The introduction of streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video means that thousands of movies are now available to watch at any time. Despite this, there still comes the bored, irritating, and inevitable period of scrolling through endless options with nothing interesting catching the eye, with people mumbling in bored tones, "What to watch?" Somehow, everything has already been viewed twenty times and, when boredom strikes, fresh excitement from a film is all a person craves.

In order to overcome the tediousness of boredom, a movie has to provide intense exhilaration, immediately snatching the audience’s attention in a visual whirlwind of thrills and action that makes it impossible to look away. Fortunately, throughout the years, films have developed further and further alongside the age of short attention spans and boredom, containing more and more riveting and stimulating plots that keep people guessing and eager to know what comes next. Therefore, in moments of monotony, these movies are guaranteed to push some excitement back into life; here's some great options for what to watch when you're bored.

8 Kill Bill: Vol. 1

kill bill uma thurman holding a sword
Miramax Films

Kill Bill is a Quentin Tarantino classic that provides a new perspective on martial art films. In a genre that typically features men, Uma Thurman stars as a woman named the Bride, who declares vengeance on a team of assassins after they attempt to murder her and her unborn child. The commercial and critical success of this movie, including a Best Actress Golden Globe for Thurman, is no surprise, as Kill Bill not only delivers a heart stopping tale of revenge, but also gives a refreshing depiction of a stealthy and resilient woman who finds no limitations when it comes to the pursuit of her demands.

Steering from the narrative of a damsel in distress which is commonly portrayed in the film industry, the Bride is a character who carries trusted ability, independence and strength, which subsequently enables her to overpower anything or anyone that threatens to disturb her path. This movie does not shy away from gore, containing epic action sequences that spray blood and can end with assailants having their eyes ripped out. While Kill Bill is definitely not for the faint-hearted, featuring topics like miscarriage, rape, and murder, it is certainly brimming with action and excitement that spilled over to a successful sequel, Kill Bill: Vol.2. Too bad that Kill Bill: Vol. 3 hasn't worked out yet.

7 Goodfellas

goodfellas ray liotta, robert deniro and joe pesci
Warner Bros

Throughout the years, the topic of the Mafia has spawned dozens of films, however, to this day, Goodfellas continues to be known as one of the greatest of the gangster genre, and even of all time. Starring Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, and Joe Pesci, Goodfellas narrates the rise and fall of a mob associate, Henry Hill, and those around him from 1955 to 1980. Immediately gripping and exciting with its legendary tracking shot, at the heart of this film is loyalty, the brotherhood of the mob men and looking out for one another. Nevertheless, this presents an irony as throughout the entirety of the film, no one is ever safe. There is the constant fragility and uneasiness of not knowing what is around the corner, the shock of being “whacked” by someone who five seconds before was considered to be family.

Goodfellas takes its audience past the seemingly glamorous lifestyle of drug empires and wealth, instead revealing the never-ending panic at having the urge to always peek over one's shoulder for safety. The film displays the tumultuous rollercoaster from having everything to being stripped down to nothing, which eventually causes Henry to inform on those he had known for decades for his own sake. Goodfellas effortlessly pulls its audience into the story, and the lack of trust within the movie means the viewers are also consistently working to guess who is ‘straight’ and who is a ‘snitch.' In the dictionary, Goodfellas could be considered the antonym of boredom.

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6 Thelma and Louise

thelma and louise sitting on a car
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

People often dream about packing up their bags and getting away from all their boredom, stress, and worries. However, when Thelma and Louise make this dream a reality, things take a deadly turn. Starring Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon as the titular characters, the film follows two friends who embark on a road trip that soon takes a sinister turn after Louise murders a man who tries to sexually assault Thelma. There is a sense of devastation as two women, who simply yearn for a break from their dissatisfying lives, are forced to go on the run.

However, on the other hand, from the moment Thelma and Louise enter the car they experience a liberating excitement, and they were never going to return to the existence they had left behind. The two had made a choice to separate themselves from situations that caused unhappiness and from that point on, they were changed people who put themselves first. Consequently, in spite of the horrors encountered on the road trip, this movie is a journey of self-discovery and finding what it really means to reclaim an identity. In the conclusion of the film, the authorities’ urge for the women to surrender themselves was an attempt to pull them back into the lives they despised, and therefore, Thelma and Louise refuse defeat, meaning they never had to give up self-control again.

5 Phone Booth

phone booth colin farrell
20th Century Fox

The common saying from John 8:32 that “the truth will set you free” is one everyone has heard a thousand times, but when a life is on the line, it suddenly feels a bit different. Phone Booth tells the exciting story of a young publicist, Stuart (Colin Farrell), who soon finds his life in danger when he answers a phone booth call from a malevolent sniper who demands that he reveal all of his deepest secrets or suffer fatal consequences. This neo-noir thriller is instantly tense, as the caller adopts the role of a supreme being, unable to be seen but constantly watching (and judging) to determine one's fate.

