50+ of the Best Amazon Prime Movies Available in New Zealand
We curate a list of critically acclaimed movies, available right now on Amazon Prime
Updated 4 December 2020
Looking for the best movies on Amazon Prime? Our trusted list compiles the best. To be included, movies must have achieved over 50% on Rotten Tomatoes and have at least six reviews. Most of the inclusions below rate highly and many have cult followings.
We update our list of the best Amazon Prime movies regularly.
Are we missing your favourite? Email our research team now and let us know.
Looking for the best movies on Amazon Prime? Our trusted list compiles the best. To be included, movies must have achieved over 50% on Rotten Tomatoes and have at least six reviews. Most of the inclusions below rate highly and many have cult followings.
We update our list of the best Amazon Prime movies regularly.
Are we missing your favourite? Email our research team now and let us know.
Best Amazon Prime Movies
Palm Springs (2019)Plot Summary: When carefree Nyles (Andy Samberg) and reluctant maid of honor Sarah (Cristin Milioti) have a chance encounter at a Palm Springs wedding, things get complicated when they find themselves unable to escape the venue, themselves, and each other.
Director: Max Barbakow Writer: Andy Siara Stars: Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, J.K. Simmons Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 94% |
The Aeronauts (2019)Plot Summary: In 1862, daredevil balloon pilot Amelia Wren (Felicity Jones) teams up with pioneering meteorologist James Glaisher (Eddie Redmayne) to advance human knowledge of the weather and fly higher than anyone in history.
Director: Tom Harper Stars: Felicity Jones, Eddie Redmayne, Himesh Patel Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 72% |
Boyhood (2014)Plot Summary: Filmed over 12 years with the same cast, Richard Linklater's BOYHOOD is a groundbreaking story of growing up as seen through the eyes of a child named Mason (a breakthrough performance by Ellar Coltrane), who literally grows up on screen before our eyes.
Director: Richard Linklater Writer: Richard Linklater Stars: Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 97% |
7500 (2019)Plot Summary: When terrorists try to seize control of a Berlin-Paris flight, a soft-spoken young American co-pilot struggles to save the lives of the passengers and crew while forging a surprising connection with one of the hijackers.
Director: Patrick Vollrath Writers: Patrick Vollrath, Senad Halilbasic Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Omid Memar, Aylin Tezel Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 70% |
The Vast of Night (2019)Plot Summary: In the twilight of the 1950s, on one fateful night in New Mexico, a young switchboard operator Fay (Sierra McCormick) and charismatic radio DJ Everett (Jake Horowitz) discover a strange audio frequency that could change their small town and the future forever.
Director: Andrew Patterson Stars: Sierra McCormick, Jake Horowitz, Gail Cronaue Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 92% |
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)Plot Summary: Bohemian Rhapsody celebrates the band Queen, their music, and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury, who defied convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers ever.
Director: Bryan Singer Writers: Anthony McCarten, Peter Morgan Stars: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 60% |
Blow the man down (2019)Plot Summary: Welcome to Easter Cove, a salty fishing village on the far reaches of Maine’s rocky coast. Grieving the loss of their mother and facing an uncertain future, Mary Beth and Priscilla Connolly cover up a gruesome run-in with a dangerous man. To conceal their crime, the sisters must go deeper into Easter Cove’s underbelly and uncover the town matriarchs' darkest secrets.
Directors: Bridget Savage Cole, Danielle Krudy Writers: Bridget Savage Cole, Danielle Krudy Stars: David Coffin, David Pridemore, Adam Wolf Mayerson Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 98% |
Super Size Me (2004)Plot Summary: Winner at Sundance, director Morgan Spurlock's social experiment in fast-food gastronomy sees him attempting to subsist uniquely on food from the McDonald's menu for an entire month. In the process his weight balloons, his energy level plummets and he experiences all sorts of unexpected -- and terrifying -- side effects.
Director: Morgan Spurlock Writer: Morgan Spurlock Stars: Morgan Spurlock, Daryl Isaacs, Chemeeka Walker Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 92% |
American Gangster (2007)Plot Summary: Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe team with Director Ridley Scott in this powerful epic inspired by a true story.
Director: Ridley Scott Writers: Steven Zaillian, Mark Jacobson Stars: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 81% |
Jurassic Park (1993)Plot Summary: Genetically engineered dinosaurs run amok at a tycoon's island amusement park. Based on Michael Crichton's novel.
Director: Steven Spielberg Stars: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 90% |
Croupier (1998)Plot Summary: Intelligent. Dark. Gritty. This British neo-noir thriller, set in London, stars Clive Owen (Children of Men). Suffering from writer's block, aspiring writer Jack Manfred, takes a job as a croupier to make ends meet. Knowing the dangers of the cards, Jack is adamant about remaining a professional outsider, but the temptations of the game inevitably swallow him deeper than he ever imagined.
