One of cinema’s most storied flavors of film, thewargenre has played host to some of the greatest movies of all time. While many of thebest war movies ever madepredate the new millennium, the 21st century has seen several standout modern films throw their name into the hat for consideration, earning rave reviews from fans and critics alike.
As with most forms of film, the abundance of streaming services in this day and age means that there’s no shortage of options ofmodern war movies to watch.Many of the biggest hits from the genre are available across a range of the biggest streaming platforms currently on offer,meaning that a veritable laundry list of knockout war movies is just a few short clicks away.
One of thebest war movies of 2024, Alex Garland’sCivil Warreceived positive reviews from critics. Depicting an alternate reality where civil war has engulfed the United States, this dystopian war thriller was lauded for its unique premise, gripping performances, and masterful cinematography, clocking in with a respectable Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score of 81%.
What Caused The Civil War In A24’s New 2024 Movie?
Alex Garland’s new A24 blockbuster Civil War makes a bold cautionary statement about a divided and war-ridden United States under fascist rule.
Kirsten Dunst particularly shines as war journalist Lee Smith, turning in a powerful performance that even received praise from the minority of viewers decrying the wider movie. A gripping and visceral depiction of modern warfare set against the backdrop of a soul-sick United States, one of the better films of the last year, irrespective of genre,is now streaming onPrime Video.
A satirical war drama for the ages, there has never been a film quite likeTaika Waititi’sJojo Rabbit. Chronicling the harrowing events of WWII through the naive lense of a young Hitler Youth member’s eyes, Waititi’s 2019 film follows Johannes"Jojo"Betzler, a 10-year-old boy whose imaginary friend so just happens to be a buffoonish caricature of Adolf Hitler.
Jojo Rabbitmarked the third year in a row that Sam Rockwell had appeared in a movie nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, following 2017’sThree Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouriand 2018’sVice.
Jojo Rabbit’sfraught central premise arguably shouldn’t even begin to work on paper, making it all the more pleasantly surprising when viewers realize what a quality piece of cinema they have on their hands. Leveraging a gleefully unrestrained turn by Waititi himself as Jojo’s imaginary friend to complement this wider anti-hate triumph,Jojo Rabbitis available for streaming on Disney+.
The third harrowing cinematic adaptation of the novel of the same name, 2022’sAll Quiet on the Western Frontmay not have measured up to the stratospheric standards of the 1930 original, but it still presents a quality war movie across the board. Edward Berger’s lauded epic anti-war movie received 9 Academy Award nominations, taking home 4 statuettes to boot.
For viewers looking to immerse themselves in the horrors of the Western Front firsthand,this German-language outing is still streaming onNetflix,the platform it was initially released on. The quintessential example of a superb modernWorld War movie that doesn’t focus on the USA,All Quiet on the Western Front’sunflinching depiction of the horrors of war might not make for the easiest viewing, but that does little to take away from the movie’s impressive quality.
9Anthropoid (2016)
Streaming On Prime Video
One ofCillian Murphy’s best and most underrated movies, 2016’sAnthropoidis based on a thrilling true story from WWII. Chronicling a plot to assassinate a high-ranking SS official by exiled Czechoslovak soldiers, Sean Ellis' movie bombed at the box office, leading to its relatively obscure status as of 2025.
…Anthropoidleverages the considerable talents of its leading duo to produce a taut, white-knuckle war thriller that holds up to this day.
FeaturingThe Fallstar Jamie Dornan alongside Murphy,Anthropoidleverages the considerable talents of its leading duo to produce a taut, white-knuckle war thriller that holds up to this day. A poignant tribute to the heroism of the soldiers who lost their lives in this daring mission,Anthropoidis well worth a watch for any fan of the genre, andit’s currently available for streaming onPrime Video.
One of thebest British war movies ever made, Sam Mendes'1917depicts a desperate race against time to save a doomed offensive from certain annihilation. Shot using a remarkable series of long takes, this thrilling tale from the First World War has been lauded as one of the finest war movies of all time for its stirring performances and revolutionary cinematography.
