Amazon Prime Video is home to thousands of movies and they recently made a handful of them completely free to stream with ads. Some of these are big, memorable films like Oscar nominees Hacksaw Ridge and iconic classics like The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. While those are great to rewatch, the real fun is in finding overlooked movies.

The films that might have bombed at the box office, weren’t liked by critics, or didn’t get the proper viewership they deserved when they were initially released. These are also movies that you might not have checked out because it can be pricey to give an overlooked film a chance.

However, the fact that these are all now available to stream for free makes it the ideal time to watch them. These movies deserve an opportunity to impress you and there’s no better price than free to give them that chance.

10

H๏τel Artemis (2018)

A Star-Studded Action Thriller

Every so often, a movie comes out that seems like it should be a commercial hit, yet totally misses the mark. In 2018, that film was H๏τel Artemis, which had two important aspects needed to succeed. It featured a cool premise and had a loaded cast.

That premise centered on a hospital designed for criminals being overrun by ᴀssᴀssins, thieves, and more during a riot in Los Angeles. Seeing all these unsavory characters come together made for some truly engaging scenes but it was all brought together so well by the talent level in the film.

The cast of criminals includes Dave Bautista, Sterling K. Brown, Sofia Boutella, Jeff Goldblum, Brian Tyree Henry, Charlie Day, Jenny Slate, and more.

The hospital was run by a nurse played by Jodie Foster but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The cast of criminals includes Dave Bautista, Sterling K. Brown, Sofia Boutella, Jeff Goldblum, Brian Tyree Henry, Charlie Day, Jenny Slate, and more.

Alas, despite all that, the film couldn’t even gross back its small budget of $15 million. Though it bombed, critics were a bit nicer, giving it mixed reviews. The main criticism was that it’s kind of just wacky futuristic violence, yet sometimes that’s all someone is looking for in a movie, making it a good time.

9

Waiting (2005)

A Hilarious Comedy Set At A Restaurant

While H๏τel Artemis was a star-studded action movie, Waiting… is the same kind of thing, set in the comedy world. Ryan Reynolds is the most recognizable face in the cast but it also features Anna Faris, Justin Long, Alanna Ubach, David Koechner, and Luis Guzman, just to name a few.

The story takes place across a single day at a franchise restaurant and deals with the antics that the crew gets into. That means dealing with rude customers, how the food is made, and issues with the higher-ups, all while bonding. It’s something of a cult classic, yet it has still been overlooked by many.

Waiting… received negative reviews upon release, yet there’s something fun about going back to watch it. Sure, the film can be foul and gross at times but that’s part of why it works. There’s just something enjoyable about watching all these hilarious actors before they had their big breakouts.

8

The Rules Of Attraction (2002)

An LGBTQ+ Cult Classic

Upon release, The Rules of Attraction was kind of just a movie that came and went while making little to no impact. It did well enough for its small budget but that’s really it. However, the movie has become something more in the two decades plus since it arrived and is now a cult classic.

The Rules of Attraction is based on Bret Easton Ellis’s novel of the same name from 1987 and focuses on three college students in Canada in the midst of a love triangle. There’s drug dealer Sean (James Van Der Beek), virgin Lauren (Shannyn Sossamon), and Lauren’s biSєxual ex-boyfriend Paul (Ian Somerhalder).

The author praised the adaptation even if critics didn’t love it, and the supporting cast is also noteworthy, featuring the likes of Jessica Biel and Kate Bosworth.

LGBTQ+ stories were still not told all that often back in the early 2000s, leading to this standing out a bit once people picked up on it. The author praised the adaptation even if critics didn’t love it, and the supporting cast is also noteworthy, featuring the likes of Jessica Biel and Kate Bosworth.

7

Queenpins (2021)

The Wild True Story Of A Coupon Scam

Far too many movies that were released during the COVID-19 pandemic were unjustly overlooked as people weren’t going to theaters. Among those films was Queenpins, the wild comedy that tells the almost unbelievable true story of a group of women who ran a multimillion-dollar coupon scam.

On its own, the absurd tale is enough to make for an intriguing movie. The thing that takes Queenpins over the top is how fantastic the cast is at bringing this to life. Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste, who co-starred in The Good Place for a few years, are great as the lead actors and their chemistry shines through.

Just as funny is watching Paul Walter Hauser and Vince Vaughn as a mismatched pairing who are investigating the girls’ scheme. This was another movie that received only mixed reviews from critics, yet the Rotten Tomatoes’ Popcornmeter sits at 82%, showing that casual viewers really enjoyed it.

6

Man On A Ledge (2012)

A Thrilling Heist Movie

The heist movie genre is one filled with thrills and classic movies, meaning that it takes something truly interesting to stand out. Man on a Ledge had the perfect kind of twist on the formula to do just that, as it follows a man who threatens to jump off a building to distract officers as a heist goes down.

