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If you are looking for the best movies on Paramount Plus to watch this year, then you've come to the right place. While a lot of folks are familiar with the best shows on Paramount Plus (looking at you, South Park), a lot of the cinematic outings on the platform are overlooked, and it's a crying shame since there are some real gems on there.
From some of the best horror movies, action classics, and even some newer offerings, Paramount Plus has plenty to offer all of us movie fans. And with the news of the recent Warner Bros deal, we'll probably be getting even more exciting new movies on the streaming service soon as well. Well, to make sure you can get the most out of your subscription in the meantime, our list highlights the absolute must-watch movies for all Paramount Plus users.
The 20 best movies on Paramount Plus
20. Cloverfield
Year: 2008
Director: Matt Reeves
Available on: Paramount Plus US/UK
Cloverfield is one of the best monster movies of all time, and to this day is one of my go-to recommendations for anyone looking for a great found-footage style film. The movie is set in New York during an invasion of horrific creatures, the main one being a massive being who starts to tear up the city. We don't follow a group of action heroes here, but instead just five ordinary New Yorkers who have a camera in hand, thanks to them being at a going-away party before everything kicks off.
The plot is paced expertly, the action is genuinely adrenaline-inducing, the camera style works perfectly, and there's also a great balance between the horror and the personal character stories unravelling. So yeah, I love Cloverfield and can't recommend it highly enough.
19. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Year: 1986
Director: Leonard Nimoy
Available on: Paramount Plus US/UK
Opinion is divided on which of the original Star Trek movies is the best. The Wrath of Khan is often cited as the winner by critics, while The Undiscovered Country is a fan favorite. For us, though, The Voyage Home is the most purely enjoyable film in the original franchise. The film transports Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy, who also directed the movie) and the rest of the original Enterprise crew back in time to San Francisco in the 1980s in order to kidnap some whales. It turns out our underwater friends are the answer, to fending off a deadly alien probe that threatens the future.
Star Trek has sometimes had difficulty breaking through to a non-fan audience. The Voyage Home does so by being such an easy, breezy good time. It's genuinely funny, and warm-hearted, reminding us why we like hanging out with these characters.
18. The Martian
Year: 2012
Director: Ridley Scott
Available on: Paramount Plus US
The Martian follows the plight of astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) as he is accidentally stranded on Mars and left for dead. When NASA discovers the awful truth they scramble to launch a desperate rescue mission – but that will take some time and Watney is going to have to learn to survive on the surface of an inhospitable planet until they can come and save him...
Originally intended to be directed by The Cabin in the Woods' Drew Goddard, from his own screenplay based on Andy Weir's 2011 novel, Ridley Scott stepped in and delivered one of his late career classics. The Martian is gripping and tense, but it's also full of hope. A terrific science fiction thriller.
17. Mean Girls
Year: 2004
Director: Mark Waters
Available on: Paramount Plus US/UK
Few films have captured the viciousness of high school life than Mean Girls. Directed by Mark Waters from a script by 30 Rock creator Tina Fey, the comedy follows Lindsay Lohan's Cady as she transfers to high school after years of homeschooling. She quickly makes friends with Janis (Lizzy Caplan) and Damian (Daniel Franzese) and develops a crush on classmate Aaron (Jonathan Bennett), but learns that he is off limits due to being the ex-boyfriend of Regina (Rachel McAdams) – leader of the school's coolest clique, who Janis and Damian dub "the Plastics." That's enough to spark all-out war...
Fey's script is laugh-out-loud funny and shot through with a streak of nastiness – it's called Mean Girls for a reason, with Cady becoming as ruthless as her nemesis. That's, of course, the point, in a smart and sharp movie that has inspired countless memes, a popular stage musical, and a recent remake.
16. Gladiator
Year: 2000
Director: Ridley Scott
Available on: Paramount Plus US
Ridley Scott's historical epic kicked in the doors on a new millennium and revived the sword-and-sandal genre in the process. Russell Crowe is Maximus Decimus Meridius, a loyal Roman general horrified when Emperor Marcus Aurelius is murdered and replaced by his power-hungry son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). Sold into slavery by the new Roman ruler, Maximus is forced to fight for his survival. But as his fame grows around the empire as a gladiator, so too does his chance to take revenge...
