Lupita Nyong'o – 10 Best Movies

By Vlad Zakh · August 5, 2026

12 Years a Slave earned her the Oscar in her first major role, devastating and hard to watch, while Black Panther and Us show two different registers since, warm dignity versus full horror commitment. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever navigates grief after T’Challa’s death, Queen of Katwe supports a daughter’s chess rise, The Jungle Book voices Raksha the wolf, and The Wild Robot is a voice role in an acclaimed animated survival story. Little Monsters, A Quiet Place: Day One and The Force Awakens round out the list.

The Wild Robot (2024)

IMDb ★ 8.2 RT 97% Metacritic 85

A shipwrecked robot stranded on a wild island learns to adapt and becomes an unlikely parent.

Directed by Chris Sanders · 1h 42m · Rated PG

Nominated for 3 Oscars94 wins & 109 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

TMDB ★ 7.0

Angela Bassett leads Wakanda through grief and new threats after the king's sudden death.

Directed by Ryan Coogler · 2h 42m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Jungle Book (2016)

TMDB ★ 6.9

Lupita Nyong'o voices Raksha, the wolf who raises Mowgli as her own.

Directed by Jon Favreau · 1h 46m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Queen of Katwe (2016)

TMDB ★ 7.2

A girl from the slums of Kampala discovers a gift for chess that offers a path out of poverty.

Directed by Mira Nair · 2h 04m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Little Monsters (2019)

TMDB ★ 6.5

Lupita Nyong'o plays a kindergarten teacher protecting her students during a sudden zombie outbreak.

Directed by Abe Forsythe · 1h 34m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Hulu

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)

TMDB ★ 6.6

The first day of the creature invasion, seen through a woman trying to survive New York City.

Directed by Michael Sarnoski · 1h 40m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

TMDB ★ 7.2

A new generation of heroes picks up the fight against a First Order rising from the Empire's ashes, with Adam Driver as Kylo Ren.

Directed by J.J. Abrams · 2h 16m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus, Philo, YouTube TV, Starz Amazon Channel, Starz, Starz Apple TV channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Us (2019)

IMDb ★ 6.8 RT 93% Metacritic 81

A family holiday is interrupted by their own violent doppelgangers.

Directed by Jordan Peele · 1h 56m · Rated R

87 wins & 135 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Black Panther (2018)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A superhero epic whose villain has a grievance that cuts deeper than most heroes' arcs.

Directed by Ryan Coogler · 2h 15m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus, Hulu · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

12 Years a Slave (2013)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 95% Metacritic 96

A free Black man is kidnapped and sold into slavery in the pre-Civil War South.

Directed by Steve McQueen · 2h 14m · Rated R

Won 3 Oscars244 wins & 338 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

Lupita Nyong'o – 10 Best Movies

The Wild Robot (2024)

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

The Jungle Book (2016)

Queen of Katwe (2016)

Little Monsters (2019)

A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

Us (2019)

Black Panther (2018)

12 Years a Slave (2013)

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