Essential Watchlist: 20 Great Movies Streamable Now (Lifewire Selection)

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Streaming services have changed the way many of us watch movies, and if you happen to miss a title’s theatrical release, you don’t have to wait long to catch it at home.

Many of the best new movies are currently available to stream, and we’ve put together this guide to show you where to find them.

This list focuses on movies released in 2022 and later, and doesn’t stick to just one streaming service. However, platform availability has been noted for each title.

01

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Dune: Part Two (2024) - Max

Warner Bros.

IMDb Rating : 8.6/10

Genre : Adventure, Sci-Fi, Action

Starring : Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson

Director : Denis Villeneuve

Motion Picture Rating : PG-13

Running Time : 2 hours, 46 minutes

The second entry in Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s_Dune_ sees Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) continue his quest for vengeance against the Harkonnens by uniting the Fremen people of Arrakis.

Villeneuve’s ambitious sequel delivers on the sci-fi epic spectacle that defined the first film, but it also devotes more time to unpacking the source material’s themes. Paul’s journey is defined just as much by thrilling knife fights and ground-shaking sandworm rides as it is by a sense that the Fremen may be trading one occupying colonial force for another.

Watch ‘Dune: Part Two’ on Max

02

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Oppenheimer (2023) - Prime Video

Universal Pictures

IMDb Rating : 8.3/10
Genre : Biography, Drama, History
Starring : Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon
Director : Christopher Nolan

Motion Picture Rating : R
Running Time : 3 hours

Christopher Nolan’s award-winning biopic tells the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the American theoretical physicist who led the development of the first nuclear weapons during World War II.

Based on Kai Bird’s biography_American Prometheus_ ,Oppenheimer frames its subject as a brilliant but flawed scientific mind whose life’s work may have placed mankind on an inevitable path of self-destruction.

Murphy’s standout lead performance anchors a film largely comprised of extended sequences of people sitting in rooms having conversations, but it’s the star-studded ensemble cast that helps push Nolan’s film into the realm of instant classic.

Watch ‘Oppenheimer’ on Prime Video

03

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Past Lives (2023) - Paramount Plus

A24

IMDb Rating : 7.8/10

Genre : Drama, Romance

Starring : Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro

Director : Celine Song

Motion Picture Rating : PG-13

Running Time : 1 hour, 45 minutes

More than two decades after moving away from her home in South Korea, Nora reunites with her childhood best friend, Hae Song, for a fateful weekend in New York City.

Partly inspired by real events in writer-director Celine Song’s life,Past Lives is a sensitive exploration of deep human connection and the paths our choices take us on.

Watch ‘Past Lives’ on Paramount Plus

04

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The Holdovers (2023) - Prime Video

Focus Features

IMDb Rating : 7.9/10
Genre : Comedy, Drama
Starring : Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa
Director : Alexander Payne

Motion Picture Rating : R
Running Time : 2 hours, 13 minutes

Over the Christmas holiday in 1970, a cranky teacher (Paul Giamatti) reluctantly remains at his New England boarding school, where he’s joined by a misunderstood troublemaker (Dominic Sessa) and head cook Mary (Joy Randolph), whose son was recently killed in the Vietnam War.

Warm and emotional,The Holdovers feels destined to become a modern holiday classic thanks to its excellent performances and pitch-perfect period aesthetic.

Watch ‘The Holdovers’ on Prime Video

05

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Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) - Apple TV+

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Paramount Pictures

IMDb Rating : 7.6/10

Genre : Crime, Drama, History

Starring : Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone

Director : Martin Scorsese

Motion Picture Rating : R

Running Time : 3 hours, 26 minutes

Set in 1920s Oklahoma, Scorsese’s grueling epic centers on Mollie Burkhart, a member of Osage Nation, as her community suffers a series of murders driven by the discovery of oil under Osage land.

While_Killers of the Flower Moon_ drew mixed reactions for its heavy focus on the perpetrators of the Osage Nation murders at the expense of its victims, the film’s existential horror is profound and uncompromising, with America’s appalling history of violence perpetrated against Indigenous peoples reflected in Gladstone’s Academy Award-winning performance.

Watch ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ on Apple TV+

06

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Poor Things (2023) - Hulu

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Searchlight Pictures

IMDb Rating : 7.9/10

Genre : Comedy, Drama, Romance

Starring : Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe

Director : Yorgos Lanthimos

Motion Picture Rating : R

Running Time : 2 hours, 21 minutes

Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a young woman brought back to life by off-kilter scientist Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe), navigates exploitation and misogyny as she learns about the world and carves out her place in it.

Featuring a tour-de-force lead performance from Stone,Poor Things is surreal gothic/steampunk/fantasy filmmaking at its finest, with a twisted satirical edge that’s hard to resist.

