Since its debut in 2021, Paramount+ has quickly risen to become one of the greatest subscription-based streaming platforms you can currently find online. Combining a range of properties from CBS, Paramount, Nickelodeon, Showtime, and Comedy Central, it boasts a rich library of beloved movies, TV series, and documentaries.
Like all the most noteworthy streaming platforms, Paramount+ also has a ton of exclusive content at its disposal, such as Star Trek: Picard, 1883, and The Good Fight.
Along with those exclusive titles, the platform also has a dense catalog of movies streaming on the service, from newer films like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and World War Z to classics like Terminator 2: Judgment Day and The Hunt for Red October.
Here are some of the best movies you can find playing on Paramount+ right now.
Updated: September 28.
Family: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023)
One of the best family-friendly movies to arrive in theaters this past year, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is also easily the finest adaptation of the TMNT series we’ve seen to date, perfectly encapsulating the wacky adventures of the heroes in the half shell.
Hoping to make a favorable impression for themselves in the eyes of New York City’s residents, the inexperienced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles emerge from the sewers, battling an unhinged criminal (Ice Cube) and his vicious gang of mutants.
Taking artistic inspiration from the pop art visuals of Sony’s Spider-Verse series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is propelled forward by its indelible blend of picturesque animation, impressive vocal performances, and laugh-out-loud humor.
Sci-Fi: Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
After establishing himself as an overnight success with his 1984 sci-fi horror classic, The Terminator, fans and critics eagerly awaited to see what James Cameron had in store for audiences next. In 1991, against all odds, the filmmaker returned to the series that helped make him famous, delivering a sequel just as good – if not better – than the original Terminator before it.
With humanity having secured victory over Skynet in the future, the rogue A.I. network sends back an advanced Terminator (Robert Patrick) to kill the now teenaged John Connor (Edward Furlong). To prevent Skynet from assassinating mankind’s future savior, the Resistance sends back their own Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) to protect the boy from harm.
Using never-before-seen special effects, Cameron manages to create the ultimate Terminator, taking the basic premise of the original and altering just enough to remain fresh and entertaining. The action sequences are heart-raising, the stakes bigger and more consequential than they were in ‘84’s Terminator, and the acting is nothing short of enthralling – whether in the form of Schwarzenegger’s paternal T-800 or Patrick’s demonic T-1000.
Thriller: The Hunt for Red October (1990)
Like Stephen King or Nicholas Sparks, Tom Clancy has had a number of films and television series based off of his books. The earliest among these include the 1990 adaptation of Clancy’s debut novel – the espionage thriller, The Hunt for Red October.
In the mid 1980s, a renowned Soviet submarine captain (Sean Connery) violates his orders and charters his sub directly for American waters. As they contend with this threat to their national sovereignty, the C.I.A. and U.S. military try to devise the motivations behind the captain’s actions.
Adequately capturing the tone and spirit of the original novel, The Hunt for Red October is an unforgettably suspenseful spy film loaded with intrigue, action, and charismatic performances throughout (most especially Connery’s enigmatic Marko Ramius).
Horror: World War Z (2013)
Shambling zombies are a scary enough sight to behold – but zombies capable of breaking out into a full Olympian sprint? Now, that’s just terrifying. Utilizing this concept to its fullest capacity is the 2013 horror action film, World War Z, a loose interpretation of Max Brooks’ best-selling book of the same name.
When an unexplained new disease causes an international zombie outbreak, a U.N. health expert (Brad Pitt) races against time to locate a cure before the illness spreads across the globe.
While more of an action film than it is a straight horror movie, World War Z’s realistic treatment of the zombie virus makes for a sobering watch. One of the most expensive films of all time, its visuals are also worthy of praise, digitally inserting waves of carnivorous zombies charging after Pitt’s entourage of survivors.