Sam Worthington, a few years removed from starring in the blockbuster Avatar, played the тιтular man on the ledge and he stands out there in an attempt to clear his name of a diamond heist while his crew doing the “heist” works to prove that the diamond was never actually stolen.

Every scene is rife with tension since the protagonist is in such a precarious position and could fall at any moment. A supporting cast featuring Elizabeth Banks, Anthony Mackie, Jamie Bell, Ed Harris, and more only adds to what makes this such a thrilling movie.

Critics were pretty harsh on the movie (it sits at 31% on Rotten Tomatoes), citing a far-fetched plot. However, the over-the-top nature of Man on a Ledge is actually part of its charm.

5

First Man (2018)

The Story Of Neil Armstrong

The fact that First Man can be considered an overlooked movie is unexpected. Biopics about notable figures in history often do well with audiences and one following Neil Armstrong and the first trip to the moon is exactly the kind of thing people flock to.

Add in a star leading man in Ryan Gosling and an acclaimed director at the helm (both fresh off the rousing success of La La Land) and First Man had all the makings of a hit. Alas, it heavily underperformed at the box office and has been forgotten to time in just a few years.

First Man also won Best Visual Effects among the four technical Oscars it was nominated for, making it an absolute must-see for free.

Despite that, First Man was a hit with critics as Claire Foy was nominated for a Golden Globe, she and Gosling landed Critics’ Choice nominations, and Justin Hurwitz won major awards for his score. First Man also won Best Visual Effects among the four technical Oscars it was nominated for, making it an absolute must-see for free.

This is especially something to watch ahead of Ryan Gosling’s next venture into space in 2026’s Hail Mary Project.

4

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2009)

The Original Adaptation Of The Iconic Novel

As is often the case with international successes, an American remake was made of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Even though David Fincher’s acclaimed take on the story in 2011 was met with widespread acclaim, it bombed commercially and ended plans for the entire trilogy to be made.

Still, that’s likely the version of the story that people in the United States are most familiar with. Thankfully, the original 2009 Swedish adaptation is now available for free on Prime Video, meaning fans can see what Noomi Rapace did with the iconic role of Lisbeth Salander.

Impressively, this version got to have all three installments adapted in the span of one year as this film was followed by The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. All three entries are actually on Prime Video right now, meaning the entire story can be viewed for free.

3

Willy’s Wonderland (2021)

Nicolas Cage At His Most Unhinged

Over the years, Nicolas Cage has become famous for his wacky B-movies more than the serious, Oscar-nominated work he did in the past. He remains a great actor but there’s a lot of fun to be had with Cage playing an unhinged character in a movie that is just meant to be silly fun.

Few films work that setup better than Willy’s Wonderland. The movie follows Cage’s unnamed janitor, who is tricked into cleaning an abandoned entertainment center where animatronic mascots come to life and go on killing sprees. It sounds absurd and that’s where the fun lies.

This was another film that got overlooked during the pandemic and couldn’t even gross $500,000 because of it. However, it has found new life on streaming services and being available for free on Prime Video opens more doors for more people to discover it. Cage’s performance was praised, as was the zany nature of it all.

2

Freaky (2020)

The Most Ridiculous Body Swap Movie Ever

The entire setup for 2020’s Freaky is one of the best in recent memory. It takes what works about slasher movies like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer and blends it with the body swap fun that you get in movies like Freaky Friday. On top of that, it adds a gender-swapped twist as well.

Freaky stars Kathryn Newton as a teenage girl who ends up switching bodies with a serial killer played by Vince Vaughn. Both are a blast in their initial roles but the real fun comes when the swap happens as Newton gets to play the intimidating murderer and Vaughn portrays the teenage girl.

The setup means that there’s an extra layer of challenge for the protagonist as they must overcome the killer and the fact that they actually now look like the killer. The film is highly entertaining and was met with strong reviews, even if the COVID-19 pandemic meant a lot of people never got to see it.

1

You’re Next (2013)

One Of The Best Modern Slashers

Sticking with the theme of slashers, they’ve found modern success following their revival in the ’90s. Scream has had hit sequels, Netflix put out the Fear Street trilogy, there’s a time loop slasher in Happy Death Day, and Ti West’s X, Pearl, and MaXXXine trilogy has been well received.

However, the early 2010s actually saw one of the best slashers ever made, even though many people have never heard of it. You’re Next focuses on a family that is targeted by a group of masked intruders while gathering for a reunion. Adam Wingard, who went on to direct two MonsterVerse movies, does a lot here with a small budget.

The lack of a major Hollywood name is beneficial here as it helps the movie feel more real, as if you’re watching this happen to everyday people. The kills are creative, the entire thing is both terrifying and tense, and You’re Next should be viewed by any fan of the horror genre.