Prime Video‘s line-up is one of the most diverse out there. There really is something for everyone, including both catalogue titles and originals, but today we’re not looking at the biggest of the biggest. But we’re also not looking at the deepest cuts, either. We’re looking for the movies that fall between, the catalogue titles that aren’t in the top 10 per se but have enough macro-scale appeal to be worthy of a recommendation. So that means we’re leaving off Prime Video originals, like Deep Cover and Heads of State (both of which are very much worth watching, by the way).
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As mentioned, we’re also leaving out the big trending studio movies that are currently within the most popular ranking on Prime Video’s homepage, e.g. The Accountant 2 and The Fall Guy. From movies about killer fish to ’80s cop dramas, these are a few movies on Prime Video very much worth your time.
1) Piranha 3D
Piranha 3D may not have done particularly well in theaters when it was released back in August 2010, but it should have, because this is a perfect summer horror comedy. The narrative follows a sheriff as she tries to get hundreds of spring breakers out of the water after a horde of teeth-gnashing piranha are released from a cavern.
About as gory as a monster movie can get, Piranha 3D isn’t a movie to watch with the whole family. However, for those who love “When Animals Attack” movies with a sharp sense of satire at its core, Piranha 3D is a modern minor masterpiece of B-movie cinema. Is watching it on streaming the same as it was back in 2010 on the big screen in effectively gimmicky 3D? Not quite, but it’s worth a watch nonetheless.
2) The Way, Way Back
Nat Faxon and Jim Rash’s The Way, Way Back is the lovely tale of Duncan, a shy teen who is begrudgingly going along with his mom and her new boyfriend to the latter’s summer beach house. There, he gets a job at a water park and learns how to embrace life from fellow water park employee Owen (Sam Rockwell, in one of his better roles).
Like Piranha 3D, The Way, Way Back was released during the summertime and perfectly functions as a summertime watch. Though, suffice it to say, they are very different films. For every ounce of blood in Piranha, Way Back has just as much charm.
3) They Came Together
The rom-com parody They Came Together tells the meet cute story of small candy store owner Molly and candy company corporate drone Joel, two people with very different takes on how to be in the candy business. They’re set up by two of their friends and do not get along, but can these two sides of the same coin make it work? And will Joel’s boss find a new Halloween costume after he pooped in his zip-up green superhero one? Because that costume is ruined.
They Came Together is arguably a niche comedy, but for those who can get on its wavelength it’s consistently hilarious throughout. How can you tell if you’re its ideal audience? If you enjoyed Wet Hot American Summer, you’re absolutely going to love this one. But it is inherently less niche than Wet Hot because anybody who has ever seen a romantic comedy will understand at least some of this movie’s jokes (and there are a ton of them) and appreciate what director David Wain and cast were going for.
4) The Fog
John Carpenter’s follow-up movie to Halloween, The Fog, is quite different from the Michael Myers classic. But it’s a classic, too. We follow the residents of Antonio Bay, California, who are preparing to celebrate the town’s 100 year anniversary. Unfortunately for and unbeknownst to them, that anniversary actually celebrates how the six founders of Antonio Bay purposely wrecked a ship, drowning the lepers aboard, and stole their gold. Now, the drowned men are back as ghosts, and they use a glowing fog to storm the town and eliminate the relatives of those six men responsible.
While The Fog is a little too short, almost everything else about it works. The music is some of Carpenter’s best (which is really saying something), Adrienne Barbeau is phenomenal as radio host Stevie Wayne, and the glowing fog is fairly iconic imagery.
5) Colors
Dennis Hopper’s Colors follows a pair of LAPD officers assigned to the C.R.A.S.H. (Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums) unit. Robert Duvall plays the seasoned Officer Bob Hodges, who has established a level of rapport with the community that the hotheaded Officer Danny McGavin (Sean Penn) threatens to undue with his volatile behavior.
