New Movies on Amazon Prime

New Movies on Amazon Prime

Amazon has begun to invest more in movies streaming exclusively at Amazon Prime Video, and it can be tough to keep up with the latest. As the rest of the catalog has shrunk, original content has grown, but even the giant retailer’s latest movies can be hard to find on the site. Below are seven of Amazon Prime’s biggest film releases over the last several months, covering everything from drama to horror to anime to action comedy. The quality varies as much as the genre.

Here are eight of the newest movies on Amazon Prime:

1. Cocaine BearAmazon Prime Release Date: August 15, 2023 (Original release: February 24, 2023)
Director: Elizabeth Banks
Stars: Keri Russell, O’Shea Jackson, Jr., Christian Convery, Alden Ehrenreich, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Brooklynn Prince, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Kristofer Hivju, Hannah Hoekstra, Aaron Holliday, Margo Martindale, Ray Liotta
Rating: R
Paste Review Score: 7.5

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Director Elizabeth Banks delivers what’s on the Cocaine Bear tin. There’s a bear, it does cocaine. People die, and you will laugh. Writer Jimmy Warden does his darndest with an absurd “When Coked-Out Animals Attack” scenario sorta based on a true story, blending creature feature wildness with a claws-out ’80s comedy—for better and worse. What can feel like a mechanical monster movie (only with sniffing white gold instead of blood) finds humor in the macabre, focusing on graphic death scenes at a detriment to tonal unison between its extreme violence and darkly comedic giggles. Cocaine Bear very, very loosely adapts a bizarre and tragic 1985 report about an airborne narcotics smuggler, 40 kilos of cocaine thrown into the Chattahoochee National Forest, and a black bear who ingests some 34 kilograms. In Warden’s action-horror reimagining, the bear goes all tunnel-vision apex predator, hunting hikers (Kristofer Hivju and Hannah Hoekstra), criminal henchmen (O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Alden Ehrenreich), park rangers (Margo Martindale)—anyone in Cokey the Bear’s path. That includes single mother Sari (Keri Russell) and her missing daughter Dee Dee (Brooklynn Prince), among the unfortunate Chattahoochee explorers near where “Cocaine Bear” roams. Thankfully, Cocaine Bear fulfills its glorious promise: A bear, on cocaine, gone kill-happy against humankind. Banks has her finger on the pulse of creature features with ridiculous concepts that throw rationale to the wayside, sharing DNA with other crowd-pleasers like Deep Blue Sea or Snakes on a Plane. Special effects designers do their best with a scarily mobile digital bear, and while Warden’s screenplay does read detrimentally barebones at times, actual bones are tossed into view like an off-color olive branch. I don’t love every storytelling element, but I do adore all that involves the star of the show, an aggro bear on obscene amounts of blow. You’ll get what you pay for, and can we ask much more from Cocaine Bear?—Matt Donato


2. Of an AgeAmazon Prime Release Date: August 15, 2023 (Original release: February 17, 2023)
Director: Goran Stolevski
Stars: Elias Anton, Thom Green, Hattie Hook
Rating: R
Paste Review Score: 7.9

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Melancholy memories of old flames—and the palpable romantic intrigue they first conjured—are thrusted to sensually cinematic heights in Of an Age, the sophomore feature from Macedonian-Australian filmmaker Goran Stolevski. A somewhat unexpectedly tender and sensual follow-up to his folk horror debut You Won’t Be Alone, this film further expands on themes of coerced assimilation, adolescent growing pains and the act of constantly presenting different faces to the world. Of course, the queer experience is in itself a state of ceaseless shape-shifting until one lands in the right skin—a near-impossible task for a teenage boy in ’90s Melbourne, Australia, who lives with homophobic members of his extended Serbian immigrant family. The year is 1999, and 17-year-old competitive ballroom dancer Kol (Elias Anton) rises early to prepare for the long-awaited finals tournament later that afternoon. Hopes for a relatively stress-free morning are unceremoniously dashed when he receives a frantic call from his best friend and dance partner Ebony (Hattie Hook), who blacked out after a rough night of partying and has no idea which beach she’s woken up stranded on. Frantically consulting a map while trying to sort out a game plan, the two eventually decide to enlist Ebony’s older brother Adam (Thom Green) for clandestine aid without alerting their mother. The film is suffused with the kind of nostalgic attitude that has a tendency to skew toward cringe-worthy sentimentality, yet here allows for the relationship between Kol and Adam to feel all the more realistic and rooted in the director’s lived experience. Young love is nothing if not mawkish and awkward; presenting this truth is appropriate even if it produces momentary discomfort. In fact, sitting through these amateurish flirtations only causes one to blush and briefly reminisce about our own embarrassing statements and gestures of youthful romance. —Natalia Keogan


