Apple TV does not have much content, and there is also a very less number of originals present on this streaming service. Best movies on Apple TV can be seen following the approach of quality over quantity.
Recently, it added one of the best-animated movies of the 2020s to its streaming service, along with films coming from Minhal Baig, Werner Herzog, and Sofia Coppola. As long as Apple TV keeps on adding good content to its streaming service, it can be counted along with various other streaming services. Recently, The Velvet Underground and CODA were added to it, and these are great films to watch.
Currently, Apple TV is one of the fastest-growing streaming services. There are not many movies to watch, but there are a few original films that are available for its subscribers. Recently, Apple TV has been acquiring more films.
Here, we have selected the 25 best movies on Apple TV that you can watch right now. There are some Oscar Award winners also on this list. CODA recently won Oscar Award for Best Picture, and Charlie Brown is also a great documentary that one can watch.
25. Beastie Boys Story (2020)
- Director: Spike Jonze
- Writer: Spike Jonze, Ad-Rock, Mike D, Bill Hader, Ben Stiller
- Cast: Ad-Rock, Mike D, Bill Hader, Ben Stiller, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 7.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 94%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV Plus
Beastie Boys Story is a documentary that Spike Jonze has directed. This film is a must-watch for all fans of the hip-hop group. The film narrated their story from 40 years ago and how they made their mark in music and hip-hop. This movie is a good witness and tribute to the rap legends.
Mike Diamond (Mike D), Adam Yauch (MCA), and Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock) are part of the Beastie Boys. Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz are seen reliving their story and missing their friendship with Adam Yauch.
24. CODA (2021)
- Director: Sian Heder, Eugenio Derbez, Troy Kotsur
- Writer: Sian Heder
- Cast: Emilia Jones, Troy Kotsur, Eugenio Derbez, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 8.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 94%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
CODA takes us to an entirely different world where we see Ruby Rossi, a seventeen-year-old girl (played by Emilia Jones). She is the one on whom the title of the movie has been decided. She is a child of deaf adults and the only hearing member in her family.
Ruby is a senior in high school and lives with her mother, father, and older brother. When Ruby joins the school choir, her teacher notices that she has a unique talent. He encourages her to apply to Berklee College of Music, a prestigious music school. This move will create a distance between her and her family, which needs her very much. This film is a coming-of-age story. This Oscar-winning film shows us how Ruby’s teacher is supportive and demanding at the same time, and he doesn’t let Ruby use her family as an excuse.
Ruby is seen trying to make her own identity but, at the same time, feels responsible for working in her family’s struggling fishing business. CODA is used as an acronym for Child of Deaf Adults. Ruby might belong to a deaf family. CODA will leave audiences in tears and tells us about letting go of someone so that they can fly in their lives. Deaf actors lead this movie. CODA, in all, is a touching movie that everyone should watch.
23. The Elephant Queen (2018)
- Director: Mark Deeble and Victoria Stone
- Writer: Mark Deeble
- Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sadoc Vazquez, Sadoc Vazkez, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 7.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 91%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
Chiwetel Ejiofor narrates this nature documentary. It is about the life of a female-only herd of elephants in Kenya. Athena, a 50-year-old mother elephant, leads this herd. This documentary is about this herd and their 200 miles journey to secure a watering hole. The filmmakers of this documentary shot the elephants for four years, and watching these big land animals is very captivating.
The Elephant Queen is sometimes unsure about its courses, like whether it wants to be like a Disney film or Planet Earth. Great documentaries take their audiences to a world that sometimes can be hard to think of, and this one does the same. The cinematography of The Elephant Queen is great, and it tells us about the migration of these beautiful elephants.
22. Greyhound (2020)
- Director: Aaron Schneider
- Writer: Tom Hanks
- Cast: Tom Hanks, Stephen Graham, Elizabeth Shue, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 78%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
This drama about World War II shows us Tom Hanks in the role of a US Navy captain. He leads the fleet across the Antarctic, but the fleet has no air cover. It has to deal with Nazi U-boat submarines that will not stop before destroying this US fleet. This movie was written by Hanks and was supposed to have a theatrical release before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world. Currently, it is available to watch on Apple TV Plus.
Tom Hanks definitely knows how to make an exceptional war film. The viewers very well received Greyhound upon its release, and unlike other films, it is only 90 minutes long. The film also earned an Oscar nomination for its sound and is among the best movies available on Apple TV Plus.
