Amazon Prime Video Review
Pros and Cons
Pros
Downloading content for offline viewing. Not all streaming services provide this feature, and so those who want the option of watching their favourite TV shows and movies on the go can use Prime Video to download these titles before leaving the house.
Convenient all-in-one package. Amazon Prime Video is unique in that it offers customers several other perks besides video. Fast shipping, music, groceries and other such services make for a highly effective lifestyle bundle that’s hard to turn down.
Free trial. You can decide if this service is for you by partaking in a free trial for a full month. Cancelling it before this period is over means you won’t be charged for Prime Video.
Cons
Library isn’t as extensive. Of course, the downside with focusing on other areas such as groceries and music - as well as the fact that Amazon wasn’t originally a streaming service; it just branched out to be one - means that you won’t get as many titles as you’d expect from big names such as Disney Plus.
Few titles receive critical acclaim. While services such as Netflix and Disney Plus will be used to putting out content that is widely talked about and shared by consumers, Amazon Prime Video doesn’t have as much luck in this department.
Hefty price tag. Some are put off by the yearly fee for Amazon Prime if they want to pay upfront. At $119 a year for US customers, it’s a sum that isn’t parted with lightly, and some may question if it’s worth it if they can get more titles for a lower price with another streaming service.
Genres and channels
There is a wide range of content available to stream with Amazon Prime Video. Available genres include action/adventure, animated, children, comedy, documentary, family, drama, sci-fi/fantasy, teen, sport and thriller. You can watch Prime originals and exclusives such as Lucifer, The Purge or Homecoming.
Recent movie releases can be bought as well, meaning you won’t miss out if you didn’t manage to see them on the big screen. Other categories on the Prime Video homepage include Highest Rated Movies, Rent or Buy bundles, and Prime Video channels such as Hayu.
Titles are arranged according to what you’ve previously watched, recommending related titles you may enjoy. You can view movies that other customers enjoy, so if people are watching Legally Blonde, 22 Jump Street or The Great Gatsby, these will be available to click onto from the Prime Video homepage.
Certain movies are also available to rent, so if you want the latest titles on your compatible device, they are available for just a few dollars each. Some titles are only available for a limited time on Prime, so catch them before their expiry date.
Top Amazon Prime Video shows and movies
Murder on the Orient Express
This movie features an all-star cast, including the likes of Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman, Vanessa Redgrave and Anthony Perkins. Albert Finney is the star, and he plays Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot. He is called upon to work out which passenger on the train killed a man. The twist is that everyone had a motive for the crime.
Moonlight
This film depicts a young, gay African-American man’s coming of age in Miami. The storyline is an adaptation of a play by Tarell Alvin McCraney and it was directed by Barry Jenkins. Viewers can enjoy a rich set of characters they can get stuck into and intense dialogue.
Mid90s
Jonah Hill directed this movie, making his debut in this type of role. The plot follows a 13 year old named Stevie who spends a summer in LA, torn between a troubled home life and a group of friends who push him to try out new things beyond his limits. It explores coming of age and the skater culture which was prominent in LA at the time.
Lady Bird
Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf star in this movie, which examines the relationship between mother and daughter. Ronan is the Ladybird, a woman attending Catholic school who craves the culture promised by a move to New York. Meanwhile, her mother is overbearing and overprotective.
Death at a Funeral
This is a dark British comedy featuring a ton of dry wit and a star cast. The plot involves a man who has to arrange his father’s funeral without any help from his successful brother. When the day comes, the father’s ex-lover blackmails the family with salacious photos and Daniel’s cousin doses her new boyfriend with LSD, thinking it’s Valium.
The Sopranos
This show has several seasons to its name and over 80 episodes. Viewers watch the life of Tony Soprano, played by James Gandolfini, as he goes through life. The only difference is that his workplace is running a criminal organisation, and there’s an Italian family who are just a bit complicated featuring in his life. Many people regard The Sopranos as essential viewing.
Deadwood
Despite having a handful of seasons, this show has created an impressive name for itself. Commonly regarded as one of TV’s best Western series of all time, get stuck into a world where people speak a unique language which incorporates Shakespeare and various profanities. Many characters are based on real historical figures, and you can expect danger, corruption and a whole lot of family drama.
HBO fans will know all about this show, as it’s been running for quite a while now. The premise focuses on the details of everyday life, with a hefty dose of cynicism thrown in for good measure. The main character is a fictionalized version of Larry David, and it’s received dozens of Emmy nominations.
