What defines the Prime Video film selection and distinguishes it from Netflix Australia? In a nutshell, Netflix may have the better-established original movies, but Amazon plays the nostalgia game incredibly well. And, let’s be honest, acquiring the James Bond franchise for past and future instalments is nothing short of heroic.
Unlike other streamers, Prime Video also allows you to rent or buy pretty much any movie that isn’t part of their subscription model. And while this is great if you want access to a wider range of movies, it can also be quite frustrating, especially when you’re probably already paying for multiple streamers (as most of us screen-addicted humans reasonably do).
It's clear whoever is in charge of programming over at Prime has varied taste across all genres. From easy-watching B-movie options like Ricky Stanicky and The Wrecking Crew to classic epics like Troy and Gladiator, there’s something for all tastes here.
And to make it easier for you to find something that fits your mood for your next movie night, we’ve curated a full list of new and trending movies on Prime Video Australia, as well as some older options by genre.
So sit back, relax, and scroll our list of the best movies on Prime Video Australia to find your next movie fix.
Best New Movies On Amazon Prime Australia
Project Hail Mary (2026)
IMDb Rating: 8.2
Directors: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, James Ortiz
Genre: Sci-Fi Adventure
Based on Andy Weir’s 2021 best-selling novel of the same name, Project Hail Mary is an epic sci-fi spectacle with a deeply human core. The story follows an incredibly intelligent science teacher (Ryan Gosling) who is recruited to save Earth by travelling almost 12 light-years away to stop the “star eaters” draining energy from the sun. He’s completely alone, and he’s definitely not a trained astronaut.
If you have a great home cinema setup, this is one of those movies to watch it with. If you don’t mind a couple of low-key spoilers, it’s also worth checking out our very own Ben Esden’s full movie review.
Crime 101 (2026)
IMDb Rating: 6.8
Director: Bart Layton
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan
Genre: Crime Thriller
Chris Hemsworth certainly knows how to pull off rough and rugged, and in Amazon MGM's Crime 101, you’ll see him blend that with a quiet, concentrated, and meticulous toughness. The story follows a high-level diamond thief whose plans to pull off his final high-stakes score are put under pressure by the relentlessly tenacious LAPD detective (played by Mark Ruffalo) who is closing in.
It’s Catch Me If You Can meets Michael Mann’s Heat – a slick, moody, slow-burning movie reminiscent of classic neo-noir 90s crime thrillers.
The Accountant 2 (2025)
IMDb Rating: 6.6
Director: Gavin O’Connor
Starring: Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson
Genre: Action Thriller
Assuming you’ve seen the first instalment, The Accountant 2 takes many of the elements you know and love and turns things up a notch on the action. Filled with shootouts and high-stakes espionage, it’s a lighter and more campy younger sibling to The Accountant. It leans more towards buddy comedy than super serious.
The plot is a bit convoluted, but in a nutshell. Ben Affleck’s Christian Wolff teams up with his estranged, hyper-violent hitman brother Braxton (played by Jon Bernthal) to untangle a human trafficking conspiracy. The chemistry between the two leads is a big selling point for this one, and there’s plenty of crowd-pleasing action too.
The Sheep Detectives (2026)
IMDb Rating: 7.4
Director: Kyle Balda
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Brett Goldstein, Patrick Stewart
Genre: Comedy / Mystery
If you’re in the mood for something a bit lighter, The Sheep Detectives is a great shout. With an all-star cast (from Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart to Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Emma Thompson, and Bryan Cranston), it’s a silly, sweet, and warm movie that will make you chuckle.
The story follows a flock of sheep who set out to solve the murder of their beloved shepherd. Armed only with the information they gleaned from the murder mysteries he used to read to them, they embark on an adventure that takes them way beyond the confines of the farm.
It’s Babe meets The Thursday Murder Club. An easy-watching murder mystery you can enjoy with the family.
Troy (2004)
IMDb Rating: 7.3
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Starring: Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom
Genre: Historical Epic / War Drama
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why Troy is trending right now, over 20 years after its original release. Sharing the same historical mythological universe as The Odyssey, it’s a must-watch for anyone planning to see Christopher Nolan’s latest epic any time soon.
