The 22 best movies on Paramount+ (original) (raw)

Originally launched (to some skepticism) as CBS All Access in 2014, it's safe to say that Paramount+ was ahead of its time. It was, in fact, the first over-the-top service from an American broadcaster. In 2021, during the pandemic theatrical shakeup, Paramount+ rebranded and made a name for itself with an admirable library of films on top of its television offerings.

Picking only 22 of the best movies on Paramount+ was no easy task, but we at EW tried our best. Join us as we run through the list.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

Haley Joel Osment in 'A.I. Artificial Intelligence'. Everett Collection

This sci-fi epic from Steven Spielberg only gets better with age. Set in the distant future, Haley Joel Osment stars as David, a humanoid robot programmed to love who is eventually abandoned by his human family. With only his robotic teddy bear by his side, David explores the wide-open world in an effort to eventually be made human and regain his mother's trust, with visions of Pinocchio's Blue Fairy in his mind. Ambitious yet heartfelt, A.I. is a poetic exploration of loneliness and humanity. —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch A.I. Artificial Intelligence: Paramount+

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: Steven Spielberg

Cast: Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O'Connor, Brendan Gleeson, William Hurt

Annihilation (2018)

Tessa Thompson and Gina Rodriguez in 'Annihilation'.

Paramount/courtesy Everett Collection

This psychological sci-fi thriller is a true mind-bender, based on the novel of the same name by Jeff VanderMeer. The film follows Lena (Natalie Portman), a cellular biology professor who teams up with fellow scientists on an expedition to a mysteriously expanding land zone known as the Shimmer. Within the Shimmer, Lena and her team witness and experience odd occurrences that increasingly put them in harm's way. Such incidents are better left unspoiled, but trust that you won't forget some of the images and themes presented. As EW's critic praises, "It's the kind of film that leaves you dazzled, shellshocked — and not entirely sure whether your own moviegoing DNA hasn’t been altered a little in the process." —K.J.

Where to watch Annihilation: Paramount+

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Alex Garland

Cast: Natalie Portman, Oscar Isaac, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, Tuva Novotny

Cloverfield (2008)

Michael Stahl-David, Lizzy Caplan, and Jessica Lucas in 'Cloverfield'.

Paramount/courtesy Everett

Like The Blair Witch Project before it, Cloverfield made great use of marketing itself with an air of mystery and ambiguity. Luckily, the film itself did not disappoint, using a found footage style to capture a horrifying monster attack in New York City. Cloverfield centers on a group of friends attending a party, only to be disrupted by an earthquake and a power outage. Soon, a giant creature descends upon the city, leading to mass chaos. EW's critic calls the film a "surreptitiously subversive, stylistically clever little gem of an entertainment," and it still holds up today, with its great use of its limited camera perspective and a shockingly poignant ending. —K.J.

Where to watch Cloverfield: Paramount+

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Matt Reeves

Cast: Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller, Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel, Odette Yustman

Clueless (1995)

Stacey Dash and Alicia Silverstone in 'Clueless'.

Paramount Pictures/Getty

Alicia Silverstone stars as Cher, the girl with, like, totally the coolest closet of all time, in Amy Heckerling's update of Jane Austen's Emma. It's a perfectly calibrated romp that both embraces and subverts some tried and true tropes of the teen comedy. "More than a decade and a half after we first met Silverstone's divine Ms. Horowitz," EW's critic wrote of the film in 2012, "she still has an important message for those of us watching at home: Namely, 'tis a far, far better thing doing stuff for other people.'" —Declan Gallagher

Where to watch Clueless: Paramount+

EW grade: C+ (read the review)

Director: Amy Heckerling

Cast: Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, Brittany Murphy, Stacey Dash, Donald Faison

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

(From left to right) Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, and Matthew Broderick in 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off'. Everett Collection

Matthew Broderick inspired an entire generation of kids to be bad in John Hughes’ classic about hipster high schooler Ferris Bueller (Broderick) and his wacky, wild day playing hooky with his morose friend Cameron (Alan Ruck) and girlfriend Sloane (Mia Sara). It's a silly romp and perhaps not much more than that, but the movie holds up (and manages to feel a bit modern) all these years later. As EW's critic recalls, "It's the rare film that charms both Kurt Cobain and Dan Quayle, but like Ferris Bueller himself — who was popular with sportos, motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, wasteoids, dweebies, and d---heads alike...Ferris Bueller’s Day Off appealed to just about everyone." —D.G.