3. Red, White & Royal BlueAmazon Prime Release Date: August 11, 2023
Director: Matthew Lopez
Stars: Taylor Zakhar Perez, Nicholas Galitzine, Uma Thurman, Stephen Fry, Sarah Shahi, Rachel Hilson, Ellie Bamber
Rating: R
Paste Review Score: 4.0

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The setup for Casey McQuiston’s hit 2019 LGBTQ romance novel Red, White & Royal Blue is about as Hallmark Movie as it gets: The cocky, college-aged First Son of the United States has beef with the haughty Prince of England, then falls for him when it turns out he’s got a sensitive side. It’s classic enemies-to-lovers territory, highly unrealistic and so syrupy-sweet it should come with a warning for diabetics. The book is also surprisingly good, thanks to a rich cast of characters that help our romantic leads become more confident in their identities and their hopes for a life together. It’s told with impressive depth in addition to all the froth. That depth is sadly missing from the new movie adaptation of Red, White & Royal Blue, which feels flattened and rushed compared to its source material. Matthew López’s take on the story suffers from breakneck pacing, shallow characterizations across the board, and filmmaking choices that sometimes baffle, and sometimes betray the film’s low budget. It’s a disappointing, slapdash cash-in that does a disservice not only to McQuiston’s book, but the genre it’s part of. When we meet Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez), the son of America’s first female president (Uma Thurman), he’s attending the wedding of the heir to England’s throne, Prince Philip (Thomas Flynn). Also at the wedding is Philip’s brother, Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine), whom Alex finds insufferable. When Alex gets drunk at the reception, he starts an argument with Henry, and their antics result in the destruction of Philip’s very large, very expensive wedding cake. To make up for the public disgrace, Alex and Henry have to pretend to be best pals to the press. Given the light and fluffy nature of its source material, it’s not exactly surprising that Red, White & Royal Blue feels like a cheap made-for-TV knockoff. In many ways, it’s designed to be the kind of silly entertainment you put on in the background while you make popcorn or knit. The book was a sweet-but-satisfying trifle of gourmet quality. The movie wants you to think a gas station Ho Ho is just as good. —Abby Olcese


4. Creed IIIAmazon Prime Release Date: June 9, 2023 (Original release: March 3, 2023)
Director: Michael B. Jordan
Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Jonathan Majors, Wood Harris, Mila Davis-Kent, Florian Munteanu, Phylicia Rashad
Rating: R
Paste Review Score: 7.4

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Creed III is bravely taking its chances without Rocky or his accompanying emotional baggage (or, no small thing, his theme music). Creed II took a baby step away from its parent franchise, developing Creed’s world while leaving time for a Rocky subplot. This time, Rocky is mentioned briefly but unseen, and Creed’s big opponent is a sui-generis figure from his past, not Rocky’s. Stallone may grumble, but the spinoff process is complete. The series belongs to Creed now. Which also means that it fully belongs to Michael B. Jordan—not least because he takes a Stallone-like step into the director’s chair with this third installment. That weird alchemy between autobiography and self-mythologizing that makes the Rocky sequels fascinating even as they fail to live up to the magic of the original is very much active here, as Donnie feels the tension between his traumatic childhood and the luxury he now enjoys as a retired boxing champ. That tension tightens when Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors), a friend of Donnie’s from his group-home days, emerges from a multi-year prison sentence and asks for some help starting a belated boxing career. The movie retcons that Donnie learned some moves from the older, stronger Damian, who now feels that his life has been stolen from him—especially understandable when the specifics of his arrest are revealed. Donnie, meanwhile, must grapple with his guilt over the friend he left behind, alongside the provocative idea that one story’s scrappy underdog may be another’s well-off villain. It’s inevitable that Donnie and Damian will eventually clash in the ring, despite Donnie’s supposed retirement; no Creed movie, no matter how well-crafted, has calculated its way out of boxing-movie formulas. But even when Creed III treads familiar ground, this series feels like the ideal outlet for the on-screen persona Jordan is building: a resilient man who needs to better understand the power he’s fought so hard for. A decade ago, another actor taking over and remixing the Rocky series would have seemed like pointless sacrilege. Now it seems like one of the few movie revival series with the drive to compete. —Jesse Hassenger


