Want to stream a good movie this month, but you’re unsure about what to watch? There are lots of new movies coming out, including some you might have missed when they were first released. But there are also some great movies released as recently as this year that might have fallen under the radar. Many of them are available to watch on Amazon Prime Video with your base subscription.
This month, the three underrated movies on Prime Video you need to watch in July include two movies that were released in the last year, but that may have missed. One is an action thriller starring a pro in the genre, Jason Statham. The other, coming to Amazon Prime Video (without an add-on) near the end of the month, is the story of one of the most prolific music artists of the 1970s, whose music and musical influences have endured for decades.
The Beekeeper (2024)
Jason Statham brings his usual brooding anger and menacing presence to his role in this action thriller about a beekeeper who goes on the hunt for revenge. He’s Adam, a man living a quiet life as a literal beekeeper who is troubled by the suicide of his retired schoolteacher landlady, Eloise (Phylicia Rashad). The victim of a phishing scam that costs her everything, she decides to end it all.
Adam, who was once an operative for a mysterious group known as the Beekeepers, decides to take it upon himself to get vengeance for Eloise and find the group responsible. Even the FBI can’t seem to locate them, but they’re no match for Adam’s not-worried-about-playing-by-the-rules strategy. Seeing a character go to such lengths to find a group scamming older ladies is sweet vigilante justice at its best. Our reviewer calls the movie more of a hilarious parody than a serious action movie. But if you’re in the mood for surface-level gore that’s almost cartoonish, The Beekeeper makes for a perfect, lighthearted, yet action-packed summer watch.
Stream The Beekeeper on Amazon Prime Video.
Bob Marley: One Love (2024)
Streaming on July 23 without the need for a Paramount+ add on, Bob Marley: One Love was heavily hyped, but arguably didn’t get a fair shake from critics who felt it didn’t do Bob Marley justice. Could anything but the real man ever accomplish that anyway? The biographical drama musical film, backed by members of the Marley family, chronicles the life and career of the beloved singer and songwriter who helped put reggae music on the map while spreading his message of peace, joy, and love.
Marley is played by Kingsley Ben-Adir, and the movie begins with the political conflicts in Jamaica in 1976 and ends with Marley’s death from cancer in 1981, just as Zimbabwe is celebrating its independence. Bob Marley: One Love (as well as The Beekeeper) is one of the most popular movies of 2024, yet its critic ratings on review aggregator sites like Rotten Tomatoes suggest that critics weren’t feeling great about the movie. Nonetheless, fans appreciated what it set out to accomplish, and you’ll probably feel the same way after you watch it.
Stream Bob Marley: One Love on Amazon Prime Video.
Jagged Edge (1985)
Unlike Bob Marley: One Love, it’s the audience, not the critics, that didn’t give Jagged Edge its due, based on reviews from review aggregator sites like Rotten Tomatoes. The neo-noir legal thriller from way back in 1985 was also director Richard Marquand’s last film before his death. Glenn Close, Jeff Bridges, Peter Coyote, and Robert Loggia star in the film that tells the story of a lawyer defending a man accused of killing his wife. While Teddy Barnes (Close) is determined to do her job, she’s not entirely sure that her client, Jack Forrester (Bridges), is actually innocent.
Jagged Edge was a success at the box office and Loggia even earned an Academy Award nomination for his role as private detective Sam Ransom. Yet the movie received mixed reviews, with some viewers on Rotten Tomatoes calling it predictable and saying the scenes lacked tension. However, there’s no denying the incredible acting and the rewatch value of this movie. Yes, you’ll probably see the twist coming from a mile away, but it doesn’t really matter because it’s the journey to get there that’s so wildly entertaining.
Stream Jagged Edge on Amazon Prime Video.