Where to watch Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: Paramount+

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: John Hughes

Cast: Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jeffrey Jones, Jennifer Grey

Grease (1978)

Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta in 'Grease'.

Paramount Pictures/Getty

We've got chills, and they're multiplyin' every time we watch this campy homage to '50s Americana. After greaser Danny Zuko (John Travolta) regales his fellow high schoolers with stories of his summer spent romancing an Australian girl named Sandy (Olivia Newton-John), he's thrilled to find out she's transferred to his school. Though they each remember their summer lovin' differently, the couple explores their relationship further — while occasionally breaking into song when they can't express themselves in words. —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch Grease: Paramount+

Director: Randal Kleiser

Cast: John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, Eve Arden, Frankie Avalon, Joan Blondell, Edd Byrnes, Sid Caesar, Alice Ghostley, Dody Goodman, Sha Na Na

Last Holiday (2006)

LL Cool J, Gerard Depardieu, and Queen Latifah in 'Last Holiday'.

Paramount/courtesy Everett Collection

Queen Latifah and LL Cool J share an enviable chemistry in Wayne Wang's sensitive remake of the 1950 British film of the same name. Last Holiday is about 20 percent broad comedy and 80 percent genuine pathos, which turns out to be more successful than you'd think. Latifah plays an unrealized woman who, when diagnosed with a fatal disease and given weeks to live, decides to live it up at a chalet in Europe. It's nothing groundbreaking, but Wang's film has a pleasingly old-school, unhurried essence, and Latifah is always a welcome dramatic presence. —D.G.

Where to watch Last Holiday: Paramount+

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: Wayne Wang

Cast: Queen Latifah, LL Cool J, Giancarlo Esposito, Alicia Witt, Jascha Washington

Mean Girls (2004)

(From left to right) Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried, Rachel McAdams, Jonathan Bennett, and Lacey Chabert in 'Mean Girls'. Everett Collection

A musical update of Mark Waters' seminal high school comedy — following new girl Cady getting inducted into a group of queen bees headed by the ruthless Regina George — is now streaming on Paramount+. But, there's no better time to revisit the original, which has only gotten funnier with age. It's both laugh-out-loud entertaining and a thoughtful exploration of teenage behavior. As EW's critic wrote in 2004 of the Tina Fey-penned comedy, "The movie — a vinegary fable with a Splenda aftertaste — is a harbinger of hope not only for future feminist comedies of any grit but also for _SNL_-staffed feature films that don't disproportionately suck." —D.G.

Where to watch Mean Girls: Paramount+

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: Mark Waters

Cast: Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried, Tina Fey, Tim Meadows

Mission: Impossible — Fallout (2018)

Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Tom Cruise, and Ving Rhames in 'Mission: Impossible — Fallout'.

David James/Paramount /Courtesy Everett Collection

Every Mission: Impossible movie is available to stream on Paramount+, but this sixth entry in the film franchise is arguably the best one yet. Fallout centers on IMF agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) in his quest to stop an expected nuclear attack from a terrorist group. He and his team are joined by CIA assassin August Walker (Henry Cavill) to recover plutonium cores on a mission that proves decidedly more difficult than Hunt could ever imagine. Packed with dazzling set pieces and genuinely shocking twists, EW's critic praises the film as "the kind of pure, straight-no-chaser pop fun that not only keeps taking your breath away over and over again, it restores your occasionally shaky faith in summer blockbusters." —K.J.

Where to watch Mission: Impossible — Fallout: Paramount+

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Cast: Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Sean Harris, Angela Bassett, Vanessa Kirby, Michelle Monaghan, Alec Baldwin

The Parallax View (1974)

Warren Beatty (right) in 'The Parallax View'.

Courtesy Everett Collection

A defining film for the paranoia of the '70s, Alan J. Pakula's nervy thriller stars Warren Beatty in one of his best performances. The actor plays Joe Frady, an investigative journalist whose ex-girlfriend is murdered after witnessing a political assassination. With numerous other observers dropping like flies, Frady uncovers a shady organization called the Parallax Corporation as the culprit — and finds himself soon becoming a target himself. Imbued with dread, The Parallax View is as resonant now as it ever was. As EW's critic writes, "Pakula’s message seems to be that assassination and violence have become as American as apple pie and baseball." —K.J.