5. AirAmazon Prime Release Date: May 12, 2023 (Original release: April 5, 2023)
Director: Ben Affleck
Stars: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans, Chris Messina, Chris Tucker, Viola Davis, Matthew Maher
Rating: R

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If someone had told me just two months ago that one of the most engrossing and adrenaline-pinching new films would center around a pair of sneakers, I simply wouldn’t have believed you. But then Air—the latest directorial endeavor from Ben Affleck, who emerges every once in a while to helm an unexpected masterpiece like The TownGone Baby Gone or Argo—came along and proved me wrong. Air chronicles the true story of sports marketer Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon), and his bid to convince an 18-year-old Jordan to wear a pair of Nikes on the basketball court. Vaccaro’s idea initially sounds conceivable enough–that is, until we learn that Nike was something of a laughingstock in the sneaker community at the time, and that Jordan was already dead-set on signing with the infinitely cooler Adidas. Thus commences a deft, nail-biting look into one of biggest deals in sports history. Much of this has to do with the fact that, like any good sports movie, Air isn’t really about sports. It’s a wholly relatable and surprisingly sharp tale of grandiose risk-taking and myth-making. Affleck isn’t remotely afraid of interrogating the brutality of celebrity culture, cleverly going out of his way to avoid showing Jordan’s face whenever he appears in a scene in an effort to emphasize the pedestal the basketball star has existed on since he was a teenager, as if to say that no mortal actor should dare portray such a God-like figure. Other subtle moments—such as the perfectly timed implementation of Bruce Springsteen’s oft misinterpreted rock anthem “Born in the U.S.A.”–have a similarly ironic effect. Affleck’s extraordinary grip on the challenging topics of fame and idolization also shines through in his framing of Air’s dialogue. With a nimble script from Alex Convery, Affleck confidently allows his characters to mull over and pick these themes apart in protracted monologues, giving each fleeting thought ample room to breathe, whether it be the minutiae of a sports business deal, the implications of a being a teenage prodigy, or something as seemingly trivial as the real meaning behind a popular song. Air brings together a dream team. It’s a movie with heart, a movie that’s not afraid to be saccharine and heartfelt about friendship and family values, and isn’t overly trite with regards to topics that are usually cliched, such as the art of taking a chance and trusting your gut. Plus, it made me want to go watch basketball–at least for a few whimsical moments–and that, to me, constitutes a slam dunk.—Aurora Amidon


6. On a Wing and a PrayerAmazon Prime Release Date: April 7, 2023
Director: Sean McNamara
Stars: Dennis Quaid, Heather Graham, Jesse Metcalfe
Genre: Family drama
Rating: PG

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In the final act of On a Wing and a Prayer, Doug (Dennis Quaid) and his wife Terri (Heather Graham) are trying to land their private plane in the eye of a gray, rumbling storm, armed with a cursory knowledge of its mechanics and the body of their dead pilot. It is at this moment that Terri turns and encourages her husband: “We’ve made it through bigger challenges than this! We can make it!” It is a testament to the film’s drab, lifeless understanding of these people and the world they move through that this line—bizarre in its implication (have they?)—sparks nothing but our vague concern. On a Wing and a Prayer follows the real-life White family, who have to overcome the kind of obstacle typically reserved for people’s anxiety dreams. There is an easily accessible stress bound up in the family’s experience. Doug, Terri and their two daughters have to place their trust in a shifting group of faceless strangers, accessible only as crackling voices offering non-committal instructions, yet these stakes are rendered meaningless by director Sean McNamara’s muddled vision. Each of these converging storylines feel isolated and emotionally removed from the deadly situation at hand. McNamara translates this can’t-miss action set-up into a few thinly drawn characters talking to one another in urgent tones over the phone. —Anna McKibbin

 


