Zombies, deadly chimps and fame-hungry showgirls – what more can you want in a weekend movie lineup?
Prime Video just dropped some pretty fantastic movies in July, and Watch With Us is here to recommend which films you should stream this July 31-August 2 weekend.
At the top of our list is World War Z, an epic zombie action film starring Brad Pitt and millions of undead aggressors.
The streamer just debuted Primate, a creature feature starring Oscar-winner Troy Kotsur as the owner of a lovable chimp who turns deadly.
If the horror genre isn’t your thing, try watching Showgirls, the camp classic that is guaranteed to make you laugh – both intentionally and unintentionally.
‘World War Z’ (2013)
Philadelphia everyman Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) and his family are stuck in the traffic jam from hell. No one is moving, and the people around him are getting angrier by the minute. Gerry doesn’t think things could get any worse, but they do when a zombie outbreak suddenly occurs, plunging the city into chaos. Gerry’s no superhero, but he’s determined to save his family from being consumed by the growing hordes of the undead that are quickly taking over the world. Even if he gets his family to safety, he has to face a sobering reality – no one knows how the outbreak started, and that’s the only way the survivors can develop a cure to stop it.
Loosely based on the bestselling novel by Max Brooks, World War Z is a zombie movie on steroids. Unlike George Romero’s flesh-eating monsters in Night of the Living Dead, these zombies are smarter, faster and deadlier than other versions that have come before them. Because its zombies are such an intimidating, unyielding threat, World War Z maintains a constant sense of urgency and dread. They seem unstoppable, especially when they use their massive numbers to make a mountain of the undead to overtake concrete walls and even helicopters. The film is breathless in the best and worst sense – it keeps you engaged throughout its 116-minute runtime, but you feel exhausted after you finish it.
World War Z is streaming on Prime Video.
‘Primate’ (2026)
You’d think having a pet chimpanzee would be great. For college student Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah), it’s been heaven growing up with super-smart chimpanzee Ben (Miguel Torres Umba). But when Lucy returns home with some friends for an impromptu party, Ben behaves erratically. The chimp has rabies, causing him to change from a lovable pet to a deadly killer. Trapped in her home, Lucy has to figure out a way out while keeping herself and her friends alive.
Primate is nothing less or more than a deadly creature horror film, like Cujo and Crawl. It earns its hard-R rating, so expect gruesome scenes with faces being ripped off and heads being crushed with rocks. The movie is crude but effective, especially in its portrayal of Ben as a cute but increasingly unhinged murderer. It’s not a classic, but Primate gets the job done – you’ll scream at the well-timed jump scares and gag at all the blood and gore that’s on full display.
Primate is streaming on Prime Video.
‘Showgirls’ (1995)
Nomi Malone (Elizabeth Berkley) wants to be a star. She hitchhikes to Las Vegas, where she gets her start at a sleazy strip club – and catches the eye of Cristal Connors (Gina Gershon), the lead performer of a showgirl revue called Goddess at the Stardust Hotel. Sensing a kindred spirit as well as a potential new lover, Cristal gets her an audition, which Nomi aces. Soon, Nomi’s star is rising thanks to her talents as a dancer and her convenient affair with Zack (Kyle MacLachlan), the money behind Goddess and Cristal’s boyfriend. But Nomi quickly finds out fame has a price, and she might not be willing to pay it.
Is Showgirls one of the worst movies ever made? Or is it a secretly smart and cutting satire about American capitalism and the selling of sex as a commodity? The reason why Showgirls has been a cult classic for over 30 years is that the answer to both questions is “yes.” The film has laughably bad dialogue – there’s an exchange between Nomi and Crystal about eating doggy chow that still gets chuckles today – but the film is well-directed and, yes, well-acted. Berkeley gives an outsized performance – everything Nomi does is BIG and LOUD. There’s a reason for that – Nomi is hungry for fame and money, and she wants people to know who she is. Love it or hate it, Showgirls is unique – there’s never been a movie made that’s like it.
Showgirls is streaming on Prime Video.
