The 15 Best Movies On Apple TV+ Right Now

Given that it’s one of the less popular streaming services, audiences often overlook Apple TV+ when searching for something to watch. Apple TV+ has gained more prominence due to several successful shows –- “Severance” and “Ted Lasso,” for example -– but there’s still much to discover on the platform, as there are many great shows no one seems to watch.

And what about movies? Apple TV+’s film library contains plenty of hidden gems as well. From big-budget features to fascinating documentaries, these movies are worthy of your consideration. In fact, despite its modest subscriber base, Apple TV+ made Oscars history at the 2022 ceremony, becoming the first streamer to win Best Picture.

Whether you’re looking to catch up on some of the most buzzworthy films or discover something new, here’s our roundup of the best movies you can stream on Apple TV+.

“Killers of the Flower Moon” was big news when it premiered in 2023. Another collaboration between living legend Martin Scorsese and one of his muses, Leonardo DiCaprio, the film’s pedigree encouraged viewers to go see it (or at least press play on their televisions). The movie made Martin Scorsese the most Best Director-nominated living filmmaker of all time, though it lost all 10 of the awards it was nominated for.

Set in 1920s Oklahoma, the movie follows a series of murders of Osage members following the discovery of oil on their land. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Ernest Burkhart, a man in need of work, and Lily Gladstone plays Mollie Kyle, an Osage woman and Burkhart’s wife.

Many aspects of the film justify its three-hour runtime. It’s a beautifully directed, fascinating story, as well as a compelling character study of those who committed terrible acts and those who fell victim to them But the No. 1 reason you should watch “Killers of the Flower Moon” is Lily Gladstone, who gives an astounding performance, doing most of the work with only her eyes.

“Killers of the Flower Moon” introduced most of the world to Lily Gladstone, but it’s not her only film worth watching. Erica Tremblay’s “Fancy Dance,” set on the Seneca-Cayuga reservation in Oklahoma, follows Jax (Gladstone), a woman raising her 13-year-old niece, Roki (Isabel DeRoy-Olson). Jax spends much of her time searching for her missing sister and stealing cars to get by. After CPS and Indian Child Welfare are called, Jax and Roki escape to Oklahoma City to attend a powwow.

A heartfelt, understated film, “Fancy Dance” gives Gladstone the chance to shine in a lead role. She paints a compelling portrait of Jax, a woman doing her best to support her family despite making a few bad choices. Due to her sexuality and criminal record, Jax’s relationship with Roki asks us to consider how a mother should act or look, and how often the law can get in the way of family. Gladstone’s performance, equal parts swaggering and distraught, carries the film, while Isabel DeRoy-Olson’s Roki provides its heart.

When “CODA” came to the 2020 Oscars, it made history in several ways. It became the first streaming film to win Best Picture, the first Sundance premiere to win Best Picture, and the first film with a largely deaf cast to win Best Picture. Troy Kotsur, who won Best Supporting Actor for the movie, is only the second deaf person to win an Oscar for acting — the first was his co-star, Marlee Matlin.

But does it hold up four years later? “CODA” follows Ruby (Emilia Jones), a seventeen-year-old living in Massachusetts. Ruby is a CODA, which stands for Child of Deaf Adult. Both of her parents are deaf, as is her older brother. Ruby’s forced to make a choice: Either continue to help her family’s struggling fishing business, or pursue a college degree in music.

Though old-fashioned and sentimental, these qualities make “CODA” an enjoyable crowd pleaser. The story of a young person yearning to break free from their family is a tale as old as time, but the inclusion of deaf characters in this story adds a new dimension. The performances, especially from Kotsur and Matlin, elevate the film beyond a paint-by-numbers production.

Music documentaries are so common these days, it seems like just about every pop star has one. Not all of these films bring new insights to the table, even if it’s fun to see what it’s like behind the scenes for a superstar. Both insightful and entertaining, “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry” is the best this genre has to offer.

In a time where every music doc and every pop star strives so diligently for authenticity, Eilish’s realness feels like a given. Indeed, this is one of the film’s greatest strengths -– it’s an intimate portrait of Eilish’s life that never feels manufactured. Rather than trying to explain to us that Eilish is a genius or why people are so obsessed with her, it focuses on her inner world, which in turn, influences her music and how people relate to it.

For a singer with many young fans, the film’s significance lies in its commitment to showing Eilish’s unfiltered struggles with mental health and relationships, reminding us that she’s an anxious young person just like her fans. “The World’s a Little Blurry” shows us the fragility and loneliness of fame, while also bringing us closer to a superstar.

It’s hard to make a truly unique Shakespeare film these days, though Baz Luhrmann did it better than any before with 1996’s “Romeo + Juliet.” In “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” Joel Coen –- in his first film without his brother Ethan –- takes the opposite approach of Luhrmann. Instead of maximalism, he gives us minimalism to the highest degree.

