (1958)
The Director: Roy Ward Baker
The Cast: Kenneth More, Michael Goodlife, Laurence Naismith, Kenneth Griffith
What It's About: The film is a disaster drama that follows the story of the sinking of the Titanic, mainly following the final night, when thousands of people lost their lives.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: While it’s certainly still a dramatic retelling of the events of Titanic, it takes it seriously and is utterly terrifying to think about, even with the 1950s effects.
Carol (2015)
The Director: Todd Haynes
The Cast: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson, Jake Lacy, Kyle Chandler
What It's About: Based on The Price of Salt, this film follows the story of an divorcing older woman and a photographer and the affair that takes place between them back in the 1950s in a world that would never accept them for who they are.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: The movie was hugely successful, and earned several Academy Award nominations. When it comes to story, this one will capture you instantly.
Boyhood (2014)
The Director: Richard Linklater
The Cast: Patricia Arquette, Ellar Coltrane, Lorelei Linklater, Ethan Hawke
What It's About: Filmed from 2002 all the way until 2013, this film, directed by Richard Linklater, follows a young man from his childhood into adulthood, all the way until he turns eighteen and leaves for college.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: If we’re being honest, Boyhood is one of those movies that’s a once-in-a-lifetime film that truly captures the essence of growing up. Plus, it won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Fun And Romantic Comedies
Are you ready to laugh so hard your sides are going to hurt?
Licorice Pizza (2021)
The Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
The Cast: Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Bradley Cooper, Benny Safdie
What It's About: Licorice Pizza is the rom-com that you’re going to want, following the story of a young woman and a teen actor whose lives become entwined.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: While the movie wasn’t successful at the box office, it earned so much praise from critics and had three nominations at the Academy Awards. It’s a fun movie, for sure.
The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent (2022)
The Director: Tom Gormican
The Cast: Nicolas Cage, Pedro Pascal, Sharon Horgan, Ike Barinholtz, Alessandra Mastronardi, Jacob Scipio, Neil Patrick Harris, Tiffany Haddish
What It's About: Starring Nicolas Cage as a fictionalized version of himself, the actor decides to take a gig as a “guest of honor” at a billionaire playboy’s birthday party in order to get some money, but goes on an adventure that is unlike any other.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: This film is just ridiculous, in all forms, but it’s the best kind of ridiculousness. It’s hysterical in so many ways, and the chemistry between Cage and Pascal is unmatched. I would rewatch it time and time again.
A Rainy Day In New York (2019)
The Director: Woody Allen
The Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Elle Fanning, Selena Gomez, Jude Law, Diego Luna
What It's About: A Rainy Day In New York follows a college couple as they travel to New York City for a weekend, and while at first it feels like a normal romantic getaway, things begin to change not that long after they step into the big city.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: There are so many great Woody Allen movies out there but I love this one for the great cast and fun rom-com atmosphere. It’s the perfect thing to watch when you want a film with some drama but mainly comedy.
Intense Horrors
Yup, already horrified by all of these:
Terrifier (2016)
The Director: Damien Leone
The Cast: David Howard Thornton
What It's About: Terrifier is just as terrifying as the title implies, following a young woman named Tara. While all she wanted to do was party, she ended up becoming the target of a serial killer – more specifically, a serial killing clown named Art, and it turned her world upside down.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: This film has basically redefined the horror genre over the last few years and I can openly say it is horrifying in the best ways possible but PLEASE go into this with an empty stomach.
The Wailing (2016)
The Director: Na Hong-jin
The Cast: Kwak Do-won, Hwang Jung-min, Chun Woo-hee, Jun Kunimura
What It's About: The Wailing is one of the best Korean horror movies out there. The film follows a policeman who, in order to save his daughter, looks into why people are suddenly getting sick and going on crazy killing rampages in a remote village in South Korea, but the real reason is darker than anyone ever expected.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: If you’re in need of horror that truly terrifies and is super creative in the way it delivers, then this is the film for you. It’s the perfect horror movie for a rainy day.
The Babadook (2014)
The Director: Jennifer Kent
The Cast: Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Hayley McElhinney
What It's About: The Babadook is based on the short film, Monster, and follows the story of a single mother trying to take care of her child, who seems to be seeing things, but soon is haunted by a monster in their own home, and must figure out a way to stop it.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: The Babadook is so creative and will take you on a ride that you’ll never forget, all of it led by the game-changing female director Jennifer Kent. Seriously such a great yet terrifying horror film.
Not So Intense Horrors
For those who want a thrill – but don’t want to jump out of their seats:
American Psycho (2000)
The Director: Mary Harron
The Cast: Christian Bale. Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Josh Lucas, Samantha Mathis, Matt Ross
What It's About: Normal investment banker by day, Patrick Bateman is a serial killer at night, and spends his time searching for his next kill while keeping up appearances.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: While the name American Psycho might sound like something that would be intense, there are only a few very bloody moments in the film. Other than that, this movie is a pure psychological thriller that dips its toes in horror, and creates a very intense but fun film.
Halloween (1978)
The Director: John Carpenter
The Cast: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, P.J. Soles
What It's About: The movie follows Laurie Strode, a babysitter who is hunted down by the evil Michael Myers on Halloween night, and her legendary battle to try and survive his attempts to kill her.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: While considered one of the best horror movies ever, Halloween is pretty tame in comparison to some of its later entries but is still scary enough to get you jumping in your seat.