Drama: American History X (1998)
If ever you needed proof that Edward Norton is one of the most exciting actors of his generation, simply watch the 1998’s enthralling crime drama, American History X. An unflinching look at racism and cyclical violence within the U.S., it’s a movie that will forever remain relevant so long as societal injustice exists in America.
Recently released from prison, a reformed white supremacist (Norton) moves back into his troubled home in Los Angeles. Trying to steer clear of his old ways, he encourages his younger brother (Edward Furlong) to embrace a broader view of life.
A vicious and poignant attack on xenophobic ideology and racist institutions, American History X’s may be an uncomfortable to watch, but there’s no doubt its thematic discussions are incredibly moving.
Mystery: Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
With Kenneth Branagh’s latest installment in his Agatha Christie series – A Haunting in Venice – recently making its way into theaters, there’s no better time to revisit some of the past adaptations of Christie’s work, starting with the 1974 whodunit, Murder on the Orient Express.
Snow-bound in the Yugoslavian mountains, a skilled detective (Albert Finney) is forced to find the guilty party aboard the illustrious Orient Express after one of his fellow passengers (Richard Widmark) is found murdered.
Possibly the best take on an Agatha Christie novel to date, Murder on the Orient Express operates as a deft mystery film, one that – like all standout whodunits – features a massive ensemble cast all playing to their strengths, whether it’s Sean Connery’s aloof British colonel or Anthony Perkins’ neurotic secretary.
International: Love in Taipei (2023)
A new addition to Paramount+ that’s been performing remarkably well on the streaming platform, Love in Taipei is yet another crowd-pleasing romantic comedy, one that follows in the footsteps of recent romcoms like Crazy Rich Asians or The Big Sick in analyzing social differences between cultural backgrounds.
Spending her summer vacation in a Taipei cultural immersion program, a young American (Ashley Liao) learns to enjoy life in the moment rather than constantly worrying about the future, meeting new friends and even falling in love with a fellow program attendee (Nico Hiraga).
Based on a best-selling young adult novel by Abigail Hing Wen, Love in Taipei is as much concerned with exploring Ashley Liao’s lead protagonist as it is with the budding romance between her and Hiraga’s character. A celebration of life and carefree adolescence, it’s the kind of light-hearted existential film that almost every audience member can relate to.
Cult Classic: The Big Lebowski (1998)
The cult film to end all cult films, The Big Lebowski’s unparalleled popularity today should indicate the one-of-a-kind movie it is. A postmodernist satire of the noir genre, it’s among the finest – not to mention the funniest – film ever made by the celebrated Coen brothers.
In early 1990s Los Angeles, an unemployed, bowling-obsessed slacker (Jeffrey Bridges) winds up in the center of a conspiracy involving a millionaire (David Huddleston), his trophy wife (Tara Reid), and a gang of nihilistic kidnappers.
Perfectly cast and relying on an endlessly quotable script, the Coen brothers bring to life some of the greatest cinematic characters to ever grace the silver screen, from Bridges’ sloppily-dressed hippie, the Dude, to John Goodman’s fiery-tempered Vietnam vet, Walter.
Sci-Fi: 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
Following in the footsteps of 2008’s Cloverfield almost a decade later, 10 Cloverfield Field is an exciting spin-off film that takes J.J. Abrams’ sci-fi horror universe in unexpected new directions (allowing for some highly creative results).
Waking up from a serious car accident, a young woman (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) finds herself in an underground emergency bunker, where her would-be rescuer (John Goodman) informs her a cataclysmic event has rendered the outside world uninhabitable.
Creating an air of mystery and suspense where the viewer (like Winstead’s protagonist) is never entirely sure of what to believe, 10 Cloverfield Lane makes for a palpable psychological thriller, one equal parts claustrophobic as it is shocking.
Biopic: Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Before he was busy reinventing the alien invasion subgenre with War of the Worlds, Steven Spielberg was hard at work bringing a vivid portrait of skillful con artist Frank Abagnale to the big screen, something he accomplished with 2002’s biographical crime caper, Catch Me If You Can.