With visceral fight scenes that put the viewer right in the action, compelling performances from Crowe and Phoenix, and an epic sense of scale, Gladiator is muscular filmmaking that remains impressive today. Gladiator II, the belated and honestly a bit rubbish recent sequel, is also available on the streamer.
15. Star Trek
Year: 2009
Director: JJ Abrams
Available on: Paramount Plus US/UK
JJ Abrams' revived Star Trek for the big screen with this fast-paced sci-fi adventure. Chris Pine plays a young Captain Kirk, fresh out of Starfleet Academy and suddenly thrust into a position of command when the villainous Nero (Eric Bana) launches an attack on planet Vulcan. Helping Kirk out is the crew of the USS Enterprise, including Dr McCoy (Karl Urban), and two versions of Spock – Zachary Quinto plays the contemporary version, while original actor Leonard Nimoy reprises his signature role thanks to the film's time travel plot.
It's all a lot faster and glossier than we were used to from Star Trek at the time, but Abrams nails the dynamic between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy perfectly. Two lesser sequels – Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond – followed, before the franchise petered out at the cinema once more and returned to TV.
14. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Year: 2004
Director: Judd Apatow
Available on: Paramount Plus US/UK
The Martian follows the plight of astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) as he is accidentally stranded on Mars and left for dead. When NASA discovers the awful truth they scramble to launch a desperate rescue mission – but that will take some time and Watney is going to have to learn to survive on the surface of an inhospitable planet until they can come and save him...
Originally intended to be directed by The Cabin in the Woods' Drew Goddard, from his own screenplay based on Andy Weir's 2011 novel, Ridley Scott stepped in and delivered one of his late career classics. The Martian is gripping and tense, but it's also full of hope. A terrific sci-fi thriller.
13. Scream
Year: 1996
Director: Wes Craven
Available on: Paramount Plus US/UK
A Nightmare on Elm Street creator Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson flipped the slasher genre on its head with this terrific post-modern thriller. Neve Campbell plays Sidney Prescott, a high school student in California whose classmates are picked off one-by-one by a masked killer. As the police try to solve the murders, Sydney and her other terrified friends begin to realize that they need to learn the "rules" of horror movies in order to survive.
Scream works both because of its smart, witty, pop culture-savvy script, and because it's a genuinely effective horror thriller and whodunnit. The franchise that followed (all also available to watch on Paramount Plus) has had its share of high and low points, but there's no arguing with the tight and terrific original.
12. Interstellar
Year: 2014
Director: Christopher Nolan
Available on: Paramount Plus US
The Dark Knight trilogy may have changed the face of comic book movies, and Oppenheimer granted director Christopher Nolan serious Oscar respectability, but Interstellar remains his most ambitious film. Set in a future where humanity is experiencing the disastrous effects of climate change, Matthew McConaughey plays former NASA pilot Joseph Cooper. Called back up from a quiet life farming, Coop is tasked with leading a desperate mission to find new habitable planets. It'll be a time, space, and mind-bending journey that will separate him from his young daughter forever, unless Coop can somehow find a way back...
This is science fiction filmmaking on an epic scale, full of heady concepts – time dilation plays a major role – and satisfyingly tactile set pieces. But it's the film's heart that really makes the film so powerful and which gives its ending such tearjerking emotional heft.
Find out what we made of the film at the time with our Interstellar review.
11. Call Me By Your Name
Year: 2017
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Available on: Paramount Plus US
This dreamy love story elevated Timothée Chalamet's career to another level. Having previously appeared in Christopher Nolan's Interstellar, the young Timmy took the lead here as Elio, an introspective musician living with his parents in Northern Italy. When his father invites the handsome Oliver (Armie Hammer) to spend the summer with the family, the two strike up a connection.
Based on the 2007 coming-of-age novel by André Aciman, Call Me By Your Name is a beautifully shot and tender portrait of youthful desire. It's not an uncomplicated movie – Oliver is older than Elio by some way – but director Luca Guadagnino (whose own career was also given a significant boost by the film's success) makes it clear that their relationship leaves its scars. A beautiful film and so evocatively shot, you can practically feel the high heat of summer.
Read our five star Call Me By Your Name review.