Admittedly, some aspects of Colors feel fairly ’80s, but more often than not it’s a powerful film. It’s very well-directed by Hopper and Penn and Duvall make a great team. There are also a few famous faces very early on in their careers, e.g. Don Cheadle, Damon Wayans, Mario Lopez, Courtney Gains, and the late Tony Todd. Colors makes for a great companion piece to End of Watch.
6) Abigail
Abigail follows a group of robbers tasked with stealing from the owner of a mysterious mansion. The task is to hold his daughter for ransom. There are a few hiccups to their plan, though. One, the owner of the mansion is a notorious and murderous criminal. The other, his daughter’s a vampire, and the robbers are her dinner.
Like Ready or Not, Scream (2022), and Scream VI, Abigail helps cement Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin (AKA Radio Silence) as two of modern horror’s definitive voices. It’s one of the best modern vampire movies out there, with a fun tone, tons of blood, and note-perfect performances from the cast.
7) Kill the Irishman
Kill the Irishman is the true story of Danny Green, an Irish longshoreman who, thanks to his way with people and persuasive nature, is made the interim president of the International Longshoremen’s Association. Eventually, though, Green steps on the wrong toes. Namely, the Mafia’s, and they enlist a slew of hitmen to try and take Green out. Eventually, they succeed, but it’s not easy.
While Kill the Irishman is one of the more underrated Val Kilmer movies, it really belongs to Ray Stevenson. Like Kilmer, we’ve now lost Stevenson, and if there was one movie that really allowed him to show off his range as an actor, it was this one. As a whole, even without Stevenson, it’s an above average gangster film with a neat core hook, but Stevenson elevates it to a must-watch.
8) How to Train Your Dragon 2
How to Train Your Dragon 2 picks up five years after the events of the original film. The Vikings have made friends with the dragons, thanks to the powerful example made by young Hiccup and the fire-spewing Toothless. These days, Hiccup and Toothless scour the uncharted corners of Berk, but when they stumble upon a cave they meet Valka, who just so happens to be Hiccup’s long-lost mother. Now, as Hiccup and Valka forge a connection, they find their homeland under siege by the violent warrior Drago.
All three animated How to Train Your Dragon films were critical and commercial hits, but there’s a strong argument to be made that the middle chapter of the trilogy is the best chapter. Like the original it hits plenty of strong emotional beats and ups the action to incredible highs. With the live-action remake of the original deep into its theatrical run, How to Train Your Dragon 2 is no longer trending on Prime Video, but it’s still there and there’s no better time to watch it given the resurgence of the IP.
9) You’re Next
You’re Next follows Sharni Vinson’s Erin, who tags along with her boyfriend Crispian Davison to a dinner at his family’s expansive vacation home. Soon that dinner is interrupted by a few people wearing animal masks, who begin picking off the family one by one.
Easily one of the best modern slasher movies, You’re Next is a blood-soaked wild ride. It’s also fairly unpredictable. Furthermore, Vinson’s work in the lead role is phenomenal, and should have made her a substantial star here in the United States.
10) Bait
Bait is an Australian shark flick that takes place almost entirely in a supermarket. We follow Josh, a former lifeguard who watched his friend (and brother to his fiancé, Tina) get gobbled up by a great white. Now, a year later, a tsunami has hit, and Josh, Tina (who is now his former fiancé but is in the store with her new boyfriend), other supermarket staff, a young couple, and a pair of robbers (one of whom is played by the late Julian McMahon), are stuck within these walls with a 12 ft great white swimming between the aisles.
One of the best shark movies not titled Jaws, Bait (or Bait 3D as it’s more commonly known) did not play on U.S. screens. And, like most shark movies that didn’t receive a wide release like Jaws or The Meg, it’s easy to pass by. But it’s far better than its bland cover might suggest, and considering it also stars Sharni Vinson, it makes for a great second half to double feature night after You’re Next (or Piranha 3D, for that matter).
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Image courtesy of Starz
