The 20 Best Free Movies You Can Watch On YouTube (2025)

Today, viewers have a veritable buffet of choices when it comes to where they get their movies. Streaming services feature plenty of options at various price points, and can deliver a good deal of value for the money. But viewers may not know that they have another great option that doesn't cost a thing, as long as they don't mind watching a few ads: YouTube.

The site's library of movies and TV shows is constantly growing and changing, as new films arrive and existing ones shift to other platforms. It always has a wide variety to offer, however. From classic films, like Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes, to more recent hits, like Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird, there's something to satisfy audiences of all ages and tastes. Best of all, these movies are all currently available for free with ads, letting viewers catch up on an old favorite or find a new one.

Updated on June 20, 2024, by Robert Vaux: YouTube's collection of movies is constantly being revised, and not every film on its roster is available at no cost to viewers. The list has been updated to reflect YouTube's current library of free movies, dropping the titles that have moved to other services, or that are no longer available without charge. The formatting has been updated to reflect CBR's current guidelines.

20 Total Recall Sends Arnold Schwarzenegger on a Literal Head Trip

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%
• Metacritic Score: 60
• IMDb Rating: 7.5

Arnold Schwarzenegger went from being the face of professional bodybuilding to one of the biggest stars on the planet during the 1980s, thanks to a string of hits such as Predator, The Terminator, and the original Conan the Barbarian. He added to that count with Total Recall, based on a mind-bending short story by Phillip K. Dick and brought to life by director Paul Verhoeven. Schwarzenegger plays an ordinary man in a future society who pays to have memories of a nonexistent spy adventure implanted in his mind, only to find himself seeming living it in real life.

The film contains all the high-end sci-fi action fans might expect, along with practical effects from the legendary Rob Bottin that earned the film the Academy Award that year. Schwarzenegger succeeds at going more or less against type as an ordinary man who can never be sure he's the spy he thinks he is. The film's real strength, however, lies in the way it plays with the nature of its own reality. Is the hero really a spy fighting for the liberation of Mars, or is he just going mad after a supposedly safe procedure scrambles his brains? The answer never comes, but there is great joy to be had in contemplating the question.

Total Recall

19 Real Genius is an Early Gem from Val Kilmer

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77%
• Metacritic Score: 71
• IMDb Rating: 6.9

Coming-of-age movies rarely age well, particularly in the 1980s when careless raunchiness and open sexism dominated the genre. Real Genius is something entirely different and has rightfully earned its status as an era classic. A very young Val Kilmer plays the hotshot student of an exclusive university based loosely on CalTech. He adopts a new student as his roommate — a shy young man starting college at the tender age of 15 — and helps him understand that there's more to life than good grades.

Kilmer has never been more charming, and the various pranks and escapades are hysterical without descending into cruelty. Real Genius also shows a deep sympathy for its young subjects, relating to their struggles to fit in and celebrating the way they find their tribe and themselves at the same time. It even slips a little gentle social commentary into the mix, as an unscrupulous dean sells their creation to the military, and they find a unique way to balance the scales.

18 Donnie Darko Is A Dark, Surreal Mystery

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%
• Metacritic Score: 88
• IMDb Rating: 8.0

From director-writer Richard Kelly, Donnie Darko follows a troubled young man who begins having mysterious visions of a man in a rabbit suit named Frank who tells him the world is about to end. Donnie must figure out what's going on and how to stop it as Frank's influence over him grows.

With its genre-blending and complex plot, Donnie Darko became a cult classic when it was released on DVD, and Kelly was able to make a director's cut a few years after the movie's initial release. Both versions are available to watch on YouTube. The movie also takes place in October, making it a perfect addition to an autumnal movie lineup.

Donnie Darko

Science Fiction

Thriller

After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.

