Paramount Plus is one of the newer arrivals on the streaming scene, and while its roster is rolling out plenty of exciting streaming original and acquired shows, there are plenty of movies on Paramount Plus that are worth exploring. From the classic to the current and from the vintage to the very new, Paramount+ offers an excellent movie lineup that rivals any other streaming service. To save you some time from surfing, The Manual has dug out a few of the very best Paramount Plus movies. Here’s what’s on Paramount+ that you should watch this month.
Interstellar (2014)
169m
Genre
Adventure, Drama, Science Fiction
Stars
Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain
Directed by
Christopher Nolan
Watch on Paramount+
In a career filled with precise, slightly cold movies, Interstellar feels like something of an outlier for Christopher Nolan. The film, which follows a space mission designed to save Earth from extinction, is really about what it means to love another person, and what that love can and cannot do. On top of that; the movie also features some of the most stunning visuals of Nolan’s career, as well as a score from Hans Zimmer that has become a classic in the decade since the movie’s release. Not everything about Interstellar works, but it’s hard to imagine any other director taking a swing this big and pulling it off this well.
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Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
131m
Genre
Action, Drama
Stars
Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly
Directed by
Joseph Kosinski
Watch on Paramount+
A sequel that no one needed and everyone was grateful for, Top Gun: Maverick improves on its predecessor by finding a more grounded emotional story to tell about its characters. The film follows Maverick, now a veteran pilot, as he returns to Top Gun to teach a class of young guns how to handle a deeply dangerous mission. Along the way, he falls in love, buries the hatchet with the son of his closest friend, and proves that Maverick is a legend that may never be equaled. If we failed to appreciate Tom Cruise before Maverick, this Top Gun sequel reminded moviegoing audiences everywhere why he’s still a major star.
Ascension (2021)
84%
7/10
In Ascension, we get to see a modern economy’s growth from the ground up. The 2021 MTV documentary film follows the pursuit of the Chinese dream through a billion-member society that erupts in a riot of class stratification after permitting a regulated capitalism that prioritizes productivity and innovation over all else. This includes civil rights like freedom of speech, press, and more. Ascension premiered in June 2021 at the Tribeca Film Festival, where it won Best Documentary Feature. Director and producer Jessica Kingdon originally did not intend to focus solely on China. She described it as “an image-driven essay film composed of a series of vignettes, climbing up the rungs of China’s social ladder.” Like steps up society’s levels, Ascension is tiered into three stories, elevating up through classes — the proletariat, the aspirational middle, and a wanton elite — strict social tiers where the wealthiest are crystalized at the top.
Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)
147m
Genre
Action, Adventure
Stars
Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Ving Rhames
Directed by
Christopher McQuarrie
Watch on Paramount+
The entire Mission: Impossible series is available on Paramount Plus, and anyone curious should probably start from the beginning. If you’re just looking for an all-time great action movie; then Mission: Impossible Fallout is probably the place to start. The movie follows Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt as he’s tasked with reacquiring plutonium that he loses in the movie’s opening scene. Really, though, the thing that makes Fallout great is the way it seems to constantly ramp up the action. Every set piece here is a showstopper, and each action beat seems to just build on the last. The movie is operating at a dead sprint from its opening moments, and that’s what makes it great. Cruise is singularly committed to making these kinds of movies, but he’s also aided by an incredible supporting cast that includes Rebecca Ferguson, Henry Cavill, Simon Pegg, and Angela Bassett. Fallout is, quite simply, thrilling.
Past Lives (2023)
106m
Genre
Drama, Romance
Stars
Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro
Directed by
Celine Song
Watch on Paramount+
One of the best movies of 2023, Past Lives tells the story of two Korean children who were close when they were young, but drifted apart as they aged. When they reunite for a weekend in New York City, they imagine how their lives might have been different and examine the way the choices they made shaped the people they ultimately became. Featuring outstanding performances from Greta Lee and Teo Yoo, Past Lives is one of the more quietly devastating movies of recent years, in part because it’s a reminder of how many small things shape the people we ultimately become.
The Lost City (2022)
112m
Genre
Action, Adventure, Comedy
Stars
Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe
Directed by
Aaron Nee, Adam Nee
Watch on Paramount+
When Channing Tatum disappeared from movie screens for a couple of years in the early 2020s, it was audiences who really lost out. Thankfully, Tatum is back, and The Lost City is the perfect vehicle for his many charms. Here, Tatum is paired with Sandra Bullock, who plays an author of successful adventure novels. When this author and her cover model stumble into an actual jungle adventure, plenty of above-average action comedy ensues. Add in a Brad Pitt cameo and an excellent villain performance from Daniel Radcliffe, and you have the kind of mid-budget action comedy that they should make eight of every year.