10. Zoolander
Year: 2001
Director: Ben Stiller
Available on: Paramount Plus US/UK
Ben Stiller plays the "really, really, really ridiculously good looking" male model Derek Zoolander in this endlessly re-watchable comedy. Derek is starting to age out of his career just as Owen Wilson's younger, "so hot right now" Hansel is breaking through in his. Cue a rivalry for the ages as the two vain, idiotic, but oddly charming models start a ridiculous feud. Little do they know, however, that fashion designer Mugatu (Will Ferrell) is brainwashing male models and using them assassins in a global plot...
Zoolander is as daft as movies get, but it's always a good time, with quotable dialogue and era-appropriate cameos aplenty from Davids Bowie and Duchovny to, uh, Donald Trump. A grim and cynical sequel was made in 2016 and is best avoided, but the original remains a gem.
9. The Wolf of Wall Street
Year: 2013
Director: Martin Scorsese
Available on: Paramount Plus US
Martin Scorsese's tale of sex, drugs, and vast financial excess is adapted from Jordan Belfort's sensational 2007 memoir of the same name. The film follows the young Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) as he becomes a stockbroker, weathers the disastrous effects of "Black Monday" – at the time, the largest one-day stock market crash in decades – and finds himself on a path of rampant corruption that will eventually lead to deals with the FBI and prison time.
Opinions tend to be sharply divided on The Wolf of Wall Street. For some the film has come across as an irresponsible glorification of Belfort's actions. For others it offers a vividly realized insight into its ruthless and amoral protagonist. Either way, DiCaprio's central performance is electric and Scorsese remains one of our greatest directors. Find out what you think of the film for yourself by streaming it now.
8. Punch-Drunk Love
Year: 2002
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Available on: Paramount Plus US/UK
Paramount Plus has recently added this early classic from One Battle After Another director Paul Thomas Anderson. If you only know Adam Sandler from the likes of Happy Gilmore, this hilarious and intensely stressful comic romance will open your eyes to just what a talented actor he really is. Sandler plays Barry Egan, an anxious entrepreneur with overbearing sisters and no love life to speak of. He falls for Emily Watson's Lena Leonard, but quickly finds himself in trouble with some two-bit gangsters.
Even this early in his career, Anderson is already a master of taut direction, perfectly-executed surprises, and wicked comedy. Crucially, though, Punch-Drunk Love also works as a genuine romantic comedy, the relationship between Barry and Lena as touching as it is funny. A beautiful, quirky, often explosively hilarious watch.
Find out what we think of PTA's latest with our One Battle After Another review.
7. No Country For Old Men
Year: 2007
Director: Joel and Ethan Coen
Available on: Paramount Plus US/UK
The Coen brothers' modern western is one of the dynamic duo's finest features – and that's saying something given the high quality of their joint filmography. Javier Bardem is utterly terrifying as hitman Anton Chigurh, a moral black hole and personification of evil who leaves a bloody trail of corpses in 1980s Texas. Tommy Lee Jones' sheriff Ed Tom Bell sets out to bring Chigurh (and his nightmarish haircut) down, but he may well have met his match.
Tough, gritty, and occasionally blackly comic, No Country For Old Men is a stunning demonstration of what makes the Coen's such celebrated filmmakers. It's a bleak watch in places, but don't let that put you off this modern classic.
6. Top Gun: Maverick
Year: 2022
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Available on: Paramount Plus US
Top Gun: Maverick could have gone so very wrong. A 36-years later legacy sequel to Tom Cruise's 1986 action movie/airforce propaganda flick, Maverick risked looking jingoistic and old fashioned in a movie market now dominated by superheroes. Instead, something remarkable happened: the film was actually really good. Great, even, with astonishing flight photography that was largely achieved by strapping its cast into real fighter jets. Better still, it reinforced Cruise's status as a true movie star – perhaps the last one standing in an IP-saturated landscape.
The secret sauce, though, was its humanity. Where the original Top Gun is characterized by its machismo, the sequel finds vulnerability in its characters. Iceman (Val Kilmer) is dying, while Cruise's Maverick is older, wiser, and sadder. He's still haunted by the death of Goose in the first movie and now has to contend with training his son. By showing us these frailties it transforms previously invulnerable – and un-relatable – icons into flawed, empathetic heroes.
