The world is currently experiencing somewhat of a Beatlemania 2.0. This is largely thanks to Get Back, the extraordinarily detailed (and extraordinarily long) look into the making of Let It Be and the failed accompanying TV special. Luckily, fans of that documentary, and of the band themselves, will be pleased to know that decades' worth of movies have been made regarding the Fab Four.
Some of these movies were directly made by The Beatles themselves, and some are merely about The Beatles. Some, even, are simply inspired by the band and their musical output. Regardless, they're all related to the iconic Fab Four and were well-received.
Magical Mystery Tour (1967) - 6.2
Not Available To Stream
Magical Mystery Tour is a classic movie about drug use. The story doesn't necessarily make the drug use explicit, but its making was fueled by a wicked imagination and heaping doses of LSD.
The Beatles were in the midst of their drug years while making Magical Mystery Tour, and most of it was shot on the fly without a script. The results are quite bizarre. It makes little sense as a coherent film, but as a time capsule to a wickedly unique time in history, Magical Mystery Tour works wonders.
Birth Of The Beatles (1979) - 6.4
Not Available To Stream
Surprisingly, there are very few biopics about The Beatles. Birth of the Beatles is one of the rare exceptions. Directed by Richard Marquand and produced by Dick Clark Productions, Birth of the Beatles originally ran as a TV movie on ABC.
With the band's original drummer (Pete Best) serving as technical advisor to ensure historical accuracy, Birth of the Beatles chronicles the band's beginnings in Liverpool. It's nothing special, but it's a worthwhile film about Beatles history and is competently made.
Yesterday (2019) - 6.8
Stream On Fubo TV
Written by Richard Curtis and directed by Danny Boyle, Yesterday asks a tantalizing question - What would happen if The Beatles never existed?
Protagonist Jack Malik finds himself in an alternate dimension in which The Beatles never existed, and he crafts their discography from memory in an effort to become famous. While the film doesn't quite take full advantage of its creative premise, it is still one of Danny Boyle's best movies and a must-watch for any self-respecting Beatles fan.
Two Of Us (2000) - 7.0
Not Available To Stream
This television film was directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, the same man hired to helm the Let It Be project (which eventually became Get Back). Starring Jared Harris as John Lennon and Aidan Quinn as Paul McCartney, Two of Us takes place six years after The Beatles had broken up.
Lorne Michaels makes a public plea on Saturday Night Live, offering The Beatles $3,000 if they would reunite and play on his show. This was a real event, and it was jokingly considered by Paul and John. The plea, and the relationship between the two frontmen, is captured in touching detail in Lindsay-Hogg's TV movie.
Nowhere Boy (2009) - 7.1
Stream On Showtime
Nowhere Boy is another biopic chronicling the early lives of The Beatles - specifically John Lennon and Paul McCartney. It's a great biopic about a rock musician, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson playing Lennon and Thomas Sangster playing McCartney.
The movie mainly focuses on the life of Lennon and his troubled upbringing in Liverpool. It doesn't go into too much detail regarding The Beatles and their creation, but as a biopic about one of music's greatest minds, Nowhere Boy is well worth watching.
Help! (1965) - 7.2
Rent on Apple TV
The second film to star The Beatles, Help! was released in the summer of 1965 and signaled a shift in the band's creative output.
The band was shedding its goody boy band aesthetic and embracing more aspects of the growing counterculture. Its story was totally bonkers (featuring the likes of cults and mad scientists), its music was a bit more mature (the soundtrack became iconic), and it was filmed with a far more experimental approach. It's not the greatest Beatles film, but it is still well worth seeking out.
Across The Universe (2007) - 7.3
Stream On The Roku Channel & Hoopla
Inspired by the music of The Beatles, Across the Universe is a musical containing 30+ Beatles songs. A love story about Jude and Lucy (do the names sound familiar?), Across the Universe is a spellbinding adventure through the counterculture of the late '60s, the Vietnam War, and the popularization of hallucinogenic drugs.
It's simply unlike any other musical. And with the help of some of the greatest Beatles tunes, it has long enjoyed a positive reception within the band's fandom.
Yellow Submarine (1968) - 7.4
Rent On Apple TV
Arguably one of the best animated movies ever, Yellow Submarine has been monumentally influential on modern filmmaking. Released throughout 1968, Yellow Submarine is an animated adventure with a stellar soundtrack.
It helped legitimize animation as a serious art form, and it influenced many future animators - including Pixar co-founder John Lasseter. Its influence continues to reverberate half a century late, and without Yellow Submarine, there might not have been Toy Story or Beauty and the Beast. A Yesterday s style film about that would be welcome.
A Hard Day's Night (1964) - 7.6
Stream On HBO Max & The Criterion Channel
Released during the height of Beatlemania, A Hard Day's Night proved that they were more than pop superstars. A genuinely great musical, A Hard Day's Night is exceptionally made and richly performed by the Fab Four. A meta-film of sorts, it follows the overworked band as they prepare for a television appearance.
The film has proven enormously influential, not just on future musicals but on the very concept of music videos. It's easily one of the most important films of the 1960s - and maybe even of all time.
Let It Be (1970) - 7.7
Not Available To Stream
Get Back was sourced from the Let It Be footage, and despite coming from the same place, it crafted an entirely different story. If Get Back is "I Want to Hold Your Hand" Beatlemania, then Let It Be is the brooding and somber "Eleanor Rigby."
It's the much darker brother of Get Back, filmed with a gritty, colorless bleakness and depicting a band on the verge of total collapse. Subject matter aside, Let It Be is a fascinating and painfully intimate glimpse into the band's final days and their tragically waning cohesiveness.