To help fans narrow down their viewing options, streaming services like Amazon’s Prime Video have Top 10 trending lists to show their most popular movies and TV shows – but while they may be popular, they’re not necessarily very good.
In an effort to help you separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak, The Focus has put together a guide, exploring which movies and TV series on the current Prime Video Top 10 list are worth watching and which you should avoid.
10. Marlowe | Avoid
Released in 2022, Marlowe is a noir crime thriller that takes place in 1930s Los Angeles. Liam Neeson, in his 100th film role, plays the titular detective as he’s hired to investigate a mysterious disappearance.
The ingredients are all there for what should have been a great detective movie but Marlowe fails to mix said ingredients together well enough, resulting in a movie that is both slow and dull.
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9. Hazbin Hotel | Watch
Hazbin Hotel is an R-rated animated musical comedy set in the fiery depths of hell. The series follows Charlie Morningstar who attempts to rehabilitate the guests at the hotel in an effort to reduce overcrowding in the mystical kingdom.
Blending stunning animation with earworm musical numbers, Hazbin Hotel is worth checking in with.
8. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 | Avoid
Still riding the coattails of 2002’s first film, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is the perfect viewing if you want to watch a movie set in stunning and sunny vistas of Greece.
Beyond that, there is little else to love as the franchise has arguably taken a step too far.
7. Mr & Mrs Smith | Watch
While it may be inspired by the 2005 film of the same name, the Mr & Mrs Smith TV series takes the format in a slightly new direction as it follows two lonely strangers who land a job working for a mysterious spy agency and to help maintain their cover, they must agree to an arranged marriage. Things get complicated when they start to catch real feelings for one another.
Despite having Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to compete with, Donald Glover and Maya Erskine more than hold their own and the pair ooze chemistry throughout, making their espionage exploits well worth a watch.
6. Reacher | Watch
Following an impressive debut outing in 2022, Reacher returned for an even better second season in 2023.
Based on the eleventh novel of Lee Child’s acclaimed franchise, season 2 sees Reacher and his screen-hogging biceps put through their biggest test yet as he must link up with his former squad mates after one of their cohorts is killed.
5. Judy Justice | Avoid
If you thought that 25 years of Judge Judy wasn’t enough, the legendary Queen of the Courtroom is still plying her trade in this Amazon Freevee spin-off.
While it may be great to stick on in the background while you’re ironing, it’s not the type of thing this writer would sit down and watch. Sorry, your honor.
4. Road House (1989) | Watch
With the release of Jake Gyllenhaal’s Road House remake – more on that below – now is the perfect time to revisit the 1989 original.
While its age and cheesy 80s nature have certainly caught up with it, you simply can’t get enough of Patrick Swayze and with the arrival of the new movie, it’s certainly worth watching for the sake of comparison.
3. Ricky Stanicky | Avoid
Starring Zac Efron and John Cena, Ricky Stanicky follows three friends who have spent their lives blaming their immature behavior on an imaginary friend. But when their wives finally get suspicious, the trio hires a washed-up actor to bring Ricky to life – a decision they regret when fake Ricky gets too big for his boots.
John Cena well and truly delivers in this movie and continues his comedic form after The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker. But besides his scene-stealing performance, the movie’s bloated runtime and paper-thin narrative make it hard to recommend.
2. Road House (2024) | Watch
Jake Gyllenhaal’s ex-UFC fighter Elwood Dalton goes toe-to-toe with real-life UFC star Conor McGregor in this reimagining of the 80s cult classic.
Speaking purely from a filmmaking perspective, Road House will never be challenging for awards but its slick action and at times cheesy acting make it a worthy successor to 1989’s original, even if it may stray into ‘so bad, it’s good’ territory.
1. Invincible | Watch
And finally, sitting pretty in first spot on the Prime Video Top 10 list is the acclaimed animated superhero series Invincible.
Recently returning for the concluding chapters of its 100%-rated second season, Invincible is undoubtedly one of the best superhero properties currently available and investing in Mark Grayson’s story – a wannabe ordinary teen whose father is the most powerful superhero on the planet – is well worth your time.
All of the movies and TV shows listed above are available now on Amazon’s Prime Video and Freevee (in the case of Judy Justice) streaming services.