Friday The 13th (1980)
The Director: Sean S. Cunningham
The Cast: Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Harry Crosby, Laurie Bartram, Mark Nelson, Jeannine Taylor
What It's About: As an abandoned summer camp prepares to re-open, sexually promiscuous camp counselors are killed off one by one by an unknown killer as they stalk the grounds.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: This was the horror movie that began the entire Friday the 13th franchise. I don’t think it’s as intense as other horror films out there, but it’s still a fun time that you’ll enjoy the moment you start watching.
Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
The Director: George A. Romero
The Cast: Duane Jones, Judith O’Dea, Marilyn Eastman
What It's About: A group of strangers are forced to take refuge together in order to survive the sudden onslaught of flesh-eating, reanimated corpses, while also struggling to survive each other.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: Romero basically defined the zombie genre as a whole, so this is the zombie movie to check out, but trust me, it’s really not that scary – at least in comparison to today’s zombies.
Fun For The Whole Family
Everyone could check out and have fun with these films:
Paddington 2 (2017)
The Director: Paul King
The Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Brendan Gleeson, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, Hugh Grant, Ben Whishaw
What It's About: When Paddington is placed behind bars for a crime that he did not commit, it’s up to his family to try and get him out while he attempts to make do with the prisoners.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: I fully believe that Paddington 2 is one of those movies that no matter how old you are, or if you’ve even seen the first Paddington, you will enjoy it. It’s adorable, sweet, and the definition of “fun for the whole family.”
Baywatch (2017)
The Director: Seth Gordon
The Cast: Dwyane Johnson, Zac Efron, Alexandra Daddario, Pamela Anderson, David Hasselhoff
What It's About: Based on the TV series of the same name and taking place in the same universe, Baywatch follows two lifeguards and their team who work together in order to stop a drug lord.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: Yes, that is the plot. And yes, it’s just as ridiculous as you can imagine. Honestly, I had a fun time when watching this film and it’s important to not take it seriously – but it is so much fun.
Footloose (1984)
The Director: Herbert Ross
The Cast: Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer, Dianne Wiest, John Lithgow
What It's About: Ren McCormack comes to a small town only to find out it has banned all kinds of dancing – and it’s up to him and the teenagers to rebel.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: When I think of the quintessential ‘80s movie, I pretty much think of Footloose. A bunch of teenagers dancing around, causing mayhem, with this inspirational and rebellious feel in the background. You can’t get much better than that.
The Mummy (1999)
The Director: Stephen Sommers
The Cast: Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Jonathan Hyde, Kevin J. O’Conner
What It's About: A treasure hunter and his team travel to the City of the Dead for treasure when they awaken Imhotep, causing them to be cursed and face evil unlike anything else.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: I know this is under “fun for the whole family” but I watched The Mummy as a kid and absolutely loved it. I still do as an adult, but it was something my mother and I bonded over and who doesn’t love a good adventure movie with a young Brendan Fraser?
It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
The Director: Frank Capra
The Cast: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell
What It's About: A working man wishes that he had never been born, and an angel who is trying to get his wings comes to Earth to help him see what life would have been like if he never was.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: I mean, the film is an absolute classic and the perfect Christmas movie for the whole family to watch. What’s not to love about it?
Thrilling, Twisty, And Exciting Sci-Fi And Fantasy
Ready to dive into the world of space, fantasy and beyond?
Snowpiercer (2013)
The Director: Bong Joon-ho
The Cast: Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer
What It's About: A train that travels around Earth contains the last members of living society, and this follows the story of how the lower class passengers rebel against the elite.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: There was a TV series made based on this film, and Bong Joon-ho is an incredible director, so if you want good sci-fi, this is the place to start.
Limitless (2011)
The Director: Neil Burger
The Cast: Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish, Robert De Niro, Andrew Howard, Anna Friel
What It's About: When a struggling writer is introduced to a drug that changes the way he writes and uses his brain, his world changes for the better – and for the worse.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: As the title suggests, this film truly is limitless in the way it delivers its story, with an impeccable cast and some sci-fi aspects that truly boggle your brain. The film was successful enough that a TV show came out based on it a few years later.
The Dark Crystal (1982)
The Director: Jim Henson, Frank Oz
The Cast: Stephen Garlick, Lisa Maxwell, Billie Whitelaw
What It's About: Taking place in a fantasy world and featuring amazing puppets, The Dark Crystal follows two Gelflings as they travel across a magical world to overthrow a dark ruler by trying to restore a crystal.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: While the film wasn’t huge at the box office, it is considered one of the best dark fantasies of all time, and one that I can highly recommend if you want to see some really cool puppetry.
Escape From New York (1981)
The Director: John Carpenter
The Cast: Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence, Isaac Hayes, Harry Dean Stanton, Adrienne Barbeau
What It's About: In a world where Manhattan has become the country’s only maximum security prison, a prisoner is given the chance to be pardoned if he goes into the prison to rescue the President of the United States.
Why It's One Of The Best Free Movies Streaming: I really think Escape From New York is one of those movies that you don’t realize is super good until you rewatch it and think “Wow, that was freaking awesome.” It slips your mind and then you have an obsession with it not that long after you check it out – which is why I’m saying you need to see this epic sci-fi action movie. I love every second of it.
While movies like these are still worth every penny, the ability to watch them for free almost makes the experience all that much better.
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