Coen makes his mark by stripping everything away in this adaptation, which is one of more than 25. In this black-and-white film, the characters traverse vacant hallways and an arid landscape. This sparsely decorated backdrop gives the actors plenty of room to shine. Denzel Washington, famously a Shakespeare aficionado, plays the title character, and Coen’s wife, Frances McDormand, plays Lady Macbeth. The cast also features actors from the stage, including veteran theater actor and director Kathryn Hunter as all three of the witches.

Despite these incredible performances, you’d be forgiven for getting lost in the Bard’s words. It’s a tradeoff for the film’s austere minimalism, as it’s not particularly accessible to those unfamiliar with the story. Still, you can’t go wrong with a group of great actors performing one of the best plays of all time.

The inspiration behind the 2024 film “Blitz” was a single photograph. Director Steve McQueen saw a photograph of a Black child at a train station waiting to be evacuated during World War II, and as he told Entertainment Weekly, he “wanted to know his story and see that world through his eyes.” The result is a war movie that doesn’t feature any soldiers or scenes on the battlefield.

Saoirse Ronan plays Rita, the mother of nine-year-old George (Elliott Heffernan). Rita sends George to the countryside, away from London, as was common practice during the war. George doesn’t want to be sent away, so he jumps off the train and makes his way back to London in search of his mother. Rita, learning of George’s disappearance, frantically searches for her son.

Though the narrative structure feels familiar, McQueen is such a clever director that the film stands out from the pack, in part due to his inventive camera work and impressive set pieces. The acting brings the film to life just as much. Unsurprisingly, Ronan does great work, but it’s Heffernan who steals the show with his wide-eyed performance as a very brave young man.

Have you ever wondered about the origin story of Tetris? Maybe not, but the 2023 film of the same name proves that it’s worth telling. “Tetris” follows Henk Rogers (Taron Egerton), the founder of a videogame company. But Rogers didn’t create Tetris -– that was Russian engineer Alexey Pajitnov (Nikita Yefremov). Rogers saw Tetris at an electronics show and became obsessed with getting the rights to the game. The movie tracks Rogers’ efforts to obtain the rights for Nintendo, which involves endless unnerving between interested parties.

Though it appears to be about a video game, “Tetris” is really a film about contracts, and somehow, this is thrilling. The negotiations and backstabbing become so convoluted that the film reads more like a spy movie than a biopic or a film about a brand. Part of this is the result of the movie’s zany, playful tone, which reminds the viewer that while this is based on a true story, some creative liberties were taken. Egerton plays Rogers like a nerdy underdog in a cutthroat world, with Pajitnov as his only ally, and many of his adversaries are deliciously malevolent. “Tetris” is as addictive and thrilling as the game itself.

Though it sounds like a fictional epic, “The Land of the Sea Women” follows an extraordinary community in the real world. They are the haenyeo, a group of women who dive for seafood using only their breath. They come from the island of Jeju, South Korea, and their vocation goes back generations, but their numbers are rapidly declining. The remaining haenyeo of Jeju are all over 60 years old, with some in their 80s.

The A24 documentary, directed by Sue Kim, gives us a peek into the haenyeo’s world, both their passion for their work and the struggles they face doing this difficult, dangerous job. The film becomes more political when the haenyeos learn of Japan’s plan to release nuclear waste from the Fukushima power plant, potentially damaging their oceans for generations to come.

The haenyeo are fascinating documentary subjects. Despite the challenges they face, these women maintain a heartening sense of humor and camaraderie, and a commitment to diving for as long as they physically can. A call to preserve endangered cultures and environments, “The Last of the Sea Women” leaves us feeling inspired by these gritty women.

Best known for making musical films like “Once” and “Sing Street,” John Carney’s 2023 movie “Flora and Son” continues this melodic tradition. Eve Hewson plays Flora, the single mom of her rule-breaking teenager, Max (Orén Kinlan). In an effort to keep Max from running afoul of the law, Flora tries to find Max a hobby and discovers a beat-up guitar. With the help of Jeff (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a music teacher in Los Angeles, things start to turn around for the pair.

Though it uses a familiar formula, “Flora and Son” has more bite to it than Carney’s previous films. At first, our mother and son duo are hard to love, but Hewson effortlessly wins us over with her immense charm. Flora and Jeff have an easygoing, sweet relationship, and, as in all of Carney’s films, music changes their lives for the better. Though steeped in sentimentality, it’s hard not to get swept up in the pleasant ride.

“Finch” is a rare beast these days – a simple science fiction movie that’s not part of a franchise or based on an existing IP. In fact, there’s very little action at all. Tom Hanks plays the title character, one of the last humans on Earth following a global cataclysm. Finch travels with two non-human companions, and that’s it for the entire cast.

In an incredibly funny and moving motion-capture performance, Caleb Landry Jones plays Jeff, a robot Finch built to protect his dog, Goodyear (played by a talented mutt named Seamus). The only plot “twist” is revealed at the beginning –- Finch is dying from radiation poisoning, and he built Jeff to look after Goodyear once he’s gone.

This simple plot is enough to fill up a two-hour-long movie and take the audience on an emotional journey. Tom Hanks’ near-universal appeal certainly makes it easier for viewers to get on board, and the movie’s straightforward plot and depiction of hope and goodness in a broken world result in a pleasant disposition. Tom Hanks built a robot for his dog, whom he loves more than anything in the world. How can you say no to that?