Developing into an exceptional con artist while still just a teenager, Frank Abagnale (Leonardo DiCaprio) makes millions posing as a doctor, a lawyer, and an airline pilot, dodging the efforts of the F.B.I. to track him down.
Led by DiCaprio’s masterful and charismatic performance as the dashing and self-confident Abagnale, Catch Me If You Can has all the humor, charm, and inherent style of a classic Spielberg adventure film, one that dials back to the spirit and tone of the director’s earliest work in the ‘70s and ‘80s.
Found Footage: The Blair Witch Project (1999)
It’s difficult to think of an indie horror movie more successful or influential than 1999’s all-time classic, The Blair Witch Project. Using an inventive emphasis on the-then novel found footage concept, the young filmmakers behind The Blair Witch Project created a certified masterpiece of a psychological horror film.
Filming a low-budget documentary together, three aspiring filmmakers venture into the Maryland woods, hoping to piece together a film about the urban legend of the Blair Witch. As they head deeper and deeper into the forest, it becomes clear that the Blair Witch may be much more than a simple tall tale meant to frighten kids.
Prioritizing a tense atmosphere over gaudy visuals, The Blair Witch Project relies extensively on what you don’t see in its main narrative, reinforcing the idea that the images within our imagination are often scarier than what’s actually on screen.
Action: The Last Samurai (2003)
With how many action franchises Tom Cruise is known for nowadays (Mission: Impossible, Jack Reacher, and Top Gun, to name just a few), it can be easy to overlook some of the actor’s earlier contributions to the action genre, like his underrated 2003 historical epic, The Last Samurai.
Overcoming his past personal trauma, a veteran American soldier (Tom Cruise) assists a faction of samurai in a war against the industrialized might of the Japanese Empire in the mid 19th century.
While fairly heavy-handed about its themes and likening itself a little too closely to Dances with Wolves, The Last Samurai nevertheless makes for an entertaining movie to watch, focusing on a pivotal moment in Japanese history (one marked by the gradual end of the samurai nobility and the birth of Japan’s succeeding empire.)
Award Winner: The Whale (2022)
Last year’s Oscars was perhaps the most inspirational in the Academy’s history. Launching themselves from decade-long obscurity to the Academy Awards were Ke Huy Quan and Brendan Fraser, the latter of whom won the Oscar for Best Actor off his starring role in Darren Aronofsky’s psychological drama, The Whale.
In the mid 2010s, a reclusive literature professor suffering from morbid obesity (Fraser) tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter (Sadie Sinker) as his health rapidly declines.
While the film’s treatment of obesity has earned a polarized response from critics, most have singled out the performances of its cast as The Whale’s greatest strength. Led by a transformative performance from Fraser and supporting appearances from Sink and Hong Chau, it’s an acting tour de force from virtually every talent involved.
Musical: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
At first glance, the idea for Tim Burton to adapt a musical as macabre as Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is an obvious one, fitting all Burton’s creative sensibilities as a director. Indeed, to no one’s surprise, the finished film turned out to be just as excellent as you’d initially expect.
Returning to Victorian England after a wrongfully imposed 15-year exile, a former barber (Johnny Depp) targets the corrupt judge (Alan Rickman) who ruined his life, slowly transforming himself into a cold-blooded, revenge-obsessed serial killer.
Easily the darkest film ever directed by Burton, Sweeney Todd coasts on the strength of its fantastic cast, most especially Johnny Depp, who leaves his typically comedic performances behind for the horrifying titular character.
Fantasy: Stardust (2007)
Neil Gaiman is a treasure trove of modern fantasy. Having penned numerous short stories, novels, and comic books that have been met with praise from fans and critics alike, Gaiman’s work has also served the basis for several equally outstanding adaptations, including 2007’s magical realist adventure, Stardust.
