The Best Movies to Watch on HBO Max Right Now

Sinners

Director: Ryan Coogler
Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 2hr 17m
Rotten Tomatoes: 97% (Critics), 96% (Audience)

One of the biggest films of the year, Sinners is every bit as epic at home as it was in the theaters. The blues and blood-soaked tale of vampires, juke joints, and cultural appropriation proved what many have known since Black Panther and Creed: director Ryan Coogler has got the goods. Featuring a standout performance by Michael B. Jordan (as both halves of the twins “Smoke” and “Stack”), not to mention a terrifying turn from Hailee Steinfeld and breakout performance from Miles Caton as blues singer Sammie Moore, Sinners is one helluva ride.

Getting to relive a scene where multiple generations of ancestors join in at the juke joint whenever you want at home? That’s worth the subscription cost of HBO Max alone.

Final Destination: Bloodlines

Director: Adam B. Stein, Zach Lipovsky
Cast: Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Tony Todd, Brec Bassinger
Genre: Horror 
Rating: R
Runtime: 1hr 50m
Rotten Tomatoes: 93% (Critics), 87% (Audience)

Final Destination: Bloodlines had a ton of anticipation leading into its release, and it delivered on every front. Bloody, anxiety-inducing deaths with plenty of fakeouts? Surprising emotional resonance? Check. Check. Somehow making it fun? Double check.

From roller coasters to barbecues, the Final Destination series has a knack for turning everyday life into a horrific minefield of death traps just waiting to be sprung. Bloodlines brought the franchise’s gratuitous creativity to new heights, thanks to some particularly grisly set pieces courtesy of an MRI, vending machine, and even weather vanes.

Babygirl

Director: Halina Reijn

Cast: Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, Antonio Banderas
Genre: Thriller, Romance, Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 48m
Rotten Tomatoes: 76% (Critics), 48% (Audience)

In Babygirl, Nicole Kidman plays a high-powered CEO who starts an affair with an intern. There have been a lot of films about sexual and workplace politics lately, and this one, from A24, was particularly hyped. Thanks to the chemistry of its two leads, the film ultimately delivers, even if its overall “message” gets muddled (some would argue that’s the point).

There was a lot of buzz about Nicole Kidman’s performance in this BDSM thriller even before it was released, with Kidman worrying about what kind of memes the piece might spawn. Whether or not she was thinking of the infamous milk scene or not, memes we got.

Mickey 17

Director: Bong Joon Ho
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Naomie Ackie, Steven Yeun
Genre: Sci-Fi, Comedy, Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 2hr 17m
Rotten Tomatoes: 77% (Critics), 73% (Audience)

Mickey 17 stars Robert Pattinson in one of the most unique performances of his career. In the film, he plays an expendable clone who’s been utilized for deep-space interplanetary exploration. In short: if he dies on a planet that’s inhospitable to humans, it’s no skin off anybody’s back. In the role, Pattinson is excellent, as are supporting performances from Naomie Ackie as his love interest, as well as a particularly unhinged Mark Ruffalo.

Known for the mega hit Parasite as well as films like Snowpiercer and Okja, director Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17 also offers impressive (and loveable) alien creature design alongside its unique premise and great acting. Sci-fi lovers rejoice!

The Accountant

Director: Gavin O’Connor
Cast: Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons
Genre: Thriller, Action, Crime
Rating: R
Runtime: 2hr 8m
Rotten Tomatoes: 53% (Critics), 77% (Audience)

Ben Affleck might have been a questionable Batman, but that doesn’t mean he can’t kick ass in an action film — something The Accountant (and its sequel) readily proves. In this crime thriller, Affleck stars as a mathematical savant helping the mob run its books under the guise of working for a small CPA firm.

What starts off as a film about laundering money quickly becomes one with quite the body count, and, throughout it all, Affleck delivers. If you look at it hard enough, it starts to fall apart a bit thanks to its various subplots, but at its heart, this action thriller is as propulsive as it is entertaining. Watch any TikTok of him on the press tour for this franchise, and you just know Affleck is having the time of his life. So long, sad Affleck memes.

Dune

Director: Denis Villenue
Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac
Genre: Sci-Fi/Action
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2hr 35m
Rotten Tomatoes: 83% (Critics), 90% (Audience)

Dune barely loses any of its epic grandeur on a smaller screen, thanks in part to its rousing score and vast cinematography. Based on the heady science-fiction novel by Frank Herbert, the film tells the first half of the story of Paul Atreides, a man with a universal destiny bigger than he can imagine.

