HBO Max has quickly made a name for itself as one of the best streaming services out there. With Warners Bros. deciding to release all their 2021 movies on the platform the same day as their cinematic release, subscriptions for the service have escalated rapidly. Despite having a comparatively smaller catalog than some of its more established streaming rivals, HBO Max makes up for this gulf in quantity with quality. With that in mind, here are the best HBO Max movies to watch right now:
Best Movies on HBO Max
Godzilla vs. Kong (IMDb rating – 6.4/10)
Godzilla vs. Kong was supposed to be the blockbuster that would herald the return of the blockbusters as it became the first major box-office success post-pandemic. The story picks off right from the end of Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Kong: Skull Island as the two kaiju inevitably cross paths. However, given their nature and history, neither will bow down to the other, resulting in a conflict that can lead to millions dead.
However, there’s more to the story than just that, as hidden agendas are gunning for them to fight for their selfish gains. However, the spotlight is constantly on the two monsters as they face off not once, not twice, but thrice, and unlike some others “vs.” movies in recent memories, there is a decisive winner of the two at the end. It is meant to kickstart Warner Bros. plans to release all their 2021 movies on HBO Max and cinemas simultaneously, and if Godzilla vs. Kong was any indication, this move might just end up working quite well for the studio.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League (IMDb rating – 8.1/10)
To say that DC has had a hard time competing with Marvel’s cinematic universe would be a gross understatement. In the past 13 years, Marvel has delivered spectacular success with one blockbuster after another, becoming the highest-grossing film franchise of all time. In the meantime, DC has struggled to establish itself, and perhaps more importantly, find the right tone for itself. This was never more apparent than when Zack Snyder left Justice League midway owing to a family tragedy, and Joss Whedon was brought in to finish the movie. The result? An underwhelming mess where none of the characters, their motivations, and the scenes themselves made sense.
That started a massive fan movement with demands to #RestoreTheSnyderCut. Fans finally got their wish as Zack Snyder was allowed to come back, finish work on his original cut, and deliver a more polished version of the 2017 cinematic version of the film. The plot is more or less the same, with Steppenwolf coming to this planet intending to terraform it. Still, everything else, from the film’s tone to dialogue to the character designs themselves, is entirely different, making it all the more worth it to check out.
Tenet (IMDb rating – 7.4/10)
It may seem a bit asinine to say this, but there’s no real way to define or explain what you can expect when you start streaming Tenet. It is by far the most complex idea put to screen by the mind of Christopher Nolan. And this is the man behind movies like Memento, The Prestige, Inception, and Interstellar. Needless to say, this is one of the few movies you will almost certainly have to rewatch multiple times to understand properly. The visuals are as spectacular as they can be, with the entire premise being something you’d expect from a James Bond movie.
The protagonists’ main purpose in the film is to prevent potentially world-ending attacks…from the future. This quest takes them from one location to another as they strive to find as much information as possible and learn if thwarting an attack from the future is even possible. We see time being bent, manipulated, and shaped as Nolan delivers his most ambitious movie to date.
Charm City Kings (IMDb rating – 6.5/10)
Perhaps there’s no better way of introducing Charm City King than comparing it to Mid90s, a coming-of-age story with a fresh young cast with a particular focus on motorbikes. The stage is set in Baltimore, with biking being the new fade of the adolescent kids in town. Mouse, a 14-year-old, wants to fit in the crowd, even though his mother is constantly worried about him hanging out with the wrong crowd and not paying enough attention to his studies.
The movie perfectly captures the essence of those teenage years where children feel like nothing’s impossible as Mouse finds himself getting more and more involved in the motorbike action around Baltimore despite his tender age. Despite not being the perfect coming of age movie, it has plenty to offer and is guaranteed to keep you hooked throughout its 2-hour runtime.
Unpregnant (IMDb rating – 6.3/10)
It’s almost criminal that more people haven’t heard of Unpregnant yet as it presents a contemporary issue from a completely different perspective. Veronica Clarke and Bailey Butler are a buddy duo traveling across the country via the famous Route 66. But their reason for doing so is not about leisure but something more serious as they wish to go to a state where Veronica can get an abortion. Veronica’s parents have refused to help her financially to get an it, so the duo are on the lookout for a cheaper alternative.
As it’s primarily a road trip movie, it has all the tropes that a classic road trip movie does, including deep conversations and discussions on the morality of their actions. Naturally, the film also carries a pro-feminist and pro-choice hue throughout its runtime but manages to avoid being overly predictable.
PureVPN
June 20, 2023
11 months ago