Hoping to win the heart of his beloved, a young man (Charlie Cox) attempts to gift his intended a falling star, discovering the star is actually a young woman (Claire Danes) fleeing a cruel witch (Michelle Pfeiffer).
The 2000s equivalent to The Princess Bride, Stardust treads an entertaining balance between comedy, adventure, romance, and fantasy, freely moving between its each genre with the ease of a fast-paced novel.
Superhero: The Crow (1994)
Like his father – the legendary martial artist Bruce Lee – Brandon Lee passed away far too soon, leaving audiences to wonder what the future for the 28-year-old actor would’ve been like if he hadn’t met his tragic end. As it is, Lee leaves behind at least one truly remarkable film in the form of The Crow, the gothic superhero movie that contains his breakout performance.
One year after he and his fiancée (Sofia Shinas) were brutally murdered, a vengeful spirit (Lee) returns to the mortal world, pursuing the gang responsible for his death.
Like other ‘90s superhero films like Darkman and Batman Returns, The Crow opts for a notably darker aesthetic than its later successors in the MCU, weighing its action-oriented narrative with plenty of macabre moments. Fortunately, Lee’s lively performance prevents the movie from falling into total darkness, lighting up the screen as his supernatural alter ego.
Classic: To Catch a Thief (1955)
Working together over the course of four films, each cinematic collaboration between Cary Grant and Alfred Hitchcock is worth watching in their own right. While their 1955 film, To Catch a Thief, might lack the intrigue of Notorious and the suspense of Suspicion, it still lives up to the best the Master has to offer, serving as a timeless entry in Hitchcock and Grant’s individual bodies of work.
Framed for a series of robberies he never committed, a legendary cat burglar (Grant) comes out of retirement to catch the guilty party responsible.
Combining the on-screen talents of Grant and an-always phenomenal Grace Kelly, Hitchcock crafts yet another exceptional thriller, characterized by the foremost components one associates with a Hitchcock movie (the femme fatale blonde, a wrongfully-framed protagonist, the shocking plot twist, etc.)
History: Dances With Wolves
Along with Titanic, Gone with the Wind, and The Lord of the Rings, Dances with Wolves is one of the most popular films to ever win the Academy Award for Best Picture. A film responsible for revitalizing the Western genre for the next decade, it also explores the devastation and genocide reaped against Native Americans throughout the 19th century.
In the late 1860s, Civil War veteran John Dunbar (Kevin Costner) is ordered to man an isolated military outpost on the Western frontier. His mission soon leads him to contact with the nearby tribes of Indigenous Americans, who Dunbar slowly develops a close bond with.
Touching upon the injustices committed by settlers against Indigenous tribes across the American plains, Dances with Wolves underscores the social differences between white and Natives in the latter half of the 1800s. As seen from Dunbar’s gradual transformation, it also highlights humanity’s incredible ability to coexist with one another – so long as a mutual effort is made by all parties involved.
War: Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)
Before he was typecast as the stereotypical Western hero, John Wayne embarked on a series of wide-ranging films, starring in everything from World War II epics to more dialed-down boxing dramas in the late ‘40s and early ‘50s. As many movies as Wayne starred in during this period, few were as impressive or noteworthy than his 1949 war film, Sands of Iwo Jima.
As they prepare for service in the Pacific War, a group of Marines are bullied and harassed by their seemingly hateful sergeant (Wayne). Arriving to the battlefront, however, they soon realize the sergeant’s domineering attitude may have helped them prepare for the enduring horrors of war.
It may not be the Duke’s most celebrated role, but Sands of Iwo Jima nevertheless illustrates Wayne’s dramatic gifts as an actor, able to appear outwardly cantankerous and mean-spirited, yet harboring a more sentimental side to his character.
Young Adult: The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)
Moving into the dilapidated Spiderwick Estates, a pair of twins (Freddie Highmore) and their sister (Sarah Bolger) discover a world bordering their own, populated by fairies, trolls, and a power-mad, shapeshifting ogre (Nick Nolte).
