The best free streaming services are no longer synonymous with direct-to-video movies and long-cancelled TV shows. These days, they’re genuinely attractive alternatives to the best streaming services, and should be considered as such Netflix et al. start to feel a little stale.
Below, I’ve highlighted five of the best free movies to stream on Tubi, Samsung TV Plus, Plex and more this week – Oscar-winning war movies to action-packed spy thrillers
28 Days Later (Pluto TV)
Release date: June 2003
RT score: 87%
Length: 113 minutes
Director: Danny Boyle
Main cast: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Christopher Eccleston
28 Years Later is heading to theaters on June 20, meaning now is as good a time as any to watch (or re-watch) the first entry in Danny Boyle’s post-apocalyptic horror series.
Now streaming on Pluto TV, 28 Days Later stars Cillian Murphy as a lonesome London bicycle courier who awakens from a coma 28 days after the outbreak of a deadly, aggression-inducing virus. Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, and Brendan Gleeson also star in this gruesome adventure flick, which was written by Alex Garland and is credited with reviving the zombie movie genre in the early noughties.
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Plex)
Release date: October 2024
RT score: 98%
Length: 104 minutes
Directors: Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui
Main cast: Christopher Reeve, Alexandra Reeve Givens, Matthew Reeve, Will Reeve
One of the best documentaries of 2024, HBO’s Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is now streaming for free on Plex.
This feature-length film chronicles the social, cultural, and scientific impact of Superman actor Christopher Reeve, who shot to fame in 1978 before a horse-riding accident in 1995 changed the trajectory of his life and career forever. Praised for striking a poignant balance between the joy and tragedy of Reeve’s life, Super/Man is a surprisingly uplifting tale of superhuman resilience.
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (Hoopla, Kanopy)
Release date: July 2015
RT score: 93%
Length: 131 minutes
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Main cast: Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg
Tom Cruise’s (possibly) final outing as indestructible superspy Ethan Hunt is now playing in theaters (see our Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning review for the low-down on its quality), but you don’t need to be a subscriber to one of the best streaming services to catch previous entries in the long-running series.
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, for instance, is now streaming for free on both Hoopla and Kanopy, so if you’re keen to see Tom Cruise infiltrate the Vienna State Opera, engage in a high-speed motorcycle chase in Morocco, and hang from the side of a mid-air AC130, now is your chance to do so.
Platoon (Tubi)
Release date: December 1986
RT score: 89%
Length: 120 minutes
Director: Oliver Stone
Main cast: Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Forest Whitaker
I’ve recommended Platoon in a previous version of this weekly list, but the Oscar-winning war movie is once again streaming for free this month (this time on Tubi).
The first (and best) in a trilogy of Vietnam War flicks directed by Oliver Stone, Platoon follows a young US Army recruit (Charlie Sheen) whose Platoon Sergeant (Tom Berenger) and Squad Leader (Willem Dafoe) have very different ideas about morality and how to conduct a war. The film won Stone his first directing Oscar (as well as Best Picture) at the 1987 Academy Awards, and it continues to rank alongside the likes of Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket as one the best Vietnam War movies ever made.
Melancholia (Samsung TV Plus)
Release date: May 2011
RT score: 80%
Length: 130 minutes
Director: Lars von Trier
Main cast: Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alexander Skarsgård, Brady Corbet
Samsung TV Plus is an oft-forgotten option among free streaming services in 2025, but it’s among the easiest platforms to access if you own a Samsung TV.
This week’s Samsung TV Plus movie recommendation is Melancholia, an artsy sci-fi drama about two warring sisters (played by Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg) whose already strained relationship is further complicated by a mysterious planet that threatens to collide with Earth. Sure, that synopsis makes the film sound suitably grandiose, but don’t be fooled: Melancholia is grounded, poignant, and a worthy showcase for the talents of director Lars von Trier.
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axel.metz@futurenet.com (Axel Metz)
