Peacock: 17 of the Absolute Best Movies to Stream Right Now

The Fall Guy follows a stuntman named Colt Seavers who is sent on a mission to find a missing movie star. The key to this movie’s success is the chemistry between its two stars, Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. Big action sequences and plenty of laughs make this a pretty great popcorn flick. And yes, if you’re thinking this sounds familiar, it’s inspired by the TV show of the same name from the 1980s that starred Lee Majors.

• Director: David Leitch
• Stars: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Teresa Palmer, Stephanie Hsu, Winston Duke 
• Runtime: 126 min

Guillermo del Toro directs this big-budget spectacle of a movie. Pacific Rim tells the story of a ragtag team that goes to war against a horde of giant sea monsters to save humanity from being pummelled into obsolescence. It’s like a love letter to Godzilla and classic kaiju movies, and it has Idris Elba, so there’s that.

• Director: Guillermo del Toro
• Stars: Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi, Idris Elba, Charlie Day, Burn Gorman, Ron Perlman, Robert Kazinsky, Clifton Collins Jr.
• Runtime: 131 min

Christmas movie or not, Die Hard is a must-watch during the holiday season if you live under my roof. And I know I’m not alone in that stance. Bruce Willis became a movie star through his career-defining turn as off-duty, underdog police officer John McClane. This movie has everything from iconic one-liners to scenery-chewing villains. Seriously, what’s not to love?

• Director: John McTiernan
• Stars: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson, William Atherton
• Runtime: 132 min

Sylvester Stallone was nominated for two Academy Awards for Rocky, a notable achievement in its own right. But when you consider the fact that he wrote the script and led the movie, when he was an unknown talent in Hollywood, those nominations feel nearly impossible. It’s true, though. Moreover, the movie took home three Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. Stallone’s portrayal of the boxer made him a star, leading to a total of six movies in the Rocky franchise — nine, if you count the three Creed movies.

• Director: John G. Avildsen
• Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith
• Runtime: 120 min

Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan partnered again to resurrect the Rocky franchise in a new and exciting way. Creed tells the story of Apollo Creed’s son and his journey into the world of professional boxing. Sylvester Stallone returns to give Rocky Balboa a worthy sendoff as Adonis Creed’s manager. It has the heart and grit of the first Rocky, and it’s different enough to be its own movie. 

• Director: Ryan Coogler
• Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad
• Runtime: 133 min

The Addams Family isn’t a deep movie. I should get that out of the way, right now. It is, however, a fun family film that puts a modern-day spin on the classic goth crew. The character work is what really makes this movie pop, with everyone bringing their A-game to bring these odd folks to life. It doesn’t hurt that there’s an enduring message to embrace your identity, no matter how strange you think it is, that still resonates today.

• Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
• Stars: Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd, Christina Ricci, Carel Struycken, Dan Hedaya, Elizabeth Wilson, Judith Malina
• Runtime: 99 min

What can be said about Jurassic Park that hasn’t already been said? Steven Spielberg helmed this game-changing action-adventure movie, which tells the story of a group of people stranded on an island with dinosaurs. I can just imagine how easy that pitch meeting was. This movie gave us so many memorable moments and characters, and somehow made Jeff Goldblum posing next to a giant pile of dino poop sexy.

• Director: Steven Spielberg
• Stars: Laura Dern, Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, Ariana Richards, Joseph Mazzello, Richard Attenborough, BD Wong, Wayne Knight, Samuel L. Jackson
• Runtime: 127 min

This is the first live-action movie inspired by Michael Bond’s cherished children’s book, which follows the bear as he ventures to find a new home and family after his home in Darkest Peru is destroyed. Yes, this is a family movie, but much like Bluey, Paddington is emotionally resonant for viewers of all ages. Ben Whishaw’s voice is a perfect fit for the kind little bear, who does his best to adapt to big-city London life. It’s a funny movie, but don’t be surprised if you shed a tear or two. In fact, I’d be surprised if you didn’t.

