Mid-week holidays are the worst, because most of us have to come back to work the next day. If you’re among the unlucky who had to be back on the job this Friday, then our suggestion for Amazon Prime Video subscribers is to unwind this weekend and catch some of the best movies that you can stream.
The Fourth of July is the most patriotic holiday of the year, but if we recommended something like Born on the Fourth of July, then it’s a little too depressing for the occasion. Instead, our picks for the five best Amazon Prime Video movies to watch on the Fourth of July weekend feature some of the streamer’s best options for action, comedy, horror, drama, and a thriller.
Need more recommendations for the holiday? Then read out guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, and the best movies on Max.
The Beekeeper (2024)
Looks like Jason Statham is out for revenge… again. The Beekeeper isn’t technically an action comedy, because we’re pretty sure that the funny parts weren’t meant to be funny. Although Statham’s Adam Clay is an actual beekeeper at the start of the film, Beekeepers is also the name of a secretive organization that counts him as a member.
Adam is content to enjoy the simple life until his friend and landlady, Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad), is scammed by thieves who take millions from a charity that she runs. When Eloise commits suicide out of shame, Adam’s rage leads him to go on a hunt for the scammers that drove her to it. From there, the film has a lot of scenes with Statham kicking ass, which is the exact reason why we watch his films in the first place.
Watch The Beekeeper on Prime Video.
Pearl (2022)
With MaXXXine out in theaters this week, it’s a good time to revisit its prequel, Pearl. Mia Goth co-wrote the story with director Ti West, as she reprises her role as Pearl from X. During World War I, Pearl’s husband, Howard Pratt (Alistair Sewell), is off fighting overseas while Pearl has big dreams of being a star.
Unfortunately for everyone else, Pearl’s dreams are far from her reach. And when Pearl’s hopes are dashed, people tend to die horribly. No one is safe around Pearl, and she has no ability to see herself as the monster that she really is. But it is entertaining to see Pearl completely detach herself from reality.
Watch Pearl on Prime Video.
Oppenheimer (2023)
There aren’t a lot of blockbuster dramas that double as Oscar winners for Best Picture, but Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is in a class all by itself. The film came out almost one year ago this month, and it’s still worth revisiting for the July Fourth holiday. Cillian Murphy gave a career-best — and Oscar-winning — performance as J. Robert Oppenheimer, one of the key masterminds behind America’s race to build the first atomic bomb during World War II.
Before that happens, the film skips backward and forward in time to explore Oppenheimer’s relationships with his wife, Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer (The Fall Guy‘s Emily Blunt), and his lover, Jean Tatlock (Dune: Part Two‘s Florence Pugh). Robert Downey Jr.‘s Rear Admiral Lewis Strauss also dominates one of the film’s subplots as he attempts to ruin Oppenheimer’s reputation years after the Manhattan Project was completed. Somehow, all of these disparate story threads come together in an astounding way.
Watch Oppenheimer on Prime Video.
Beetlejuice (1989)
We’ll have to wait until fall to watch Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the sequel we thought we’d never see. But the original Beetlejuice will probably still outshine its sequel. Michael Keaton’s title character has a surprisingly small amount of screen time, but he dominates every scene that he’s in with his hilarious persona.
Winona Ryder also stars in the film as Lydia Deetz, a teenager who befriends Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara Maitland (Geena Davis), the recently deceased couple who lived in the Deetz’s house before their untimely end. Lydia aside, the Maitlands would really like their home to themselves. But the price that Beetlejuice wants in return for scaring the family away may be too high for them to pay. And he won’t take no for an answer.
Watch Beetlejuice on Prime Video.
Sicario (2015)
Nearly a decade ago, the director of Dune, Denis Villeneuve, teamed up with Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan on a critically-acclaimed thriller called Sicario. Emily Blunt takes the lead as FBI Special Agent Kate Macer, but Benicio del Toro steals the movie with his performance as Alejandro Gillick, a Mexican assassin in the service of the CIA.
When Kate’s efforts to bring down a drug cartel are thwarted, CIA officer Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) recruits her for a joint task force alongside Gillick. But the more time that Kate spends on the task force, the more she’s convinced that the CIA’s agenda doesn’t match her own. And it may be too late for Kate to pull out without compromising herself.
Watch Sicario on Prime Video.