Release Date

October 26, 2001

Director

Richard Kelly

Cast

Jake Gyllenhaal , Maggie Gyllenhaal , Jena Malone , Drew Barrymore , Daveigh Chase , James Duval

Runtime

113 minutes

17 Galaxy Quest Is an Evergreen Sci-Fi Parody

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
• Metacritic Score: 70
• IMDb Rating: 7.4

Though not a direct send-up, Galaxy Quest clearly has the Star Trek franchise on its mind. It tells the story of a group of has-been actors who made their name on a similar sci-fi series, now reduced to signing autographs and answering dippy questions at conventions. That's when a group of friendly aliens arrives, believing them to be the heroes they only played on TV and begging for their help against a very real interstellar warlord.

Like all great parodies, Galaxy Quest shows a great deal of affection for the subject of its jabs. It's not hard to envision the Original Series crew in similar circumstances, though the film does wonders in establishing its characters as singular and sympathetic, despite their foibles. The late Alan Rickman steals the show as a trained Shakespearean — long resentful of being shackled to what he feels was an unworthy role — only to find new meaning in the effect it has on his viewers. The film makes a fantastic chaser to more serious space operas, as well as a celebration of fandom that holds up extremely well to repeat viewings.

Galaxy Quest

PG

Adventure

Sci-Fi

The alumni cast of a space opera television series have to play their roles as the real thing when an alien race needs their help. However, they also have to defend both Earth and the alien race from a reptilian warlord.

Director

Dean Parisot

Release Date

December 25, 1999

Cast

Tim Allen , Sigourney Weaver , Alan Rickman

Writers

David Howard , Robert Gordon

Runtime

106 minutes

Main Genre

Comedy

16 Ghost In The Shell Is Beautifully Animated

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
• Metacritic Score: 76
• IMDb Rating: 7.9

1995's Ghost in the Shell is based on Masamune Shirow's manga of the same name. The anime movie takes place in a future where humans can alter or even replace their bodies with cybernetic parts. When a dangerous hacker starts hijacking people's brains, cyborg Major Motoko Kusanagi must hunt them down and try to figure out who — or what — they really are.

With stunning animation and engrossing storytelling, it's no wonder Ghost in the Shell is considered one of the best anime movies of all time. There have been several adaptations of the manga, but it's easy to see why the 1995 version is still widely considered one of the best.

Ghost in the Shell

TV-MA

Sci-Fi

Action

Crime

A cyborg policewoman and her partner hunt a mysterious and powerful hacker called the Puppet Master.

Release Date

November 19, 1995

Director

Mamoru Oshii

Cast

Atsuko Tanaka , Akio Otsuka , Iemasa Kayumi

Runtime

1 Hour 23 Minutes

Main Genre

Animation

Studio

Production I.G

Writers

Masamune Shirow , Kazunori Itô

Franchise

Ghost In The Shell

Production Company

Kôdansha, Bandai Visual Company, Manga Entertainment.

15 Great Expectations Is A Beloved Classic

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%
• Metacritic Score: 90
• IMDb Rating: 7.8

There have been numerous adaptations of Charles Dickens's Great Expectations, but the 1946 movie is among the most beloved. The classic coming-of-age tale follows a young boy who encounters criminals, grande dames, and more as he figures out what kind of man he wants to be and learns many life lessons along the way.

Starring John Mills and Valerie Hobson, Great Expectations is a largely faithful adaptation, apart from the ending, which is happier than the novel's conclusion. Even so, it remains the most praised version due to its stunning visuals and memorable performances.

Great Expectations

A humble orphan boy in 1810s Kent is given the opportunity to go to London and become a gentleman, with the help of an unknown benefactor.

Release Date

December 16, 1946

Director

David Lean

Cast

John Mills , Valerie Hobson , Jean Simmons , Martita Hunt

Runtime

1 hour 58 minutes

Main Genre

Drama

14 Heathers Walked So Other Teen Comedies Could Run

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%
• Metacritic Score: 72
• IMDb Score: 7.2

Directed by Michael Lehmann and starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, Heathers is a black comedy about a group of popular high school girls all named Heather and their new lackey, Veronica, who resents the popular crowd. Veronica develops feelings for a rebellious new guy called J.D., but soon, her so-called friends start dropping dead.

