5 adrenaline-inducing Prime Video movies to watch this week (August 3-9)

Credit: Lucas de Gouveia/How-To Geek Published Aug 3, 2026, 10:15 AM EDT As an entertainment enthusiast, Keeley is a streaming content author and expert at How-To Geek with over a decade's experience writing about film and television. Her focus is on streaming content lists and guides. Keeley also writes film and television reviews, recaps, features, and lists for Loud and Clear Reviews, and she writes streaming content features for Pocket-Lint. Her reviews are featured on Rotten Tomatoes, and she also has bylines at Collider and Fansided Entertainment's Show Snob and Bam Smack Pow divisions. If she's not in front of the TV, dissecting content with her husband, you can just wait one minute—she'll be right back. Sign in to your How-To Geek account If you’re craving a rush of pure adrenaline, we've got some selections that will deliver the kind of edge-of-your-seat intensity that refuses to let up. From dizzying, first-person chaos to globe-spanning, pulse-pounding survival stakes, you’ll find yourself thrown headfirst into high-risk, high-reward storytelling, with a bit of nostalgia and introspection included. Our top two Amazon Prime Video picks take the cake with their rapid-fire pacing, harrowing settings, and action-packed, breath-holding sequences, but our main pick is perhaps the most overlooked and underrated action movie of the century. 5 Masters of the Universe Swords, sorcery, nostalgia, and sci-fi By the power of Grayskull, the big-screen reboot of Mattel’s toy-turned-media franchise Masters of the Universe is now available to stream. The newly released Prime Video movie combines science fiction with medieval fantasy in a story about the prince of a cosmic kingdom transforming into the most powerful man in the universe. Quiz 8 Questions · Test Your KnowledgePrime Video moviesTrivia challengeFrom thrillers to tearjerkers — see how well you know these Amazon Prime Video films.DramaThrillerTrue StoryComedySportsBegin In Crime 101, what profession does the main character use as cover while pulling off elaborate heists?AInsurance adjusterBReal estate agentCTax attorneyDAntique dealerThat's right! The protagonist poses as a real estate agent, using the job's access and mobility as a convenient front for criminal activity. The film plays with how ordinary professions can mask extraordinary deception.Not quite — the correct answer is real estate agent. The film uses this cover cleverly, showing how a respectable-seeming profession can provide the perfect camouflage for a career criminal operating in plain sight.Continue In Saltburn, which prestigious English university does protagonist Oliver Quick attend when he befriends Felix Catton?ACambridgeBDurhamCOxfordDEdinburghCorrect! Oliver and Felix meet at Oxford, where the stark class divide between scholarship student Oliver and the aristocratic Felix is immediately established. That university setting is crucial to the film's themes of privilege and obsession.Not quite — it's Oxford where Oliver and Felix first cross paths. Director Emerald Fennell deliberately chose Oxford's world of old money and social stratification to set up the film's exploration of class envy and manipulation.Continue In The Tender Bar, based on J.R. Moehringer's memoir, who plays Uncle Charlie, the bartender who becomes a father figure to young J.R.?AMatt DamonBBen AffleckCChris EvansDOscar IsaacSpot on! Ben Affleck plays the warm and charismatic Uncle Charlie, earning considerable praise for the role. Affleck's performance was seen as one of the film's greatest strengths, bringing real depth to a man who shapes a fatherless boy's entire worldview.The correct answer is Ben Affleck. His portrayal of Uncle Charlie was widely praised as a career highlight, capturing the rough charm of a bartender who becomes the most important male role model in J.R.'s life.Continue In the 2024 Prime Video remake of Road House, who plays ex-UFC fighter Elwood Dalton, the new bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse?AJake GyllenhaalBChris HemsworthCTom HardyDRyan ReynoldsThat's right! Jake Gyllenhaal steps into the role made famous by Patrick