Find out why we called this film "thunderously enjoyable" in our Top Gun: Maverick review.
5. Titanic
Year: 1997
Director: James Cameron
Available on: Paramount Plus US
It's hard to overestimate just how big of a deal James Cameron's disaster movie was in 1997. The film catapulted Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet to newer levels of stardom, and further elevated Cameron's reputation as the modern master of blockbusters. Retelling the real life tragedy that befell the RMS Titanic in 1912 as a starry-eyed romance between DiCaprio's scrappy, down-on-his-luck Jack Dawson and Winslet's Rose DeWitt, Cameron made an epic that had historical weight and emotional heft.
But while Titanic is often thought of as primarily a love story, that doesn't quite do its status as a disaster movie justice. Cameron's methodical depiction of the sinking ship is terrifying, while also highlighting the class inequalities that led to so many people losing their lives. Fiercely entertaining, heartbreaking, and horrifying, Titanic stands as one of the '90s best movies.
4. There Will Be Blood
Year: 2007
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Available on: Paramount Plus UK
Paul Thomas Anderson's fifth feature is a masterpiece of blood and oil. It's 1898 and Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis, in a career-defining performance) has found silver. A few years later he goes one better, striking oil that will make him impossibly wealthy. That's still not enough for him, however, and the film follows Plainview's meteoric rise and growing vendetta against Paul Dano's preacher, Eli Sunday. As the title suggests, there will be blood shed here, as Plainview's greed and obsession curdles into madness and violence.
There Will Be Blood changed Paul Thomas Anderson's reputation forever. Once the buzzy young talent behind Magnolia and Boogey Nights, he was now a lauded auteur, with The Master, Phantom Thread, and Liquorice Pizza only building on There Will Be Blood's success. It's a masterpiece of American filmmaking.
3. Raiders of the Lost Ark
Year: 1981
Director: Steven Spielberg
Available on: Paramount Plus US/UK
It may officially be titled Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark now, but to us it will always simply be "Raiders." The first and the best Indy movie remains a peerless blast of old fashioned fun. Harrison Ford is charm personified as the unlikely archaeologist turned two-fisted adventurer. In this first instalment he sets out to find the Ark of the Covenant, tackling Nazis along the way, while also falling for spirited bar owner Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen).
The later films softened the franchise to the point where it's easy to forget just how gritty this first movie is, while still being full of warmth and humor. If it's been a while – or you've somehow never seen it – now is the time to witness the birth of a movie legend.
2. The Godfather
Year: 1972
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Available on: Paramount Plus US/UK
What more can be said about Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece? For many, this crime classic, based on Mario Puzo's novel, is the single best work in American cinema. Al Pacino stars as Michael Corleone, the youngest son of infamous mob boss Vito (Marlon Brando), keen to forge his own path. Escaping his family's legacy will prove to be much harder than he expects, however.
Far more than just another gangster film, The Godfather is about everything from family to the values of post-war America itself. It defined a genre (and not simply on the big screen – there's no Sopranos without The Godfather). The film's sequel is, arguably, even better. And the third movie? Well, it's nowhere near as bad as people say. Start here and work your way through one of the cinema's greatest sagas.
1. Zodiac
Year: 2007
Director: David Fincher
Available on: Paramount Plus US
David Fincher has form with serial killers, having helmed the horrifying, gothic Seven back in 1995. Zodiac is altogether different. A retelling of the infamous – and still unsolved – Zodiac killings from the 1960s, this is a much quieter and more thoughtful piece. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Robert Graysmith, a political cartoonist who grows fascinated with solving the case, teaming up along the way with Robert Downey Jr. as journalist Paul Avery and Mark Ruffalo's Inspector Dave Toschi.
What really impresses about Zodiac is its restraint. This is a film about obsession, more than it is a re-enactment of the Zodiac's crimes. Chasing the killer costs Graysmith dearly, and while the film presents an answer for who may have committed the crimes, we know from the start that the Zodiac was never found. Not just David Fincher's best film, but one of the best of the century so far.
For more TV streaming picks, you can read our lists of the best shows on Amazon Prime, the best shows on Disney Plus, and the best shows on Netflix.
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