During the first half of the 2010s, all anyone could talk about was this British series. It focuses on an aristocratic family and their mansion full of servants as they go through major historical events such as the First World War and the sinking of the Titanic. Viewers can expect to see plenty of gossip and scandal from the servants’ quarters.
Luther
With a respectable number of seasons under its belt, Luther is a good pick for those who enjoy cop dramas. With an intense storyline and household names such as Idris Elba and Ruth Wilson, fans can watch the story of a genius detective who has trouble keeping his professional and personal lives separate.
Fleabag is the name given to a woman who experiences life and love in London while also trying to deal with a tragic experience. She rejects anyone who attempts to help her as she tries to recover.
An FBI profiler is recruited to investigate a serial killer. This profiler is supervised by a forensic psychiatrist, who is secretly a cannibalistic serial killer and working to manipulate the FBI from the inside.
A disgraced lawyer called Billy McBride takes on a wrongful death lawsuit in order to try and get revenge on the firm he had a part in creating.
Two married Russian spies with kids pose as Americans while living in Washington DC so they can spy on the US government.
A Los Angeles homicide detective called Harry Bosch looks into the murder of a 13 year old boy while he is also undergoing trial for murder charges.
Nathaniel Fisher Senior hands over his funeral home business to his two sons before he passes away. However, this leads to the brothers and the rest of the family fighting about the decision.
Deputy US Marshal Raylan Givens has an unconventional outlook on justice enforcement. He is reassigned to Lexington, Kentucky – an area he grew up in and thought he had escaped for good.
This rockumentary family sitcom explores three different types of family living in LA, who are all interrelated.
A group of people who get to know each other online stumble across a manuscript which predicts the disasters which took place over the previous years. They then find themselves being tracked down by an organisation known as The Network.
Streaming library
To load up Amazon Prime Video, you will need to be signed into your Amazon Prime Account. From there, you can navigate to the Amazon website and click on Your Prime on the right hand side of the top menu bar. There, you will be able to click on the Prime Video option in the black menu tab.
The Prime Video menu lets you filter categories into Home, Channels, Rent or Buy and My Stuff. So if you sign up to a channel such as Hayu or Starz through Prime, you will be able to browse the content you can access. The rent or buy feature lets you purchase temporary or permanent access to films and TV shows. My Stuff lets you bookmark TV shows and movies you want to watch later, and you can also navigate to your video library from here. This is where you’ll see content that you’ve purchased.
The Categories tab available as part of the menu has a drop down bar where you can navigate to options such as Movies, TV shows, Included with Prime, Kids & Family, Amazon Originals and Exclusives, Sports, Recently added to Prime, Top-rated, 4K UHD, Featured Deals and Christmas. As you scroll down, there will be tabs which let you watch Amazon Originals and Exclusives, resume watching shows or movies you may have paused, browse popular TV shows, look at Prime Deals where members can rent movies for a lower price, and so on. There may be custom categories such as Christmas movies, recommended on Prime Video Channels, Premier League Highlights and Channels on offer for a lower price during the first month of being subscribed.
Streaming quality
Nearly all of the original shows on Amazon Prime Video support 4K, and are available in 2160p resolution. The majority also support HDR (High Dynamic Range) features.
There are three HDR standards – the basic one, the standard used by Dolby Labs (titles will be labelled as Dolby Vision) and HDR10+ (titles will be given this label).
There are an increasing number of movies and TV episodes available for rental or purchase in 4K UHD resolution, although these will cost more compared to the HD and SD versions.
To stream content in 4K resolution, Amazon recommends an internet connection with at least 15Mbps download speed.
Customer support
The first port of call for those who want to seek assistance from Prime Video is the online FAQ. This database offers commonly asked questions and answers across topics such as supported devices, Prime Video Channels, accessibility and troubleshooting.
Alternatively, you can click on Contact Us to be directed to the support page, where you will have the option to either have Amazon call you or chat online. A bot will provide a quick fix to a problem, or connect you with a customer support representative.
Free trial
Amazon Prime offers users a free 30 day trial. At this point, you will be able to decide whether or not you want to proceed with a paid subscription. If you decide you don’t, you can cancel the trial before it expires and pay nothing at all. If you want to continue, then there’s no need to do anything, and you will have the subscription taken from your account.