While David Lynch’s Dune has its defenders, it’s hard to argue that Villeneuve’s sweeping adaptation is anything but definitive. Come for the intergalactic political intrigue, stay for the sand worms.

Dune: Part Two

Director: Denis Villenue
Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson
Genre: Sci-Fi/Action
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2hr 46m
Rotten Tomatoes: 92% (Critics), 95% (Audience)

Dune: Part Two may not be as expansive an experience on streaming as on the big screen, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive an experience. In it, Paul Atreides joins forces with the Fremen and Chani in order to avenge his family.

This sequel reaps all the benefits of the careful setup the first Dune offered, leveraging the dense world-building of the first movie to lean into more blockbuster appeal with thrilling action sequences. At the same time, the acting, production design, and cinematography offer a level of artistry not all box office hits offer, meaning that there are plenty of layers to appreciate more fully on subsequent watches.

Companion

Director: Drew Hancock
Cast: Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lukas Gage
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Rating: R
Runtime: 1hr 37m
Rotten Tomatoes: 93% (Critics), 89% (Audience)

Companion is teased as a totally different love story from the studio that brought you both Barbarian and The Notebook. That should tell you a lot about the film without telling you too much, but just know that this horror thriller is as original as it is a helluva ride.

If you haven’t watched the trailer for Companion, do yourself a favor and don’t watch it before you check out this clever horror thriller from director Drew Hancock. Not that the trailer gives away so much that the movie is unenjoyable — in fact, it’s smartly plotted, whether you know a central twist or not. Even so, walking into the experience completely blind will give you even more enjoyment as the film dives into some super current themes. Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid really push this one over the top.

Civil War

Director: Alex Garland
Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny
Genre: Action/Drama/War
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 49m
Rotten Tomatoes: 81% (Critics), 69% (Audience)

One of 2024’s best (and most harrowing) films of the year, Civil War tells the story of a wartime photojournalist on the hunt for the defining photo of a splintering America. Garland keeps details sparse, focusing less on the events that lead to a presidential takeover and more on intimately capturing the characters' journey across America in tense, terrifying details.

A standout performance by Jesse Plemons is more than enough reason to check out the film if its scarily prophetic premise does not trigger you. Even if you believe in the strength of American democracy, you may finish the film eying strangers on the street a little more cautiously.

Joker

Director: Todd Phillips
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert de Niro, Zazie Beetz
Genre: Crime/Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 2hr 2m
Rotten Tomatoes: 68% (Critics), 88% (Audience)

Starring a riveting Joaquin Phoenix, Joker is perhaps the darkest take on Batman’s most infamous villain ever put to film. With more in common with Scorsese’s Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy than the Adam West TV series, this is the gritty story of Arthur Fleck’s transformation into the notorious Joker.

The film caused quite a stir when it was first released, and it still packs a punch several years later. While its sequel was a flop at the box office, watching the original Joker makes it clear why the first was such a success: it’s a captivating character study you can’t look away from.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Director: George Miller
Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke
Genre: Sci-Fi/Action/Fantasy
Rating: R
Runtime: 2hr 28m
Rotten Tomatoes: 90% (Critics), 89% (Audience)

The explosive follow-up to Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga was one of 2024’s best films — and with good reason. Featuring great performances by Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth, the story of Furiosa — about a young woman battling her way out of a biker horde and finding her way home — is as well-acted as the action sequences are thrillingly executed.

George Miller’s Mad Max films are epic, heart-pumping entertainment, and Furiosa adds a fair amount of emotional weight to its story that some critics found missing in Fury Road.

I Saw the TV Glow

Director: Jane Schoenbrun
Cast: Justice Jesse Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Ian Foreman
Genre: Sci-Fi/Horror/Drama
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1hr 40m
Rotten Tomatoes: 84% (Critics), 71% (Audience)

One of the best surprises of the last year, I Saw the TV Glow, is a wholly original film dealing with themes of identity, gender, and so much more. Billed as a horror film or thriller, Jane Schoenbrun’s film is much deeper than its trailers presented, as two high school outcasts bond over a supernatural television series.

Filled with striking imagery and an ending that goes straight for the gut, I Saw the TV Glow is a stunning follow-up to 2021’s We're All Going to the World's Fair. If you didn’t know about writer/director Jane Schoenbrun before this movie, you sure as heck do now.

