Whenever I’m looking for something new to watch on Prime Video, the streaming service’s top 10 most-watched movies list is the first thing I check. However, just because a movie ranks high on this ever-changing list doesn’t guarantee its quality. Quite the opposite, in fact.
I check the Prime Video top 10 almost every day, and I've lost count of the number of times I've seen a movie with a low rating. Rotten Tomatoes The 30% viewer score is very high. For example, the current number 1 movie on the service is “Jackpot!” which got a pitiful 30% score.
To help you avoid the bad movies and watch the streaming wonders instead, I'm picking the top 10 movies from Prime Video's top 10 below. And finally, before we dive into my picks, this list is based on Amazon Prime Video's top 10 as of 8 a.m. ET on Tuesday, August 20.
The best movies from the top 10 of Prime Video
“Passengers” (2016)
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“Passengers” is one of those films where critics and viewers disagree. Although it gets a very poor score of 30% on Rotten Tomatoes According to professional critics, its audience score is a much healthier 63%, and I'm definitely in the latter camp. “Passengers” is a bit of a comfort movie for me, and watching it has become something of an annual holiday tradition in my family — it's not a holiday movie per se, but it came out in December 2016, and it has an oddly warm vibe for a sci-fi romance set on a spaceship.
The film takes place aboard an interstellar ship carrying 5,000 colonists to humanity's new homeland. However, one of these passengers, Jim (Chris Pratt), awakens prematurely from his hypersleep following a collision with an asteroid. The ship is still light-years away from its final destination, and Jim is faced with the nightmarish prospect of living the rest of his life alone. Unable to cope with total isolation, Jim decides to awaken another passenger, Aurora (Jennifer Lawrence). The two quickly become friends and begin a romance, but the truth behind Jim's decision threatens to be revealed and, as if that weren't enough, the entire ship is soon in danger of being destroyed due to a system malfunction.
Watch “Passengers” on Prime Video NOW
“Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning” (2023)
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I’m starting to sound like a broken record when I talk about “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning.” The blockbuster action movie was added to Prime Video last July and has been a permanent fixture on the service’s top 10 action movies list ever since. I’ve recommended it multiple times at this point, but I’m happy to do so again because it’s one of the best action movies ever made. Tom Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie are in top form, and the jaw-dropping action scenes are some of the best in the franchise, which is a pretty high bar.
Although “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning” was originally released in theaters as “Part 1,” it was later removed. This is likely due to the fact that the film is only a first part, but it also means that “Dead Reckoning” offers a satisfying story of its own, while leaving room for the currently in-production sequel that is set to hit theaters next year. In this latest chapter of the “Mission Impossible” series, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) faces off against a malevolent AI known as The Entity alongside an old adversary.
Watch “Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning” on Prime Video NOW
“22 Jump Street” (2014)
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Comedy sequels are hard enough to pull off. But “22 Jump Street” succeeds because of its genius and self-awareness. Its main characters, undercover cops Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum), constantly joke about how their latest mission to infiltrate a college and track down the source of a deadly new drug is very similar to their previous mission (as seen in “21 Jump Street”), and these gags are downright hilarious.
The movie also works because the chemistry between Hill and Tatum is perfect, and the duo each have impeccable comedic chops and wonderful interplay. They're partners in the police force but act more like a married couple; there's even a scene where they attend couples therapy together that's a real highlight of the movie. If you're looking for a laugh this week, “22 Jump Street” is the perfect choice, and because of its Spring Break finale, it seems appropriate for the summer season.
Watch “22 Jump Street” on Prime Video NOW
The 10 best movies on Prime Video right now
- “Jackpot!” (2024)
- “Passengers” (2016)
- “Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning” (2023)
- “The Beekeeper” (2024)
- “French Girl” (2024)
- “A Quick Move” (2024)
- “My Spy: The Eternal City” (2024)
- “Minions: Once Upon a Time Gru” (2022)
- “Good Boys” (2019)
- “22 Jump Street” (2014)