We’ve listed some of the best movies to watch on HBO Max right now.
Action/Adventure/Thriller
Get all the excitement you want from the comfort of your own home.
1. Everything Batman
HBO Max has cornered the Batman market. There are dozens of Batman movies for you to watch, from The Dark Knight to an impressive array of Batman animated shows. Don’t miss Joaquin Phoenix as The Joker terrorizing the citizens of Gotham.
2. Mad Max: Fury Road
Director George Miller asked his wife, Margaret Sixel, to edit Mad Max: Fury Road so it wouldn’t look like “every other action movie we see.” It was a smart choice. Sixel won the Oscar for Best Film Editing for her efforts.
3. Suicide Squad
You couldn’t avoid James Gunn’s movies if you tried. Gunn made Suicide Squad after Marvel Studios fired him. Suicide Squad is now the most-streamed DC Extended Universe (DCEU) movie on HBO Max, so if you haven’t seen it yet, you’d better.
4. The Ocean’s Movies
Warner Bros. liked Ocean’s Eleven so much it brought back Steven Soderbergh to direct Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen. All three are available on HBO Max as examples of Hollywood’s obsession with George Clooney, Matt Damon, and heist movies.
5. Inside Man
Speaking of heists, Spike Lee’s Inside Man gives viewers the joy of watching Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, and Christopher Plummer in some of their best performances.
6. The Shining
The Shining is one of the few examples of a movie that’s arguably better than the book. Stanley Kubrick’s take on Stephen King’s novel stars Jack Nicholson as he transforms from a loving father to an insane force of evil.
7. Wonder Woman
Sci-Fi
Science meets fiction in these mind-bending movies.
8. The Matrix Franchise
Before you see The Matrix Resurrections in the theater, brush up on the Wachowskis’ first three installments. Enjoy Keanu Reeves’ performance as Neo from way back when no one knew the difference between the red pill and the blue pill.
9. 2001: A Space Odyssey
When it was first released in 1968, 2001: A Space Odyssey was not a box office hit. It finally paid for itself when it was re-released in 1971, and now it’s widely regarded as the peak of science-fiction movie-making.
10. Inception
You’ll be thinking about Christopher Nolan’s Inception well after you’ve finished watching it. Household names Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy make the movie easy to watch, but it’s the story and visuals that make this film truly great.
11. Oblivion
It’s 2077, and Earth is uninhabited, devastated by E.T.s who forced humanity to move to Saturn’s moon Titan. Tom Cruise plays Jack Harper, a repairman sent back to earth to service the drones fighting the aliens that took over our planet.
Fantasy
Immerse yourself in another world.
12. Harry Potter
The Harry Potter films are the perfect antidote to winter blues, and you can binge them all on HBO Max.
13. Lord of the Rings
Peter Jackson’s tour de force trilogy is about a long walk.
Rom-Com
They won’t win any awards, but romantic comedies can cure what ails you.
14. Crazy Rich Asians
Rachel is surprised to discover her boyfriend is very wealthy and one of Singapore’s eligible bachelors. What will she do?
15. Kate and Leopold
Who can resist a time travel story where His Grace, the 3rd Duke of Albany, is pulled into modern-day New York City and falls in love with Meg Ryan? Not us.
16. Clueless
Jane Austen’s classic novel, Emma, gets a modern update. Alicia Silverstone plays Cher Horowitz, a high school student who uses her own popularity for good to give new girl, Tai, a glow up.
Drama
When your real-life world isn’t intense enough, immerse yourself in one of these dramas on HBO Max.
17. News of the World
While “grizzled Civil War veteran” isn’t the first thing we think of when we think about Tom Hanks, he’s just excellent in this role. Hanks plays Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, a man who attempts to return a young girl taken and raised by the Kiowa American Indian tribe to her last remaining family.
18. Citizen Kane
Hear us out. There’s a reason Citizen Kane is at the top of every American and British list of the top films of the 20th century and received nominations for Academy Awards in multiple categories. Orson Welles wrote and starred in this film about a media baron-turned-politician. It still serves as a warning about people who wield an immense amount of power.
19. Thelma and Louise
Directed by Ridley Scott, Thelma and Louise is about best friends who go on a road trip turned crime spree. Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon star, and Brad Pitt gained some early recognition in this excellent film.
20. Blood Simple
We’ll watch anything starring Frances McDormand. Blood Simple is the first film directed by brothers Joel and Ethan Coen. It’s a noir crime film that sometimes feels like a low-budget horror movie, and we mean that in the best way possible.
21. The Departed
Martin Scorsese will never run out of career criminals and police department infiltrators to write about.
Animation
HBO Max can’t compare to Disney + in the cartoon and animation category, but there are still a few worth watching.
22. Spirited Away
From Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki has made a movie adored by 95% of the people who watch it.
23. Ron’s Gone Wrong
The voice talent in this animated movie is seriously impressive. The film features the voices of Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, and Olivia Colman, among others. Barney’s robot Ron starts to malfunction in some really funny ways.
Musicals
Some people love them; some people hate them. If you’re in the former category, HBO Max has a couple you’ll want to watch.
24. Singin’ in the Rain
This film is regarded by some as the best musical film ever made. It’s worth watching just to see Kelly perform the title song with a 103 °F fever. They don’t make them like Gene Kelly anymore.
25. In the Heights
Before Hamilton came In the Heights. Lin-Manuel Miranda helped make this musical a success on Broadway and then worked with director Jon M. Chu to bring it to the big screen in 2021. Ironically, the pandemic hit, so it had a limited theatrical release and was instead available on HBO Max, where you can still find it.
