EntertainmentStreamingCancelling Netflix? I found 6 great movies to stream for free on Freevee, iPlayer and All 4Some classic films that are totally free, gratis and for nothing if you cancelled Netflix, Disney+ et al latelyWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentStreamingCancelling Netflix? I found 6 great movies to stream for free on Freevee, iPlayer and All 4Some classic films that are totally free, gratis and for nothing if you cancelled Netflix, Disney+ et al latelyWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Some classic films that are totally free, gratis and for nothing if you cancelled Netflix, Disney+ et al lately
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Getty)
(Image credit: Getty)
Free movie streaming is a growth industry, as legacy media brands continue with the ad-funded model they’ve always used, and newer players realise that a subscription audience is, rightly, a very demanding audience. Even if they’re sharing their password around like it’s going out if style. Which it is.
Being able to stream great movies, TV shows and ‘original content’ – such a romantic phrase, ripe with artistry – is one of those modern miracles we all take for granted. Until the monthly or annual bill arrives, when we cry, ‘Holy crap, am I really paying this much forNetflix/Amazon PrimeVideo/ HBO Max/Disney+/ whatever?!’ If you’re thinking about cancelling Netflix et al, the good news is that there are some great movies and shows to be had for free. Yes, for absolutely no money at all.
That’s an offer that you can’t refuse, right? Although sadly,The Godfatheris not among the films available to stream for free, plenty of classic movies are out there, just waiting for you to watch, with no money changing hands.
These free to view films are sourced from the UK, due to that being where I live. It’s the home of BBC iPlayer, and my colleague Bethan Girdler-Maslen claims to becancelling Netflix to watch iPlayerinstead, so you can’t say fairer than that. If you are overseas they should still be available to you, but you may need to look into the dark arts of VPN usage. Our guide to thebest streaming VPNseeems like a good place to start.
1. Citizen Kane on BBC iPlayer
“And now I’d like to unveil this big picture of me”(Image credit: Getty)
“And now I’d like to unveil this big picture of me”
“And now I’d like to unveil this big picture of me”
(Image credit: Getty)
You might expect free-to-stream movies to all be a load of rubbish, likeWeekend At Bernie’s 2, or the firstThormovie, but you would be completely wrong. To convince you of this, here is what many critics still consider to be the greatest movie of all time: Orson Welles’Citizen Kane.
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Sure, it’s in B&W, and I’m more of a fan of Welles' work onTouch of Evil. Oh, and the Green Giant commercials he made once he’d descended into something of an alcohol- and depression-fuelled rut in later life. Even so, the story of Charles Foster Kane’s rise to power remains an absolute trip. It still looks absolutely amazing – much of the incredibly opulent looking ‘sets’ and cinematography were created using techniques that were brand new at the time. Perhaps more surprising is how cynical and world-weary it feels. Modern audiences often expect old-timey films to be rather quaint and safe, butKanehas real bite.
2. Cape Fear on iPlayer
Cape Fearfeatures De Niro at his most intimidating(Image credit: Getty)
Cape Fearfeatures De Niro at his most intimidating
Cape Fearfeatures De Niro at his most intimidating
(Image credit: Getty)
3. Zombieland on All 4
Zombies can be fun!(Image credit: Getty)
Zombies can be fun!
Zombies can be fun!
(Image credit: Getty)
The UK broadcaster Channel 4’s streaming service is probably better for streaming hit shows such asGreat British Bake-OffandDerry Girls, but it does have the occasional solid movie to watch as well. At the moment there’sZombieland, which fits the current vogue for post-apocalyptic entertainment. Unusually, it replaces the traditionally rather grim tone of most zombie movies with an acknowledgement that living in a scenario where you get to shoot lots of things and basically do whatever you want can be kinda fun.
Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg are expertly cast to play the same, contrasting, roles they both always play. Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin make a great pair of gun-totin', ever-lovin' sisters. Oh, and there is a one very surprising cameo appearance. No spoilers now!
4. Drive on ITV Hub
Drive: please take note of ITV Hub’s warning(Image credit: ITV Hub)
Drive: please take note of ITV Hub’s warning
Drive: please take note of ITV Hub’s warning
(Image credit: ITV Hub)
Sure, Amazon Prime Video may have all the Bond films but ITV Hub currently hasevery singleCarry On film available to streamfor free. Ooh, matron! There is one genuinely good Carry On film:Carry On Up The Khyber, and one great joke, inCarry On Don’t Lose Your Head, where Joan Simms refers to ‘my husband, the Count’. It’s all in her delivery.
Now I’ve saved you the bother of watching any of them, on to Nicolas Winding-Refn’sDrive. Probably the most influential arthouse movie of the past decade, this film features a lot of neon, a pulsating electronica soundtrack, swooning romance, a certain amount of driving – although not that much, considering the title – and anawfullot of very extreme and bloody violence. Something for everyone, then.
Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan make a lovely pair, and the rest of the cast is perfect. Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman and Bryan Cranston are the key players, and Oscar Isaac crops up in a minor but critical role, too.
5. Crimson Peak on Freevee
Lokistar Tom Hiddlestone appears in this movie from Oscar winner Guillermo Del Toro(Image credit: Disney)
Lokistar Tom Hiddlestone appears in this movie from Oscar winner Guillermo Del Toro
Lokistar Tom Hiddlestone appears in this movie from Oscar winner Guillermo Del Toro
(Image credit: Disney)
Given its terrible name, you might reasonably expect Freevee to be a load of old crap. You would be incorrect in this assumption, although its adverts are a little clunky and annoying. Films currently streaming on the Amazon-owned channel, which was formerly known as IMDb TV, include Guillermo Del Toro’sCrimson Peak, Dan Jones adaptationInferno– for the mums and dads – and post-apocalypse misery-festThe Road, as well as a bunch of Dreamworks cartoons.
I wouldn’t say the Freevee selection was all amazing, but it must be the only place where you can watch, for free, both the original series ofThe A*TeamandThe Passion of the Christ. Although I pity the fool who would try to watch those two back to back.
Anyway, back toCrimson Peak. Despite its prestigious director and cast – Mia Wasikowska! Jessica Chastain! Tom Hiddleston! Erm… Charlie Hunnam! – this is not one of Del Toro’s films made with an eye to the Oscar’s. Rather, it’s a slightly hysterical haunted house movie featuring vengeful ghosts, illicit trysts and a stabbing with a pen. Fun for all the family.
Battle Royale on Freevee
Amazingly, this game owes its existence to this film… sort of(Image credit: Epic Games)
Amazingly, this game owes its existence to this film… sort of
Amazingly, this game owes its existence to this film… sort of
(Image credit: Epic Games)
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