5 great war movies to watch on New Year’s Day
New Year’s Day is a great time to watch a movie while you’re recovering from staying up late to ring in the new year. If you’re feeling like starting 2025 with a mix of action and drama, a war movie is a great option, and many quality options are available on streaming services.
To help you find something without scrolling endlessly, we’ve pulled together this list of great war movies to watch on New Year’s Day, including the streaming service they’re available on.
We also have guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
Metacritic: 76%
Rated: R
Duration: 147m
Genre: War, History, Drama
Stars: Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Aaron Hilmer
Directed by: Edward Berger
One of the greatest anti-war novels ever written has produced two Oscar-winning movies, the most recent released in 2022 as a Netflix Original. Edward Berger’s adaptation is faithful to Erich Maria Remarque’s seminal novel, depicting the patriotic fervor that leads Paul Baumer (Felix Kammerer) and his friends Albert and Muller to enlist in the German army and fight in World War I. But when they arrive in the trenches of the Western Front, they quickly discover the horror is far more than they ever could have bargained for.
Jarhead (2005)
Metacritic: 58%
Rated: R
Duration: 123m
Genre: Drama, War
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jamie Foxx, Peter Sarsgaard
Directed by: Sam Mendes
Jake Gyllenhaal (Road House) stars in this first-person POV of the Gulf War. U.S. Marine Anthony Swofford survives a brutal boot camp before being sent to the Persian Gulf, where he’s eager to make his first kill. But as the unit is held back from action, Swofford finds himself focusing more on the possibility of his girlfriend’s infidelity and all the things he may be missing out on both in the war and at home. As his mental state deteriorates and his cabin fever rises, he becomes increasingly desperate to kill. Jarhead is based on the real-life Swofford’s memoir.
Sisu (2022)
Metacritic: 70%
Rated: R
Duration: 91m
Genre: Action, War, Adventure
Stars: Jorma Tommila, Aksel Hennie, Jack Doolan
Directed by: Jalmari Helander
A war within a war, Sisu takes place in the last desperate days of World War II, when a solitary prospector (Jorma Tommila) crosses paths with Nazis scorching the Earth on their retreat through northern Finland. After stealing the prospector’s gold, the Nazis soon discover that this is no ordinary man: He is formerly “sisu,” a Finnish commando with extraordinary grit and courage. Now, this one-man death squad is ready to dole out justice not just for himself but for everyone punished by these greedy Nazis.
Operation Mincemeat (2022)
Metacritic: 65%
Rated: PG-13
Duration: 128m
Genre: War, History, Drama
Stars: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen, Kelly Macdonald
Directed by: John Madden
Based on a true story, Operation Mincemeat tells the story of one of the most ambitious and bizarre disinformation operations of World War II. In 1943, the Allies desperately look to find a way into Europe. With eyes on an all-out assault on Sicily, two British intelligence officers (Colin Firth and Matthew Macfadyen) concoct an unconventional plan to draw Axis guns away and limit the potential carnage. They decide to drop a dead man with false papers off the coast of Spain, intending him to be found with information suggesting the Allies plan to attack via Greece rather than Sicily.
Civil War (2024)
Metacritic: 75%
Rated: R
Duration: 109m
Genre: War, Action, Drama
Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny
Directed by: Alex Garland
One of the year’s most anticipated and best movies, Civil War feels almost too close to home at times. The surprisingly quiet film depicts a near-future dystopian America in which a team of military-embedded journalists travel the country trying to cover the war in a country that despises the Fourth Estate. Lee (Kirsten Dunst) and Joel (Wagner Moura) are after the ultimate prize: a photo and interview with the reclusive President (Nick Offerman), who has holed up in the White House to command the government’s forces. Joining up with rebel factions, they race against the clock to get the interview before the rebels can depose the President once and for all.