1917 True Story: How Much Of The Movie Was Real
1917 is directed by Sam Mendes, who based it on stories told to him by his grandfather, Lance Corporal Alfred H. Mendes, with some liberties taken.
Taking home 3 Oscars from a whopping 10 nominations,1917’sstoried credentials speak for themselves. One of the highest-rated modern war films of all time on IMDb with an impressive score of 8.2, this audacious snapshot of the Western Front is one of recent cinema’s finest entries, andanybody with a Netflix subscription can stream it right now.
Chronicling WWII’s endgame from the perspective of the eponymous M1 Sherman tank’s crew, 2014’sFuryis one of themost intensely paced war movies ever made. Providing arguably the most harrowing onscreen depictions of combat sinceSaving Private Ryandebuted in 1998, David Ayer’s thrilling entry represents must-see viewing.
Leveraging superb performances to elevate the uncomplicated central story above its more unimaginative aspects,Furyis one of the best war movies of the 21st century and an absolutely indispensable modern entry for any fan of the genre. Fortunately for streamers,this blood-soaked tank epic is one of the best war movies currently in Netflix’s ever-growing library.
Spearheaded by a generational Christoph Waltz performance as one of thegreatest war movie villains of all time, Quentin Tarantino’sInglourious Basterdsis a front-runner for cinema’s best modern war film to date. Chronicling two interconnected assassination plots to dispose of the German high command during an alternate version of WWII, this revered war outing is regarded by many fans as Tarantino’s best entry sincePulp Fiction.
Offering up the director’s usual cocktail of polished dialogue, cultural references, and supremely graphic violence,Inglourious Basterdsis streaming onNetflix. An essential piece of cinematic viewing for movie fans of all ilk, if you somehow haven’t seen Tarantino’s triumphant war outing, the time is now.
Released to highly positive reviews in 2014, Morten Tyldum’sThe Imitation Gameis based on the true storyof Alan Turing, the cryptanalyst who played an integral role in cracking the Nazi coding machine, Enigma, during WWII. The movie received eight Oscar nominations, although it remarkably only ended up winning a single statuette for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Benedict Cumberbatch was beaten to the Academy Award for Best Actor by Eddie Redmayne for his turn as Professor Stephen Hawking in 2014’sThe Theory of Everything.
While the movie received some criticism for its historical accuracy, an evocative turn from Benedict Cumberbatch against the backdrop of an exquisitely paced war movie still makes for a first-rate viewing experience that is just a few short clicks away. This nail-biting race against time iscurrently available for streaming on Prime Video.
Don’t look now, butone of the best modern war movies set in modern times is streaming on Netflix right now.An acclaimed film from the mind behindThe Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow’sZero Dark Thirtyis based on a true story, chronicling the decade-long hunt for the man behind the September 11th terrorist attacks, Osama bin Laden.
Zero Dark Thirtywas initially about the unsuccessful hunt for Bin Laden; the entire film was rewritten after news broke of the terrorist’s death.
Receiving near universal acclaim for Bigelow’s direction and Jessica Chastain’s gripping lead performance,Zero Dark Thirtyearned five Oscar nominations, taking home Best Sound Editing in a tie withSkyfall. While the 2012 film saw its fair share of controversy, this remains a slow-burn war outing of the highest order, chronicling one of the most significant international developments of the 21st century in thrilling fashion.
One of thebest submarine war movies of all time,2020’sGreyhoundis among the better titles that Apple TV+ currently has to offer.Spearheaded by the assured screen presence of cinematic legend Tom Hanks, Aaron Schneider’s thrilling offering follows the titular submarine as it attempts to defend an Allied convoy from German U-boats during the Battle of the Atlantic.
…one of the better war movies of the 2020s is still easily available for streaming to anybody with an Apple TV+ subscription.
Originally scheduled for a theatrical release that was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sony ended up selling the rights toApple TV+.This development definitely worked out for war movie fans in the long run, as one of the better war movies of the 2020s is still easily available for anybody with a subscription to the increasingly popular streaming service.