If you’re yet to see it, it’s a war epic based on Homer’s The Iliad and the legendary Trojan War. Think big budget, thousands of extras, brutal swordplay, and some pretty decent performances from the likes of Brad Pitt and Eric Bana.
It’s an actual epic, so be prepared to sit still for 163 minutes (or 196 if you really want to go for it with the director’s cut).
Air (2023)
IMDb Rating: 7.4
Director: Ben Affleck
Starring: Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Matt Damon, Chris Messina, Viola Davis
Genre: Biographical Sports Drama
This sharp and fast-paced dramedy set in the 80s follows the story of Nike basketball talent scout Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon), who risked his career by allocating the entire budget of his fledgling division to recruit the up-and-coming rookie Michael Jordan as their campaign spokesperson.
Air looks at the corporate politics, gambles, and pressures that contributed to what eventually became the wildly successful Air Jordan shoe line. With a nostalgic 80s soundtrack, an incredibly strong cast, plenty of boardroom banter, and snappy direction from Affleck, it’s a crowd-pleasing, warm-hearted underdog story you’ll enjoy.
Saltburn (2023)
IMDb Rating: 7.0
Director: Emerald Fennell
Starring: Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike
Genre: Black Comedy / Psychological Thriller
Produced by Amazon MGM Studios, MRC, and Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap Entertainment, Saltburn is a claustrophobic gothic comedy thriller you’ll either love or hate. The story follows an awkward Oxford University outcast who is invited to spend the summer at the lavish country estate of his wildly wealthy classmate’s family. There, he becomes increasingly obsessed with his classmate, spiralling into a sinister game of depravity and social climbing as he inserts himself into the lives of his aristocrat hosts.
Shot in a tight, atmospheric 1.33:1 aspect ratio (or 4:3 for us mere mortals), it’s heavily stylised with plenty of visual grandeur. Critical reaction was heavily polarised – with some wildly praising the social commentary and others claiming it had more style than substance. Either way, it made quite the splash when it first came out, and Keoghan, Elordi, and Pike were widely praised for their performances.
The Covenant (2023)
IMDb Rating: 7.5
Director: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Dar Salim, Sean Sagar
Genre: Action / Warm Drama
If you’re looking for a movie with Guy Ritchie’s trademark mix of dark, slick comedy and brutal gangster violence, this is not it. That’s not to say it’s not worth a watch, however. In fact, it’s more decent than its box office numbers might suggest.
The Covenant follows a U.S. Army Special Forces Master Sergeant John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal) who is saved by his local Afghan interpreter, Ahmed, and dragged to safety across miles of hostile terrain after being injured by a Taliban ambush. And, months later, when a recovering Kinley learns from US soil that Ahmed and his family were denied safe passage and forced into hiding, he goes rogue and returns to an active warzone to rescue the man who saved him.
Ritchie was generally praised for his directorial restraint, delivering a grounded action movie through a blend of tactical firefights and an emotionally heavy, slow-burn narrative. It isn’t the best movie ever made, but if you like against-all-odds war survival stories with strong performances, this one’s for you.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024)
IMDb Rating: 6.8
Director: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, Alex Pettyfer
Genre: War / Action
This one’s got a bit more Guy Ritchie splattered all over it – in a good way. Basically, imagine Inglorious Basterds meets Ocean’s Eleven meets Rogue Heroes.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a heavily fictionalised account of the real-life World War II black-ops mission to neutralise Nazi U-boats in the Atlantic. Instead of playing by the rules, Gus March-Phillipps (Henry Cavill) recruits a rag-tag group of rogue and ruthless soldiers who ignore all international laws and military rules of engagement to get the job done.
It’s hyper stylised, jazz-infused, and full of all that Ritchie swagger you know and love. It’s not a war epic to take seriously, but more of a sit back, relax, and enjoy the carnage kind of vibe.
