HBO Max is now Max, but don’t worry: all the movies you enjoyed watching on HBO Max have survived the transition. The new streaming service combines what existed on HBO Max and Discovery into one giant streamer, but maintains the very good library. of movies that have made HBO Max a favorite among moviegoers. And if you’re looking to know what to see in Max, come to the right place.
Below, we’ve assembled a list of the best movies available to stream on Max right now, from comedies to blockbusters to rom-coms to Oscar-winning dramas and beyond. Since first launching in 2020, HBO Max quickly solidified itself as lowkey one of the best streaming services around, with a robust library of some genuinely great movies past and present to choose from. It now has a different name, but it’s a true bounty of choice with plenty of older films alongside bona fide new releases.
Take a look at our curated list of the most productive videos on Max below. This list will be updated weekly with new titles, so be sure to check back often.
Speaking of sequels, “Dune” and “Arrival” filmmaker Denis Villeneuve’s 2017 film “Blade Runner 2049” is arguably even better than Ridley Scott’s sci-fi classic. The epic picks up 30 years after the events of the original movie and follows K (Ryan Gosling), a replicant who works as a blade runner to hunt down and “retire” other replicants who ends up crossing paths with former blade runner Rick Deckard (played by Harrison Ford) as he investigates a possible impossibility – a child born of a replicant. With stunning (and Oscar-winning) cinematography from Roger Deakins and a haunting score from Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch, this is the kind of epic, thoughtful sci-fi they don’t make much of anymore.
“Trick ‘r Treat” has become, for many, a Halloween tradition. This former horror film from writer-director Michael Dougherty tells five disparate stories, all of which are related to Halloween. Each one has extraordinarily spooky vibes, intense R-rated blood, and a finished twist that will have you triumphing in front of the lights. Check it out now or save it for Halloween weekend.
If you’re looking for a summer movie to watch that’s somewhat underrated, quirky, or downright weird, head to “Under the Silver Lake. “The 2018 film comes from “It Follows” filmmaker David Robert Mitchell and stars Andrew Garfield as a disenchanted guy who, after a likely magical evening with a young woman (played by Riley Keough), sets out to uncover the fact behind her obvious disappearance. It’s a crime film about aimless boredom, with a sharp observation about poisonous masculinity below. Garfield’s character descends a series of cascading rabbit holes throughout Los Angeles.
Bill Hader said it was Sundance’s good luck that led HBO to want to work with the “SNL” alum on what would become his hit series “Barry. “In “The Skeleton Twins,” Hader plays a guy who, after a suicide attempt, reunites with his dual sister (played by Kristen Wiig) in his hometown. The estranged siblings notice that their lives have more in common than they thought, and Hader and Wiig deliver fabulous performances that balance comedy and drama.
After more than a decade in development, James Cameron’s “Avatar” sequel was well worth the wait. The three-hour film “Avatar: The Way of Water” is in fact an immersive sequel to Cameron’s 2009 Oscar-winning film that takes the innovative generation even further, all in the service of storytelling. Cameron is the king of big feelings and that’s true here, as “Avatar 2” resembles his gigantic “Titanic” in more ways than one: adding a heartbreaking third act that never stops.
All 8 films in the “Harry Potter” franchise recently aired on Max, making for a well-rounded and rewarding view if you so desire. The 8-part series remains one of the most productive and comprehensive film franchises of all time. as it narrates the adventures of a young wizard from its beginning to its end with the evil Lord Voldemort. What makes “Harry Potter” so brilliant is that the movies evolve and mature with the characters. So while the early films are bright and lighthearted, – like their young protagonists – the later films are dark and complex, reflecting the restrained characters of adulthood.