Swayze, playing a disgraced MMA fighter hired to clean up a rowdy bar in the Florida Keys. Gyllenhaal underwent intense physical training to prepare for the action-heavy role.The correct answer is Jake Gyllenhaal. He took on the iconic role previously played by Patrick Swayze in the 1989 original, with the remake shifting the setting from Missouri to the Florida Keys and updating the protagonist's fighting background to MMA.Continue Thirteen Lives depicts the dramatic 2018 rescue of a youth soccer team trapped in a cave in which country?AIndonesiaBVietnamCThailandDMyanmarCorrect! The film recreates the harrowing rescue of the Wild Boars youth soccer team from the Tham Luang cave in Thailand. The real-life operation captivated the world and involved expert cave divers from across the globe.The answer is Thailand. The real rescue took place in the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Chiang Rai province, where 12 boys and their coach were trapped for 18 days before a multinational team of divers managed to bring them all out safely.Continue In Manchester by the Sea, what unexpected event forces Lee Chandler to return to his hometown and become guardian of his teenage nephew?AHis brother is arrestedBHis brother dies of heart failureCHis brother is badly injured in an accidentDHis brother is diagnosed with terminal cancerThat's right! Lee's brother Joe dies suddenly from congestive heart failure, pulling Lee back to a town filled with painful memories. Casey Affleck won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the grief-stricken, emotionally closed-off Lee.Not quite — Lee returns because his brother Joe dies of congestive heart failure. The film, written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan, won two Academy Awards including Best Original Screenplay, and is celebrated for its unflinching portrayal of grief and guilt.Continue In American Fiction, what pen name does frustrated author Thelonious 'Monk' Ellison use when he writes a satirical novel pandering to racial stereotypes?ASlick RickBStagg R. LeighCBig SmokeDD. Ray ThomasCorrect! Monk writes his outrageous satirical manuscript under the pseudonym Stagg R. Leigh, a name that itself plays on stereotypes. The film, based on Percival Everett's novel Erasure, won Cord Jefferson the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.The pen name Monk uses is Stagg R. Leigh. The choice of pseudonym is itself part of the satire — a name loaded with cultural baggage. Jeffrey Wright received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his nuanced portrayal of Monk.Continue In Air, the film about Nike signing Michael Jordan, which actress plays Jordan's mother Deloris, who plays a pivotal role in negotiating his landmark deal?ATaraji P. HensonBRegina KingCViola DavisDAngela BassettThat's right! Viola Davis plays Deloris Jordan with commanding presence, portraying her as the savvy negotiator who helped secure the revolutionary contract that gave Michael unprecedented royalties. The real Deloris Jordan is widely credited with shaping the deal that changed sports marketing forever.The correct answer is Viola Davis. She received widespread praise for capturing the intelligence and determination of Deloris Jordan, whose behind-the-scenes negotiations were instrumental in creating the Air Jordan brand that would go on to generate billions of dollars.See My Score Challenge CompleteYour Score/ 8Thanks for playing!Try Again As a child, Prince Adam of Eternia (Red, White, & Royal Blue's Nicholas Galitzine) is banished to Earth by the evil sorcerer Skeletor (Requiem for a Dream's Jared Leto), where he spends 15 years searching for his magical Sword of Power. After locating it and returning to Eternia, he finds his home shattered under Skeletor’s rule. To save his world and its people, he must join forces with his closest allies, Teela (Upgraded's Camila Mendes) and Man-at-Arms Duncan (Luther's Idris Elba), and embrace his true destiny as He-Man to violently overthrow Skeletor’s army. The movie’s kinetic action choreography, consisting of creative fist fights, sword fights, and fast-paced battle scenes, is more than enough to get your blood flowing. What induces the