When you think of civil rights, the deaf community is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. That ignorance is exactly what the film “Deaf President Now!” seeks to correct. In 1988, Gallaudet University, the only university specifically for deaf and hard-of-hearing students in the world, elected a new president. As had been true for the last 124 years of the university’s existence, that president was a hearing person, even though there were several qualified deaf candidates in contention for the job.

This renewal of the status quo didn’t sit right with Gallaudet’s students, who launched a groundbreaking eight days of protests in response to the election. Their protests were a success, as the presiding president resigned, making way for Dr. I. King Jordan to become the university’s first deaf president.

Directed by deaf actor Nyle DiMarco and hearing documentary veteran Davis Guggenheim, the film uses archival footage of the protests and interviews with its participants to paint a picture of the scene. We hear from the four students who spearheaded the movement, as well as former president Dr. Jordan. Both the filmmakers and these participants rightly emphasize the fact that deaf people don’t need anyone to speak for them or lead them – they can do that themselves.

Ever since the idea of robots and artificial intelligence became a possibility, storytellers have been preoccupied by the question of whether technology can replicate love and companionship. In “Swan Song,” director Benjamin Cleary ponders these questions under the guise of science fiction, though the science mostly serves as a jumping-off point for emotional discovery.

Mahershala Ali plays Cameron, a man diagnosed with a terminal illness. Faced with the option of sparing his wife, Poppy (Naomie Harris), and son Cory (Dax Rey) the grief of losing him, Cameron must make a difficult choice. Will he hide the truth of his illness and be replaced by a clone of himself, or will he die surrounded by family, knowing he’s causing them pain?

“Swan Song” isn’t concerned with twists and turns, focusing instead on the human cost of technology and the choices we make to protect the ones we love. Ali gives a standout performance, imbuing Cameron and his clone with the same introspective, quiet temperament, while still playing them with a perfectly subtle distinction. The performances from Harris and Awkwafina (playing another patient) are equally nuanced, giving the film its unassuming power.

A triumph of animation and folk tale storytelling, “Wolfwalkers” is a delightful, inventive piece of filmmaking. Produced by the Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon, “Wolfwalkers” follows a rebellious young girl, Robyn (Honor Kneafsey). Robyn lives in 16th-century Ireland under the rule of a tyrannical Lord Protector (Simon McBurney) who wants the townsfolk to eliminate all the wolves in the woods. Robyn’s father (Sean Bean) begrudgingly follows his orders, but the girl gets in the way.

Venturing into the woods one day, Robyn meets a girl named Mebh (Eva Whittaker), who she learns is a Wolfwalker -– a human who becomes a wolf when she sleeps. Intent on protecting the Wolfwalkers and defying her Lord’s orders, Robyn involves herself in an ancient tug-of-war between the forces of nature and civilization.

The film’s 2D animation is stunning, and in some ways has more feeling and character than 3D animation. This artwork isn’t beautiful for beauty’s sake, though. It exists to serve the story, adding emotion, texture, and movement to the narrative. Though the film tells an ancient story and uses a less “advanced” style of animation, its commitment to classical forms feels thrillingly novel.

In the 2022 film “Causeway,” Jennifer Lawrence plays against type, portraying Lynsey, a soldier returning from Afghanistan. Lynsey comes home to New Orleans following a traumatic brain injury, where she struggles to adjust to civilian life and hopes to resume her tour of duty. While living with her mother (Linda Emond) and going through rehabilitation, she connects with James (Brian Tyree Henry), a mechanic dealing with similar issues.

With “Causeway,” Lawrence gives a naturalistic, gritty performance that recalls her Oscar-winning turn in “Winter’s Bone.” She conveys much of Lynsey’s feelings without words, giving us a sense of who this woman is through the movements of her body. The film becomes twice as compelling when James arrives on the scene, as Henry embodies the depth of his feelings with a phenomenal sense of groundedness. An extremely understated film, “Causeway” relies on these excellent performances to tell the story.

One of the most likable actors of the 1980s and 1990s, Michael J. Fox gained the goodwill of a nation through his memorable film and television roles. When he announced he had Parkinson’s disease in 1998 (after being diagnosed seven years earlier), it made an impact. Now, more than 25 years later, documentary director Davis Guggenheim brings us “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie.”

Stories about extraordinary people facing serious illness or injury often fall along two lines. They’re either stories of triumph over adversity or tragic, cautionary tales. “Still” is neither. Avoiding the talking head format of many documentary films, “Still” gives Fox the mic, telling his story through personal anecdotes and clips from his work in film and television.

Fox’s biting, self-deprecating sense of humor is one of the aspects that distinguishes this film from other biographical documentaries. He’s still filled with quippy jokes, though it now takes a little longer to deliver the punchline. Fox discusses the effects of the disease with remarkable honesty, but his straightforward manner guarantees that this isn’t a “teachable moment” sort of film. Indeed, Fox’s captivating narration, the film’s clever editing, and use of archival footage make this doc an electrifying ride.