Where to watch The Parallax View: Paramount+

Director: Alan J. Pakula

Cast: Warren Beatty, Hume Cronyn, William Daniels, Paula Prentiss

A Quiet Place (2018)

John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, and Millicent Simmonds in 'A Quiet Place'. Jonny Cournoyer/Paramount Pictures

Not advised for those easily startled, A Quiet Place became an instant horror favorite upon its 2018 release. Predatory alien creatures with hypersensitive hearing have overrun Earth, and any sound can be a death sentence for humans. John Krasinski does triple duty as director, co-writer, and star, playing a man living in this postapocalyptic world with his family, who are trying to survive and find a way to fight back. The gripping tension inherent in its premise would be enough to cause anxiety in viewers, but Krasinski proves adept at deploying maximum terror when you're least expecting it. As EW's critic writes, "When A Quiet Place has one finger on the panic button and the other on mute, it’s a nervy, terrifying thrill." —K.J.

Where to watch A Quiet Place: Paramount+

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: John Krasinski

Cast: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe

A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)

Joseph Quinn and Lupita Nyong'o in 'A Quiet Place: Day One'.

Gareth Gatrell/Paramount Pictures

The third film in the Quiet Place franchise intriguingly rewinds to the first day of the invasion that would ultimately cause an apocalypse. We also transport to the concrete jungle of New York, where we meet a terminally ill woman named Samira (Lupita Nyong'o) as she desperately tries to avoid the sound-sensitive alien creatures intent on attacking the city. You'll still get plenty of the jump-scares that made the first two Quiet Place films so effective, but there's an emotional core to Day One that resonates, too, especially in Samira's connection with a stranger named Eric (Joseph Quinn). "Somehow," writes EW's critic, "this movie ends up being quite touching in between scenes when it’s making you jump." —K.J.

Where to watch A Quiet Place: Day One: Paramount+

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Michael Sarnoski

Cast: Lupita Nyong'o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou

Rocketman (2019)

(From left to right) Bryce Dallas Howard, Gemma Jones, Taron Egerton, and Jamie Bell in 'Rocketman'.

Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection

Biopics about famous singers are rarely hailed for their originality, but this inventive musical drama based on the life of Elton John is an exception. Taron Egerton, in a Golden Globe-winning performance, portrays the legendary musician through his career peaks and valleys, nailing the flamboyant stage persona and the darker private moments fueled by his addictions to drugs and alcohol. Featuring brilliantly staged musical numbers and an eye-catching color palette befitting of its subject, Rocketman is, as EW's critic writes, "a musical extravaganza anchored less in the real world than in a sort of glittery jukebox Narnia." —K.J.

Where to watch Rocketman: Paramount+

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Dexter Fletcher

Cast: Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, Bryce Dallas Howard

She's All That (1999)

Rachael Leigh Cook and Freddie Prinze Jr. in 'She's All That'.

Miramax/courtesy Everett Collection

Another particularly broad '90s high school comedy (can you tell we love the subgenre?), this one has an admittedly problematic plot at its core. Cool guy Zack (Freddie Prinze Jr.) is dared to date super-not-cool (but, like, artsy and thoughtful and interesting) Lainey (Rachael Leigh Cook). We've all seen the scene where she walks down the stairs newly beautified, and it's easy to roll your eyes at the concept. The chemistry between Prinze and Cook, though, as well as a smart script (polished by none other than M. Night Shyamalan), set this one well apart from the pack. —D.G.

Where to watch She’s All That: Paramount+

EW grade: B– (read the review)

Director: Robert Iscove

Cast: Freddie Prinze Jr., Rachael Leigh Cook, Matthew Lillard, Paul Walker, Anna Paquin

Super 8 (2011)

Kyle Chandler, Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, and Ron Eldard in 'Super 8'.

Francois Duhamel/Paramount Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection

Inspired by the wonder-filled '80s-era films by Steven Spielberg, Super 8 is a visually striking homage that works even for those who don't have nostalgia for that time period. Set in 1979, the film centers on 14-year-old Joe (Joel Courtney) and his peers as they film a zombie movie with a Super 8 camera. Their filming is interrupted when they witness a truck crash into a train, which soon leads to mysterious events occurring around town. EW's critic praises the film for its "original storytelling grounded in a sophisticated respect for storytellers who have come before." —K.J.

Where to watch Super 8: Paramount+

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: J.J. Abrams

Cast: Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, Joel Courtney, Gabriel Basso, Noah Emmerich, Ron Eldard, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee, Zach Mills

There Will Be Blood (2007)

Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano in 'There Will Be Blood'.

