10 Best Apple TV Original Movies, Ranked

Apple officially entered the streaming era in November 2019, when it launched Apple TV+, which would eventually be shortened to just Apple TV. The best TV shows streaming on Apple TV right now like "Severance," "Pachinko," "Slow Horses," and "Pluribus," among many others, have lent more than a hint of prestige to the streamer's television reputation. However, episodic storytelling and British soccer exploits aren't all that define Apple TV-exclusive projects. There's also the steadily increasing stable of Apple motion pictures.

Though its film library got off to a slower start, Apple TV's movie slate now includes Oscar winners like "CODA" and massive box office hits such as "F1." Overtime, Apple's bench of cinematic offerings has included some real artistic winners. These 10 original Apple TV features (ranked below from "least best" to greatest) are far more than evidence that a major tech entity has made inroads into Hollywood.

Instead, they reflect the creative passion of the individual artists who brought them to life. These movies vary greatly in genre and tone, but they're all bound by craftsmanship and commendable risk-taking, more vital than ever before in the current cinematic landscape. Before your next "Ted Lasso" rewatch, consider giving one of these 10 Apple original films a view instead.

• Cast: Elliott Heffernan, Saoirse Ronan, Benjamin Clémentine
• Director: Steve McQueen
• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 120 minutes
• Where to Watch: Apple TV

Director Steve McQueen established a name for himself with smaller-scale indie films like "Shame" and "Hunger." Since then, his scope has expanded to include the historical drama "12 Years a Slave," the sprawling documentary "Occupied City," and the "Small Axe" anthology miniseries. His filmography now includes "Blitz," a World War II drama following young child George (Elliott Heffernan) trying to make it back home to his mother, Rita (Saoirse Ronan). Along the way, he encounters the horrors of war and a slew of characters that balloon his worldview.

"Blitz" isn't a perfect movie and especially struggles with pacing. This historical yarn really needed more than a 120-minute runtime to let its story breathe. However, McQueen's sublime talents still allows for plenty of evocative imagery and emotional beats. There's also two terrific performances anchoring the film via Heffernan and Ronan, both reinforcing the very human souls navigating a world of nighttime bombings and corpses.

There's also tremendously polished work in "Blitz" from the production and costume designers, who realize this tormented era of England's history with outstanding precision. It may not stand up there among the best McQueen directorial efforts, but the ambitious "Blitz" is still worth a watch.

• Cast: Tom Hanks, Caleb Landry Jones
• Director: Miguel Sapochnik
• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 115 minutes
• Where to Watch: Apple TV

If you had to be stuck in a post-apocalyptic wasteland with a famous actor, there are far worse options than Tom Hanks, who plays the titular "Finch." This Hanks character is an inventor who builds a smart robot, Jeff (Caleb Landry Jones). Finch, Jeff, and Finch's pooch Goodyear live on an Earth ravaged by high temperatures and other byproducts of climate change. The group set off on a road trip across this dangerous landscape, with Jeff learning about the nuances of existence along the way.

Goodness knows there's no shortage of movies about robots learning to "be human" out there, and director Miguel Sapochnik doesn't lend the proceedings the most idiosyncratic ambiance. Nevertheless, he provides a steady hand in the director's chair, with a welcome emphasis on letting the scope remain intimate. Between the deeply believable work from Hanks and Jones inhabiting one of the best motion capture animated characters of all time, "Finch" is anchored by some compelling personalities.

With effective emotional beats, "Finch" proves absorbing and deftly touching. Its weather-based post-apocalyptic backdrops are also uniquely ominous, standing out from other dystopian cinema staples like zombie apocalypses. Leave it to Tom Hanks to make such a bleak environment entertaining.

• Cast: Lily Gladstone, Isabel DeRoy-Olson, Shea Whigham
• Director: Erica Tremblay
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 90 minutes
• Where to Watch: Apple TV

Lily Gladstone is one of those magnetic performers who can make any material riveting. The same chops that made them such a perfect anchor for "Certain Women's" quiet, yearning-filled material were put to great use in 2023's "Fancy Dance," the directorial debut of Erica Tremblay. Here, Gladstone played Jax, who is taking care of her niece Roki (Isabel DeRoy-Olson) since the disappearance of Roki's mom and Jax's sister two weeks prior.

Circumstances unfurl that result in Roki living with a white family that want to divorce her from her Indigenous culture, leading to Jax and Roki going on the run together. it's a fascinating, achingly tragic story rich with moral complexities. Much of those nuances effortlessly stem from Gladstone's central performance, though DeRoy-Olson deserves praise too for holding her own next to the "Killers of the Flower Moon" star.