Call it a hidden gem or a cult classic, but Cameron Crowe’s “Elizabethtown,” the 2005 film from filmmaker “Almost Famous” and “Jerry Maguire,” deserves another look. Considered by many to be a sadness after a great run of successes, “Elizabethtown” is a sweet and idiosyncratic take on the drama of a family circle starring Orlando Bloom as a young shoe designer whose career just collapsed and burned. As he contemplates suicide, he receives a call informing him that his father has died and he is tasked with retrieving the frame. So he postpones his act and embarks on an adventure of self-discovery, with a captivating flight attendant played by Kirsten. Backed by a soundtrack, the ensemble includes Susan Sarandon, Judy Greer, Jessica Biel, and Paul Schneider.
The film that propelled Matt Damon and Ben Affleck to the global level (and to the Oscars level) remains a poignant and sly drama more than two decades later. In “Good Will Hunting,” Damon plays an MIT janitor who solves an unsolvable challenge. on a blackboard, which puts him on the radar of a professor (played by Stellan Skarsgard) who then takes him under his wing. But after a match that puts Will in front of a judge, he is ordered to attend treatment sessions with a mild, well-mannered therapist who happens to be an old friend of the professor. Robin Williams offers a role as an Oscar-winning therapist, while the cast is rounded out by Minnie Driver, Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck, and Cole Hauser.
This little-seen independent film is a remarkable edit to the biopic as it lifts the curtain on the lives of Barack Obama and Michelle Obama by imagining a single day in their lives in 1989, when a meeting to talk about networking becomes a date. . . Parker Sawyers plays the former president, while Tika Sumpter plays the former first lady, and Richard Tanne writes and directs this gripping drama based on Richard Linklater’s “Before” trilogy.
One of the most productive films of Tom Cruise’s career (and that’s saying a lot), “Edge of Tomorrow” is also, quietly, the most productive video game movie ever made. The sci-fi movie is set in the short and long term. where an alien invasion threatens to wipe out the planet. Cruise plays a cowardly PR officer who is taken to the war front in London, where he is killed, only to wake up and relive the same day. And again. And again. He finds his match in the toughest warrior on the field, played by Emily Blunt, who has already been through the same experience as him. Together, the two will have to find a way to win this unwinnable war as the time of “Groundhog Day” begins to run out. Doug Liman, of “The Bourne Affair” fame, directs.
If you like “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” you owe it to yourself to watch the newest movie directed by directing duo Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan, “Swiss Army Man. “Equally unique, the film stars Paul Dano as a stranded guy. on an island that encounters a dead frame (played by Daniel Radcliffe). He begins to use the frame as a tool (hence the name of the film), and the lifeless character begins to respond and react to what is happening. In reality, one is difficult in a way that makes it acceptable, but it is hilarious and moving, with incredible original music by the Manchester Orchestra.
Kelvin Harrison Jr. burst onto the scene with this underrated 2019 drama that thrills and thrills in equal measure. The “Waves” actor plays a top-notch school athlete and the followed son of a white couple living in the United States, having been rescued from war. – Torn Eritrea. But when his history teacher (played by Octavia Spencer) expresses thoughts about Luce’s habit and his more sinister intentions, his parents (played by Naomi Watts and Tim Roth) don’t need to listen. answers, but it’s a wonderful sight for everyone involved. Julius Onah directs.
You can watch one of the documentaries up for this year’s Best Documentary Feature Oscar on HBO Max this month, and it’s a great one. “All That Breathes” follows two brothers living in New Delhi who capture and treat birds that are dropping from the sky due to the increasing pollution. What really makes this doc soar, though, is director Shaunauk Sen’s cinematic approach to the film. Long takes, slow pans and evocative cinematography capture life in New Delhi in a transfixing way, making the emotional twists and turns all the more impactful.
If you like dark and comedic satire, serve “The Menu”. Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult play a well-to-do couple who travel to a remote island near New York City for an exclusive dining experience, which Ralph Fiennes and his groups of chefs will prepare a multi-course meal on-site, in front of those exclusive guests. However, all is not as it seems, and Joy’s character discovers that she is preparing for something very different from what she expected. To say more would ruin the fun, but this is a pleasure.