21. Bruce Springsteen’s Letter to You (2020)
- Director: Thom Zimny
- Writer: Bruce Springsteen, Max Weinberg, and Steven Van Zandt
- Cast: Bruce Springsteen, Roy Bittan, Nils Lofgren
- IMDb Ratings: 7.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 95%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
Bruce Springsteen’s Letter to You appears to be more like a music video instead of a documentary. It was shot in black and white. And It gives us an insight into how the first album was released. It seems like they came to get together and then played their guitars for fun.
An album of the same name by Bruce Springsteen inspired this documentary Bruce Springsteen’s Letter to You. Director Thom Zimny makes it and tells us how lost the artist had been on this thing. The archival footage and pictures show how long The E Street Band had been working on it.
Bruce Springsteen is one of the greatest rock and roll artists. His songs were made on themes of working-class people and how they enjoyed life. This documentary focuses on his career and also shows how he recorded his first album with The E Street Band.
20. WolfWalkers (2020)
- Director: Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart
- Writer: Tomm Moore and William Collins
- Cast: Honor Kneafsey, Sean Bean, Simon McBurney, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 99%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
The first impression of this movie that one gets is that it is burdened with too much, as filmmakers seem to have a lot on their minds. Like English colonialism, Irish myths have been the main topic in Tomm Moore’s stories till now.
This hand-made animated fantasy is set in Ireland in 1650 and is a beautiful film. An order came to clear the surroundings of a small town for the purpose of framing. Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell gave this order. This order also includes killing the local wolves. A young girl soon finds out that there are wolfwalkers living in that area. Wolfwalkers are the spirits of humans who turn into wolves when they sleep. It was nominated at the 2020 Academy Awards for Best Animated Film category.
Wolfwalkers is a great animated film that is made by the same team that made Songs of the Ea. This movie serves as the Irish folklore trilogy’s third installment from Moore after The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea.
Robyn Goodfellow, a young apprentice hunter, is seen traveling to Ireland with her father to kill the last wolf pack there. It is a great film for a movie night and won’t let you fall asleep.
19. Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds (2020)
- Director: Werner Herzog and Clive Oppenheimer
- Writer: Werner Herzog, Clive Oppenheimer, and others
- Cast: Werner Herzog, Clive Oppenheimer, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 98%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
Werner Herzog is a filmmaker who is known for his works that are based on doom and the darkest impulses of a man. Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds is a documentary that makes one’s brain pop.
With the help of Clive Oppenheimer, a volcanologist, Herzog explains what meteorites are and how they hit and impact our planet Earth. He also explains what importance they hold in the culture, religion, and history of a society. Both Herzog and Oppenheimer are consumed with space rocks, and they connect various cultures.
Herzog is a master when it comes to some mind-blowing documentaries to be made. His latest one lets the viewers take a close look at the small and big cosmological events. He explores meteorites and shooting stars with the help of the viewpoints of an expert.
18. The Banker (2020)
- Director: George Nolfi
- Writer: George Nolfi, David Lewis Smith, Nicole Levy, and others
- Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Mackie, Nicholas Hoult, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 7.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 79%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
This drama- a live-action one is based on a true story. Anthony Mackie and Samuel L. Jackson are seen as two real estate businessmen who face racism when they try to make it in Los Angeles from white businessmen. To escape it, they hire a white man (Nicholas Hoult). He is now the public face of their company. Together, these three are able to become successful. Out of the whole collection Apple TV Plus has, this one is the most powerful story and beautifully portrays race relations in the US. Many people might have not even heard about it.
This film about African American bankers is a biopic of Bernard Garrett and is worth a watch.
17. The Velvet Underground (2021)
- Director: Todd Haynes
- Writer: Todd Haynes
- Cast: Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 7.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 98%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
The Velvet Underground was among the most influential bands of all time. It is a very well-deserved documentary and is about the rise of this New York band. Haynes’ documentary explores the impact that The Velvet Underground band had on art and music all over the world. The Velvet Underground is not a conventional documentary and is more than just a music documentary.
The band released only a few albums during the time it existed, but the impact that it had was groundbreaking. Todd Haynes tried really hard to show the impact this band had on the world of music. This documentary clearly portrays how this band redefined rock music and also music in general. It might not have received many awards, but it was an integral and important part and is still to this date.
16. On the Rocks (2010)
- Director: Sofia Coppola
- Writer: Sofia Coppola
- Cast: Rashida Jones, Bill Murray, Marlon Wayans, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 5.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 87%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
In Sofia Coppola’s latest movie, she is teaming up with Bill Murray (also seen in Lost in Translation). He is seen playing the role of a father. His daughter (played by Rashida Jones) believes that her husband (played by Marlon Wayans) might be cheating on her. This father-daughter duo decides to follow her husband to check whether he is faithful or not, and while doing so, they get to learn more about each other.