Watch Poor Things on Hulu

07

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The Iron Claw (2023) - Max

A24

IMDb Rating : 7.6/10

Genre : Biography, Drama, Sport

Starring : Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Maura Tierney

Director : Sean Durkin

Motion Picture Rating : R

Running Time : 2 hours, 12 minutes

The Iron Claw is based on the real-life story of the Von Erich brothers, who rose to prominence in the world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s.

While Durkin’s film doesn’t delve as deeply into the tragedy of the Von Erichs as many would have liked,The Iron Claw is a competent sports biopic that effectively balances depicting thrills in the ring with the exacting toll that happens outside of it.

Watch The Iron Claw on Max

08

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Hit Man (2023) - Netflix

Netflix

IMDb Rating : 7.0/10

Genre : Comedy, Crime, Romance

Starring : Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Retta

Director : Richard Linklater

Motion Picture Rating : R

Running Time : 1 hour, 55 minutes

Gary Johnson (Glen Powell), a New Orleans professor who moonlights as an undercover “hitman” for the police, ends up getting a little too caught up in his fake persona when he meets Madison (Adria Arjona) and helps her flee her abusive husband.

Writer-director Richard Linklater’s dark rom-com is another slamdunk showcase for Glen Powell, who’s quickly become one of Hollywood’s biggest leading men and a genuine crowdpleaser who somehow juggles multiple genres without veering too far off course.

Watch ‘Hit Man’ on Netflix

09

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The Zone of Interest (2023) - Max

A24

IMDb Rating : 7.4/10

Genre : Drama, History, War

Starring : Christian Friedel, Sandra Hüller, Johann Karthaus

Director : Jonathan Glazer

Motion Picture Rating : PG-13

Running Time : 1 hour, 45 minutes

Set in German-occupied Poland in the summer of 1943,The Zone of Interest focuses on SS officer and Auschwitz commander Rudolf Hoess, who lives next to the infamous camp with his wife Hedwig and their children.

In this Academy Award-nominated film, Glazer rejects the idea of Holocaust perpetrators as “mythologically evil,” as he examines the rote, mundane lives of participants in one of the twentieth century’s greatest horrors.

Watch ‘The Zone of Interest’ on Max

10

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Top Gun: Maverick (2022) - Paramount Plus

Paramount Pictures

IMDb Rating : 8.2/10
Genre : Action, Drama
Starring : Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller
Director : Joseph Kosinski

Motion Picture Rating : PG-13
Running Time : 2 hours, 10 minutes

Decades after his first tour with the TOP GUN program, Ace pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, (Tom Cruise) returns to train a new squad for a dangerous top-secret mission.

Against all odds, this long-awaited sequel not only lives up to Tony Scott’s 1986 classic but easily eclipses it, thanks to its simple but well-executed story, likable characters, and immersive flying sequences.

Watch ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ on Paramount+

Don’t have Paramount+? You can also catch_Top Gun: Maverick_ onAmazon Prime Video andMGM+ .

11

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Barbie (2023) - Max

Warner Bros. Pictures

IMDb Rating : 6.8/10

Genre : Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy

Starring : Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera

Director : Greta Gerwig

Motion Picture Rating : PG-13

Running Time : 1 hour, 54 minutes

After venturing into the real world, Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) are taken on journeys of self-discovery that will have massive ramifications for their lives back in Barbie Land.

Greta Gerwig’s bold adaptation toes the line between family-friendly comedy and subversive feminist work but manages to pull it all together into an entertaining package filled with catchy songs, fashionable outfits, and big laughs.

Watch ‘Barbie’ on Max

12

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Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) - Disney Plus

20th Century Studios

IMDb Rating : 7.5/10
Genre : Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Starring : Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver
Director : James Cameron
Motion Picture Rating : PG-13
Running Time : 3 hours, 12 minutes

James Cameron’s long-awaited return to Pandora continues the story of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), as they’re forced to flee their home and make contact with a Na’vi water tribe.

Like its predecessor,The Way of Water makes up for a lack of narrative ambition with its stunningly realized world. Cameron’s penchant for show-stopping third-act action set pieces is on full display, but the film is at its best when it takes a breath to luxuriate in its fictional characters’ day-to-day life and customs.

Watch ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ on Disney+

You can also watch_Avatar: The Way of Water_ onMax .

13

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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) - Disney Plus

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

IMDb Rating : 7.9/10

Genre : Action, Adventure, Comedy

Starring : Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Karen Gillan

Director : James Gunn

Motion Picture Rating : PG-13

Running Time : 2 hours, 30 minutes

When Rocket (Bradley Cooper) is gravely injured, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) and the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy go on a desperate mission to save their teammate and friend by seeking out his sadistic creator.

One of the few bright spots of the post-Endgame MCU (at least so far),Guardians 3 is just as irreverent as its predecessors but reaches new emotional depths in its exploration of Rocket’s tragic backstory.