If you’re looking to get it completely wrong, check out “Hereditary”! Filmmaker Ari Aster’s 2018 horror film stars Toni Collette as the matriarch of a family that finds itself haunted (literally and figuratively) after the death of her mother. It’s hard to understand why “Hereditary” is worth watching without spoiling its twists and turns. however, Collette offers strangely clever functionality and Aster brings a patient mastery of the screen that makes the horrors that spread there all the more unsettling.
The In Bruges trio of Colin Farrell, Brfinishan Gleeson and writer-director Martin McDonagh are reuniting for the darkly hilarious new film “The Banshees of Inisherin,” which is a worthy sequel to their raucous 2008 black comedy. Set in 1923, at the end of the Irish Civil War, the story begins when a man played by Gleeson tells the man, played by Farrell, that he no longer wants to be his friend. This leads Farrell’s character into a spiral, as Gleeson’s character tries to leave him alone, but is informed that breaking off a friendship has disastrous consequences. The supporting roles of Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan complete this unhappy but biting tale of friendship, loneliness, and frivolity.
The Coen Brothers followed up their dark, Oscar-winning Cormac McCarthy adaptation “No Country for Old Men” with a hysterical farce that feels somewhat underrated. “Burn After Reading” looks and feels like a hard-boiled espionage thriller, but its premise is so dumb – which makes it so funny. Frances McDormand plays a gym employee who comes into possession of a disc from a jobless CIA analyst (John Malkovich) and mistakes it for an important document, when in reality it’s the CIA analyst’s in-progress memoirs. Brad Pitt is incredible as a dim-witted friend of McDormand’s, and George Clooney plays a womanizing U.S. marshal. This whole movie is one giant, terrific joke.
One of the most productive videos of the year is the one you know as little about as possible. Suffice it to say that “Barbarian” is a terrifying horror mystery that surprises in both of them; it’s incredibly hard to wait for what will take place next, but with ToCon taking a wild turn, the film digs its nails deeper and deeper into your skin, both reaching an unforgettable climax. The most fundamental setting of the plot is that Georgina Campbell plays a young woman who shows up in An Airbnb only to realize there’s a double booking, while a boy played by Bill Skarsgård opens the door. Turn off the lights, turn them on, and fasten your seat belt.
David Fincher’s 2014 mystery book “Gone Girl” is a dark, thrilling, and biting ode to relationships, perfectly performed. Based on the best-selling novel by Gillian Flynn, Ben Affleck plays a man whose wife (played by Rosamund Pike) goes missing and is presumed dead. He eventually becomes the prime suspect, only for him to assume that his wife is catching him and that she is alive and well. It’s a story about the other people we tell others we are, as opposed to the actual versions of ourselves that eventually emerge, especially in long-term relationships. Affleck and Pike are dynamite, while Carrie Coon is perfect in her first leading role.
If you’re in the mood for a dark mystery with important and difficult functionality, check out 2014’s “Nightcrawler. “Written and directed by Dan Gilroy, the film is a dark and comedic look at the world of local media, in which Jake Gyllenhaal plays a journalist named Lou who records violent events and sells them to a local news station in Los Angeles. But as Lou’s ambition grows, his motives darken. In fact, the film has sunglasses from a fashionable “taxi driver” with Gyllenhaal delivering transformative functionality that puts you under your skin. It’s all anchored in the very good roles of Renee Russo and Riz Ahmed.
“Elvis” is a biopic of The King by way of “Moulin Rouge!” and “Romeo + Juliet” filmmaker Baz Luhrmann. Which is to say it’s wildly kinetic, exciting and unlike any take on Elvis Presley’s life before. There are the usual Luhrmann flourishes, especially in the first half of the film, but they fit snugly with the chronicle of a larger-than-life figure. Austin Butler transforms into the role of Elvis, delivering a jaw-dropping performance, while Tom Hanks anchors the film as Presley’s conniving business manager Colonel Tom Parker. The story is told from Parker’s perspective, which offers an interesting twist to the storytelling, but it’s clear Luhrmann cares deeply about doing justice to Elvis’ story. And that soundtrack!