Plans and pricing
There are a number of subscription plans available with Amazon Prime Video. The main one is being part of Amazon Prime. If you are already an Amazon Prime member, you will receive access to Prime Video through this monthly or yearly plan. Membership costs $12.99 per month or $119 per year. If you are an EBT or Medicaid card holder, you’ll receive Prime benefits at a discounted rate of $5.99 a month for up to four years.
Alternatively, if you are a student you can sign up for Amazon Prime Student membership. This subscription is half the cost of a standard one, with the first six months free. You will need a valid .edu email address – or proof of enrollment in a college or university course – in order to qualify. Once your free six months are up, you will pay either $6.49 a month or $59 a year.
Finally, Amazon Prime Video can be signed up for as a standalone option if you don’t want the other benefits of a Prime membership. You can pay either $8.99 a month or $107.88 a year.
Competitors
There are a number of competitors when it comes to TV streaming platforms. Alongside Amazon Prime Video, similar services include Netflix, Hayu, Hulu, YouTube TV, HBO Now, Sling TV, Crunchyroll and more. The main benefit of using Prime Video is that a Prime membership comes with numerous other services as detailed above. Additionally, you can rent and buy titles which are newer to the market or have just been released.
Amazon Prime Video offers a similar or superior service to many of its competitors. For example, if you were to compare the streamer with Netflix, you would find that the quantity of content is extensive for both. Furthermore, both have their own original content available, so it’s more a case of which titles you prefer to watch. Many will choose Prime due to the other convenient services available as part of a subscription option, such as deals on music and delivery. Of course, with new services coming to the industry such as Disney Plus and HBO Max, Amazon will need to work harder to keep up its position in the streaming wars.
Is Amazon Prime Video worth it?
Amazon Prime Video is an advanced streaming service which offers a multitude of options for customers to enjoy. Whether you want to watch the latest movies or your favourite TV series, you’re sure to find all the content you need. All you need is an internet connection and a compatible device, with a plus point being that many devices work with Amazon Prime Video. This service has a decently sized library of content, along with other benefits that come with a Prime membership. Overall, Prime Video is a strong competitor in the streaming market.
See our list of best streaming services to find the right streaming service for you.
FAQ
- Go to the Account & Settings option.
- Click on the Your Account tab and select Edit on Amazon when you’re in the Your Membership category.
- Select End Membership and benefits or End Trial and Benefits (whichever one applies to you), then confirm this option.
If you signed up to Amazon Prime Video through a third party, such as a mobile phone service, you will need to contact them directly to receive cancellation details.
- Navigate to the Amazon website, then the Prime Video section – or download the Prime Video app.
- Click on the ‘sign in and start watching’ button to register your device, or click on ‘Sign in’ to enter your information on the website.
- Start watching!
- Navigate to the Amazon website and log in.
- Click on the three bars in the top left hand corner, located next to the Prime logo.
- Click on Prime Video.
- Click on Menu.
- Click on Settings.
- Select ‘Watch history’.
- Click on ‘View watch history’.
- Select titles and click on ‘Remove this from watched videos’.
- Alternatively, check the box which says ‘I prefer not to use this for recommendations’.
You can sign back up for Prime Video at any time. You will be able to watch movies and TV shows again once you have paid for the service again. Your settings may not be saved if it has been a long time since you were last subscribed.
If you accidentally rented or purchased a video on Amazon Prime Video, you can get a refund if you don’t start watching it and get it done within 24 hours of making the transaction.
By going to Digital Orders, you will see the recent video purchase. Click on the option to cancel the item, and explain why you want the refund. The video will then be removed from your library.
There are plenty of good alternatives to Amazon Prime Video. For example, Hulu also has a range of original programming, past and present TV show episodes and hit movies. Netflix and Disney Plus are also top contenders in the industry.
Those who access Amazon Prime Video outside of their home country have the option to stream a reduced selection of titles. You can download titles to watch them offline anywhere you are, but for streaming elsewhere, Amazon Originals titles are available.
- Navigate to the Amazon homepage.
- Enter your Amazon email and password. Alternatively, sign up for an account by entering your email address, name, and a password.
- Click on Prime in the top right menu bar.
- Click on Sign up for your 30 day free trial.
- You will need to enter your payment details if you don’t have a method already registered to your Amazon account.
- Confirm your selection and start watching!
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