The finest Paramount Plus motion pictures: 22 nice movies to stream (October 2024)

Few iconic comic-book characters have survived as many reboots because the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, however this newest animated incarnation (produced by Preacher and Sausage Party overseers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldman) is up there with the heroes in a half-shell’s most interesting – in addition to being among the best Paramount Plus motion pictures. Using an attention-grabbing, painterly visible model closely impressed by Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the most recent tackle Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo is a (pizza) feast for the eyes. It’s additionally action-packed and humorous, whereas leaning way more into the adolescent a part of the TMNT equation than lots of its predecessors.

Best identified for guiding the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Gore Verbinksi recruits Johnny Depp as soon as once more on this Oscar-winning animated Western film. Depp voices Rango, a pet chameleon who unintentionally results in the drought-affected city of Dirt which has been taken over by bandits. Desperate to face out slightly than mix in, Rango roleplays as the brand new sheriff however he quickly finds himself in a lot of outrageous conditions that power him to develop into an actual hero. Rango is a stand-out film that places a unusual and distinctive twist on the Western style with its beautiful animation, witty humor, and memorable characters.

NB: UK audiences can solely hire or purchase it through Amazon, Apple TV, Sky Store, or one other digital retailer. In Australia, you’ll be able to watch it on Binge.

Tom Cruise’s 2022 field workplace smash, Top Gun: Maverick, is a must-watch, delivering all of the enjoyable and supersonic motion of the unique with out merely going over outdated territory. Cruise reprises his position as Maverick, now a check pilot whose fixed rule-breaking and boundary-pushing has stored his profession firmly grounded. But when he is given the job of coaching a brand new group of Top Gun graduates for a vital new mission, he has to withstand his previous and a few of his very worst fears. This is the perfect sort of blockbuster, an absolute deal with from begin to nail-biting end.

NB: UK and Australian viewers must jet over to Netflix to look at it.

Good night, Mr Cruise. Your mission, must you select to just accept it, is to show a ’60s TV present right into a profitable collection able to rating among the many finest Paramount Plus motion pictures. Okay, so we’re dishonest with this entry, however you’ll be able to’t deny that this movie collection is tons of enjoyable (yep, even the much less positively obtained ones), so we needed to embrace all of them in a single entry. As each producer and star (he is performed super-spy Ethan Hunt for the reason that first 1996 journey), Tom Cruise has made Mission: Impossible a real rival to James Bond. Indeed, whereas most franchises have run out of steam lengthy earlier than they attain their seventh instalment, the standard of the M:I collection has arguably improved, significantly since Cruise introduced Christopher McQuarrie on board to write down and direct the brilliantly ingenious and thrilling Rogue Nation, Fallout and Dead Reckoning. But probably the most memorable factor about Mission: Impossible is Cruise’s headline-making, death-defying stunts – even in his 60s, that is one main man who refuses to do something by halves. For our rating, we have not included Mission: Impossible, Mission: Impossible II, and Mission: Impossible III because the critics RT scores fall under our 80% threshold.

Russell Crowe delivers a efficiency that echoes in eternity in Ridley Scott’s good Roman epic. Crowe performs Maximus Decimus Meridius, father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered spouse, and he completely could have his vengeance on the corrupt emperor (Joaquin Phoenix) chargeable for their deaths – whether or not it is on this life or the subsequent. Along with The Martian, Gladiator is Scott’s finest film of the twenty first century, a propulsive mix of spectacular Colosseum motion, shameless political scheming, and a strong, revenge-focussed narrative. The veteran director was so enamored with the historic world he created that he is at the moment deep into post-production on Gladiator 2, which stars Normal People‘s Paul Mescal and due in theaters later this 12 months. Want to see how Gladiator compares to Alien and Blade Runner? Check out our information to Ridley Scott motion pictures ranked.

NB: If you are within the UK, you may have to move to Netflix to look at the movie or Prime Video should you’re in Australia.

Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) leads a band of American World War II troopers behind enemy strains to seek out the titular lacking non-public after Ryan’s brothers are killed in motion. Director Steven Spielberg ensures you stand to consideration as quickly because the motion flashes again to D-Day, with a brutally visceral recreation of the Omaha seashore landings. Then, as Miller’s unit makes their method via Nazi-occupied France, every soldier embarks on their very own private journey of discovery – although not all of them will make it residence alive. Saving Private Ryan is the primary of many World War II collaborations between Hanks and Spielberg, who’ve gone on to government produce Band of Brothers, The Pacific and Masters of the Air, among the best Apple TV Plus exhibits. You also can see the way it suits into the director’s glittering filmography in our information to Steven Spielberg motion pictures ranked.

NB: Saving Private Ryan is out there on Prime Video within the UK and Binge in Australia.

Writer/director John Hughes was the king of ’80s teen motion pictures (see additionally The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles), however this feel-good basic would possibly simply be the perfect of the bunch. It’s actually probably the most enjoyable, as highschool pupil Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) pulls a sickie, and drags girlfriend Sloane (Mia Sara) and finest buddy Cameron (Succession‘s Alan Ruck) alongside for a journey in Cameron’s dad’s classic Ferrari. It’s the final word story of teenage want success, because the three youngsters stay the high-life whereas staying one step forward of suspicious college principal Ed Rooney (Jeffrey Jones). And whereas their time without work loses its method barely within the closing act when Ferris’s motives develop into uncharacteristically altruistic, it stays one of many best highschool motion pictures of all time.

NB: If you are within the UK and Australia, you want a Prime Video subscription to look at the film on Paramount Plus. It’s additionally accessible on Stan in Australia.

Before she turned the author and star of basic sitcom 30 Rock, Tina Fey scripted this completely fetch teen film. It’s the story of Cady Heron (a career-best Lindsay Lohan), a child who’s been homeschooled in Africa, who shortly realizes she has lots to find out about highschool. Adopted by a pair of outsiders, she’s drafted to spy on the “Plastics” who rule the corridors of North Shore High, however quickly finds herself seduced by Regina George (Rachel McAdams) and her gang. Smart, satirical and tremendous humorous, Mean Girls is a wonderfully pitched journey into the dog-eat-dog politics of highschool. And even 20 years after its unique launch, it is nonetheless widespread sufficient to spawn a brand new film musical primarily based on the stage musical primarily based on the film, which can be accessible on Paramount Plus within the US.

NB: If you are within the UK, you want a Prime Video subscription to look at the film on Paramount Plus. It’s additionally accessible to look at on Sky.

Thought sensible, female-led highschool motion pictures started with Mean Girls? As if! Amy Heckerling’s mid-90s basic relocates Jane Austen’s Emma from Georgian England to modern-day Beverly Hills, and the transition is seamless. Alicia Silverstone delivers a career-defining efficiency as Cher, the spoiled however form teen who fixes everybody else’s love lives however forgets about her personal. From the “grievance rock” soundtrack to some outdated sexual politics, it’s undeniably a movie of its period. But it’s additionally humorous, heart-warming and very quotable – in addition to that includes an early efficiency from Paul Rudd.

NB: You can stream Clueless on Channel 4 within the UK and Netflix in Australia.

In 1972, director Francis Ford Coppola turned Mario Puzo’s mafia novel The Godfather right into a vital and field workplace smash hit. The gripping story of a very good man’s descent into evil, it made a star of Al Pacino, and received itself a powerful haul of Academy Awards. Follow-up The Godfather: Part II is arguably even higher, utilizing two distinct timelines to indicate how mob boss Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro, in a task originated by Marlon Brando) got here to energy, and his equally ruthless son, Michael (Pacino), went on to develop into one of the vital highly effective males in America. Along with The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, it stays the one sequel to win an Oscar for Best Picture. The Godfather: Part III proved slightly much less widespread when it was launched in 1990. The unique theatrical minimize is not accessible on Paramount Plus however you’ll be able to watch The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, Coppola’s recut model of the film. You also can try The Offer, a TV drama concerning the making of the unique movie.

Yes, it’s primarily the plot of GoodFellas and Casino relocated to the cutthroat world of excessive finance, however there’s no must get hung up about that while you’re watching one of many easiest Martin Scorsese motion pictures. In arguably the best of the legendary director’s six function collaborations with Leonardo DiCaprio – and positively probably the most all-out entertaining – the star performs Jordan Belfort, a real-life Wall Street banker whose fast-and-loose angle to the foundations introduced him main highs (each monetary and chemical) and even larger lows. Scorsese’s kinetic course revels within the seedy glamor of its protagonist’s lavish way of life, as he tries to remain one step forward of FBI agent, Patrick Denham (Kyle Chandler). Of course, Belfort’s mad world comes crashing down within the closing act, but it surely’s a hell of a journey getting there.