A heady sci-fi duo with an iconic Oscar Isaac dance break, crowds from 2014’s “Ex Machina. “The film is directed by writer-director Alex Garland, whose ability to tell clever (and thought-provoking) sci-fi stories is on the level of “Annihilation. “” to “Devs”. In “Ex Machina,” Isaac plays an enigmatic billionaire who summons a programmer (played by Domhnall Gleeson) to his remote compound to assess whether his AI creation (played by Alicia Vikander) is a reality. Philosophical conversations are interspersed with emotions of terror and horror, as Garland masterfully weaves a story about what it means to be human.
Tim Burton’s 1992 sequel remains one of the most daring, interesting, and sexy Batman videos ever made, and it holds up incredibly well. “Batman Returns” is the incredible sequel to Burton’s 1989 hit, with Michael Keaton reprising his role as Bruce Wayne. Michelle Pfeiffer is phenomenal as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, the character who serves as a tantalizing mirror of Bruce Wayne’s own dichotomy: a more violent path to vigilantism and revenge. There’s also Danny DeVito’s surly penguin, and the scariest of them all, Christopher. Walken’s soulless impresario, Max Schreck. With Christmas décor and Burton taking the gothic aesthetic to the extreme, this is one of the most productive Batman videos ever made.
If you’re an adventurous sci-fi fan, “Under the Skin” is a must-see. This unique and haunting film from director Jonathan Glazer stars Scarlett Johansson as a male-eating alien in Scotland. But instead of flying high staging, CGI, or a predictable plot structure, “Under the Skin” surprises at each and every turn. Johansson’s functionality is predatory and stylish, and the way Glazer captures his character’s murders will keep you awake at night. That’s a captivating score by composer Mica Levi, and this one will fascinate you.
Putting a new spin on a character like Batman is incredibly difficult, however, director Matt Reeves and star Robert Pattinson accomplish that and more in the 2022 reboot “The Batman. “The film picks up Bruce Wayne’s second year prowling the streets as a masked crusader. and discovers him involved in an investigation into a series of murders committed through The Riddler (Paul Dano). Reeves draws inspiration from movies like “Zodiac” and “All the President’s Men” to create a driven (and hugely compelling) process. a crime mystery comprising some of the most surprising cinematography in the character’s history thanks to Oscar winner Greig Fraser. And this score by Michael Giacchino is a new classic. With a running time of 3 hours, this one is long, but it’s Batman’s detective story. that enthusiasts had been waiting for a long time.
Director Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” is the kind of epic, prestige sci-fi adaptation that studios rarely do, and for that alone, it’s worth it. Based on the novel of the same title written by Frank Herbert, the film stars Timothee Chalamet as Young Paul Atreides, a man who accompanies his family, House Atreides, as they are tasked with overseeing the extraction of a valuable resource on the planet Arrakis. But once there, they fight against the world’s indigenous population and the famous House of Harkonnen. who are desperate to regain their position. This superbly directed film is the first part of the “Dune” story, and the second part will be adapted into the upcoming sequel “Dune: Part Two. “
You want to be on the right page to enjoy “Malignant,” but if you’re looking for a horror movie that unfolds with a wink of complicity, this may be your new favorite. From Aquaman and The Conjuring director James Wan, the film stars Annabelle Wallis as a woman who begins to have visions of murdered people, and when she begins to dig into her past, she uncovers some disturbing secrets, all while an assassin is on the move. The coward. This goes from a scary horror movie to a homicide mystery to a cheesy monster movie and never misses a beat, and the third act is a marvel overall.
Simply one of the most lighthearted videos ever made, “Singin’ in the Rain” probably won’t leave you in a bad mood. Released in 1952, the film is set against the backdrop of the transition from silent films to talkies and revolves around 3 Hollywood artists: Gene Kelly as Don Lockwood, Debbie Reynolds as Kathy Selden, and Donald O’Connor as Cosmo Brown. In addition to telling a gripping story set in Hollywood, the film features some of the most desirable musical numbers ever filmed, from the stunts of “Make ‘Em Laugh” to Kelly’s iconic “Singin’ in the Rain. “It’s a feel-good movie.