On the Rock is a father-and-daughter drama and is a little different from the usual movies delivered by Coppola. But this film suits Bill Murray, whose charming performance became the highlight. This movie is a gentle comedy. Also, in this, we see that Laura’s father also cheated on her mother.
15. The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)
- Director: Joel Coen
- Writer: Joel Coen, Frances McDormand, Kathryn Hunter, Alex Hassell, and others
- Cast: Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Bertie Carvel, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 7.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 93%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
After working for so long with his brother Ethan, in this one, Joel Coen decided to work alone. From this Oscar-winning duo, Joel went on to make a stylish black-and-white film on Macbeth, one of the most famous tragedies written by Shakespeare. After listening to the news that General Macbeth is going to become the king of Scotland, he kills the present king so that things can quickly move forward. He does these things with the aid of his wife- Lady Macbeth. After doing so much, Macbeth himself falls deeper into the world of violence and madness. Thus, he threatens the future of the Scottish crown.
The legendary play written by William Shakespeare through this movie gets a new adaptation. It was shot in black-and-white and with the help of minimum sets. The general stopped at nothing before achieving his goal, and in this film, we also got to see many excellent performances delivered by the cast.
14. Schmigadoon! (2021)
- Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
- Writer: Cecily Strong, Cinco Paul, Ken Daurio, and others
- Cast: Dove Cameron, Cecily Strong, Keegan-Michael Key, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 7.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 88%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
Musical comedy series are generally fun to watch but don’t have very successful track records. This thing for sure did change with Schmigadoon!, which is also among the most fun TV shows to watch.
Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key are seen playing the role of a couple who come across a town filled with magic. In this magical town, they see that everyone is stuck in a 1940s musical. This might sound like a horror movie; everyone sings about a corn pudding here.
13. Palmer (2021)
- Director: Fisher Stevens
- Writer: Cheryl Guerriero
- Cast: Justin Timberlake, Ryder Allen, Juno Temple, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 7.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 72%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
Justin Timberlake is seen playing the best role of his career in Palmer. Justin Timberlake plays Eddie Palmer, who got out of jail after 12 long years. He returns to live with his grandmother in his small hometown in Louisiana. There he meets a young boy- Sam, and starts to take care of him.
Sam’s parents abandon him, but both Palmer and Sam start to develop a bond soon. Palmer later on officially requests Sam’s official guardianship, but his criminal record doesn’t allow him to do the same.
12. Boys State (2020)
- Director: Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss
- Writer: –
- Cast: Ben Feinstein, Steven Garza, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 7.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 94%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
Boys State is a documentary that lets the audience know about the unusual high-school activities. In the state capital of Austin, each year, 1000 teenage Texas boys come together. They do so so that they can form a mock Texas state government and are sponsored by American Legion. The goal is to select one among themselves as a governor. This documentary shows how some of them become so focused on becoming the governor.
It is a compelling watch as one gets to see these boys learning to become young men. It is also a reminder of how badly things need to change.
11. Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry (2021)
- Director: R.J. Cutler
- Writer: R.J. Cutler
- Cast: Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell, Maggie Baird, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 7.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 96%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
Billie Eilish, the teen musical sensation, is seen recording and writing her debut album in Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry. This is a portrayal of the rising talent, and one gets to take a peek at her stardom. Things like the pressure that is been put on girls and women in the music industry are also seen in this documentary. Apple TV is becoming a popular platform for showing impactful documentaries about various musicians.
Apple TV has earned a reputation in documentaries despite the platform being young. The music documentary is two hours long and is the longest one, but the topics aren’t exaggerated in this one. Eilish and her path to stardom are fascinating subjects to keep the viewers engaged.
10. Hala or Swan Song (2021)
- Director: Benjamin Cleary
- Writer: Benjamin Cleary, Minhal Baig
- Cast: Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Awkwafina, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 6.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 79%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
Cameron (played by Mahershala Ali) gets diagnosed with a terminal illness. He has to face his mortality in ways no human has ever experienced before. He is told about an experiment which is about cloning in which a replica of Cameron will be made for his wife and son after he dies. His family will get a husband and will be getting another husband and father.
The only difference is that he will not be the exact human being. This movie is a perfect blend of sci-fi and drama. The movie asks many crucial questions about the lengths a person can go to save their loved ones.
Geraldine Viswanathan plays the title character of Hala, a Pakistani-American teenage girl. She tries to stay balanced between her religious obligations and her friends.
9. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
- Director: Bill Melendez
- Writer: Bill Melendez, Charles M. Schulz, and Vince Guaraldi
- Cast: Geoffrey Ornstein, Karen Mend
- IMDb Ratings: 8.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 84%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
There could be endless arguments about which Charlie Brown film would be the best, but this one is the best of them.