7. Somebody I Used to KnowAmazon Prime Release Date: February 10, 2023
Director: Dave Franco
Stars: Alison Brie, Jay Ellis, Kiersey Clemons, Julie Hagerty, Haley Joel Osment, Amy Sedaris, Danny Pudi
Genre: Romantic comedy, drama
Rating: R

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Ally (Alison Brie) is experiencing a quarter-life crisis. A big shot in Hollywood, her star-studded world is thrown into orbit when her mega-popular baking/reality show hybrid Dessert Island is canceled after three seasons. To cope with the blow, she returns to her old stomping grounds—the Bavarian-style small town of Leavenworth, Washington—to seek guidance from her doting mother (Julie Hagerty). Almost immediately after touching down in Leavenworth, Ally spots her high-school sweetheart, Sean (Jay Ellis), at the local bar. The two quickly rekindle their old flame, leading Ally to wonder if she should just permanently abandon the big city life for pretzels and sauerkraut. There is one problem, though: Sean is engaged to punk-rock badass Cassidy (Kiersey Clemons), and the two are set to be married that very weekend. And, as wrong as she knows it is, Ally can’t ignore her feelings for her old beau. So, she decides to stay in town and see things through with the groom, and through that resolution sets up a naturally uproarious premise with boundless opportunity for hilarity and heartbreak alike. In some ways, Somebody I Used to Know, co-written by Brie and her partner Dave Franco, who also directed the film, makes good on its fresh, daring setup. Much of this can be attributed to Brie, who steals the show as the only actor involved who really seems to understand its equally lighthearted and sardonic tone. Brie shoulders the entirety of Somebody I Used to Know’s humor by frequently adopting her staple high-pitched, self-deprecating cadence, through which she masterfully emphasizes the awkwardness of her character’s situation. While Somebody I Used to Know’s strengths don’t quite lie in its humor, Brie’s performance, the magnificent story and well-played dramatic moments are (almost) enough to make up for the cringing that you’ll inevitably take part in throughout. —Aurora Amidon

 


8. Shotgun WeddingAmazon Prime Release Date: January 27, 2023
Director: Jason Moore
Stars: Jennifer Lopez, Josh Duhamel, Jennifer Coolidge, Sonia Braga, Cheech Marin, Selena Tan, Alberto Isaac, D’Arcy Carden, Callie Hernandez, Desman Borges, Steve Coulter, Lenny Kravitz
Genre: Romantic action comedy
Rating: R

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Jennifer Lopez stars opposite Josh Duhamel in Shotgun Wedding, as a couple whose glam island wedding is upended by pirates. Already the movie is off to a completely relatable start! Darcy (Lopez) and Tom (Duhamel) have invited all their family and friends for a destination wedding at a luxury resort in the Philippines. In a nice flip of the cliché, it’s Tom who has turned into a groomzilla, wanting everything to be absolutely perfect. Tom is all about Etsy and pineapple centerpieces and very unfortunate cocktail napkins with Darcy and Tom’s face on them. “You got so fixated on the wedding, you turned into a different person,” Darcy tells him. Tom, it seems, has forgotten that her love don’t cost a thing. While Mark Hammer’s script has a few zingers, it’s the stacked supporting cast that makes the movie pop. Tom’s mom Carol (Jennifer Coolidge) is thrilled to be visiting an island, while his videotaping dad Larry (Steve Coulter) just wants to make sure his wife is happy. It’s a little hard to believe the ever-fabulous Coolidge could ever be unworldly, but when she keeps telling Darcy things like “Hi, it’s your future mother-in-law Carol,” you can’t help but laugh. Cheech Marin and Sonia Braga are Darcy’s divorced parents Robert and Renata. The extremely wealthy Robert has brought his new, annoying girlfriend Harriet (D’Arcy Carden). Things really start to get interesting when Lenny Kravitz shows up as Darcy’s ex-fiancé. Darcy and Tom are already struggling with their different ideas of how their wedding should go, but must set their squabbles aside once the wedding is attacked by pirates trying to extort Robert. But this is a movie where the plot doesn’t really matter. Lopez is a mega star and is such a magnetic screen presence that you’ll probably greet even the most outrageous plot twist with a “Sure, why not?” Lopez and Duhamel have a great rapport. However, you never forget you are watching The Jennifer Lopez and it is her absolute star quality that pulls the movie through. —Amy Amatangelo

 
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