‘Tis the season to vegetate in front of the TV and gorge yourself on great movies, but you don’t need to be a subscriber to one of the best streaming services to access some top-tier entertainment this December.
In recent years, the likes of Tubi, Pluto TV, and Hoopla have become genuine rivals (content-wise, at least) to big-hitters like Netflix and Prime Video, and below, I’ve rounded up five of the best free movies to watch on the best free streaming services this December.
Gladiator (Pluto TV)
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Release date: May 2000
RT Score: 80%
Length: 155 minutes
Director: Ridley Scott
Main cast: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed
Paul Mescal is currently butchering his way through obnoxious Roman Emperors (and British accents) in Gladiator 2, but why bother with Ridley Scott’s so-so sequel when the director’s vastly superior (and still captivating) original is now streaming for free on Pluto TV?
Gladiator tells the riches-to-rags tale of Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe), a Roman general-turned-enslaved gladiator who must fight for his freedom under the watchful eye of a corrupt and daddy-killing emperor (Joaquin Phoenix). The scale is huge, the quotes are epic, and the loincloths are plentiful – Gladiator remains a stunning movie that’s been made to look even better by its paint-by-numbers successor.
Interstellar (Pluto TV – leaving soon)
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Release date: November 2014
RT Score: 73%
Length: 169 minutes
Director: Christopher Nolan
Main cast: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Interstellar is returning to IMAX theaters this month, but if you can’t make the time to experience (or re-experience) Christopher Nolan’s beloved sci-fi adventure on the biggest screen possible, you’ve still got a few weeks left to catch the film streaming for free via Pluto TV.
Set in a dystopian future on a near-uninhabitable Earth, Interstellar follows a group of astronauts – led by Matthew McConaughey’s Cooper – who embark on a wormhole-jumping journey through space and time in search of a new home for mankind. Despite mixed reactions to the film on release, Interstellar has since become a fan-favorite – though I’d like to take this opportunity to note that TechRadar has always considered it to be the best Christopher Nolan movie. Just saying!
Die Hard (Tubi)
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Release date: July 1988
RT Score: 94%
Length: 132 minutes
Director: John McTiernan
Main cast: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Alexander Godunov, Bonnie Bedelia
Is it a Christmas movie? Is it not a Christmas movie? Honestly, who cares – Die Hard is a thoughoutly entertaining action-movie romp at any time of year.
Indisputably one of the best Bruce Willis movies (it’s certainly the most iconic), John McTiernan’s franchise-starter centers on John McClane (Willis), a New York City police officer who, while visiting his estranged wife at her office Christmas party, is called into off-duty action when a group of terrorists – led by Alan Rickman’s Hans Guber – drops by. Die Hard is silly, brainless fun, and a perfect way to wind down after a hard day’s work.
John Wick (Pluto TV – leaving soon)
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Release date: October 2014
RT Score: 86%
Length: 101 minutes
Director: Chad Stahelski
Main cast: Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Adrianne Palicki
Who knew that 2014’s seemingly nondescript action movie John Wick would spawn a five-movie, one-series franchise that’s surpassed $1 billion at the global box office?
Chad Stahelski’s original John Wick movie – which is based on characters created by Derek Kolstad (who also served as the film’s screenwriter) – follows a legendary hitman (Keanu Reeves) who comes out of retirement to avenge the death of his beloved beagle puppy. In my John Wick: Chapter 4 review, I described the film “as a gloriously successful gamble on our collective longing for good old-fashioned fisticuffs,” and Stahelski’s original movie is an equally brutal beat-em-up. Don’t miss this one streaming for free on Pluto TV.
Glengarry Glen Ross (Hoopla, Kanopy)
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Release date: October 1992
RT Score: 95%
Length: 100 minutes
Director: James Foley
Main cast: Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris
I’ll say it: Glengarry Glen Ross is one of the most underrated movies ever made. If you haven’t seen it (and don’t worry, you’re not alone), you can rectify that mistake right now – for free, no less – on either Hoopla or Kanopy.
Seriously, what other movie boasts a cast as universally excellent as Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris, and Alan Arkin? This big-screen adaptation of David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play follows a group of real-estate salesmen who must fight tooth and nail to save their jobs when their superiors question their value to the company. A masterclass in dialogue and vehicle for a vintage Pacino performance, Glengarry Glen Ross is a must-watch for fans of old-school, small-scale moviemaking.
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