There is an ethical dilemma here as Stuart’s life was full of immorality, however, is it really up to someone else to dictate the decisions of others, no matter if it is right or wrong? This question, coupled with the tight and suffocating space of the phone booth, generates an unsettling feeling of pressure that is ready to burst by the climax of the movie as the suspense overflows. By the conclusion, there is a lingering fear of the unknown that even causes the audience themselves to question the possibility of someone watching them. Phone Booth is a jittery, adrenaline-fueled movie that will easily cure your boredom.

4 Kingsman: The Secret Service

egerton-firth-kingsman-secret-service-2014-marv
20th Century Fox

Kingsman: The Secret Service tells the story of Eggsy (Taron Egerton), a young man from a broken home who is recruited into a secret spy organization. Through this, he joins a mission to tackle a global threat from Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) that wants to wipe out the majority of humanity. Not only does this film contain exciting action set pieces and gleeful gore, along with excellent comedic timing, it also features the usually prim and poised Colin Firth in a brutal fight scene where he single-handedly obliterates a room full of people in a church.

This scene is one of the many iconic battle moments in the film, another being toward the conclusion where Eggsy executes someone by impaling them with an amputated leg. However, beyond these incredulous deaths is a sense of satisfaction, as Eggsy is removed from an existence of parental abuse and instead, placed in an environment where he can use his previously suppressed intelligence and skills to become a vital part of security for society, eventually developing to the head of the Secret Service itself.

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3 The Impossible

the impossible tom holland and naomi watts
Warner Bros Pictures

Family getaways are designed to be a time of peace away from the chaos, so fighting to survive a natural disaster is the very last thing on anyone’s mind. Featuring Tom Holland in his movie debut alongside Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor, The Impossible displays a family struggling to reunite after an unexpected tsunami strikes their resort. Based on the experience of Maria Belon and her family in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, this incredibly intense film offers peak moments of dread and ambiguity about the fate of the family as their effort to find a way through the wreckage only seems to force them further apart.

Tsunamis are catastrophic situations for which there is no correct reaction, yet this family offers an inspiring sense of hope as they never give up, adamant that in the end they can help make things turn out the way they should. Eventually, when the devastated family are once again unified, there is a huge feeling of relief as the audience can finally scoot back from the edge of their seats after what is essentially an extremely long and exciting set piece. Nevertheless, while the family is safe, The Impossible presents the realism of the lingering damage from not only the physical but mental trauma of the situation.

2 Strangers on a Train

strangers on a train
Warner Bros

“Do not talk to strangers” is a rule that has been embedded in everyone’s mind since childhood, and this movie proved the consequences of not taking this warning seriously. A psychological thriller from the legendary Alfred Hitchcock (who can always cure boredom), the story concerns two strangers who meet on a train, one a young tennis player, Bruno, and the other, Guy, a psychopath. After a brief discussion regarding their woes, the psychopath suggests they both commit murder for the other as neither will get caught, for they have no obvious connection; it's a “criss-cross.” Soon, after Guy upholds his end of the deal, he begins to harass Bruno, who never intended to kill anyone, into keeping his side of the bargain.

There is a question whether the psychopath ever really thought Bruno would carry out his side of the murder or if he only proposed it as an excuse to torment the innocent and naive man. Even when Bruno does creep into his intended victim’s room at night, albeit to warn them of the deed, Guy is already waiting there instead. Did Guy ever have a victim he wanted to get rid of, or was it all a ploy for the sadistic satisfaction of seeing a man squirm? The contrast between the clear serial murderer and the harmless Bruno is what makes Strangers on a Train so unnervingly exciting and a classic all of these years later; even though it's an older film, it remains as entrancingly exciting as any other great cure for boredom.

1 Before I Go to Sleep

before i go to sleep nicole kidman and colin firth sitting at a table
StudioCanal

The mystery psychological thriller Before I Go to Sleep is a twisted film that follows a woman named Christine (Nicole Kidman) who, after a near devastating accident, suffers from anterograde amnesia, therefore waking every morning without any memory of her life. However, at her doctor’s insistence, she begins to keep a video diary that soon uncovers terrifying truths about her past. In her amnesiac state, Christine has no control over her mind and memories, losing intuition, sense, knowledge and the ability to make informed decisions. As the audience is trapped in Christine’s perspective, they too suffer the loss of these traits through the film's expert direction, opening a space of doubt and tension without any basis of trust, both of Christine and the surrounding people.

The film presents how a narrative can be created around a person when they are not in control of their own mind; Christine is unable to form bonds with people, so they do it for her, informing the woman of her own thoughts and feelings before she has the opportunity to experience them. As a result, the tense thriller Before I Go to Sleep creates the constant question of what is real or not, even when something is right in front of your eyes.