Tremblay's control of tension is also remarkable, with her and Miciana Alise's script keeping things deftly grounded. "Fancy Dance" doesn't need contrived, heightened sources of conflict. These characters and their intimate worlds are enough to keep the proceedings absorbing. "Fancy Dance" is an effectively low-key experience that especially thrives as a showcase for Gladstone's mighty skills as a performer.

• Cast: Rashida Jones, Bill Murray, Marlon Wayans
• Director: Sofia Coppola
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 96 minutes
• Where to Watch: Apple TV

Sofia Coppola's films often dabble in some heavy material, like the tragedies at the heart of "The Virgin Suicides," the twisty betrayals underpinning "The Beguiled," or the quiet dehumanization driving "Priscilla." In 2020, though, she delivered a breezy, father-daughter hangout movie "On the Rocks." Turns out this mode is something Coppola also operates well in. 

In it, Laura (Rashida Jones) is growing worried her husband, Dean (Marlon Wayans), is cheating on her. Her father, Felix (Bill Murray), takes her on a mission to spy on Dean. The proceedings become as much about Felix and Laura squaring their complicated relationship as they are about uncovering Dean's machinations. 

Intentionally restrained and relaxed, "On the Rocks" gets a lot of mileage out of the shockingly strong chemistry between Jones and Murray. Coppola's script features plenty of amusing dialogue that makes it a treat to hear these two bounce off each other. Nothing about "On the Rocks," either narratively or visually, shatters expectations, but its streamlined approach allows the screenwriting and performances to never be overshadowed. Immense props to Sofia Coppola for maintaining her artistry even while operating in a more laidback, naturalistic aesthetic.

• Cast: Michael "Mike D" Diamond, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz, Adam "MCA" Yauch
• Director: Spike Jonze
• Rating: TV-MA
• Runtime: 119 minutes
• Where to Watch: Apple TV

Filmmaker Spike Jonze saw a magnificent transition from music videos and commercials to feature films. Even with only four movies under his belt, titles like "Being John Malkovich," "Adaptation," "Where the Wild Things Are," and "Her" demonstrate staggering creativity. Alas, he hasn't helmed any further narrative features since 2013's "Her." The only movie of any kind that he's directed since that Joaquin Phoenix star vehicle is the 2020 documentary "Beastie Boys Story."

Helming this documentary is a full-circle moment for Jonze, who directed multiple Beastie Boys music videos back in the '90s. The project sees surviving members Michael "Mike D" Diamond and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz taking patrons at Brooklyn's Kings Theatre on a journey through their careers and how they've evolved as people. Jonze imbues the feature with relentless energy, but also aching reflection. Not every provocative line or quip these musicians made back in the day has aged like fine wine, after all.

All the while, Diamond and Horovitz deliver fascinating firsthand anecdotes about their careers. They lend emotional immediacy and remind even the most diehard Beastie Boys fans that these superstars are only human. The excellent "Beastie Boys Story" sees Jonze thriving again in feature-length directing.

• Cast: Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, Rakim "ASAP Rocky" Mayers
• Director: Spike Lee
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 133 minutes
• Where to Watch: Apple TV

Denzel Washington's best movies have solidified his extraordinary reputation. This Hollywood veteran earned Spike Lee's title of "greatest living actor" for good reason: He's always so compelling on-screen while embracing an eclectic array of genres, and that reputation is alive and well in 2025's "Highest 2 Lowest." This Spike Lee-directed remake of Akira Kurosawa's noir masterpiece "High and Low" sees Washington play David King, who has a legendary reputation in the music world.

Just as he's about to engage in a risky financial maneuver to avoid losing his company, a harrowing plot unfolds involving kidnappers who've taken King's son. Further complications emerge when it turns out that the wrong teenager was snatched. Washington is playing someone torn between many opposing concepts and urges, resulting in a fascinating portrayal of torment.

Once Lee shifts "Highest 2 Lowest" from King's penthouse to more elaborate sequences like a glorious suspense set piece on a train, Washington still keeps you hooked even when he's navigating a crowd or being framed through quick cuts. Washington and Lee once more deliver cinematic magic, especially with Jeffrey Wright and ASAP Rocky also along for the ride.

• Cast: Cooper Raiff, Dakota Johnson, Vanessa Burghardt
• Director: Cooper Raiff
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 107 minutes
• Where to Watch: Apple TV

For some, writer, director, and star Cooper Raiff's "Cha Cha Real Smooth" might be indistinguishable from other conventional white people-oriented indie cinema. It certainly has the vibes and emotional beats one would expect from this domain. However, if you can get on its wavelength, "Cha Cha Real Smooth" is an irresistible charmer that's as cozy to wrap up in as a warm blanket on a chilly evening.

