Sweeping vistas and heroic narratives: Watch the best epic movies
If you’re looking for epic movies with grand narratives and impressive set designs, use this JustWatch streaming guide to browse through them all. Find the best, the hidden gems, and all your streaming options for epic movies using this guide.
Find epic movies on any combination of streaming platforms from Netflix, Max, and Paramount+ to Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+ and more. Use the JustWatch filters to discover epic movies by release year, so you can find the vintage movies of the 1950s and 60s, such as Ben Hur and Spartacus. Filter by IMDb rating and discover only the best movies available, or use the age rating filter to make sure your results are family friendly.
The greatest epic movies available to stream now
Epic movies are those with long sweeping narratives, grand locations and landscapes, and powerful emotional performances that inspire awe. Some of the greatest epic Mafioso movies include The Godfather, The Godfather II, Once Upon A Time in America, and The Irishman, all of which depict the larger than life world of mob bosses and underground crime in the United States. There are epic movies that depict historical events such as Lawrence of Arabia, Cleopatra, and Schindler’s List. Religious epics include The Ten Commandments, The Passion of the Christ, and The Message. No discussion of epic movies is complete with reference to Seven Samurai by Akira Kurosawa, a movie that went on to define cinema and David Lean’s Doctor Zhivago. The greatest sci-fi epics on screen include 2001: A Space Odyssey, Dune, and Star Wars. While the best fantasy epics include all three Lord of the Rings movies, all eight Harry Potter movies, and of course, The Wizard of Oz.
Hidden gems from the epic movie genre that shouldn’t be missed
While movies like Gladiator are always on the tip of the tongue when talking about epics, it can be easy to overlook these hidden gems. The Fall by Tarsem Singh is a cult classic of epic proportion, while The Seventh Seal is an austere epic set during the Crusades. Boyhood is an unlikely coming-of-age epic movie which spans the life of a young boy from age six to eighteen. The Telugu-language epic RRR is an extravagant story of resistance to colonialism, while Werner Herzog’s Aguirre: The Wrath of God is an often forgotten classic. Honourable Australian mentions include Australia starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman and the post-apocalyptic thriller Mad Max.
Discover other genres
Epic television series have proven incredibly popular with titles such as Game of Thrones, Rome and Band of Brothers. Also, the epic movie genre often crosses over with others such as movies based on true stories, where films such as Gandhi show the epic scope of real life. Epic movies also often double as fantasy movies, and sci-fi dramas. Jodhaa Akbar set in Mughal India is an example of an epic movie also being a Bollywood historical drama.