NB: Australian audiences ought to head to Netflix to catch The Wolf of Wall Street and Prime Video for UK audiences.

It may not have seemed that promising on paper – particularly to anybody who endured the 2000 Dungeons & Dragons film – however Hollywood’s newest tackle the perennially widespread role-playing board recreation is nicely price a roll of the cube. The splendidly self-aware Honor Among Thieves skilfully walks a nice line between comedy and spectacular epic fantasy, and delivers on each counts. As bard and nominal lead Edgin, Chris Pine revels in his most enjoyable position since taking part in Captain Kirk in JJ Abrams’ first Star Trek. Meanwhile, different D&D character varieties are memorably represented by Fast & Furious common Michelle Rodriguez (barbarian Holga Kilgore), IT’s Sophia Lillis (tiefling druid Doric) and Bridgerton’s Regé-Jean Page (paladin Xenk Yendar).

No doubt one of many largest motion pictures of the 80s, Big stars Tom Hanks as Josh Baskin, a 13-year-old boy who makes a want that he was larger and magically wakes up within the physique of an grownup. Hanks obtained vital approval for the position (he was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor) and established him as an enormous film star favourite. You can not help however fall in love with Hanks’ comedic efficiency on this ever-so charming fantasy that proves to be a trailblazer 20 years later.

NB: UK and Australian audiences can watch it on Disney Plus.

Despite the title, this isn’t a movie designed to make you content. Instead, it’s a disturbing horror film during which a therapist (Sosie Bacon) investigates a collection of obvious suicides, linked by the unsettling smiles on the victims’ faces earlier than they died – and subsequently finds herself focused by a malevolent evil spirit. Smile was initially deliberate as a direct-to-Paramount Plus launch, however profitable check screenings prompted the studio to present it a theatrical launch – a particularly smart transfer, seeing because it turned the most important horror film on the field workplace in 2022 and is now among the best horror motion pictures. Expect scares and loads of psychological terror as author/director Parker Finn (who primarily based the film on his personal brief, “Laura Hasn’t Slept”) marks himself out as one to look at.

NB: To watch Smile within the UK and Australia, you may want to move over to Netflix.

A Quiet Place sees The Office veteran John Krasinksi buying and selling his desk at Dunder Mifflin for high-concept sci-fi horror. Hunting by sound, alien invaders have decimated the inhabitants of a small city in upstate New York, the place staying alive relies on staying as quiet as attainable. As director, Jack Ryan star Krasinksi provides you a particularly tense 90 minutes, turning each noise into a transparent and current hazard. This is one film the place you would possibly wish to forego the crunchy snacks. But the movie’s actual triumph is making you care concerning the household on the story’s coronary heart (brilliantly performed by Krasinski, real-life spouse Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe), as their survival relies on each their ingenuity and their fluency in American Sign Language. (NB: A Quiet Place Part II and A Quiet Place: Day One are additionally accessible on Paramount Plus within the US.)

It’s one other horror story among the many finest Paramount Plus motion pictures, however not like Scream, Rosemary’s Baby‘s scares are all in your head. Adapted from Ira Levin’s novel of the identical title, this psychological thriller sees the satan take Manhattan, as Mia Farrow’s Rosemary Woodhouse is unwittingly chosen to bear the kid of Satan. It’s a masterclass in slow-building rigidity, as Rosemary step by step realizes that her aged neighbors’ curiosity in her being pregnant is not solely altruistic. It’s additionally one of the vital iconic and trendy motion pictures of the late-Nineteen Sixties, serving to pave the way in which for one of the vital creatively fertile eras in Hollywood historical past. Paramount Plus has additionally launched the Apartment 7A trailer, which reveals the prequel story to this Nineteen Sixties horror hit.

NB: UK audiences can stream it on Sky.