Heathers may not have done well at the box office, but it is well-remembered for venturing into dark subjects that most teen comedies stayed far away from. Even decades later, it ranks among the top teen comedies and has a palpable influence on the genre today. So much so that it found new life in a popular Broadway musical adaptation.

Heathers

At Westerburg High where cliques rule, jocks dominate and all the popular girls are named Heather, it's going to take a Veronica and mysterious new kid to give teen angst a body count.

Release Date

March 31, 1989

Director

Michael Lehmann

Cast

Winona Ryder , Christian Slater , Shannen Doherty

Main Genre

Comedy

13 The Sting Features One of the Greatest Onscreen Duos of All Time

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%
• Metacritic Score: 83
• IMDb Score: 8.3

The movies just can't say no to stories about con artists, who make compelling subjects even at their darkest and most self-serving. The Sting is an utterly romanticized variation on the theme of dispensing with the ugly realities of life as a grifter in favor of pure fantasy. When Robert Shaw's corrupt gangster has one of their own killed, a collection of underworld hustlers plan to get even with an elaborate scheme to take him for all he's worth.

The Sting thrives by making the audience feel like part of the crew, using real-life examples of Depression-era cons to give it all some plausibility. But its real strength is the two stars; Paul Newman and Robert Redford trading off of their incomparable chemistry to create two of the most irresistible rascals ever to steal a fortune onscreen. With them, The Sting goes from an enjoyable lark to something truly special.

The Sting

PG

Two grifters team up to pull off the ultimate con.

Director

George Roy Hill

Release Date

December 25, 1973

Cast

Paul Newman , Robert Redford , Robert Shaw

Runtime

2 hours 9 minutes

Main Genre

Comedy

12 Ip Man's Action Is Top-Tier

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%
• Metacritic Score: 59
• IMDb Rating: 8.0

Loosely based on the real-life grandmaster of kung fu, Ip Man follows the title character before and during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Master Ip does his best to live a simple life with his wife and son, but outside forces keep calling him back to fight, leading him to face off against several challengers.

Donnie Yen gives his all as Ip Man, and the film's action sequences are riveting. While the details may not be historically accurate, it's an entertaining, emotional story that will surely entice viewers to watch the sequels, which are also available to watch on YouTube.

IP Man

Ip Manis a series of Hong Kongmartial arts filmsbased on the life events of theWing Chunmaster of the same name.

Cast

Donnie Yen , Lynn Hung

Latest Film

Ip Man 4: The Finale

Summary

Ip Man is a series of Hong Kong martial arts films based on the life events of the Wing Chun master of the same name.

11 Lady Bird Is A Moving Coming-Of-Age Film

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99%
• Metacritic Score: 93
• IMDb Score: 7.4

Lady Bird is best known as Greta Gerwig's solo directorial debut. The coming-of-age movie centers on Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson, a strong-willed young woman who has a difficult relationship with her mother, Marion. As she tries to get into a college on the East Coast, Lady Bird explores her identity and starts to reexamine her closest relationships.

With its naturalistic dialogue and insightful, relatable story, Lady Bird showed audiences that Gerwig was a director to watch. It garnered near-universal acclaim for its performances, particularly from leads Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf, and was nominated for five Academy Awards.

Lady Bird

R

Drama

In 2002, an artistically inclined 17-year-old girl comes of age in Sacramento, California.