Best Drama Movies On Amazon Prime Australia
Deep Water (2022)
IMDb Rating: 5.4
Director: Adrian Lyne
Starring: Ben Affleck, Ana De Armas, Tracey Letts, Jacob Elordi
Genre: Erotic thriller
When it dropped on Amazon Prime Australia in 2022, Deep Water filled a void for an erotic thriller that hadn’t really been touched for a good few years. This wild ride doesn't hold much back when it comes to intensity, throwing Ben Affleck and his real-life ex Ana de Armas into two very complicated (yet kind of predictable) roles in an antagonistic, brutally possessive, and unhealthy relationship.
This isn't a friendly coming-of-age story, but an exploration of Affleck's Victor Van Allen and his incredibly abusive and oppressive behaviour towards his wife Melinda Van Allen (de Armas) as well as any other man in her life. It may not have wowed the critics, but it's still engaging enough for a sofa-bound movie night.
The Mauritanian (2021)
IMDb Rating: 7.4
Director: Kevin Macdonald
Starring: Tahar Rahim, Jodie Foster, Shailene Woodley, Benedict Cumberbatch
Genre: Legal drama
The Mauritanian is a compelling legal drama adapting the real-life story of a man who was held for 14 years, without charge, in Guantanamo Bay.
Kevin Macdonald serves as director here, and the fine performances he’s extracted from his cast are what really set this apart from many of the other movies on Amazon Prime. Jodie Foster gives one of her best performances in recent memory, and Tahar Rahim very much owns the screen as the film's subject in what was a big breakout role for him.
Sound of Metal (2020)
IMDb Rating: 7.7
Director: Darius Marder
Starring: Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci
Genre: Drama
Riz Ahmed has long been proving himself as a contender in Hollywood, ever since he was Jake Gyllenhaal's hapless sidekick in Nightcrawler and a zero-to-badass jail-bait in HBO's The Night Of.
Sound of Metal is the best move Ahmed could have made at this point in his career. He plays a heavy metal drummer dealing with extreme hearing loss, and the profound grief of losing something so vital to your core being. He turns in a deeply affecting and stirring performance that's a nice, real-life break from the abundance of cliché romantic comedies that most people will probably have to scroll through to find it.
Also starring Olivia Cooke and Paul Raci, it's a world-building masterclass of the quiet storm variety. It unsurprisingly picked up Oscars for Best Sound and Best Editing in 2020.
The Social Network (2010)
IMDb Rating: 7.8
Director: David Fincher
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer
Genre: Drama
Is there anything that has been as influential this century as Facebook?
While there’s a whole heap of other controversies that have surfaced in the 16 years since the making of this movie (which will be covered in Aaron Sorkin’s long-awaited follow-up, The Social Reckoning starring Succession’s Jeremy Strong), The Social Network is a deep, sensitive exploration of how Mark Zuckerberg came up with the simply brilliant idea of the social media platform, along with the behind-the-scenes legal dramas that ensued.
David Fincher directed the hell out of this one, drawing out the tension Jesse Eisenberg brought in his career-best role as the Zuck himself.
The Big Short (2015)
IMDb Rating: 7.8
Director: Adam McKay
Starring: Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, Steve Carell
Genre: Drama
Starring Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt, The Big Short does more than just maximise the cast and the supersized star power that comes with it. Directed by Adam McKay, this classic real-life story of Wall Street genius Michael Burry dives into the economic collapse of America with impressive detail, highlighting the greed and opportunism that came with Burry's big bet against the housing market.
Since the movie debuted in 2015, it has been hailed as a modern-day classic for investors, providing a fascinating and clearly well-researched study into one of the biggest shorts in history. No bloke worth his salt should go through life without dipping into this story at least once, and fortunately, you can do that as many times as you damn well please (if you've made the wise choice to go beyond that Amazon Prime free trial, of course).
Gladiator (2000)
IMDb Rating: 8.5
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix
Genre: Drama
Gladiator stands as one of the greatest epics to surface at the turn of the century. Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix take the lead in this Ridley Scott movie, tracking the story of Maximus as he rises from slavery to become a vengeful gladiator. Even the score is perfect here, featuring some of Hans Zimmer's best work to date. Over a quarter of a century old, Gladiator is easily still one of the best movies on Prime Video.