adrenaline, though, is its accompanying epic soundscape of pounding synthesizers, heavy drums, and electric guitars. Masters of the Universe Release Date June 3, 2026 Cast Camila Mendes, Nicholas Galitzine, Idris Elba, Jared Leto, Alison Brie, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Jon Xue Zhang, Sam C. Wilson, Charlotte Riley, James Purefoy, Morena Baccarin, Kristen Wiig, Sasheer Zamata, Christian Vunipola, Tom Wilton, Artie Wilkinson-Hunt, Eire Farrell, Christiaan Bettridge, Gary Martin, James Wilkinson, Kojo Attah, budgеtz, budgеtz, Hung Dante Dong, budgеtz Runtime 141 minutes Director Travis Knight Writers Aaron Nee, Chris Butler, Dave Callaham, Adam Nee Producers DeVon Franklin, Jason Blumenthal, Robbie Brenner, Todd Black Franchise(s) Masters of the Universe Main Genre Action Executive Producer(s) Bill Bannerman, David Bloomfield, Ynon Kreiz 4 The Amateur Rami Malek in a revenge-driven spy thriller Based on the 1981 novel of the same name by Robert Littell, The Amateur follows a brilliant Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) cryptographer as he hunts down those responsible for his wife’s death. Rami Malek (Mr. Robot), Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix), and Jon Bernthal (The Punisher) star. Roku Streambar $90 $99 Save $9 Connective Technology Bluetooth, HDMI, Optical, Wi-Fi After his wife dies in a London terrorist attack, CIA decoder Charlie Heller’s (Malek) intelligence becomes the ultimate weapon when his supervisors refuse to take action. So, he blackmails them into training him as a field operative and providing him with everything needed to track down those responsible. After he goes rogue, the agency sends operatives out to track him down. While the movie is more of an introspective piece with well-executed plot twists, it nonetheless gives us just enough adrenaline-inducing scenes to make this clever spy thriller a blood-pumper at just the right times. It’s a well-cast production that balances the action of placing its characters in surprising situations with solid emotional work from its lead stars. The Amateur Release Date April 11, 2025 Cast Rami Malek, Holt McCallany, Danny Sapani, Rachel Brosnahan, Michael Stuhlbarg, Laurence Fishburne, Julianne Nicholson, Caitriona Balfe, Jon Bernthal, Adrian Martinez, Takehiro Hira, Evan Milton, Nick Mills, Kate Sumpter, David Mills, Anita Anand, Fleur Keith, Barbara Probst, Joseph Millson, Marc Rissmann, Lanna Joffrey, Tom Clarke Hill, Anna Francolini, Alice Hewkin, Christy Meyer Runtime 123 minutes Director James Hawes Writers Robert Littell, Gary Spinelli, Ken Nolan Producers Hutch Parker, Joel B. Michaels, Jonathan Hook, Rami Malek Main Genre Thriller Studio(s) Hutch Parker Entertainment Distributor(s) 20th Century Studios 3 The Devil’s Mouth A blend of Jaws and spelunking horrors like The Cave The Devil’s Mouth is a newly released creature feature following a group of friends as they embark on an underwater cave-diving excursion in Thailand. My personal opinion on this activity is a hard no, thank you. After graduating from college and preparing to start their adult lives, a group of five friends decide to take one last dream vacation together in Thailand. While there, they sign up for a guided swim through a remote cave system known as The Devil’s Mouth along the country’s stunning coast. Their quest for fun and adventure soon turns into a terrifying nightmare and desperate fight for survival as storm-driven seawater floods the caves, trapping the group with a bloodthirsty shark that begins picking them off one by one. The survival horror movie revives shark horror with a new, claustrophobic setting rather than the flooded towns, experimental research facilities, and open-ocean settings of typical shark movies. The claustrophobic setting and its anticipation of shark attacks create the adrenaline, so grab your popcorn and settle in for what should be another reason to enjoy the ocean from the shore. The Devil's Mouth Release Date July 29, 2026 Cast Kathryn Newton, Lana Condor, Nico Hiraga, Tommi Rose, Tayme Thapthimthong, Gavin Casalegno, Harrison Luna Runtime 106 minutes Director Jeff Wadlow Writers Aja Gabel, Jeff Wadlow, Myung Joh