If that plotline sounds eerily identical to The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the similarities between the two plotlines stop and end at its general premise. Though taking plenty of narrative inspiration from C.S. Lewis’s famous series of children’s books, this 2008 adaptation of Holly Black’s young adult novel introduces plenty of narrative elements to differentiate itself from the Narnia books.
Borrowing numerous figures and fantastic creatures from folklore and mythology, The Spiderwick Chronicles presents such dated characters as ogres and trolls with startling innovation, setting itself apart from other family-friendly fantasy films through pure imagination alone.
Road: Easy Rider (1969)
In the late 1960s, the Golden Age of Hollywood began its gradual transition into the influential New Hollywood movement. Introducing a new slew of actors and directors to the world of Hollywood, the movement was also responsible for forever changing the kinds of movies that could be made in the film industry, focusing on more introspective, unconventional stories, as happens to be the case with 1969’s Easy Rider.
On a road trip from Los Angeles to New Orleans, two bikers (Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda) indulge in everything the counterculture has to offer, their free-wheeling lifestyle clashing with the societal norms around them.
Often cited as the starting point of the New Hollywood movement, Easy Rider is a direct precursor to the indie films that came about in the decades that followed. Using a minuscule budget, Dennis Hopper created a philosophical film centered around the American counterculture, one that challenged audience preconceptions about what a road movie could be.
Documentary: Reinventing Elvis: The '68 Comeback (2023)
Though an indelible star throughout the 1950s, the King of Rock and Roll – Elvis Presley – had fallen onto hard times as the 1960s rolled out. Fearing career stagnation as the world of rock ‘n’ roll changed around him, Elvis dedicated himself to an epic return to form with his influential ‘68 Comeback Special.
Focusing on this historic concert special is the new 2023 documentary, Reinventing Elvis: The ‘68 Comeback. Chronicling Elvis’s time in the music industry up to that point, Reinventing Elvis also analyzes Elvis’s decision to perform the concert in the first place, as well as the profound effect said performance had on his career and lasting legacy as a musician.
Complete with interviews from Elvis experts and music historians, Reinventing Elvis will leave you with a new appreciation for the King, as well as his theatricality and willingness to reinvent himself in front of the changing audience demographics of the late 1960s.
Romance: Like Water for Chocolate (1992)
The fact that Like Water for Chocolate was never nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards is nothing short of a travesty. Missed accolades aside, this 1992 romantic drama film is just as powerful now as it was over three decades ago.
Prevented from marrying the man she loves (Marco Leonardi), a young woman (Lumi Cavazos) escapes the frustrations of her home life by honing her skills in cooking, allowing her to literally toss her emotional issues into her food.
A thought-provoking romantic drama packed with plenty of relatable themes, Like Water for Chocolate does a good job translating the magical realist elements of Laura Esquivel’s novel to the big screen. Like Esquivel’s original text, the film constructs a feasible narrative around an otherwise surreal plot, leaving viewers as comforted as they are hungry while viewing.
Teen: The Virgin Suicides (1999)
More of a coming-of-age drama than strictly a teen film, The Virgin Suicides served as respected director Sofia Coppola’s first foray into film, the budding filmmaker providing a heartending adaptation of Jeffrey Eugenides’s best-selling debut novel.
In the suburbs of Detroit in the 1970s, a group of male best friends find themselves fixated on five sisters raised by a pair of overprotective parents (James Woods and Kathleen Turner).
A movie of surprising sophistication and maturity for Coppola, The Virgin Suicides is a tender portrait of youthful angst, as well as the reverence people hold for childhood in general. Attempting to break from their overbearing parents, each of the Lisbon siblings struggle to obtain some semblance of personal freedom, finding it in the most tragic of resolutions.