In the film, Raiff plays Andrew, a college graduate who begins an unexpected career as a party starter while navigating potential romantic tension with Domino (Dakota Johnson). Part of what makes this breezy adventure so fun are the charming supporting characters, including Vanessa Burghardt's star-making performance as Domino's daughter Lola and Brad Garrett's scene-stealing turn as Andrew's stepdad, Greg. There's also a tenderness to Raiff's writing and directing of human beings struggling to figure out their futures. No matter your age, uncertainty sure is daunting.

"Cha Cha Real Smooth's" effective poignancy sneaks up on you, as its third act is bound to inspire sniffles from even the most cynical viewers. It's understandable if some see this as just a pastiche of past Sundance crowdpleasers. However, "Cha Cha Real Smooth's" heart-on-its-sleeve approach and strong cast give it a transfixing identity all its own.

• Cast: Honor Kneafsey, Eva Whittaker, Sean Bean
• Director: Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart
• Rating: PG
• Runtime: 103 minutes
• Where to Watch: Apple TV

With each new project, Irish animation house Cartoon Saloon has grown increasingly confident and polished in its visual exploits. 2020's "Wolfwalkers," one of the label's greatest triumphs yet, follows Robyn Goodfellowe (Honor Kneafsey), who grows up believing all wolves are evil and deserving of slaughter. Eventually, she discovers a shape-shifting girl, Mebh (Eva Whittaker), who can turn into a wolf and upends Robyn's whole worldview. Turns out, wolves are nicer than she believed, while the authority figures she once trusted might not have all the answers.

"Wolfwalkers" is realized with glorious hand-drawn animation bursting with color, endearing scribbles, and an embrace of charming round shapes. It's all so tactile and beautiful, an astonishing explosion within the scope of dazzling imagery of past Cartoon Saloon titles like "The Secret of Kells." On top of that, lively voiceover performances and music fill up the soundtrack.

Best of all, the emotional core is deeply moving. This is essentially a saga about eschewing societally ingrained prejudices and learning how wonderful other cultures and experiences can be. Whether you're six or 60, it's a vital lesson, and one conveyed with ceaseless entertainment throughout "Wolfwalkers." One of the greatest animated accomplishments of the 2020s thus far, "Wolfwalkers" is in a pack of its own.

• Cast: Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Kathryn Hunter
• Director: Joel Coen
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 105 minutes
• Where to Watch: Apple TV

Across every Coen Brothers movie, save for the duo's sillier endeavors, there's been traces of apocalyptic woe brimming on the margins. That's especially true of later Joel and Ethan Coen collaborations like "Inside Llewyn Davis," "No Country for Old Men," and "A Serious Man," which lean heavily on man's mortality and bleak aesthetics. For his first solo directorial effort, Joel Coen ramped up this darkness for an adaptation of William Shakespeare's "The Tragedy of Macbeth." Here, Coen's visual impulses hew closer to Ingmar Bergman than "The Big Lebowski."

"The Tragedy of Macbeth" occupies a sparse, monochromatic world where characters like Macbeth (Denzel Washington) and Lady Macbeth (Frances McDormand) exist against either hauntingly vacant voids or towering, expressionistic objects. Just one look at any frame instills an aching vibe into your soul. The world has gone topsy-turvy towards mayhem in the original "Macbeth" play, and Coen's idiosyncratic vision vividly reflects that reality.

All the while, a murderer's row of acclaimed performers like Washington, McDormand, Corey Hawkins, and Kathryn Hunter make a meal out of Shakespeare's famous verbiage. In their hands, familiar lines feel brand new, particularly whenever Hunter plays her otherworldly vision of the Witches. The stunning "Tragedy of Macbeth" is unlike anything Joel Coen has made.

• Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, Robert De Niro
• Director: Martin Scorsese
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 206 minutes
• Where to Watch: Apple TV

Martin Scorsese's movies turn an unblinking eye on the world's woes and, specifically, American turmoil. This has resulted in numerous scenes that his actors were uncomfortable filming, but also some of the most impactful motion pictures in history. Among these is 2023's "Killers of the Flower Moon," an adaptation of the David Grann novel of the same name. Brought to life through over $200 million of Apple's money, "Flower Moon" chronicles the gradual genocide of the Osage people in Oklahoma by white settlers.

William Hale (Robert De Niro) and his nephew Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) aim to procure oil on the Osage land. Eventually, Burkhart marries Osage soul Mollie (Lily Gladstone), while those around him gain ownership of the oil and quietly begin eliminating the original inhabitants. Agonizing pain informs every inch of "Killers of the Flower Moon." 

Even quietly tender moments like Mollie confiding in her sister, Anna (Cara Jade Myers), that "you are my treasure" is framed to suggest that their sincere connection will eventually be swallowed up by the daunting maws of colonialism and white supremacy. Earning every ounce of its 206 minute runtime, "Flower Moon" is a staggering achievement in every respect, including in Gladstone's tour de force lead performance.