24 best movies to watch on Paramount Plus

There are many options for what you can watch in the vast world of streaming services. Paramount Plus is our next step in our quest to make sure you have the most relevant movie choices.

Paramount Plus offers something that many streaming competitors don’t: A deep back catalogue from one of Hollywood’s most distinguished production companies, with classics from every period of American filmmaking.

We’ve pulled our favorites from their extensive selection of movies, with a mix of all-time classics and new gems from a variety of eras. Let’s take a look at the chronological release order for some great movies.

Zodiac

Image by Paramount Pictures

David Fincher’s 2007 mystery thriller Zodiac may be the celebrated director’s greatest accomplishment. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr., the movie follows the manhunt surrounding the notorious Zodiac Killer, a serial murderer known for terrorizing the San Francisco Bay Area with a string of gruesome killings throughout the late ’60s and early ’70s, all while taunting the police with a slew of esoteric ciphers and newspaper letters. The movie is deep, dark and cerebral. It’s also very engrossing. Zodiac is David Fincher’s answer to Bong Joon-ho’s Memories about MurderThis is a murder mystery that’s based on a real life nightmare. —Toussaint Egan

There will be blood

Miramax

For a while, Paul Thomas Anderson’s mesmerizing story about the rise and fall of an oil baron was best known for an unfortunate milkshake meme. But it’s been 14 years since its release, so surely by now we can let go of that particular gag and get back to appreciating Daniel Day-Lewis’ typically intense performance and the film’s particularly uncompromising severity. It’s a severe-looking film, all cracked, dry surfaces and angry desperation, and the clash between Day-Lewis’ viciously competitive oilman and a struggling young preacher (Paul Dano) is just as severe. This is not a film about moderation or kindness, and the end is pure Grand Guignol, but it’s a hell of a ride to get there. —Tasha Robinson

Night of the Living Dead

Image: Continental Distributing

George A. Romero is the originator of the zombie film. The director, photographer, editor, and writer for this movie was on a tight budget. It only enhances the creepy atmosphere and the terror. At the beginning of the zombie apocalypse, a group of survivors escape into an abandoned house in Pennsylvania. The group is led by Ben (Duane) Jones, a levelheaded leader who must deal not only with zombies trying to enter but also internal conflicts arising from differences about how they should handle their precarious situation.

Night of the Living Dead is the first example of Romero’s typical blend of jaw-dropping, stomach-churning practical effects and astute social commentary. Fun fact: The movie was released a month prior to the MPAA’s film rating system. This caused a lot of controversy, especially when it was allowed for children to view in theatres. Fun fact! Night of the Living Dead Because of an error made by the original theatrical distributor, who accidentally removed the copyright notice form the official copy of movie, the copyright notice was not copied. The copyright notice was then left in the public domain. —Pete Volk

Mission: Impossible films

Image: Paramount Pictures

The Mission: Impossible franchise is undoubtedly the best-known blockbuster series of all time. Its first installment was directed by Brian de Palma, and it’s still a hugely popular one. That first movie was instantly iconic, with unforgettable scenes still etched permanently into the memory of our popular culture (who can ever forget the scene where Cruise’s Ethan Hunt hangs from a ceiling and has to catch his own sweat to prevent an alarm going off?).

It has been a strong series, with John Woo taking over for the second unfairly maligned entry. The two latest entries bring back the form. Rogue Nation And FalloutBoth films were directed by Christopher McQuarrie who also worked on Cruise’s film. Jack Reacher). Paramount Plus subscribers can access all but the third film (directed by J.J. Abrams and mostly a poor movie besides a legendary villain turn by Philip Seymour Hoffman), and Paramount Plus subscribers with Showtime subscribers have the third one. —PV

Clueless

Image by Paramount Pictures

With iconic quotes (“Do you prefer ‘fashion victim’ or ‘ensembly challenged’?”), iconic lead performances (Paul Rudd’s smile!These are some of the most iconic fashions. Clueless Iconic is what it stands for. Amy Heckerling is a writer and director.Ridgemont High – Fast TimesThis Hollywood movie was made by () in Beverly Hills. Loosely based on Jane Austen’s Emma, the movie stars Alicia Silverstone as Cher Horowitz, a rich and popular student who takes the “tragically unhip” new girl Tai (Brittany Murphy) under her wing.

Offensively, it is hard to believe that there are not many readers of this article who haven’t seen the video. Clueless. This is a reminder to you that you need to be on the lookout for these things. Clueless again. You’re welcome. —PV

The Conversation

Image: Paramount Pictures

Francis Ford Coppola’s 1970s — The Godfather Paramount Plus!), The Conversation, The Godfather Part 2And Apocalypse Now — is one of the finest runs of form of any film director. One of the most overlooked of these movies may even be one of their best. It’s certainly the most disciplined and chilling.