Release Date

December 1, 2017

Director

Greta Gerwig

See Also

Best Free Movies on YouTube to Watch Next

Cast

Saoirse Ronan , Laurie Metcalf , Tracy Letts

Runtime

1 Hour 34 Minutes

Main Genre

Comedy

Writers

Greta Gerwig

Producer

Eli Bush, Evelyn O'Neill, Scott Rudin

Production Company

IAC Films, Scott Rudin Productions, Entertainment 360, Mission Films

10 Memento Is A Fascinating Non-Linear Thriller

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
• Metacritic Score: 83
• IMDb Rating: 8.4

Directed by Christopher Nolan, Memento follows a man looking for his wife's killer. Unfortunately, he has anterograde amnesia and can't retain new memories, leaving him to piece together what he remembers about his current life and where he is in his investigation.

With its non-linear narrative, keeping up with Memento's story can prove challenging, but there's no doubt that viewers will be fascinated by how it unfolds. Everything is up to Nolan's usual standards, making for a masterfully crafted and truly memorable film.

Memento

R

A man with short-term memory loss attempts to track down his wife's murderer.

Release Date

September 5, 2000

Director

Christopher Nolan

Cast

Guy Pearce , Carrie-Anne Moss , Joe Pantoliano , Mark Boone Junior

Runtime

1 hour 53 minutes

Main Genre

Thriller

9 Oklahoma! Brings The Stage Musical Into Viewers' Homes

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: N/A
• Metacritic Score: 74
• IMDb Rating: 7.8

Directed by Trevor Nunn, the 1998 West End revival of Oklahoma! stars Hugh Jackman as Curly, Josefina Gabrielle as Laurey, and Maureen Lipman as Aunt Eller. The musical follows the lives of a group of people living on a farm near Claremore in Indian Territory in 1906. As they prepare for a local dance, emotional tensions reach a boiling point.

This Oklahoma! revival is sure to please any golden age musical theater fans and pique the curiosity of Jackman fans looking to explore his pre-X-Men work. The Oliver Award-winning stage production features excellent acting, sweeping dance numbers, and, of course, Rodgers and Hammerstein's gorgeous music. The excellent 1955 version of Oklahoma! is also free on YouTube, letting musical lovers decide which of the two they prefer.

Oklahoma! (1999)

Oklahoma! (1999) stars Hugh Jackman and Josefina Gabrielle in this musical adaptation of the popular Rodgers and Hammerstein production. Directed by Trevor Nunn, the film recounts the romantic entanglements of a cowboy named Curly and a farm girl named Laurey, set against the backdrop of the Oklahoma territory during the early 20th century. The film features iconic songs and a compelling ensemble cast, capturing the spirit of the original Broadway show.

Director

Chris Hunt

Release Date

September 26, 1999

Cast

Hugh Jackman , Josefina Gabrielle , Shuler Hensley , Peter Polycarpou , Maureen Lipman , Jimmy Johnston , Vicki Simon , David Shelmerdine , Rebecca Thornhill , Sidney Livingstone , Stuart Milligan , Warren Carlyle

Runtime

194 Minutes

Main Genre

Musical

8 Paprika Is Wildly Imaginative

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%
• Metacritic Score: 81
• IMDb Score: 7.7

Based on Yasutaka Tsutsui's novel of the same name, Paprika centers on a doctor named Atsuko Chiba who uses a device called the DC Mini to view and enter people's dreams as her alter ego, Paprika. While she does it to help treat psychiatric patients, a dream terrorist steals the technology and begins to bring down the walls between dreams and reality.

Paprika is full of stunning animation, capturing the sometimes chaotic nature of dreams in ways that no other medium can. The sheer creativity on display makes the Satoshi Kon movie worth a view, but its fascinating story, which asks thought-provoking questions about the true difference between dreams and reality, will keep audiences thoroughly entertained as well.

7 Penelope Is A Magical Romantic Comedy

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 53%
• Metacritic Score: 48
• IMDb Rating: 6.7

Penelope is a modern-day fairy tale about a girl who is born with a pig snout due to a family curse. The film follows Penelope's journey to break the curse by finding someone to accept her as she is 'til death do they part.

Although not critically acclaimed, Penelope features a star-studded cast, including Christina Ricci, James McAvoy, Catherine O'Hara, and Peter Dinklage, who infuse their characters with charm and warmth, making them easy to root for. The result is an uplifting story about love and acceptance that brings whimsical flair to a modern-day rom-com.

