Read more about the best movies coming to Hulu in July 2023
Read more about the best movies coming to Peacock in July 2023
Prime Videois absolutely killing it this month with the releases. There’s only so many words to talk about the fantastic movies that are coming to the streaming platform here, but this is the place to be if you want to watch a good movie in July.
You’ve got a little bit of everything this month, from comedy to psychological thrillers where you don’t know which way they’ll end up. All of these are truly fantastic films. Prime Video has even more on offer than this article can contain that’s definitely worth your attention, but here, we highlight just a few of the best.
Cool Hand Luke (July 1)
If you only watch one movie on this list, make it this one. While an older film, this is quite possibly the best movie about being in prison that’s ever been made. ButShawshank Redemption, you might say! That’s also coming to Prime Video this month, and everyone knows about the top-rated movie on IMDb, however many years running.
But what makes this movie worth a watch compared to that? For starters, it doesn’t feel like it has that fairy tale aspect to it of a man who’ll get justice in the end. This is the tale of a man who deservedly went to prison for something stupid and did not adjust well to life there. He’s something of a rebel and lives to upset the system, if only for a while.
The movie doesn’t have big spectacle moments. Instead, the plot involves Luke (Paul Newman) trying to find new ways to pass the time he has left in prison. He gets into crazy bets with his friends, messes with the prison guard, and even tries to escape a few times, all with a broad smile on his face as he tries to take on life with some misplaced optimism.
The way the movie is shot as well has so much realism to it where you can almost feel the rough cotton sheets the men are forced to sleep on as well as the blinding sun that they have to work under during the daytime. Broaden your horizons and see the film that defines what it means to be a story about prison life.
Legally Blonde (July 1)
If you only watch two movies on this list,make this your other one. It stars a heartbroken sorority queen named Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) who decides she’s going to go to law school in a desperate bid to impress the boyfriend who dumped her. While she appears to be something of a dunce with her bubbly personality and fashion marketing degree, what sets her apart is that she’s actually incredibly smart when she sets her mind to something.
Rather than making easy dumb blonde jokes, the movie takes every opportunity to highlight how much her dedication pays off for her. Appearances are deceiving, and that’s such a credit to this movie, where she could’ve been a very one-note dolt. Instead, it’s a competently written comedy that even evolves into a trial case she has to win. Movies could usemore characters like Elle Woods.
No Country for Old Men (July 1)
The most successful and widely known Cormac McCarthy adaptation to date. This one is timely for Prime Video, giventhe author’s recent death. It’s a lot like a Western set in the 80s. It opens with the discovery of a drug deal gone wrong, and a lot of money left without an owner.
So when Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) finds all this, he knows he’s struck gold if he can just get away clean. The mob hires a hitman with no regard for human life to hunt him and the cash as a wrinkle, and the only cop who can maybe bring justice to the situation is old and hopelessly outmatched by this new generation’s evil. A true masterpiece of a thriller filled with action, narrow escapes, ingenuity, and the Coen brothers' trademark weirdness.
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The Iron Giant (July 1)
No list of the month would be complete without an animated film, and this one happens to be a certified classic among classics. It’s the rare film you (hopefully) watched as a kid, and can now discover how it wasn’t just nostalgia telling you how marvelous it was. For those not aware, though, the premise is pretty straightforward as a teenager finds a giant metal robot that crash-landed from outer space. Rather than being threatening, he’s sort of like a really big dog with pretty simple intelligence and a regular smile.
Now, of course, the army is interested in acquiring or destroying something they don’t really understand, so the film escalates from simple to rather action-packed near the end. But throughout the film, you have room for a lot of laughs, some touching moments, and some of the most gorgeous 2D animation you’ve ever seen, wrapped in a 1960s style.
This is one ofthe final American 2D animation filmsthat got bankrolled by a big studio and was sadly part of the wave of poor box office releases that led to the style largely being canned. It wouldn’t stop director Brad Bird though from going on to head upThe Incrediblesjust a few years later. If you haven’t seen it, now is the time. If you have seen it, it’s time for a refresher.
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Gladiator (July 1)
A fantastic movie about Russell Crowe getting vengeance for his family in the final years of Rome’s place as a world power. The film is most memorable, though, for giving Joaquin Phoenix his first chance to blow everyone away with his performance as the utterly demented Emperor Commodus. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that this man always turns out when he’s in a movie. If you like the film,there is a sequel on the way.