1974’s The Conversation is a paranoid conspiracy thriller that’s more interested in the form the protagonist’s paranoia takes, and the effects it has, than the machinations of the conspiracy he uncovers. Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) is an alienated surveillance expert who is hired to record a conversation between a young couple in San Francisco’s crowded Union Square. Caul obsesses over the ambiguous, fragmentary recording he creates, fearing that he is putting the couple’s — or someone’s — life in danger, and his meticulously compartmentalized life begins to unravel.

This film is a compelling narrative tale that revels in details about the strangely mundane world professional surveillance. But what stays with you is its ambivalent, detached, brooding atmosphere, evoked in Hackman’s fiercely internalized performance, David Shire’s delicate piano theme (recently heavily quoted by Apple TV’s Severance), and the haunting, incessant loops of the taped recording itself. —Oli Welsh

The Kid

Image: Charles Chaplin Productions

Charlie Chaplin’s first feature film as a director was a massive hit, making his co-star Jackie Coogan (later known as Uncle Fester in The Addams Familie He was one of Hollywood’s first stars for children.

In the movie, Chaplin’s character The Tramp finds an abandoned child and cares for him as a variety of bad luck and poor circumstances threaten to get in their way. Filled with Chaplin’s trademark combination of uproarious slapstick gigs (at one point Coogan’s Kid gets into a scuffle with another child, evolving into a sequence straight out of a boxing movie, with Chaplin as his ring man), and a deep, pervasive sense of the trials and tribulations of humanity, it’s one of the best movies from one of the best filmmakers to ever grace our planet. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll love it. —PV

Face/Off

Image: Paramount Pictures

John Woo’s third Hollywood movie (following Hard targets And Broken ArrowThe first American movie that feels as John Woo is ‘() It features gunfights and strained portrayals of masculinity. Face/Off is a delightfully over-the-top ’90s action movie that thrives on Woo’s direction and the two leading performances.

John Travolta plays FBI agent Sean Archer. His son, Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage), was killed by Castor Tyra (Nicolas Cage), who wanted to murder the elder Archer. In his quest for vengeance, Archer decides to undergo an experimental face transplant surgery, “becoming” Troy. Of course, Troy does the same in return, “becoming” Archer. Cage joked about Travolta getting the better deal as she was able to spend most of the time with Archer, but the set-up makes it a great place for them both.

Fun fact: Face/Off Mike Werb, Michael Colleary were inspired by Sylvester Stallone when they wrote this script. I can see it, but I’m glad we got this one. —PV

Jacob’s Ladder

Image: TriStar Pictures

Perhaps the most famous movie of all time for inspiring contemporary viewers is Silent HillThe psychological horror film of 1990, titled. Jacob’s LadderTim Robbins stars as Jacob Singer, an ex-U.S. Infantryman and postal clerk in New York. Singer is plagued by nightmares from Vietnam and begins to doubt the truth of his past. Singer finds himself being stalked in New York by demonic phantoms, ghoulish visions, and other terrifying thoughts. Jacob is driven to the edge of despair by his search for truth. Inspired by Francis Bacon and H. R. Giger. Jacob’s Ladder is a hallucinatory body-horror thriller that’ll have you gripped to your seat. —TE

Families Values of Addams

Image: Paramount Pictures

We once described Families Values of Addams as, “The Borscht belt comedy version of Fatal Attraction,” and truthfully, that’s a perfectly succinct and accurate description of Barry Sonnenfeld’s 1993 follow-up to his 1991 black comedy film The Addams family. The Addams have welcomed an adorable new addition to the family in the form of baby Pubert, and Uncle Fester has been romantically ensnared in the machinations of the baby’s new nanny (Joan Cusack). It is full of hilariously morbid one-liners and comedic performances as well, with even more macabre gags. Families Values of Addams is a hilariously mischievous film and worthy follow-up to Sonnenfeld’s original. —TE

Bound

Gramercy Pictures

The Wachowskis’ scintillating feature debut stands up to everything else in their filmography. Bound It is an erotic thriller with a sexual theme about Gina Gershon (and Jennifer Tilly) who are irresistibly attracted to one another. The two women devise a plot to escape Joe Pantoliano (a regular Wachowski collaborator) and achieve financial stability. When you’re done, be sure to read this excellent piece from 2019 revisiting the film with the two stars. —PV

Body Snatchers Invasion

Image courtesy of M Home Entertainment

Don Siegel’s classic sci-fi film noir story of a California town whose residents are slowly taken over by emotionless copies of themselves has been remade many times (including the also-excellent 1978 version with Donald Sutherland), but few have the tension and emotional heart of the bone-chilling original. A local doctor (Kevin McCarthy) and his ex-girlfriend (Dana Wynter) are among the first to suspect what is happening, but it’s a struggle to convince anyone else of the madness that is occurring (or to know who to trust). At a crisp 80 minutes, you’re going to have a great time, but beware the pod people! — PV