Comedy: Up in Smoke (1978)
From the early 1970s well into the 1980s, Cheech and Chong were among the standout comedic acts of their era, blazing a trail with their hilariously unconventional hijinks and timely style of comedy. Together, the two men forged a new genre with their several collaborations together, creating the prototypical “stoner film” audiences know and love today.
Unaware that they’re driving a van made entirely out of cannabis, two absent-minded slackers (Cheech and Chong) venture from Mexico to the U.S., all the while being pursued by a deranged police officer (Stacy Keach) determined to stop them.
Easily the most famous of Cheech and Chong’s films together, Up in Smoke is a soft-serve of utter hilarity, resembling a cross between The Big Lebowski, Dazed and Confused, and the back-and-forth slapstick of Abbott and Costello.
Western: Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
An undisputed master of the Western in the same mold as John Ford or Howard Hawks, Sergio Leone is responsible for constructing the Spaghetti Western from the ground up. Having created the genre with his influential Dollars Trilogy, Leone set out to film his ultimate farewell letter to the Western film with his 1968 masterpiece, Once Upon a Time in the West.
When her entire family is murdered, a New Orleans heiress (Claudia Cardinale) takes control of her loved one’s desert ranch, dodging the attempts of a corrupt railroad baron (Gabriele Ferzetti) and his hired gun (Henry Fonda) to seize the land for themselves.
With a thunderous musical score by Ennio Morricone and a cast that includes Charles Bronson, Jason Robards, and a wonderfully cast-against-type Henry Fonda, Once Upon a Time in the West makes for one of the most sensational Westerns ever put to the screen.
Crime: Seven Psychopaths (2012)
Director Martin McDonagh may have achieved more immediate mainstream success with his more recent Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and The Banshees of Inisherin, but one shouldn’t take anything away from the filmmaker’s earliest efforts. In fact, his first two movies – In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths – are highly underrated crime films in and of themselves, illustrating McDonagh’s proclivity for complex anti-heroes and razor-sharp dialogue.
Struggling to finish his new script, an embittered Los Angeles screenwriter (Colin Farrell) soon finds himself embroiled in a dog-napping scheme involving his unstable best friend (Sam Rockwell) and a canine-loving gangster (Woody Harrelson).
A meta-fictional takedown of Hollywood’s inner workings, Seven Psychopaths’ loose presentation, energetic characters, and witty dialogue make it an unsung cult classic in McDonagh’s filmography.
Sports: Nacho Libre (2006)
As with most comedians, viewers tend to either love Jack Black or find themselves unable to sit through any one of his movies in its entirety. For fans of Black’s diverse body of work in the past, Nacho Libre tends to tickle most people’s funny bone, making it a splendid sports comedy the whole family can enjoy.
Tired of his restraining life as a cook for a local Mexican monastery, the kind-natured Ignacio (Black) adopts the wrestling alter ego of Nacho – a daredevil luchador who uses his match winnings to support the orphanage.
While most viewers might not find Nacho Libre’s irreverent lack of maturity all that sustaining, Black’s performance more than makes up for the faults of the script. Flying around the ring and making inhuman groans of exertion, it’s among Black’s most well-known and popular roles.
Underrated: Mimic (1997)
In the mid 1990s, Mexican auteur Guillermo del Toro made the jump to Hollywood, finding immediate work as the director of the B-level monster movie, Mimic. While the film doesn’t measure up to the heights of del Toro’s earlier or later films, the filmmaker’s genius nevertheless shines through, illustrating del Toro’s ability to create palpable storylines out of the thinnest concepts.
Three years after creating a new insect to maintain Manhattan's cockroach population, an entomologist (Mira Sorvino) learns that her genetically-modified bugs are preying upon the humans above ground.
Though del Toro has expressed his own disappointment with the finished film, Mimic makes for an enjoyably campy horror movie (one that’s bound to terrify anyone with an avid fear of insects). If nothing else, the film can be seen as a thematic precursor to del Toro’s later work on the Hellboy series, filled with horrifying special effects and chillingly grotesque monsters.
