Like all the other major streaming services out there, Apple TV+ has joined the world of producing its own original content. They put out more TV shows than movies but Apple TV+’s film collection is an interesting one. Unlike most other platforms, they don’t have a huge catalog of movies from the past.
Instead, the movies on their service are all their own originals. Some made big waves and were Academy Award contenders like Killers of the Flower Moon, while one even won Best Picture (CODA). Still, a few of them have flown under the radar and deserve more appreciation.
It’s harder to find hidden gems on Apple TV+ than any other platform given they don’t have as big a catalog. That said, plenty of their films have hit the platform without as much fanfare as they deserved, and are absolutely worth checking out.
10
Blitz (2024)
Whenever a film is led by Saoirse Ronan, you can guarantee she’ll be delivering a strong performance. After shining in roles while growing up, Blitz gave her the chance to do something different as she portrays a mother, starring alongside Elliott Heffernan, who plays her son.
The film takes place during World War II and with London as a dangerous location, Rita (Ronan) sends her mixed-race son to evacuate the country but instead, the boy escapes the train and tries to turn back to find his mom.
From there, the movie sees the two go through a lot as they get close to reuniting. Critics were high on the film, as it sits at an 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Blitz was also nominated for several accolades at the BAFTAs, Satellite Awards, and more, with praise going to Ronan for her performance.
9
Stephen Curry: Underrated (2023)
Anyone who knows basketball is likely to find it odd to consider Stephen Curry someone who is underrated. The Golden State Warriors star has won four NBA Titles, two MVP awards, and is one of the most influential and greatest players to ever step on a basketball court.
However, the title of his Apple TV+ documentary is actually fitting because a lot of people and scouts didn’t believe in Curry before he made it to the NBA. There were questions about his size, injury history, and more, yet he overcame it to become a future Hall of Fame player.
This documentary shines a light on both those early days before Curry was a star and his current life with his beautiful family, while he also attempts to win another championship. Stephen Curry: Underrated is consistently entertaining thanks to the personalities of him and his family.
8
Swan Song (2021)
Swan Song feels like one of those movies that should’ve been a bigger deal than it was. The cast is fantastic as it’s led by two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali, Golden Globe winner Awkwafina, and Academy and Golden Globe Award nominee Naomie Harris.
On top of the talented performers, Swan Song also has an intriguing premise. It follows Cameron (Ali), a man suffering with a terminal illness who gets offered the chance to spare his family the grief of his passing by getting replaced by a clone.
The movie then deals with the struggle Cameron goes through as he weighs his options. He debates talking it over with his wife (Harris) and goes back and forth with Kate (Awkwafina), a woman who was previously cloned. Those kind of themes and topics are exactly what great sci-fi movies are made of.
7
The Banker (2020)
In the midst of working together as members of the MCU, Anthony Mackie and Samuel L. Jackson starred together in this underseen film released during the early days of Apple TV+ being a platform. The period piece takes place in 1954 and centers on two Black men who become bankers in America.
Of course, taking place during the ’50s means that the Black men weren’t exactly accepted in their new roles. The film sees Bernard (Mackie) and Joe (Jackson) get into real estate together, while they hire a white man named Matt (Nicholas Hoult) to pose as the front of their company.
Reviews for The Banker were strong, with most of the acclaim going toward the performances of the three lead actors. It was also a success at the NAACP Image Awards, winning Outstanding Independent Motion Picture, while Mackie and Nia Long were nominated for their acting.
6
Greyhound (2020)
Tom Hanks has appeared in two Apple TV+ movies (you’ll see the other later) and the first was Greyhound. Released in the summer of 2020, the film is based on the 1955 novel The Good Shepherd by C.S. Forester, and follows a Navy commander during his first wartime command.
Greyhound sees Tom Hanks play that commander, named Ernie Krause, and he delivers a strong performance, as is always expected of Hanks. Praise for the film was strong, with one key factor being the 91-minute runtime as the movie doesn’t waste a single second.
It’s almost all action and, considering that and Hanks as the lead, you’d expect Greyhound to have been a bigger hit. That positive critical acclaim, along with an Oscar nomination for Best Sound, proves that the movie is the kind of thing that’s perfect to watch in your home theater. There’s even a Greyhound sequel coming up.
5
On The Rocks (2020)
Another Apple TV+ original released during the platform’s first year is On the Rocks. Written and directed by the very talented Sofia Coppola, who also helmed The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation, The Bling Ring and more, On the Rocks is one of her best movies.
Though it largely flew under the radar, On the Rocks immeditely stands out for the two great lead actors, Rashida Jones and Bill Murray. Jones plays Laura, a woman who believes her husband (Marlon Wayans) might be cheating, so she heads out with her father Felix (Murray) to investigate.
The film was praised for being lighter than a lot of Coppola’s other films and for the charming chemistry between Murray and Jones. It holds a very strong 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is boosted by a supporting cast that includes Jenny Slate and Jessica Henwick.
4
Finch (2021)
As noted, we’re back to Tom Hanks and this one harkens back to one of his best performances ever but with a sci-fi twist. Hanks was incredible in Cast Away, a film where he’s on screen all alone for the vast majority of the runtime, and the same thing is true in Finch.
The difference here is the sci-fi genre as Hanks plays the titular Finch, a man living alone in a post-apocalyptic world where his only companions are his dog and the robot he builds, named Jeff (Caleb Landry Jones).
What makes this film work so well, besides Hanks’ committed performance, is the voice acting of Jones. He brings a lot of character to Jeff, who is the heart of the movie. The visuals were also a highlight and Finch was nominated for a few awards in that category.
3
Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me (2022)
Apple TV+ is home to some of the best modern documentaries anywhere. Whether it’s Beastie Boys Story, Boys State, or Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry, their documentaries have been met with widespread acclaim.
Along the same lines as Billie Eilish’s documentary (which was a big deal on the platform), a film about Selena Gomez went somewhat overlooked. Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me is an emotionally gripping documentary that focuses on Gomez’s mental health after getting diagnosed with biopolar disorder and lupus.
What makes this documentary so impressive is that it takes place over the course of six years, showing the dedication that went into making it. Gomez is raw and authentic here, shying away from nothing as the film details an honesty portrayal of how it’s not always happy at the top.
2
Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022)
One of the most underrated rising filmmakers in Hollywood is Cooper Raiff. His debut fulm, S#!%house, received strong critical acclaim (he wrote, directed, and starred in it) and Cha Cha Real Smooth was the follow-up to that.
Cha Cha Real Smooth follows Raiff’s Andrew, an aimless college graduate who moved back home and works as a party host who falls for a single mother (Dakota Johnson) to a daughter with autism (Vanessa Burghardt).
Although Cha Cha Real Smooth wasn’t a big movie and it didn’t receive major accolades, it’s one of the most overlooked gems on any streaming service. There’s a reason it was a hit at the Sundance Film Festival. Raiff and Johnson share great chemistry and are the highlight of the film.
1
Wolfwalkers (2020)
Tomm Moore is one of the most impressive filmmakers in the world of animation, yet not a lot of casual moviegoers are aware of his work. His main body of work is his Irish Folklore Trilogy, which started with 2009’s The Secret of Kells and continued with 2014’s Song of the Sea.
The final leg of the trilogy is Wolfwalkers, which was released on Apple TV+. Though the films don’t connect narratively or through specific characters, they share similar aesthetics and are all very well written.
Wolfwalkers is about the friendship between a young girl who hunts wolves with her father and another girl who has the ability to turn into a wolf at night. Nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Ocars, Wolfwalkers has an outstanding 99% Rotten Tomatoes score and is one of the best animated films of the decade.