• Director: Paul King
• Stars: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Nicole Kidman, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin
• Runtime: 95 min

The Commitments follows music promoter Jimmy Rabbitte, who takes it upon himself to create an R&B group to address a void in the Dublin music scene. He has one problem: The group he assembles consists entirely of Irish folks with no experience in that specific music genre. Well, they do it anyway. The result is a surprisingly energetic, heartfelt and uplifting movie.

• Director: Alan Parker
• Stars: Robert Arkins, Michael Aherne, Andrew Strong, Angeline Ball, Maria Doyle Kennedy
• Runtime: 118 min

Monty Python and the Holy Grail is the first full-length feature starring the legendary comedy group. The movie takes place during the time of King Arthur and follows the group as they embark on a quest to find the Holy Grail. This is one of those movies that should be considered required viewing for comedy fans. 

• Directors: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones
• Stars: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin
• Runtime: 91 min

Taking inspiration from the beloved 2010 animated classic, this new adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon holds up. It’s the same world and plot as the original, and it follows a Viking boy who befriends a dragon, much to the chagrin of his powerful father. Thanks to the strong CGI effects, expansive world building and attention to character detail, this is a rare example of a live-action remake that improves upon its animated counterpart. 

• Director: Dean DeBlois
• Stars: Mason Thames, Gerard Butler, Nico Parker, Nick Frost, Julian Dennison
• Runtime: 125 min

Monkey Man is a movie about fighting and revenge. Those two details aren’t unique to the genre, but with Dev Patel’s creative touch, the end result is a dazzling, emotional affair. The fight sequences feel like they tossed John Wick and The Raid into a blender. Patel shows audiences a much different side than we are used to. This is also his directorial debut. Talk about making a statement.

• Director: Dev Patel
• Stars: Dev Patel, Pitobash, Jatin Malik, Sikander Kher, Sobhita Dhulipala, Makrand Deshpande
• Runtime: 121 min

Sicario, which stars Benicio del Toro, Emily Blunt and Josh Brolin, takes viewers deep into an escalating drug war at the US-Mexico border. The drama is tense, and the action is grueling, which makes sense considering that Taylor Sheridan wrote the script and Dune visionary Denis Villeneuve directed the movie. 

• Director: Denis Villeneuve
• Stars: Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Victor Garber, Jon Bernthal, Daniel Kaluuya
• Runtime: 121 min

The movie 3:10 to Yuma is an epic modern-day western. It’s a remake of the 1957 western of the same name (and both are inspired by a short story by Elmore Leonard). James Mangold directed the 2007 version in which Christian Bale plays Dan Evans, a rancher who takes on a job to guide outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) to a train that’ll transport him to prison. As you may expect, it’s not an easy task. Ben Foster. who’s excellent as the villainous Charlie Prince, also stars alongside Peter Fonda, Gretchen Mol and Alan Tudyk.  

• Director: James Mangold
• Stars: Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Logan Lerman, Dallas Roberts, Ben Foster, Peter Fonda, Vinessa Shaw, Gretchen Mol
• Runtime: 122 min

In Point Break, a gang of renegade surfers don the masks of ex-presidents and rob banks. And they’re pretty good at it, too. Enter FBI agent Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves), a young and brash law enforcement officer who goes undercover and infiltrates the group and cozies up to its leader, Bodhi (Patrick Swayze), to take them down. Kathryn Bigelow directed this over-the-top action movie, which was a memorable role for Swayze and a star-making turn for Reeves.

• Director: Kathryn Bigelow
• Stars: Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, Gary Busey, Lori Petty, 
• Runtime: 122 min

Shrek was the first movie to win the Academy Award for best animated feature. It’s sort of crazy to think that animated movies weren’t recognized by the Oscars until 2001, but Shrek deserved the win. The voice performances of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy are on point and deliver delightful comedy and memorable pop culture moments. The movie helped usher in a new era of CGI effects and put DreamWorks on the map. More than two decades later, it’s still a thoroughly enjoyable watch.

• Director: Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson
• Stars: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz
• Runtime: 90 min