Mary Evans/PARAMOUNT VANTAGE/Ronald Grant/Everett Collection

Paul Thomas Anderson weaves an epic tale of greed and corruption in this riveting Western drama. The film charts Daniel Plainview's (Daniel Day-Lewis) rise to power during the oil boom at the turn of the 20th century, stepping on all who helped him get there. Day-Lewis delivers one of his most towering performances as the ruthless baron whose fractured relationship with his son comes back to haunt him in his later days. "It can hardly be called an 'act,'" EW's critic writes, "so fully does the fictional Daniel come alive, with all the fury, hatred, restlessness, and distrust that courses through him." —K.J.

Where to watch There Will Be Blood: Paramount+

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Kevin J. O'Connor, Ciarán Hinds, Dillon Freasier

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Tom Cruise in 'Top Gun: Maverick'. Paramount Pictures

Joseph Kosinski's follow-up to Tony Scott's 1986 original is perfect blockbuster entertainment if you can avoid some of the dubious messaging. Tom Cruise returns, this time teaching a pack of new recruits the aerial ropes to fight a war against an unspecified enemy. It's another perfectly structured genre movie that gets by on pure adrenaline but works because you actually believe in the stakes. Knowledge of the first film helps but isn't entirely necessary; as EW's critic observes, the film "toggles deftly between winking callbacks and standard big-beat action stuff meant to stand on its own." —D.G.

Where to watch Top Gun: Maverick: Paramount+

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Cast: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Glen Powell, Val Kilmer

The Virgin Suicides (2000)

(From left to right) Leslie Hayman, Kirsten Dunst, A. J. Cook, and Chelse Swain in 'The Virgin Suicides'.

Paramount Classics/Courtesy Everett Collection

Sofia Coppola's first film is one of her best. A sensitive, tragic, and darkly comic adaptation of Jeffrey Eugenides' novel, the film concerns the mysterious deaths amongst the cloistered daughters (including Kirsten Dunst and A.J. Cook) of overbearing parents (Kathleen Turner and James Woods). Coppola’s greatest trick is that the movie is somehow both tragic and uplifting, often at once. —D.G.

Where to watch The Virgin Suicides: Paramount+

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Sofia Coppola

Cast: James Woods, Kathleen Turner, Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartnett, Scott Glenn, Michael Paré, Danny DeVito

World War Z (2013)

Brad Pitt, Sterling Jerins, and Mireille Enos in 'World War Z'.

Jaap Buitendijk/Paramount Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection

Initially dismissed for its inflated budget and reported reshoots, World War Z ended up as a neat, efficient thriller. Brad Pitt, as United Nations investigator Gerry Lane, goes on a quest to save the world from a zombie apocalypse. (As his homebound wife, Mireille Enos is given pitifully little to do.) The best part of the movie is ironically the reshot portion, a stripped-down stalking sequence in a laboratory that closes the film. "World War Z turns the prospect of the end of our world into something tumultuous and horrifying and, at the same time, exciting," EW's critic writes. "It's scary good fun." —D.G.

Where to watch World War Z: Paramount+

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Mark Forster

Cast: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz, Matthew Fox, Elyes Gabel

Young Adult (2011)

Patrick Wilson and Charlize Theron in 'Young Adult'.

Phillip V. Caruso/Paramount Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection

This angry and weird little movie was made by Jason Reitman after his Oscars hot streak, seeing him reunite with Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody. It's one of Reitman's best films and definitely Cody's most mature, a spiky and risky examination of a former cool girl (Charlize Theron) who returns to her hometown to show everyone how much better than them she is. As EW's critic notes, "The queasy brilliance of Young Adult lies in the movie's refusal to make Mavis so monstrously crazy that she poses no threat because she’s obviously a cartoon." —D.G.

Where to watch Young Adult: Paramount+

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Jason Reitman

Cast: Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Patrick Wilson, Elizabeth Reaser, Collette Wolf

Zodiac (2007)

Robert Downey Jr. and Jake Gyllenhaal in 'Zodiac'.

Paramount/courtesy Everett Collection

This police-and-journalists procedural charting the still-unsolved crime spree of the Zodiac Killer is director David Fincher's masterpiece. It's certainly the best "true crime" movie and, depending on your tolerance for All the President's Men, might be the best journalism movie. Though more factual than many films, Zodiac moves at a rocketing clip and contains at least six sequences of full-blooded terror — Ione Skye on the highway and Jake Gyllenhaal in the basement, to name but two. This is a movie that was well and truly ahead of its time. —D.G.

Where to watch Zodiac: Paramount+

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: David Fincher

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards, Brian Cox, Elias Koteas, Donal Logue, John Carroll Lynch, Dermot Mulroney