The Best Apple Original Films (So Far)
Viewers and critics alike have expressed love for many films and TV series on Apple TV+, one of the newer streaming platforms with no long history of feature-length programming. While Apple TV+ has a skimpy original film catalog compared to major streaming platforms like Disney+, Netflix, and Hulu, with only 45 films (half of them documentaries) as of summer 2023, it still has quite a few standouts.
Awards aren’t everything, but Apple Original Films has snagged a few Oscars in the less than three years Apple TV+ has been available. CODA even earned all three Oscars (Best Film, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay) it was nominated for at the 83rd Academy Awards. Taking home the biggest prize of the night was a huge deal, as the film became the first Best Picture winner that premiered on a streaming service. Here are 10 of the best Apple+ movies you can watch right now.
Wolfwalkers
This beautifully animated film is considered the third in Tomm Moore’s Irish Folklore Trilogy (the other two movies being The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea.) WolfWalkers follows a British daughter (Robin) and father stationed in newly colonized Ireland in 1650. While Robin’s father is part of the group clearing the woods for farmland (against Irish will), Robin finds herself befriending a free-spirited girl who can turn into a wolf. Robin soon finds herself torn between multiple worlds.
Emancipation
Emancipation is probably the heaviest watch out of everything on this list. The heavily stylized film is a collage of many recorded and overlooked acts of violence (beyond sexual violence) during the height of American chattel slavery, and tells the fictionalized story of how the real-life enslaved man, Peter, escaped to freedom. Some criticized the stylized color saturation and the way Emancipation leans into the action genre. However, I welcome a variety of types of stories of slavery, and this is an overlooked shake-up from the last 10 years, where television has fared much better in that respect. Also, Will Smith and Charmaine Bingwa give excellent performances.
Hala
Growing up in a very conservative home, Hala (Geraldine Viswanathan) finds personal expression through her writing. Issues at home and a growing urge to explore her sexuality with a boy at school lead to unearthed family secrets and events that leave Hala spiraling. Hala is a very polarizing film, but I wanted to include it because Hala is a messy, complex character who makes (incredibly) bad decisions, and we don’t have enough of those. Also, the film is inspired by director/writer/co-producer Minhal Baig’s own experience. (Baig’s movie was also a short film before Apple TV+ picked it up for a feature-length adaptation.) Criticisms of Hala come from Muslim and South Asian women and are related to casting, cultural missteps, and trope-y liberation scenes.
Come From Away
I’m not sure if this is technically cheating because this is a pro-shot of a stage musical production. Either way, I don’t care, and we need more of these. Come From Away is a musical adaptation of a series of actual events in which thousands of people in 38 planes were forced to land in the tiny town of Gander (Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada) following the 9/11 attacks. With the population of Gander almost doubling in five days, the community came together to make people from all around the world feel welcome. This pro-shot was released on Apple TV+ on the 20th anniversary of the attacks.
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Does one of Shakespeare’s most popular works need any more of an introduction? Apple TV+’s The Tragedy of Macbeth stars Denzel Washington as the Scottish king obsessed with a foretold prophecy. Frances McDormand plays his equally ambitious wife. This black-white film features a minimalist style that both mirrors a live set and allows for the focus to be on the dark, emotional performances. Plus, it’s directed by Joel Coen (of the Coen Brothers), so it’s hard to go wrong with this one.
CODA
Have FOMO about CODA? This film follows a 17-year-old child of deaf adults (a.k.a. CODA) torn between helping her parents’ newish business and pursuing her career as a singer. Many of the cast members are deaf. This feel-good movie has been applauded for showing the lives of deaf people as whole humans and not plot devices, but also criticized for some inaccuracies involving the ADA. CODA is the latest example of increasing depictions of disabled characters on screen actually played by disabled performers.
Boys State
Boys State is an A24 and Apple TV+ Original documentary, do I need to say more? This 2020 documentary follows a week-long social experiment in which 1,100 teenage boys are brought together to form a mock Texas government. They elect party chairs, a governor, and some representatives by the end. This tradition started in 1935 in Texas, runs in every state except Hawai’i, and there’s a Girls State, too. While this documentary is as white and cringey as you’d imagine, it also is a very honest look at how people work within politics: the good, bad, and the very ugly.
The Year Earth Changed
The second documentary to make this list includes The Year Earth Changed. Narrated by legendary naturalist David Attenborough, this film looks at the way plants and animals reacted to the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. When people stayed indoors, travel was limited, and shipping slowed we got a peek at how the earth would look if we all disappeared. I recently included it in a list of best documentaries to watch on Earth Day and you should take this as a reminder to watch it!
The Banker
Based on a true story, The Banker follows businessmen Bernard Garrett (Anthony Mackie) and Jow Morris (Samuel L. Jackson), who allow a white man (Nicholas Hoult) to appear as the leader of their growing real estate business in 1960s America. They pose as a janitor and chauffeur while actually running it all behind the scenes.
Tetris
Am I annoyed by the pivot to make shows about objects in brands? Yes. Is this also a fun and very human story? Absolutely, yes. Tetris is a thrilling look at the competing interests of various companies trying to capitalize on the closed economy of Soviet Russia. You know going into a movie with Taron Egerton that it’s going to be a fun ride. Still, the supporting cast shines, and the writing doesn’t baby its viewers. There are a few moments where the CGI looks out of place. However, I can’t dog on the graphics too much because of the creative use of 8-bit animation throughout the film. And 8-bit-style music!
Killers of the Flower Moon
Of all the historical dramas on this list, this is probably the closest thing to a very accurate depiction of history while still being an epic cinematic experience. Adapted from a non-fiction book by David Grann, the story centers on Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) an his wife Mollie (Lily Gladstone), as members of her family and the oil-rich Osage Nation quickly begin dying under mysterious circumstances. While there was some criticism of the centering of non-Native characters and onscreen racial violence, director Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon was ultimately praised by many Indigenous artists for his commitment to telling the story truthfully and involving so many Native voices. I just really want people to sit with this movie more than they seem to be.
Napoleon
This story of Napoleon (Joaquin Phoenix) is far from historically accurate. However, it does give a decent overview of many overlapping elements of the infamous French Emperor’s life. Napoleon starts with the height of the Reign of Terror, imagining the eponymous protagonist at an infamous beheading, and ends in exile.
Unlike the previous entry, Napoleon really didn’t need to be nearly three hours. It felt like director Ridley Scott was trying to focus equally on Napoleon’s tumultuous relationship with Josephine (Vanessa Kirby) and his legacy as a military leader. Still, with an intermission planned at the ‘1812’ mark you’ll be refreshed enough to get through the fun film.
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Is your favorite Apple TV+ movie on this list? Let us know in the comments.
This article was originally published in April 2022, and last updated in November 2023.
(featured image: Apple TV+)
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