Director: Mike Hodges Writer: Paul Mayersberg Stars: Clive Owen, Nick Reding, Nicholas Ball Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 96% |
Shine (1996)Plot Summary: Pianist David Helfgott, driven by his father and teachers, has a breakdown. Years later he returns to the piano, to popular if not critical acclaim.
Director: Scott Hicks Stars: Geoffrey Rush, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Justin Braine Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 91% |
The Report (2019)Plot Summary: In a thriller based on actual events, an idealistic Senate staffer leads an investigation into the CIA’s post-9/11 Detention and Interrogation Program, uncovering the lengths to which the agency went to hide a brutal secret from the American public.
Director: Scott Z. Burns Writer: Scott Z. Burns Stars: Adam Driver, Annette Bening, Jon Hamm Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 82% |
Atonement (2007)Plot Summary: Thirteen-year-old fledgling writer Briony Tallis irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit.
Director: Joe Wright Writers: Ian McEwan (novel), Christopher Hampton (screenplay) Stars: Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Brenda Blethyn Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 83% |
Watchmen (2009)Plot Summary: When an ex-superhero is murdered, a vigilante named Rorshach begins an investigation into the murder, which begins to lead to a much more terrifying conclusion.
Director: Zack Snyder Writers: David Hayter, Alex Tse Stars: Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson, Carla Gugino Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 65% |
Rango (2011)Plot Summary: A chameleon that aspires to be a swashbuckling hero finds himself in a Western town plagued by bandits and is forced to literally play the role in order to protect it.
Director: Gore Verbinski Writers: John Logan Stars: Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Timothy Olyphant Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 88% |
Shutter Island (2010)Plot Summary: When U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels arrives at the asylum for the criminally insane on Shutter Island, he uncovers terrifying truths about the island and finds out some places never let you go.
Director: Martin Scorsese Writers: Laeta Kalogridis, Dennis Lehane Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Emily Mortimer, Mark Ruffalo Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 68% |
No Country for Old Men (2007)Plot Summary: Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon some dead bodies, a stash of heroin and more than $2 million in cash near the Rio Grande.
Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen Starring: Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin Genres: Western, Suspense, Drama Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 93% |
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020)Plot Summary: Follow-up film to the 2006 comedy centering on the real-life adventures of a fictional Kazakh television journalist named Borat.
Director: Jason Woliner Writers: Sacha Baron Cohen Stars: Sacha Baron Cohen, Maria Bakalova, Tom Hanks Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 86% |
Mean Girls (2004)Plot Summary: Cady thinks she understands “survival of the fittest.” However, the law of the wild takes a whole new meaning when the homeschooled 16-year-old enters public high school for the first time.
Director: Mark Waters Writers: Rosalind Wiseman , Tina Fey Stars: Lindsay Lohan, Jonathan Bennett, Rachel McAdams Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 84% |
Confidence (2003)Plot Summary: Jake Vig is a con man with a gift for duplicity and a natural charm. Now he's cooked up the con of a lifetime, all part of a plan to even the score for the murder of a buddy, pay back those he owes and get the hell out of the business.
Director: James Foley Writer: Doug Jung Stars: Edward Burns, Dustin Hoffman, Rachel Weisz Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 69% |
Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot (2018)Plot Summary: On the rocky path to sobriety after a life-changing accident, John Callahan discovers the healing power of art, willing his injured hands into drawing hilarious, often controversial cartoons, which bring him a new lease on life.
Director: Gus Van Sant Writers: John Callahan Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 76% |
American Beauty (1999)Plot Summary: Lester's life is far from perfect. As he makes a few changes in his life, the freer and the happier he gets. However, Lester is about to learn that the ultimate freedom comes at a price.
Director: Sam Mendes Writer: Alan Ball Stars: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 87% |
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)Plot Summary: GEORGE CLOONEY and MERYL STREEP lend their voices to this hilarious and heartwarming animated adventure from director WES ANDERSON. Mr. and Mrs. Fox (CLOONEY and STREEP) live a happy home life with their eccentric son Ash (JASON SCHWARTZMAN) and visiting nephew Kristofferson. That is until Mr. Fox slips into his sneaky, old ways and plots the greatest chicken heist the animal world has ever seen.
Director: Wes Anderson Writers: Roald Dahl (novel), Wes Anderson (screenplay) Stars: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 93% |
Grease (1978)Plot Summary: Grease is the one that you want! Go back to high school with Pink Lady Sandy (Olivia Newton-John), leader of the bad-boy T-Birds, Danny (John Travolta), and a rockin' and rollin' all-star cast.