Writer/director Celine Song’s good, Oscar-nominated debut relies round a query many individuals could have requested themselves: what should you reconnected together with your first childhood sweetheart as a grown-up? In Past Lives, Nora (The Morning Show’s Greta Lee) makes contact with Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) greater than a decade after her household emigrated from South Korea to Canada. The result’s a delicate, completely pitched exploration of roads that would have been – however weren’t – traveled in one other life. It’s one thing of a sluggish burn, carried by the performances of two leads who share plain display screen chemistry. Special credit score must also go to John Magaro, who ensures that Nora’s husband Arthur by no means looks like a 3rd wheel.

NB: Past Lives is out there on Netflix within the UK and Prime Video in Australia.

They simply do not make romcoms like Notting Hill anymore. Although it might be a hefty feat to deal with one of the vital iconic movies of all time. It’s the basic boy meets woman state of affairs that everybody loves as London bookshop proprietor William Thacker (Hugh Grant) has an sudden assembly with Hollywood star Anna Scott (Julia Roberts). As the typical man begins a secret romance with the glamorous actress, the paparazzi’s disruption of their lives complicates their relationship and so they wrestle to reconcile their polar reverse life. Grant and Roberts’ scene-stealing performances propel this stereotypical romance into among the best movies in cinematic historical past. Notting Hill additionally cements Grant and Roberts because the irresistibly charming romantic leads we have all grown to like over time.

NB: In the UK, yow will discover Notting Hill on Netflix and Channel 4.

Paramount Plus is not at the moment residence to all of the Star Trek motion pictures within the US (the movies that includes the Original Series and Next Generation casts are, as a substitute, berthed on Max) however you’ll be able to take pleasure in a lot of the Trek TV exhibits, in addition to the three (current) motion pictures of J.J. Abrams’ profitable twenty first century reboot. Before he traveled to a galaxy far, far-off for The Force Awakens, Abrams – then finest identified for Lost, Alias and Mission: Impossible III – injected Trek with a Star Wars-like spirit of journey, as Kirk, Spock and the remainder of the crew took on a vengeful Romulan from the long run. The casting (significantly Chris Pine as Kirk) is impressed, and – by setting the story in a parallel timeline – the movie capabilities as each an Enterprise origin story, and a chance to go the place the franchise had by no means gone earlier than. Sadly, follow-ups Into Darkness and Beyond could not stay as much as this film’s early promise, however this primary journey is likely one of the long-running saga’s finest.

Before he turned Hollywood’s premier purveyor of big-budget sci-fi spectacle with Blade Runner: 2049 and two Dune diversifications, Denis Villeneuve introduced his, nicely, arrival within the style with this decrease key story of extra-terrestrial visitation. Adapted from Ted Chiang’s brief story “The Story of Your Life”, it tells the story of a bereaved mom and linguist (Amy Adams) assigned to make first contact with the weird seven-legged aliens who’ve come to Earth to say hi there. It’s the very definition of sensible science fiction, as a twisty timeline and the protagonist’s grief coalesce to create a stunning and emotionally satisfying finale.

NB: UK viewers can stream it on Netflix and Australian viewers can discover it on Stan.

A dream group of Alfred Hitchcock, Cary Grant and Grace Kelly allure their method into our record of the perfect Paramount Plus motion pictures with this stylish 1955 thriller romance. Grant performs John Robie, a retired cat burglar attempting to stay a quiet life on the French Riviera. When one other thief copies his signature model, nevertheless, he has to show his innocence. Kelly performs a rich vacationer focused by the copycat on this twisty and entertaining whodunnit.

NB: UK audiences can solely hire or purchase it through Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, or one other digital retailer. In Australia, you’ll be able to watch it on SBS On Demand.

Adapted from the 2005 novel of the identical title by Michael Connelly, The Lincoln Lawyer follows Mickey Haller (Matthew McConaughey), a lawyer who works in a chauffeur-driven Lincoln Continental. When he lands a high-profile case defending a playboy charged with tried homicide, he thinks it is a easy open-and-shut case. However, it quickly turns into one thing extra sinister. McConaughey is ideal because the smooth-talking and cocky defence lawyer and like each excellent thriller, it is stuffed with twists and turns that can hold you guessing till the very finish. Netflix additionally has The Lincoln Lawyer collection, which has been an enormous hit for the streamer.

NB: UK audiences can solely hire or purchase it through Amazon or Apple TV. In Australia, you’ll be able to watch it on Stan.