Watch ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ on Disney Plus

14

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## [Monkey Man (2024) - Peacock](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9214772/)

Universal Pictures

IMDb Rating : 6.9/10

Genre : Action, Crime, Thriller

Starring : Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley, Sobhita Dhulipala

Director : Dev Patel

Motion Picture Rating : R

Running Time : 2 hours, 1 minutes

After witnessing the murder of his mother as a young child, Kid (Dev Patel) works his way up an underground fight club to exact revenge against the men who destroyed his life.

Patel’s directorial debut,Monkey Man is a stylish, violent love letter to Bruce Lee and modern revenge cinema like_The Raid: Redemption_ that also shines a light on the inherent exploitation and inequalities of India’s caste system.

Watch ‘Monkey Man’ on Peacock

15

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Ferrari (2023) - Hulu

Neon

IMDb Rating : 6.4/10

Genre : Biography, Drama, History

Starring : Adam Driver, Shailene Woodley, Penélope Cruz

Director : Michael Mann

Motion Picture Rating : R

Running Time : 2 hours, 10 minutes

In the summer of 1957, Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver) stakes the future of his automobile company — and marriage to his wife Laura (Penélope Cruz) on the Mille Miglia, a dangerous 1,000-mile race across Italy.

Heat director Michael Mann eschews the full biographic format here and instead hones in on a pivotal moment in Ferrari’s life, depicting the motorsport icon as a man whose arrogance gains him both professional glory and personal ruin.

Watch ‘Ferrari’ on Hulu

16

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Anyone But You (2023) - Netflix

Sony Pictures

IMDb Rating : 6.1/10

Genre : Comedy, Romance

Starring : Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell, Alexandra Shipp

Director : Will Gluck

Motion Picture Rating : R

Running Time : 1 hour, 43 minutes

After a misunderstanding torpedoes their first date, Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben (Glen Powell) are reluctantly reunited at a wedding in Australia and forced to confront their true feelings for one another.

Loosely based on Shakespeare’s_Much Ado About Nothing_ ,Anyone But You is a fun, charming, and occasionally raunchy throwback to the rom-com boom of the late ‘90s and early 2000s.

Watch ‘Anyone But You’ on Netflix

17

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Am I OK? (2022) - Max

Max

IMDb Rating : 6.1/10

Genre : Comedy, Drama, Romance

Starring : Dakota Johnson, Sonoya Mizuno, Jermaine Fowler

Directors : Stephanie Allynne, Tig Notaro

Motion Picture Rating : R

Running Time : 1 hour, 26 minutes

In the wake of an intercontinental move, two best friends (Dakota Johnson and Sonoya Mizuno) find their friendship put to the test after one of them reveals a deeply-held secret.

An emotional and often funny exploration of close female friendship, Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne’s film initially premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in early 2022 before hitting Max this year.

Watch ‘Am I OK?’ on Max

18

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John Wick: Chapter 4 - Starz

Lionsgate

IMDb Rating : 7.7/10
Genre : Action, Crime, Thriller
Starring : Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, George Georgiou
Directors : Chad Stahelski

Motion Picture Rating : R
Running Time : 2 hours, 49 minutes

Still on the run from the High Table, deadly assassin John Wick (Keanu Reeves) embarks on a globe-trotting mission that may offer a way to put down his former employer for good.

While this fourth John Wick installment is a bit overlong and covers familiar ground, the action setpieces continue to impress, including a staircase fight that ranks among the best in the series.

Watch ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ on Starz

19

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No One Will Save You (2023) - Hulu

Hulu

IMDb Rating : 6.3/10
Genre : Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Starring : Kaitlyn Dever, Elizabeth Kaluev, Zack Duhame
Directors : Brian Duffield

Motion Picture Rating : PG-13
Running Time : 1 hour, 33 minutes

An introverted young woman’s (Kaitlyn Dever) reclusive life turns to horror when she becomes the target of an otherwordly home invasion.

A tense thriller punctuated by a near-total lack of dialogue, Duffield’s twist on the alien invasion flick is a fun genre mashup carried by Dever’s commanding, solo lead performance.

Watch ‘No One Will Save You’ on Hulu

20

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Talk to Me (2023) - Paramount Plus

A24

IMDb Rating : 7.1/10

Genre : Horror, Thriller

Starring : Ari McCarthy, Hamish Phillips, Kit Erhart-Bruce

Directors : Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou

Motion Picture Rating : R

Running Time : 1 hour, 35 minutes

A group of teenagers gain the ability to conjure spirits with a mysterious severed hand, only to discover that their newfound power has horrific consequences.

A breakout hit for A24 (it’s the distributor’s highest-grossing horror film to date),Talk to Me takes a familiar horror setup and puts a fresh spin on it, resulting in a film that feels tailor-made to exploit the anxieties of today’s youth.

Watch ‘Talk to Me’ on Paramount+

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