Director: Randal Kleiser Writers: Jim Jacobs, Warren Casey Stars: John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 75% |
Make Us Dream (2018)Plot Summary: Steven Gerrard became perhaps the greatest player in the history of Liverpool FC, but did so when success and trophies were declining. It became his personal mission to lift the famous club back to the top. That loyalty raised him to God-like status with Liverpool fans, but was an unbearable burden, bringing with it a profound sense of responsibility to live up to their and his own expectations.
Director: Sam Blair Stars: Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen, Steve Bruce Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 86% |
Harmontown (2014)Plot Summary: Harmontown is a documentary film starring TV writer and producer Dan Harmon (NBC's "Community," Adult Swim's "Rick and Morty") as he takes his popular podcast of the same name on a calamitous cross-country tour. Featuring Jack Black, Joel McHale, John Oliver, Sarah Silverman, Ben Stiller, and Jason Sudeikis.
Director: Neil Berkeley Writer: Neil Berkeley Stars: Dan Harmon, Jeff Bryan Davis, Erin McGathy Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 76% |
3 Idiots (2009)Plot Summary: 3 Idiots Is An Award Winning Bollywood Comedy Movie, Directed By Rajkumar Hirani, Starring Aamir Khan And Kareena Kapoor In The Lead Roles. The Film Won 35 Awards. In College, Farhan And Raju Form A Great Bond With Rancho Due To His Positive And Refreshing Outlook To Life. Years Later, A Bet Gives Them A Chance To Look For Their Long-lost Friend Whose Existence Seems Rather Elusive.
Director: Rajkumar Hirani Writers: Rajkumar Hirani, Abhijat Joshi Stars: Aamir Khan, Madhavan, Mona Singh Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 100% |
Chemical Hearts (2020)Plot Summary: When a hopelessly romantic high school senior (Austin Abrams) falls for a mysterious new classmate (Lili Reinhart), it sets them both on an unexpected journey that teaches them about love, loss, and most importantly themselves.
Director: Richard Tanne Writers: Richard Tanne, Krystal Sutherland Stars: Lili Reinhart, Austin Abrams, Sarah Jones Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 62% |
The Man from Earth (2007)Plot Summary: An impromptu goodbye party for Professor John Oldman becomes a mysterious interrogation after the retiring scholar reveals to his colleagues he has a longer and stranger past than they can imagine.
Director: Richard Schenkman Writer: Jerome Bixby Stars: David Lee Smith, Tony Todd, John Billingsley Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 100% |
The Adjustment Bureau (2011)Plot Summary: An action thriller about a man (Matt Damon) who decides to fight the powerful Adjustment Bureau, risking his political future to be with the only woman he’s ever loved (Emily Blunt).
Director: George Nolfi Writers: George Nolfi , Philip K. Dick Stars: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Lisa Thoreson Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 71% |
Catch Me If You Can (2002)Plot Summary: From three-time Oscar winning director Steven Spielberg, Catch Me If You Can follows Frank W. Abagnale, Jr. as he successfully passes himself off as a pilot, a lawyer and a doctor - all before his 21st birthday!
Director: Steven Spielberg Writers: Jeff Nathanson , Frank Abagnale Jr. Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 96% |
Requiem for a Dream (2000)Plot Summary: Darren Aronofsky directs Oscar winners Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans, and Ellen Burstyn in this hypnotic tale of four people each pursuing their vision of happiness. Even as everything begins to fall apart, they refuse to let go, plummeting with their dreams into a nightmarish, gut-wrenching freefall.
Director: Darren Aronofsky Writers: Hubert Selby Jr., Hubert Selby Jr. Stars: Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 79% |
The Bourne Identity (2002)Plot Summary: A new action hero is Bourne! (Access Hollywood) Get ready for the explosive, action-packed hit with incredible fight sequences, starring Academy Award winner Matt Damon (Ocean's Eleven). Pulled from the sea with two bullets in his back, Jason Bourne discovers he has the skills of a very dangerous man and no memory of his violent past.
Director: Doug Liman Writers: Tony Gilroy , W. Blake Herron Stars: Franka Potente, Matt Damon, Chris Cooper Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 83% |
The Godfather (1972)Plot Summary: A chilling portrait of the Corleone family's rise and near fall from power in America along with balancing the story of the Sicilian clan's ugly crime business in which they are engaged.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola Writers: Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola Stars: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 98% |
Transformers (2007)Plot Summary: Dueling alien races, the Autobots and the Decepticons, bring their battle to Earth, leaving the future of humankind hanging in the balance.
Director: Michael Bay Writers: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman Stars: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 58% |
The Painted Veil (2006)Plot Summary: Based on the classic novel, Academy Award nominees Naomi Watts and Edward Norton, Liev Schreiber and Toby Jones, star in this visually stunning romantic drama. When bacteriologist Walter discovers his wife Kitty's love affair, he demands that she accompany him to a small Chinese village where a cholera epidemic has broken out. The indifferent couple now have a chance of redemption and happiness.