Whiplash (2014)
IMDb Rating: 8.5
Director: Damien Chazelle
Starring: J.K. Simmons, Miles Teller, Melissa Benoist, Austin Stowell
Genre: Drama
You’d think that the most intense mentor-student relationships would come from sports movies, but Whiplash flips that idea on its head. In one of the best performances of J.K Simmons' career, he plays a ferocious, whip-cracking music teacher demanding the most from his new student, Andrew (played with great sensitivity by Miles Teller). Directed by Damien Chazelle, the universally acclaimed drama completely justifies the film’s title, with Simmons in beast mode throughout.
The best movies are the ones that completely stop you in your tracks and catch you off guard. This is one of those, and perhaps the finest example of a subversive project on Amazon Prime Video Australia.
Top Crime Movies On Amazon Prime Australia
A Bronx Tale (1996)
IMDb Rating: 7.8
Director: Robert De Niro
Starring: Robert De Niro, Chazz Palminteri, Lillo Brancato, Francis Capra
Genre: Crime
Less appreciated than The Godfather but no less compelling, A Bronx Tale is worth a watch. This classic features Robert De Niro at his very best, directing and playing the lead role. He’s supported by a strong cast, too, in a project that pioneered the no-nonsense crime film style that has become ingrained in modern cinema.
Action Movies On Amazon Prime Australia
Every James Bond Movie
IMDb Rating: 6.7 (The Man With The Golden Gun) to 8.0 (Casino Royale)
Director: Terence Young, Peter R Hunt, Martin Campbell & More
Starring: Daniel Craig, Pierce Brosnan, Timothy Dalton, Roger Moore, George Lazenby, Sean Connery
Genre: Action
Every single James Bond movie is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video Australia. While Stan Australia held the streaming rights to this timeless franchise for a while, that baton now passes over to Amazon.
While we just have to wait and see who they will cast in the iconic role – and whether or not they will do Bond justice as the new producers behind the franchise – you get to stream classics like Goldeneye, Live and Let Die, and the most recent No Time To Die whenever you so damn please.
Jurassic Park (1993)
IMDb Rating: 8.2
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Samuel L Jackson, BD Wong
Genre: Adventure
The original and the best. Directed by Steven Spielberg, Jurassic Park changed the game in a way that hadn't been seen since his other beastly icon, Jaws.
The 1993 classic brought in over US$1 billion from a US$63 million budget, proving that the potent blend of dinosaur fascination, action, smoke-machine-soaked tension, and memorable death scenes (R.I.P. Newman) was too hard for cinemagoers to resist.
If you've got a big screen and you've invested in one of the best soundbars you can find, this is a good movie to use it with.
Best Comedy Movies On Amazon Prime Australia
The Tender Bar (2021)
IMDb Rating: 6.7
Director: George Clooney
Starring: Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, Daniel Ranieri, Lily Rabe, Christopher Lloyd
Genre: Comedy drama
George Clooney sits in the director's chair for The Tender Bar, a genuinely warm and comforting coming-of-age drama adaptation from the 2005 memoir of J.R Moehringer. Driven by a wonderful performance from lead Ben Affleck, as well as an equally great turn by Tye Sheridan, the film follows 9-year-old J.R. as he moves into his grandfather's crumbling house on Long Island in search of a stable father figure.
Fair warning: while it is a comedy, it's the kind of film that could make even the toughest of grown men shed a tear.
The Lobster (2015)
IMDb Rating: 7.1
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Starring: Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Olivia Colman, John C Reilly
Genre: Romantic surrealist comedy
It's hard to explain this one; it really is. The film sets up an incredibly warped world where single people are sent to a hotel where they have a specified time limit to find a partner, lest they be turned into an animal of their choice.
If you thought the plot sounded strange, wait until you actually watch this full absurdist comedy. It has that quintessential Yorgos Lanthimos tone – a singular, bizarre touch responsible for some of the most unique moments in cinema over the past few years.