Wesner Producers Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, Jeff Wadlow Main Genre Horror Executive Producer(s) Carsten H.W. Lorenz, Sam Greenberg, Will Flynn 2 World War Z A non-stop, zombie-fueled adrenaline ride World War Z is easily one of the top five best zombie movies ever made. It’s also one of the few heart-pounding, harrowing productions that have left me breathless, next to 28 Days Later and Train to Busan. Brad Pitt stars alongside Mireille Enos (The Killing). When former United Nations investigator Gerry Lane (Pitt) and his family get stuck in urban gridlock, he senses right away that something is off—this is no ordinary traffic jam. His suspicions are confirmed when the city erupts into violent chaos after a lethal virus spread through a single bite starts turning healthy people into feral, mindless beasts. As the pandemic threatens to consume humanity, Gerry must lead a worldwide search to find not just the source but also a way to stop it from spreading. When chaos erupts in the opening scene, adrenaline floods your system. The massive, rushing zombie hordes, frantic survival gunfights, close calls, and high-pressure moments will keep your heart pounding and your eyes glued to the screen. You’ll sit in a constant state of panic from start to finish with this one. Now is the time to watch, especially since a sequel is in development. World War Z Release Date June 21, 2013 Cast Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz, James Badge Dale, Ludi Boeken, Matthew Fox, Fana Mokoena, David Morse, Elyes Gabel, Sterling Jerins, Peter Capaldi, Pierfrancesco Favino, Ruth Negga, Moritz Bleibtreu, Abigail Hargrove, Fabrizio Guido, David Andrews, John Gordon Sinclair, Grégory Fitoussi, Jane Perry, Lucy Russell, Mark Holden, Tim Berrington, Konstantin Khabenskiy, Michiel Huisman Runtime 116 minutes Director Marc Forster Writers Damon Lindelof, Drew Goddard, Matthew Michael Carnahan, J. Michael Straczynski, Max Brooks Producers Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Ian Bryce, Jeremy Kleiner Franchise(s) World War Z Main Genre Action Budget $200 million Studio(s) Paramount Pictures Distributor(s) Paramount Pictures Executive Producer(s) Brad Simpson, Graham King, Dana Goldberg, David Ellison, Paul Schwake 1 Hardcore Henry Relentless first-person shooter action Sharlto Copley stars in Hardcore Henry, ​​​​​​​a highly overlooked, underrated sci-fi adventure is riddled with adrenaline-fueled action reminiscent of a high-octane video game. When a man wakes up in a Russian laboratory and learns that he’s been brought back from the dead as a half-human, half-robotic hybrid, he has no memory of his former life until a woman claiming to be his wife tells him his name is Henry. Before she can activate his voice, and just as he becomes acquainted with his new abilities, armed men storm in and kidnap her. In response, Henry embarks on a bloody rampage through the city to save her from a psychopath who plans to destroy the world. What incites the flood of adrenaline here is the movie’s cinematography. Everything is shot from Henry’s perspective, mimicking the style of a first-person shooter video game, allowing viewers to be part of the action instead of just observing bystanders. Its immersive shaky camera experience and relentless explosions combine with fast-paced parkour sequences, gunfights, explosions, and car chases to place you in one of the best, must-see action movies of the century. Hardcore Henry Release Date April 8, 2016 Cast Oleg Poddubnyy, Haley Bennett, Darya Charusha, Danila Kozlovsky, Tim Roth, Svetlana Ustinova, Sharlto Copley, Andrei Dementiev Runtime 96 Mins Director Ilya Naishuller Writers Will Stewart, Ilya Naishuller Main Genre Action Rewarding storytelling Together, these adrenaline-inducing movies don’t just tell stories; they accelerate them. Each submerges its viewers in relentless action, escalating tension, and the kind of thrills and introspection that leave your heart racing long after the credits roll. Subscription with ads Yes, via Prime membership or $9/month Simultaneous streams 3 Live TV No Price Included with Amazon Prime subscription ($15/month or $139/year) or $9/month standalone