In A Charlie Brown Christmas, we see Charlie Brown is shocked to see Snoopy decorating his doghouse for Christmas. Snoopy does so in order to win the prize money. Lucy and Linus are busy making a perfect letter for Santa Claus. Charlie Brown also helps his sister Sally in writing a letter for Santa.
8. Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth (2020)
- Director: Chris O’Dowd, Philip Hunt, Luke Matheny, and others
- Writer: Oliver Jeffers, Chris O’Dowd, Philip Hunt, Luke Matheny
- Cast: Jacob Tremblay, Rob Rackstraw, Meryl Streep, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 7.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 94%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth is more of an animated short movie than just a movie. It is a heartwarming and gorgeous movie that is perfect to watch with your family and young kids.
7. Little America (2020)
- Director: Deepa Mehta
- Writer: Emily V. Gordon, Lee Eisenberg, Kumail Nanjiani
- Cast: Conphidance, Haaz Sleiman, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 7.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 95%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
Ordinary people seem to dream big in Little America. A great cast is seen telling the tales of immigrants living in this anthology series which is filled with surprising yet funny and romantic stories.
6. Dads (2019)
- Director: Bryce Dallas Howard
- Writer: –
- Cast: Will Smith, Bryce Dallas Howard, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 5.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 94%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
Dads are about modern fatherhood, and Bryce Dallas Howard makes it. This one tells about what it is like being a Dad in these trying and testing times. It is a must-watch for all parents and is very well-produced.
5. Fathom (2021)
- Director: Drew Xanthopoulos
- Writer: –
- Cast: Ellen Garland, Michelle Fournet, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 5.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 56%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
Drew Xanthopoulos directed Fathom, in which we see Michelle Fournet and Ellen Garland. They are scientists who are studying humpback whales, and their focus is whale songs and how they communicate with each other. Fathom might not be unique in the world of documentaries, but it is a project that has been made after a lot of hard work and sincerity. It also serves as a tribute to the scientists and their work which often goes unrecognized.
4. Come from Away (2021)
- Director: Christopher Ashley
- Writer: Irene Sankoff, David Hein
- Cast: Jenn Colella, Joel Hatch, Tony LePage, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 8.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 98%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
Come from Away is a film adaptation of the musical of the same name by David Hein and Irene Sankoff that was released in 2017. It is an American-Canadian co-production and tells the audience about the story of 7000 helpless individuals. In the 9/11 terrorist attack, 38 airlines were ordered to land in Newfoundland. This musical tells us the strength of humanity, empathy, and love that were seen during one of the most horrifying things the world has ever seen.
3. Finch (2021)
- Director: Miguel Sapochnik
- Writer: Craig Luck, Ivor Powell
- Cast: Tom Hanks, Caleb Landry Jones, Oscar Avila, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 6.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 73%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
Tom Hanks plays the role of a robotics engineer. This film is based in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Finch built an automation that would look after his dog after he died. Finch, along with his robot and hound, leaves the area of their underground bunker. They begin their journey to the West. On their way, they face many difficulties and make bonds. The dynamic that you will see between a man and a machine has never felt so heart-warming before.
2. Who Are You, Charlie Brown? (2021)
- Director: Michael Bonfiglio
- Writer: –
- Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Tyler James Nathan, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 7.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 88%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
Michael Bonfiglio’s short documentary- Who Are You, Charlie Brown? It is about the career and life of Schulz. Lupita Nyong’o provided the narration in this film. Interviews with family, friends, and others have been shown, which show a portrait of the Peanuts creator.
1. Cherry (2021)
- Director: Joe Russo, Anthony Russo
- Writer: Jessica Goldberg, Angela Russo-Otstot
- Cast: Tom Holland, Ciara Bravo, Harry Holland, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 6.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 37%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
Joe Russo and Anthony stepped back from making huge Marvel movies and made this small drama. In this, Tom Holland, an MCU actor, plays the role of Cherry. Cherry is a young man who falls in love with Emily. They both met in college and fell in love quickly.
Just before Cherry entered the US Army, they both got married. After the tour ends, Cherry faces PTSD. He takes prescriptions to overcome it but soon becomes addicted to drugs. He even robbed a bank so that he could pay for his drugs. Moreover, this is a powerful drama that shows how deeply drugs affect a person and how huge the battle of deaddiction can be.
With this, we conclude our list of best movies on Apple TV. These gems make watching various movies and series on the streaming platform worthwhile. We will update the list as soon as more movies they add more movies.