Directors: John Curran Starring: Naomi Watts, Edward Norton, Diana Rigg Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 74% |
Babette's Feast (1987)Plot Summary: During the late 19th century, a strict religious community in a Danish village takes in a French refugee from the Franco-Prussian War as a servant to the late pastor's daughters.
Director: Gabriel Axel Writers: Karen Blixen, Gabriel Axel Stars: Stéphane Audran, Bodil Kjer, Birgitte Federspiel Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 97% |
Collateral (2004)Plot Summary: Vincent is a cool, calculating contract killer at the top of his game. Max is a cabbie with big dreams and no results. On this fateful night, Max has to transport Vincent on his next job – one night, five stops, five hits and a getaway.
Director: Michael Mann Writer: Stuart Beattie Stars: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 86% |
True Grit (2010)Plot Summary: True Grit is a powerful story of vengeance and valor set in an unforgiving and unpredictable frontier where justice is simple and mercy is rare.
Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen Stars: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Hailee Steinfeld Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 96% |
Chi-Raq (2015)Plot Summary: Directed by the critically acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee, Chi-Raq is a modern day adaptation of the ancient Greek play “Lysistrata” by Aristophanes. After the murder of a child by a stray bullet, a group of women led by Lysistrata organize against the on-going violence in Chicago’s Southside creating a movement that challenges the nature of race, sex and violence in America and around the world.
Director: Spike Lee Writers: Kevin Willmott, Spike Lee Stars: Nick Cannon, Teyonah Parris, Wesley Snipes Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 82% |
Copycat (1995)Plot Summary: This story concerns a cop investigating a serial killer. She enliststhe aid of a former professor and writer, who is an expert on serialkillers but suffers from agoraphobia.
Director: Jon Amiel Writers: Ann Biderman, David Madsen Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Holly Hunter, Dermot Mulroney Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 78% |
Generation Wealth (2018)Plot Summary: Lauren Greenfield’s postcard from the edge of the American Empire captures a portrait of a materialistic, image-obsessed culture. Simultaneously personal journey and historical essay, the film bears witness to the global boom–bust economy, the corrupted American Dream, and the human costs of late stage capitalism, narcissism, and greed.
Director: Lauren Greenfield Stars: Lauren Greenfield, Bret Easton Ellis, Paris Cronin Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 45% |
Munich (2005)Plot Summary: During the 1972 Olympics, eleven Israeli athletes are taken hostage and murdered by a Palestinian terrorist group known as Black September. In retaliation, the Israeli government recruits a group of agents to execute those responsible for the attack.
Director: Steven Spielberg Writers: Tony Kushner, Eric Roth Stars: Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Marie-Josée Croze Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 78% |
Beautiful Boy (2018)Plot Summary: Based on the best-selling pair of memoirs from father and son David and Nic Sheff, Beautiful Boy chronicles the heartbreaking and inspiring experience of survival, relapse, and recovery in a family coping with addiction over many years.
Director: Felix van Groeningen Writers: Luke Davies, Felix van Groeningen Stars: Steve Carell, Maura Tierney, Jack Dylan Grazer Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 67% |
Flight (2012)Plot Summary: Airline pilot Whip Whitaker miraculously lands his plane after a mid-air catastrophe but questions arise as to who or what was really at fault. Pete Hammond, Deadline Hollywood.
Director: Robert Zemeckis Writer: John Gatins Stars: Denzel Washington, Nadine Velazquez, Don Cheadle Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 78% |
The Endless (2017)Plot Summary: As kids, they escaped a UFO death cult. Now, two adult brothers seek answers after an old videotape surfaces and brings them back to where they began.
Directors: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead Writer: Justin Benson Stars: Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson, Callie Hernandez Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 92% |
The Client (1994)Plot Summary: A gripping adventure of a streetwise kid who, finding himself wanted by both the FBI and the mob, hires a lawyer to defend his right not to reveal what he knows about a mafia killing.
Director: Joel Schumacher Writers: John Grisham , Akiva Goldsman Stars: Susan Sarandon, Tommy Lee Jones, Brad Renfro Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 78% |
The Hunt for Red October (1990)Plot Summary: A new technologically-superior Soviet nuclear sub is heading for the U.S. coast; however, one CIA analyst thinks the captain will defect the submarine and he only has hours to prove it.
Director: John McTiernan Writers: Tom Clancy (novel), Larry Ferguson (screenplay) Stars: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 89% |
Monster (2003)Plot Summary: Based on the life of Aileen Wuornos, a Daytona Beach prostitute who became a serial killer.
Director: Patty Jenkins Writer: Patty Jenkins Stars: Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern Rotten Tomatoes rating and review: 81% |