The Ring

Dreamworks Pictures

Gore Verbinski’s American remake of Hideo Nakata 1998 supernatural horror classicThe RingWhen it was first released, 2002, the movie became a huge pop culture hit. It introduced Western audiences to J-horror film and made them laugh. Scary Movie 3To Family Guy. Naomi Watts portrays Rachel Keller. She is a journalist working undercover trying to discover the connection between Rachel Keller’s mysterious death and an unrelated tape that they had seen a week earlier. Rachel sees the tape and finds herself in an impossible race against time, determined to uncover the truth and destroy the evil spirit that is now determined to take her life as well as all others who have seen it. —TE

Planet of the Vampires

Kino Lorber

Mario Bava, an Italian horror filmmaker and master of the low-budget category movies, made numerous iconic films including “The Legendary Mario Bava.” Black Sunday And the Heist Movie Diabolik: Danger.

This was done with a budget around $200,000 Planet of the Vampires The story follows the adventures of a group space exploration crew who crash land onto… You can expect it to hit every aesthetic note that you could want in such an endeavor. Bava claimed the set of the planet was created from two plastic rocks and whole lot of smoke, which is simply remarkable when you consider how tangible the planet feels — the image above gives you a clue, but there’s nothing like seeing it in action. —PV

Marathon Man

Image by Paramount Pictures

“Is it safe?”

With his 1976 thriller, John Schlesinger asked this question and it was answered by the director. Marathon Man. Adapted from William Goldman’s 1974 novel of the same name and starring Dustin Hoffman, the film centers on the story of Thomas “Babe” Levy, a history Ph.D student at Columbia University working on a dissertation on McCarthyism with the aim of exonerating his disgraced father.

When Babe’s brother Henry (Roy Scheider), a government agent posing as an oil executive, dies on his doorstep one night, Babe inexplicably finds himself drawn into a web of conspiracies woven by Dr. Christian Szell, a Nazi war criminal willing to do anything to track down a hidden cache of diamonds. It’s both intense and violent, but electrifying. Marathon ManIt is the ultimate thriller. —TE

Hard Eight

MGM Images

Paul Thomas Anderson makes his feature film debut with this crime thriller about a gambler (Hall), and a drifter (John C. Reilly), that he takes under his wing. Adapted from a short film Anderson made with Hall, it’s a preview of some of what made the director one of the most distinct filmmakers of his generation. More than anything, however, it’s a display of the singular greatness of Hall as a performer. —PV

Take a Detour

Image: Producers Releasing Corporation

Edgar G. Ulmer was an acclaimed director during the Classic Hollywood era. He also directed The Black Cat starring Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. This was the first film to feature both horror icons and it is also considered one of the earliest examples of psychological horror films. Universal enjoyed a great success with it. Unfortunately, Ulmer was blacklisted from the studio (and the other major Hollywood studios) shortly after, when his affair with the wife of Universal studio head Carl Laemmle’s nephew turned into a divorce and remarriage.

All you need is this context Take a DetourUlmer created this movie for Producers Releasing Corporation. It was one of many low-budget films he produced. This studio was the smallest in Hollywood. It’s also a standout example of film noir aesthetics and low-budget moviemaking.

Take a DetourThis story is about a young, down-on his luck man who hitchhikes from New York City to Los Angeles in search of his girlfriend. He moved to Hollywood to make it big. On the road, he encounters a strange stranger who turns everything upside down.

Detour’s The film’s 66 minutes have a small budget, and the back projection is at worst inconsistent. But the thing undoubtedly works — it’s a haunting movie about the unluckiest man in the universe, and Ulmer’s striking images (and an unforgettable performance by Ann Savage) through his evocative use of lighting paint a stark picturing of an uncaring world. —PV

Book Club

Image by Paramount

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As best friends and longtime book club members, Diane Keaton and Candice Bergen star in this hilarious and romantic comedy. Each one of them is a successful professional but they are also dealing with love and life crises. One of them chooses to leave. 50 Shades of Grey as the next book they’ll all read together, it opens the group up in a lovely story of personal acceptance and self-realization, no matter what stage of life you find yourself in.

Wrath of Man

Image: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures

Guy Ritchie’s latest collaboration with Jason Statham is equal parts heist and revenge thriller. H (Statham), an aspiring security guard at Los Angeles’ cash truck business, surprises his fellow workers with a masterful display of violence. We learn more about H and the reasons he chose to work at this business. With a supporting cast that includes Holt McCallany, Jeffrey Donovan, Josh Hartnett (playing a character named “Boy Sweat”), and Scott Eastwood, Wrath of Man is a fun two hour thrill ride. —PV