A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)
99m
Genre
Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller
Stars
Lupita Nyong'o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff
Directed by
Michael Sarnoski
Watch on Paramount+
The Quiet Place franchise has proven to have a remarkable amount of staying power, and A Quiet Place: Day One is a great example of why. This movie, which is set in the immediate aftermath of an alien invasion where the aliens can follow sound, follows a terminally ill woman navigating New York City in those first days. Thanks to a great central performance from Lupita Nyong’o, Day One has room for real character work amid all the carnage, and manages to convey fundamentally different ideas than its predecessor. It’ll scare you, sure, but in the end, it’s also a little more moving than you might expect.
The Fighter (2010)
116m
Genre
Drama
Stars
Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams
Directed by
David O. Russell
Watch on Paramount+
A family drama masquerading as a sports movie, The Fighter tells the true story of a Micky Ward, a boxer who is coached by his brother, who is an addict, and managed by his erratic mother. When his new girlfriend suggests that his family isn’t good for him, he splits from them, only to find himself contending for the world title. Featuring outstanding performances from Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, and Amy Adams, The Fighter is a brilliant examination of how hard it can be to deal with the people who are supposed to love you most.
Gladiator (2000)
155m
Genre
Action, Drama, Adventure
Stars
Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen
Directed by
Ridley Scott
Watch on Paramount+
A throwback sword and sandals epic, Gladiator tells a remarkably simple story in spite of its expansive running time. The film follows a Roman general tapped to become the next emperor, only to be betrayed by the emperor’s son and left for dead. After becoming a gladiator himself, he works his way back to Rome and vows to enact revenge on Rome’s new emperor. Featuring incredible performances from Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix, Gladiator is equal parts serious and silly, and features an impressive level of scale and some genuinely riveting action set pieces.
What’s new on Paramount+ in December?
December 1
- 45 Years*
- A Christmas Carol
- A.I. Artificial Intelligence
- Annie*
- Arthur Christmas
- Bad Moms*
- Baywatch
- Bebe’s Kids
- Blade Runner 2049
- Boogie Nights
- Born on the Fourth of July
- Burn After Reading
- Charlotte’s Web
- Chicago
- Chocolate City*
- Christmas Cupid
- Cliffhanger
- Cocktail
- Coneheads
- Contagion
- Critical Condition
- Crocodile Dundee
- Crocodile Dundee II
- Cujo*
- Deck The Halls
- Detained
- Disturbia
- Down to Earth
- Edward Scissorhands
- Fear
- Fist Fight
- Free Willy
- Full Metal Jacket
- Get Rich or Die Tryin’
- Heaven Can Wait*
- Hell or High Water
- Her
- Hustle & Flow
- John Grisham’s The Rainmaker
- Judas and the Black Messiah
- Julie & Julia
- King Richard
- L.A. Confidential
- Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life
- Love, Rosie
- Major League
- Malcolm X
- Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas To All!
- Miracle on 34th Street
- Mirror Mirror
- Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
- Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult*
- Nancy Drew
- No Country for Old Men
- Point Break
- Primal Fear
- Rings*
- Risky Business
- Rosemary’s Baby*
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles*
- The Back-up Plan
- The Cider House Rules
- The Exorcist
- The Good Liar
- The Iron Giant
- The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain
- The Lovely Bones
- The Matrix
- The Monster Squad*
- The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear*
- The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!*
- The Outsiders
- The Perfect Holiday
- The Queen
- The Secret Garden
- The Uninvited*
- Think Like a Man
- Think Like a Man Too
- This Is Where I Leave You
- Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale
- Tom and Jerry: Santa’s Little Helpers
- Trading Places
- Unaccompanied Minors
- Wayne’s World 2*
- What Men Want
- What Remains
- What Remains*
- Wild Things
- Winter’s Bone*
- World Trade Center
- Zodiac*
December 6
- Extreme Movie*
December 8
- Joe Bell
- The Score
December 9
- The Fabulous Four*
December 31
- 5 to 7*
- Aurora: A Love Story
- Backcountry*
- Match*
- The Riot Club*
- The Salvation*
- Welcome to New York*
*Title only available with Showtime subscription