Penelope

PG

Comedy

Fantasy

Romance

Release Date

February 29, 2008

Director

Mark Palansky

Cast

Christina Ricci , James McAvoy , Catherine O'Hara , Peter Dinklage , Richard E. Grant , Reese Witherspoon

Runtime

104 minutes

Main Genre

Comedy

Production Company

Stone Village Pictures, Type A Films, Grosvenor Park Productions, Tatira Active Film, Zephyr Films

6 Point Break Is A True Cult Classic

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 71%
• Metacritic Score: 59
• IMDb Rating: 7.3

From director Kathryn Bigelow and starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze, Point Break brings surfing to the crime thriller genre. Rookie FBI agent Johnny Utah goes undercover as a surfer as he seeks out a gang of bank robbers. They turn out to be surfers who use their audacious heists to fund an Endless Summer lifestyle.

While it may wander into "so bad it's good" territory, Point Break is a veritable cult classic. Its chase and action sequences are also quite well done, and the heartbreaking bond between Reeves and Swayze's characters will keep audiences wondering what happens next. Director Kathryn Bigelow went on to become the first woman to ever win the Best Director Oscar.

Point Break (2015)

R

An F.B.I. Agent goes undercover to catch a gang of surfers who may be bank robbers.

Release Date

July 12, 1991

Director

Kathryn Bigelow

Cast

Keanu Reeves , Patrick swayze , Gary Busey , Lori Petty

Runtime

2 hours 2 minutes

Main Genre

Action

5 Labyrinth Is One of the Greatest Fantasy Films of All Time

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77%
• Metacritic Score: 50
• IMDb Rating: 7.3

The late Jim Henson always believed that puppets could do more than entertain children. He never came closer to proving it than Labyrinth, an ostensible family adventure that disguises an exquisite coming-of-age story. Jennifer Connelly plays a teenage girl still mired in childhood, whose baby brother is abducted when she inadvertently summons the Goblin King. To win him back, she must brave an enchanted Labyrinth filled with perils while coming to grips with her own burgeoning adulthood in the process.

Henson guides that journey with a perfect hand, turning what could have been creepy and off-putting into something beautiful and wise. His signature creations are as charming as ever, and David Bowie's Goblin King remains that actor's signature movie performance. (Bowie contributes a handful of classic songs to the film's soundtrack.) In the end, however, Labyrinth belongs to Connelly, holding the audience's focus completely, despite competition from both a legendary rock god and a literal army of Muppets. Her future stardom looks all the more inevitable in retrospect.

Labyrinth

PG

Musical

Fantasy

Adventure

Family

Sixteen-year-old Sarah must solve a labyrinth to rescue her baby brother when he is taken by the Goblin King.

Director

Jim Henson

Release Date

June 27, 1986

Cast

David Bowie , Jennifer Connelly , Toby Froud , Shelley Thompson , Christopher Malcolm

Writers

Dennis Lee , Jim Henson , Terry Jones

Runtime

101 minutes

Main Genre

Fantasy

4 The Lady Vanishes Brings Hitchcock's Signature Suspense

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%
• Metacritic Score: 98
• IMDb Rating: 7.7

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock and based on The Wheel Spins by Ethel Lina White, The Lady Vanishes follows a young woman named Iris, who is hit on the head just before boarding a train. An elder woman volunteers to look after her, but after falling asleep, Iris wakes to find her new friend has disappeared, and everyone else on the train claims to have never seen her.

Hitchcock's signature suspense elevates the story as it slowly builds up to the big reveal. The Lady Vanishes makes for an excellent mystery that will have viewers wondering if Iris really did meet a Miss Froy, or if it was all a hallucination.

The Lady Vanishes

While travelling in continental Europe, a rich young playgirl realizes that an elderly lady seems to have disappeared from the train. Starring Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave, Paul Lukas and Dame Mae Whitty.

