David Farnor | On 18, Aug 2020

Nothing says summer like a massive blockbuster with huge explosions. But with cinemas still navigating how to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic, you may need to get your tentpole or sequel fix at home. We’re here to help with a round-up of the biggest and brightest action movies available to stream.

These are the best action films available with Amazon Prime, which costs £5.99 a month – or, as part of an Amazon Prime membership, £7.99 a month or £79.99 a year. For more information, click here.

This list will be updated regularly to reflect new releases and removals.

Mad Max: Fury Road

George Miller’s latest entry in the Mad Max series sees Tom Hardy take over Mel Gibson’s role, but its success lies in another character entirely: Imperator Furiosa, played by Charlize Theron, who leads a string of female prisoners in an escape attempt from their sinister overlord, Immortan Joe. Full of practical stunts, dazzling visuals and burning with a feminist message, this is fantastic, eye-boggling stuff.

The Hunger Games

This remarkable young adult franchise sees Jennifer Lawrence on excellent form as Katnis Everdeen, the unwitting leader of a rebellion in a dystopia that forces young people to combat each other once a year.

Back to the Future

One of the all-time great movie trilogies blends sci-fi, action and comedy – with just a hint of romance.

Jurassic Park

The original trilogy is available to binge all at once, making for a supremely dino-tastic marathon of game-changing Hollywood blockbusting.

John Wick

Keanu Reeves is on killer form in this superb action flick.

The Mask of Zorro

Antonio Banderas is iconic in this superbly old-fashioned update of the legendary masked sword swinger.

Snowpiercer

Bong Joon-ho’s dazzling and daft dystopian satire is chillingly relevant, even years after its release.

Ocean’s 8

This refreshing, female-led sequel makes up for low-key heist thrills with sheer fun.

Angel Has Fallen

Gerard Butler and Morgan Freeman return for this improbably entertaining threequel.

Blade

Wesley Snipes is iconic in this landmark comic book movie.

Rampage

This ludicrous sci-fi action romp sees Dwayne Johnson reprise his unflappable day-saving routine as Davis Okoye, a hunky primatologist called into action when his beloved albino gorilla, George, is infected by a serum developed by a shady gene manipulation company. Before you know it, George and two fellow infectees (a crocodile and a wolf) are monstrously oversized and threatening to level Chicago.

Ready Player One

Steven Spielberg’s dazzling sci-fi romp. Tye Sheridan stars as Wade Watts, a lonely slum-dwelling teen who takes the fight to the money-hungry suits out to turn the Oasis – an immersive VR fantasyland created by oddball genius James Halliday (Mark Rylance) – into a soulless advertising tool. Together Wade and a group of likeminded underdogs, including Olivia Cooke’s Samantha, must use their in-game avatars to complete three challenges before chief wrong’un Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn) beats them to it.

The Island

Michael Bay’s underrated thriller stars Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson as a couple who break out of a top-secret compound, only to stumble into a deceptively smart sci-fi B-movie plot about stem-cell research.

Star Trek (2009)

This fast, fun reboot for the USS Enterprise is a treat for fans and newcomers alike.

Elysium

Neill Blomkamp sets out his stall as an auteur of activist action with this blockbuster and political fable.

Charlie’s Angels (2000)

Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu are clearly enjoying themselves in this entertaining action comedy based on the iconic series – the presence of Bill Murray and Sam Rockwell is a bonus.

Natural Born Killers

Oliver Stone’s controversial comedy, which follows two mass murderers (Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis), remains as black as ever.

Mortal Kombat

This dreadfully cheesy actioner does the smart thing many video games wouldn’t think of: forget the plot and just focus on the fighting.

Machete

Machete, a legendary ex-federal officer, is left for dead after clashing with notorious Mexican drug kingpin Torrez. He escapes to Texas, trying to forget his past. But what he finds is a web of corruption that leaves a bullet in a senator and Machete a wanted man.

The Expendables 2

A newfound sense of humour makes this sequel highly entertaining – and some of time, that’s intentional.

Desperado

From the casting of Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek – and a cameo from Steve Buscemi – to the explosions of a large budget, Robert Rodriguez’s bigger, louder remake of El Mariachi is a wonderful example of how fun it is to simply watch a director enjoying himself. (El Mariachi is also available.)

2012

Roman Emmerich’s disaster flick is spectacular, brain-dead entertainment.

Focus

Will Smith and Margot Robbie’s chemistry sparks in this stylish, if shallow, con artist thriller.

The Quake

This Scandisaster sequel is a cracking bit of popcorn cinema and one of the best disaster movies made in recent years.

Hellboy

This wonderfully weird blockbuster opened a mainstream portal to Guillermo del Toro’s imagination.

Watchmen

Zack Snyder’s striking and ambitious adaptation of Alan Moore’s graphic novel is an underrated semi-success.

21 Bridges

After uncovering a massive conspiracy, an embattled NYPD detective joins a citywide manhunt for two young cop killers. As the night unfolds, he soon becomes unsure of who to pursue — and who’s in pursuit of him. Chadwick Boseman stars in this efficient actioner.

Hot Fuzz

Endlessly quotable and deliriously over-the-top, Pegg, Frost and Wright serve up one of the best British comedies – and action movies – of the last decade.

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