If you like Colin Farrell in In Bruges, then it's highly likely you're going to enjoy picking apart The Lobster – from the confusing opening act to the intensely hilarious, dark, and downright unforgettable third act.
Birdman (2014)
IMDb Rating: 7.7
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Starring: Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts
Genre: Comedy drama
You wouldn't think Beetlejuice could get any better so far into his career, but what Michael Keaton did in 2014's Best Picture-winning Birdman is simply jaw-dropping. The mostly single-shot movie, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, follows a fledgling Hollywood actor attempting to own the stage on Broadway. And it absolutely nails the brief for what a black comedy should be.
Birdman is something entirely different, referencing Keaton's own career (Batman, obviously) as a man once known for playing a superhero, falling from grace, and hilariously going through the motions of the very unglamorous side of Hollywood fame.
It’s also worth noting that the supporting cast is just as strong as the lead here. No matter what genre you're into, it's hard to deny that Birdman is easily one of the best movies on Amazon Prime that you can stream right now.
I Care A Lot (2020)
IMDb Rating: 6.3
Director: J Blakeson
Starring: Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage, Eiza Gonzalez
Genre: Black comedy
Rosamund Pike leads a brilliant cast in I Care A Lot, a rather unnerving black comedy from director J Blakeson. Although mostly entertaining, the flick veers more into thriller territory as it follows the story of Marla Grayson, a woman who scams the elderly as a ridiculously immoral court-appointed guardian. Peter Dinklage also gets in on the scheme as crime lord Roman Lunyov.
Although the title may misrepresent the movie and make it sound like a vintage Hugh Grant pre-renaissance piece, the effectively grim story is a nice break from the classics that populate Amazon Prime. Besides, it's not often a script can so deftly blend thriller with comedy and sell the balance unbelievably well on screen.
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020)
IMDb Rating: 6.6
Director: Jason Woliner
Starring: Maria Bakalova, Sacha Baron Cohen, Rudy Giuliani
Genre: Very Nais Comedy
While the original Borat is always going to be superior to the slightly disappointing sequel, there's still more than enough about Borat Subsequent Moviefilm to entertain. Making up for the gimmick of diminishing returns is just how damn clever Sacha Baron Cohen is when it comes to milking out the worst of the Americans he interacts with.
It's aggressive satire masked as vulnerable trolling, and as much an exercise in taking learnings from Cohen's political satire show Who Is America? as it is a continuation of the eternally loved Borat character. It's a fascinating watch, just don't expect the side-splitting, hilarious scenes of the first.
Top Sci-Fi Movies On Amazon Prime Australia
The Tomorrow War (2021)
IMDb Rating: 6.5
Director: Chris McKay
Starring: Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, J.K Simmons, Jasmine Matthews
Genre: Sci-fi
For all its muscle, The Tomorrow War is largely a flop. That isn't to say this Amazon Prime Video Original isn't entertaining, by any means.
Chris Pratt leads this time-travelling war film that deftly blends sci-fi with something with a bit more heart. Yeah, it blew the supersized budget on cliché special effects and standard action scenes, but what director Chris McKay turned in does at least have a strong entertainment factor. It will not change your life, but if you’re looking to stream a mindless popcorn flick on a lazy Sunday, it’ll do the trick nicely.
Life (2017)
IMDb Rating: 6.6
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Reynolds, Rebecca Ferguson
Genre: Sci-fi horror
Life is an interesting push into Ridley Scott's territory, with Director Daniel Espinosa creating his own Alien but still capturing the same claustrophobic sense of fear and deflation in the face of a new extraterrestrial life form. If you're a fan of the Alien series, Life is definitely going to satisfy - it doesn't at all feel like a rip-off, instead making its own mark with some ridiculously bloody, memorable scenes that are best left as a surprise.
Edging more towards other streaming platforms? Check out our latest curated lists of the Best Shows on Netflix Australia and the Best Movies on Stan.
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Or if you're all about Christopher Nolan’s latest epic, The Odyssey, right now (and let’s face it, who isn’t?), check out the best Christopher Nolan movies of all time as well as our recommendations on what to watch next.