Release Date

November 1, 1938

Director

Alfred Hitchcock

Runtime

1 hour 36 minutes

Main Genre

Mystery

3 Frankenstein Headlines a Trio of Universal Monster Classics

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
• Metacritic Score: 91
• IMDb Rating: 7.8

Universal's stable of monsters never goes out of style and remains as fresh today as it did when they first premiered. Horror buffs can see how the genre truly got started in the movies, while more casual fans can enjoy their comparatively gentle scares without suffering through a lot of violence or gore. Their influence continues to be felt in horror movies today.

YouTube currently has three of the very best available for free: Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Wolf Man. Each features an iconic performance from a legend in the genre. Bela Lugosi's Count Dracula and Boris Karloff's Frankenstein's Monster have become pop-culture standbys, while Lon Cheney's Wolf Man perfectly embodies the innate sympathies in every Universal monster. Any two of them would make a great double feature, and they're comparatively short by today's standards, making it easy to screen all three in a single viewing.

Frankenstein (1931)

Passed

Sci-Fi

Drama

Horror

Dr Henry Frankenstein is obsessed with assembling a living being from parts of several exhumed corpses.

Director

James Whale

Release Date

November 21, 1931

Cast

Colin Clive , Mae Clarke , Boris Karloff , John Boles , Edward Van Sloan , Frederick Kerr , Dwight Frye , Lionel Belmore

Writers

John L. Balderston , Mary Shelley , Peggy Webling , Garrett Fort , Francis Edward Faragoh , Richard Schayer

Runtime

70 Minutes

Main Genre

Sci-Fi

2 Alien Is Everyone's Worst Extraterrestrial Fears

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%
• Metacritic Score: 89
• IMDb Rating: 8.5

Life beyond Earth is one of the most fascinating questions in mankind. While most hope that extraterrestrial life is kind, Alien plays deeply into everyone's worst fears. That extraterrestrial life is a destructive and monstrous force, bumping up against mundane human evils and reminding us of just how cosmically insignificant we truly are.

Ripley, Dallas, and the rest of their crew's struggle to survive on a derelict spaceship with a rampant Xenomorph is terrifying, and few horror films have come close to matching the atmosphere and scares of Alien. Whether watching for the first time or looking to return to the beginning in anticipation of the upcoming Alien: Romulus, Alien is a must-watch.

Alien

R

Sci-Fi

Horror

The crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating an unknown transmission.

Release Date

June 22, 1979

Director

Ridley Scott

Cast

Sigourney Weaver , Tom Skerritt , John Hurt , Veronica Cartwright , Harry Dean Stanton , Ian Holm , Yaphet Kotto

Runtime

117 minutes

Main Genre

Sci-Fi

1 Once Upon a Time in America Is a Cinematic Masterpiece

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%
• Metacritic Score: 75
• IMDb Rating: 8.3

Sergio Leone's last movie was a long-held dream to deliver his version of the classic American gangster saga. He delivered — and then some — with Once Upon a Time in America. It charts the rise and fall of a group of friends from the Jewish slums of New York, who become successful gangsters at the cost of their souls. The director reportedly turned down an offer to direct The Godfather in order to stay true to his vision, and the results may be the equal even of that towering masterpiece.

Controversy marred it upon its initial release when the studio cut the nearly four-hour running time to 139 minutes. The result was a shambles that bombed badly at the box office. Critics who had seen the original cut championed its release, and the film was eventually restored to its full running time. Thankfully, the version on YouTube is the longer cut, giving anyone the chance to see one of the greatest films ever made as it was originally intended.

Once Upon a Time in America

r

It chronicles the lives of Jewish gangsters in New York, spanning from the 1920s to the 1960s. Through betrayal, violence, and lost love, the film explores themes of loyalty and regret as the protagonist reflects on his tumultuous past and the consequences of his actions.

Studio