This year's Academy Award nominees showcase incredible diversity, spanning intimate documentaries, gripping superhero spectacles, and powerful WWII dramas. While frontrunners like Dunkirk remain in theaters, many acclaimed titles are available to stream, rent, or buy right now on leading platforms including Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime, iTunes, YouTube, and Google Play.
In this expert guide, we've curated 16 must-watch Oscar-nominated films from the 90th Academy Awards, complete with synopses, nomination highlights, and verified streaming options—drawing from years of tracking film releases and awards seasons for reliable recommendations.
A frontrunner for Best Picture, Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk is a visceral WWII historical drama depicting the heroic evacuation of Allied troops from a French beach. It emphasizes civilian boats joining the Royal Navy in a desperate rescue amid perilous waters.
Nominations: Eight, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Cinematography.
Jordan Peele's directorial debut Get Out stands out in the horror genre with sharp social commentary. Daniel Kaluuya stars as Chris, who uncovers sinister secrets during a visit to his white girlfriend's family estate.
Nominations: Four, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actor.
Denzel Washington delivers a tour-de-force as an idealistic civil rights lawyer navigating a crumbling firm after his partner's death. Amid mixed reviews, his performance earned universal praise and his ninth Oscar nod.
Nominations: One for Best Actor.
This Netflix original WWII drama explores two veterans—a white and a Black soldier—returning to rural Mississippi. It weaves PTSD struggles with racial tensions in the Jim Crow South.
Nominations: Two for Best Supporting Actress (Mary J. Blige) and Best Original Song.
Denis Villeneuve's sequel to the sci-fi classic picks up decades later. Ryan Gosling's replicant hunter 'K' uncovers a buried secret threatening society: a replicant who gave birth.
Nominations: Five, including Best Production Design, Best Visual Effects, and Best Cinematography.
Kumail Nanjiani's semi-autobiographical directorial debut recounts his real-life romance with Emily, complicated by family expectations and a sudden coma. A heartfelt comedy-drama on love and culture clash.
Nominations: One for Best Original Screenplay.
The final Wolverine solo outing in the X-Men saga, set in 2029. An aging Logan protects young mutant Laura from pursuers while grappling with fading powers and personal demons.
Nominations: One for Best Adapted Screenplay.
The world's first fully painted feature film, comprising 65,000 oil paintings in Van Gogh's style. It follows a young man's investigation into the artist's mysterious death.
Nominations: One for Best Animated Feature.
The fan-favorite sequel dives into Peter Quill's origins amid cosmic battles, interdimensional threats, and team adventures with the Sovereign race.
Nominations: One for Best Visual Effects.
This riveting Netflix documentary exposes Russia's state-sponsored Olympic doping scandal through interviews with whistleblower Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, centered on the 2014 Sochi Games.
Nominations: One for Best Documentary Feature.
A harrowing Netflix doc tracking the White Helmets—Nobel-nominated rescuers—in war-torn Aleppo, Syria, saving civilians amid relentless airstrikes.
Nominations: One for Best Documentary Feature.
Director Yance Ford investigates his brother William's 1992 murder, intertwining personal loss with America's history of racial injustice from Jim Crow to present.
Nominations: One for Best Documentary Feature.
This poignant drama follows a struggling single mother and her young daughter living in a Florida motel near Disney World, capturing childhood resilience amid hardship.
Nominations: One for Best Supporting Actor (Willem Dafoe).
This concise 40-minute Netflix short profiles three women—a judge, fire chief, and missionary—combating West Virginia's opioid crisis in overdose epicenter Huntington.
Nominations: One for Best Documentary Short Subject.
Edgar Wright's stylish thriller stars Ansel Elgort as a hearing-impaired getaway driver whose love for music fuels high-octane heists—forcing one last job.
Nominations: Three for Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Film Editing.
Based on the bestselling novel, this heartfelt drama follows Auggie Pullman, a boy with Treacher Collins syndrome, navigating school and friendship for the first time.
Nominations: One for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
These Oscar-nominated gems are ready to stream, rent, or own. For timeless classics, check out Oscar-winning films on Netflix. The 90th Academy Awards aired on March 4, 2018.
What's your top pick from this year's nominees? Missed any great ones? Share below!
