Best new movies and TV series on Amazon Prime Video UK: August 2024

Each month, new films and TV shows are added to Amazon Prime Video’s UK library. Eliza Janssen presents her picks for titles worth watching. For the full list of everything arriving on the platform, scroll down.

Top picks

Batman: Caped Crusader: Season 1 (August 1)

The best Batman stories centre the grouchy emo hero’s detective work, so this brand new animated series is onto something clever by turning back the clock to show a more retro Gotham. Hamish Linklater voices Bruce Wayne/Batman, his film noir roots more strongly on display as he faces off against the usual rogues gallery of costumed weirdos: Two-Face, Harley Quinn, Catwoman (Christina Ricci!) and more. A nice reset without the big stakes that burden each new Batman movie reboot—the last film’s director Matt Reeves is a producer on this show.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Season 2 (August 29)

Amazon’s big, eye-wateringly budgeted gamble on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien marches on into its sophomore season, with Sauron now a main player and Middle Earth on the brink of calamity. Everyone in the show’s expansive, expensive setting is threatened by his promise to bind the world in darkness; the gentle Harfoots, industrious and loveable dwarves, and even the brave elf Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), who has a devastating personal connection to the mysterious baddie. If you felt season one took too long to reach that awesome siege in its final episodes, prepare for a bigger and badder follow-up chapter.

Top picks: movies + specials

One Fast Move (August 8)

There’s a distinctly 1980s, low-stakes vibe to this small-town action drama. KJ Apa stars as a dishonourably discharged soldier who must reconnect with his estranged dad in order to make his motorcycle racin’ dreams come true. Of course a new romance with an aspiring singer complicates things, but we have a nagging feeling that some wheels-meets-tarmac action and very macho bonding will smooth Apa’s road ahead. This thing woulda starred Patrick Swayze or Charlie Sheen about forty years ago.

Jackpot! (August 15)

An action-comedy spiked with a dystopian twist, this wacky effort from Bridesmaids director Paul Feig forces its characters to put their money where their mouth is. Or would be, that is—they’re all lottery hopefuls, in a futuristic society where the big winnings can be claimed if some desperate bastard murders the lucky winner before sunset. Awkwafina and John Cena are both determined to hang onto this nasty prize by hook or by crook, and supporting players include Dolly De Leon, Simu Liu, and controversial rapper Machine Gun Kelly (who now goes simply by MGK? OK.)

Bob Marley: One Love (August 30)

Kingsley Ben-Adir dons dreads and a guitar to take centre stage in this very typical pop-star portrait, a must-watch for reggae fans or those who aren’t tired of the schmaltzy biopic genre just yet. It’s a cinematic greatest hits compilation, covering the inspirations behind Marley’s seminal feel-good anthems and his changing connection to beloved wife Rita (Lashana Lynch). Even if the film lionises its lost star rather than delving too deep below his surface, there’s wall-to-wall classic songs to enjoy, and Ben-Adir is remarkably convincing in an intimidating lead role.