Best Free Movies on YouTube (April 2024)

We've got inspiration, horror, and and suspense all queued up for you

By
Ryan Dube
Ryan Dube
Ryan Dube
Writer
  • University of Maine
Ryan Dube is a freelance contributor to Lifewire and former Managing Editor of MakeUseOf, senior IT Analyst, and an automation engineer.
lifewire's editorial guidelines
Updated on April 4, 2024

It isn't always easy to find good, free movies online. Most recent blockbuster films usually cost a rental fee on popular streaming sites. Thankfully, many free movies are on YouTube if you know where to look.

The easiest way to find free movies on YouTube is to visit the Movies and Shows section. This page is where all the available moves are organized. Many are fee-based, but there's an entire "Free" section with a library of movies you can watch.

01
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The Godfather (1972): One of the Best Gangster Movies of All Time

Al Pacino in 'The Godfather'

IMDb rating: 9.2/10

Genre: Drama

Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Diane Keaton

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Motion Picture Rating: R

Running Time: 2 hour, 55 minutes

Director Francis Ford Coppola's epic is basically a must-watch for anyone even slightly interested in film, and the fact that it's free on YouTube is really an offer you can't refuse.

Marlon Brando stars as Vito, the patriarch of the Corleone crime family. Al Pacino plays his son, Michael, who tries to stay out of the business while circumstances and misfortune slowly draw him in.


02
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Life of a King (2013): Most Inspirational Redemption Story

Screenshot of Life of a King

IMDb rating: 6.9/10

Genre:  Drama 

Starring:  Cuba Gooding Jr., Dennis Haysbert, George Dick

Director: Jake Goldberger

Motion Picture Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Cuba Gooding Jr. plays Eugene Brown, an ex-convict who goes to work for the Washington, D.C. school system after finishing his prison sentence. This true story details how Eugene inspired inner-city teenagers by using chess as an analogy for life itself.

Eugene's competed against some of the best high-school chess players in the country. This movie details the trials and setbacks Eugene faced as he worked to help his students understand what it truly means to be a king in all aspects of their lives.

03
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Pacific Rim (2013): When Life Gives You Giant Monsters, Make Giant Robots

Charlie Hunnam in Pacific Rim

IMDb rating: 6.9/10

Genre: Sci-Fi, Action

Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi

Director: Guillermo Del Toro

Motion Picture Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 2 hour, 11 minutes

The director of The Shape of Water is no stranger to odd premises, but this one is especially out there. It depicts a world in which increasingly large and deadly monsters start emerging from a portal at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, and how humanity responds.

How they respond, logically, is to build giant robots that run under the psychic control of two pilots whose minds become intertwined. What follows is anime- and manga-inspired awesomeness.

04
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Children of the Corn (1984): Corniest Stephen King Triller

Children of the Corn (1984)
New World Pictures

IMDb rating: 5.6/10

Genre:  Horror, Thriller

Starring: Peter Horton, Linda Hamilton, R.G. Armstrong

Director: Fritz Kiersch

Motion Picture Rating: R

Running Time: 1 hour, 52 minutes

On their way to the big city, Vicky (Linda Hamilton) and Burt (Peter Horton) pass through a rural town with no adults. When they make the mistake of trying to help one of the orphaned children, the couple is captured by a cult of killer kids.

By modern standards, Children of the Corn is funnier than it is scary, but it's still worth watching for the timeless performance by John Franklin as leader of the corn cult.

05
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The Last Descent (2016): Best True Tragedy Movie

Explorers in a cave in The Last Descent (2016)

YouTube

IMDb rating: 5.5/10

Genre: Drama

Starring: Chadwick Hopson, Alexis Johnson, Landon Henneman 

Director: Isaac Halasima

Motion Picture Rating: PG

Running Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

The Last Descent is the story of John Jones (played by Chadwick Hopson) and his adventures with a friend in the Nutty Putty Cave in Utah. During their trip, John became wedged in an 18-inch hole 150 feet under the ground. This movie details the many attempts of rescue crews to free John from the cave.

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