While filmmaker James Gunn brought a lighter sensibility to his “Guardians of the Galaxy” films for Marvel Studios, his DC film “The Suicide Squad” is reminiscent of the darkness of his previous work. Not a sequel or a reboot, the 2021 film is largely self-contained, as it follows Task Force X’s anti-hero team, which includes Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn and Idris Elba’s Bloodsport, as they are tasked with sneaking into a foreign country on the most sensible secret mission. R-rated shenanigans abound, but there’s an unexpected humanity in the midst of this gloriously weird and wild superhero movie.
If you are a fan of Steven Spielberg’s work, then you must watch the documentary “Spielberg”. The film is based on an interview with Spielberg himself (and members of his family circle) about his storied career, and the filmmaker offers candid insight along the way. If you’ve ever wondered how Spielberg took the hit in “1941” or why “Catch Me If You Can” had its roots in a circle of secret relatives, those answers and more are there.
Running at 4 hours, “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” is for interested parties only, but for those who have even a passing familiarity with “Man of Steel,” “Batman v. Superman” and “Wonder Woman,” this HBO Max exclusive. marks a fascinating, rich and very different edition of “Justice League” than the one released in theaters in 2017. Presented in six chapters with an epilogue, this time they all have more story, and that’s the best part. Cyborg (Ray Fisher) brings some emotional power; Superman (Henry Cavill) gains depth; and Ben Affleck’s Batman has more to do than half-create a Justice League. This movie is director Zack Snyder’s unfiltered vision for better or worse, and that includes primal teasing for sequels that never materialized, masses of violence, and lots of violence. Slow motion. And honestly? It is ok.
Steven Soderbergh’s HBO Max original movie, “No Sudden Move,” is a fantastic crime thriller. Set in Detroit in 1954, it stars Don Cheadle as a cash-strapped gangster who needs to leave town and reluctantly agrees to perform a task that without delay goes awry. He then runs away with another gangster played by Benicio Del Toro, trying to figure out who he can accept as true and find out who is behind it all. Ed Solomon’s screenplay brilliantly weaves a complete story of Twists and Turns with thematic resonance, as the film uses an ancient context to increase the complexity of its plot and characters.
If you’re looking to watch a sci-fi classic that may or may not make your head hurt a little bit, try Stanley Kubrick’s masterful 1968 film “2001: A Space Odyssey.” The epic adventure takes place in the year 2001 (then the future) and follows a crew that’s sent to Jupiter after a mysterious monolith is discovered on Earth. Aboard the ship is a computer named HAL that wreaks havoc on the mission. This is one of the most visually stunning and perplexing films of all-time – a true work of art that’s open to various forms of interpretation by the time you reach the end of the journey.
Revisit the original trilogy before taking in the truly bonkers fourth “Matrix” film “The Matrix Resurrections.” “The Matrix,” from 1999, remains the best of the bunch, as Keanu Reeves plays a man named Neo who is awoken to the truth that the world he inhabits is actually a computer program called The Matrix, and the real world is actually a desolate landscape run by machines. The story gets far more complicated from there in “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions,” as the few humans awake in the real world stage a coup against their machine overlords. Writers and directors The Wachowskis break ground both in terms of action and allegorical storytelling, as the films are loaded with heady philosophical ideas.
With the holiday season comes plenty of vacation time, and if you’re in for a really long binge-watch, “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy will do the trick. Peter Jackson’s epic trio of J.R.R. Tolkein adaptations remain some of the most accomplished achievements in the history of moviemaking, as this fantastical tale of a young hobbit who sets out to save the world as he knows it is crafted with ingenuity and passion to spare. Whether it’s your first or fifth time to Middle-earth, it’s a journey well worth taking. As a bonus, HBO Max offers both the theatrical versions and the richer extended versions available to stream.