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3 great free movies you should stream this weekend (May 3-5)

A girl stands on a table above water in Crawl.
Paramount Pictures

The first weekend in May marks the start of the summer movie season. The first big theatrical release of May is The Fall Guy, David Leitch’s action comedy with Ryan Gosling in the lead role. If you’re looking for a high-profile release at home, however, stream Amazon Prime Video’s The Idea of You, starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine.

But watching films in theaters or on services like Prime Video costs money. If you’re looking for a cheaper option, stream free movies with ads on FAST services like Tubi and Amazon Freevee. Below are three great free movies to stream this weekend. Our selections include a 1990s sci-fi/horror film, a terrific B-movie featuring killer alligators, and a charming rom-com from 2013.

Event Horizon (1997)

Kathleen Quinlan and Laurence Fishburne in Event Horizon.
Paramount

Paul W.S. Anderson’s Event Horizon is an example of a movie with a great premise and exciting ideas that didn’t get enough love when it was first released. In 2047, the rescue vessel Lewis and Clark responds to a distress signal from the Event Horizon, a starship that disappeared seven years earlier. Lewis and Clark’s crew, including Captain Miller (Laurence Fishburne), Lieutenant Starck (Joely Richardson), and Event Horizon creator Dr. Weir (Jurassic Park‘s Sam Neill), board the Event Horizon in hopes of finding survivors.

Much to the crew’s surprise, a massacre occurred onboard. Furthermore, a sinister presence may have driven the Event Horizon’s passengers insane. Event Horizon is more like The Shining as opposed to Alien. Regardless, it’s a fascinating sci-fi/horror fil, that laid the groundwork for future movies within this genre.

Stream Event Horizon for free on Pluto TV.

Crawl (2019)

A man and a woman sit next to each other and talk.
Paramount Pictures

In 2019, Quentin Tarantino wrote and directed what many call his best film, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood. Tarantino even agrees with that sentiment. Yet, it might be surprising to learn that the director’s favorite movie of that year was Crawl, Alexandre Aja’s action horror.

When a Category 5 hurricane hits Florida, Haley Keller (The Gentlemen‘s Kaya Scodelario) ignores the evacuation warning and travels to her childhood home to check on her estranged father, Dave (Barry Pepper). Upon arrival, Haley finds her father unconscious in the crawl space, with a pack of vicious alligators preventing their escape. As the crawl space floods, Haley and Dave must act quickly to find safety before they drown or face an alligator attack. With an 87-minute runtime, Crawl is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that sprints to the finish, serving as the perfect example of a successful B-movie.

Stream Crawl for free on Pluto TV.

What If (2013)

Adam Driver and Daniel Radcliffe sit next to each other on a bench in What If.
Entertainment One

Part of why What If was little seen over a decade ago could be due to its title change. In Canada, the film is known as The F Word. For this post, we’re referring to this film by its U.S. title, What If. Title change aside, What If is the type of rom-com audiences crave in 2024. It’s been a year since med-school dropout Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe) caught his girlfriend cheating on him, and he still hasn’t moved on. Ready to give up on love, Wallace meets the lovely Chantry (Zoe Kazan) at his friend’s party.

Even though Chantry is in a relationship, Wallace strikes up a friendship with her, as the two have palpable chemistry. Leaving the friend zone and exploring a relationship is a popular rom-com trope. However, familiarity is not a knock against What If, as the film provides a fresh perspective on the rom-com genre thanks to a witty script and two charming lead performances from Radcliffe and Kazan.

Stream What If for free on YouTube.

Editors' Recommendations

Dan Girolamo
Dan is a passionate and multitalented content creator with experience in pop culture, entertainment, and sports. Throughout…
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