Wonka

Director: Paul King
Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Hugh Grant, Calah Lane
Genre: Comedy/Musical/Fantasy
Rating: PG
Runtime: 1hr 56m
Rotten Tomatoes: 82% (Critics), 90% (Audience)

Timothee Chalamet seems to be everywhere these days, but you can’t discount the fact that he’s a great pick for a young Willy Wonka (assuming you’re basing your image of Wonka on Gene Wilder’s superior performance vs whatever Johnny Depp was doing…) In Wonka, which takes place before the events of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, viewers are treated to the famous chocolatier’s origin story, complete with musical numbers.

A Minecraft Movie

Director: Jared Hess
Cast: Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Danielle Brooks
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Rating: PG
Runtime: 1hr 41m
Rotten Tomatoes: 48% (Critics), 85% (Audience)

One of the biggest blockbusters of the summer, kids and adults alike can now rejoice that A Minecraft Movie is available to stream at home. Based on the hit video game, this movie takes a band of misfits and thrusts them into the Overworld to see if they’ve got the creativity and imagination to complete a quest with the mythical Steve (Jack Black). It’s fun, it’s whimsical, it’s colorful, and it’s a faithful, cubic representation of all of the imaginative trappings that make Minecraft such an addictive game to play.

Is it a coincidence that Jack Black is in two of the most successful video game movies of the last decade? We think not.

The Batman

Director: Matt Reeves
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Paul Dano, Zoe Kravitz
Genre: Action/Adventure/Crime
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2hr 56m
Rotten Tomatoes: 85% (Critics), 87% (Audience)

HBOMax is the home for a plethora of DC content (some of it better than others), and The Batman is a must-watch for fans of the Caped Crusader. In this reboot of the beloved comic character, Robert Pattinson plays Bruce Wayne/Batman, on a hunt to catch the cryptic serial killer, The Riddler (played by Paul Dano). Along the way, you’ll also see pitch-perfect performances from Zoe Kravitz and Colin Farrell as Selina Kyle and Penguin, respectively.

If you thought Christopher Nolan’s version of Gotham City was grim and gritty, just wait until you see the bleak noir world director Matt Reeves has cooked up. It’s as visually appealing as it is action-packed.

Sweethearts

Director: Jordan Weiss
Cast: Kiernan Shipka, Nico Haraga, Caleb Hearon
Genre: Romance/Comedy
Rating: R
Runtime: 1hr 38m
Rotten Tomatoes: 67% (Critics), 45% (Audience)

Looking for a fun take on the romantic comedy? Then check out Sweethearts, which is currently flying under the radar and features Kiernan Shipka and Nico Haraga as codependent friends in their first year of college who realize their high school relationships are holding them back from finding sex and romance as undergraduates.

A movie that’s both laugh-out-loud and heartfelt, Sweethearts does a lot with a simple set-up and is anchored by great performances. Caleb Hearon is hysterically charming as Palmer.

Man of Steel

Director: Zack Snyder
Cast: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2hr 23m
Rotten Tomatoes: 57% (Critics), 75% (Audience)

DC Comics has had a rough go of it when it comes to making any superhero movie aside from Batman work, but there are some diamonds in the rough. While James Gunn’s Superman has been soaring to box office success this summer, that doesn’t mean Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel isn’t worth watching.

Starring Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, and Michael Shannon as the truly villainous General Zod, this take on the Man of Steel trades in cartoonish action and chivalry for the same grit, dirt, and grime that made Christopher Nolan’s Batman films take off. With films like 300 on his resume, it’s clear Snyder knows his way around adrenaline-fueled action, making this an edgier treatment than some fans may have wanted. But that doesn’t make it a less good superhero movie.

X

Director: Ti West
Cast: Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Martin Henderson
Genre: Horror
Rating: R
Runtime: 1hr 45m
Rotten Tomatoes: 94% (Critics), 75% (Audience)

The namesake of Ti West’s “X” trilogy, X is the 2022 Mia Goth film that started it all. Set in the late 70s, the film follows a team of young filmmakers in rural Texas seeking to make an adult movie, only to be forced to fight for their lives when their hosts get wind of what they’re up to.

While it’s a relatively simple set-up for a horror movie, in West’s hands, the film is still a fun subversion of the traditional slasher, thanks in large part to great performances from Goth and Jenna Ortega.

Barbie

Director: Greta Gerwig
Cast: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera
Genre: Comedy
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1hr 54m
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% (Critics), 83% (Audience)

When Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling), leaves their pink, utopian home for the real world, the lessons they learn threaten to tear their home apart. Gosling got plenty of attention for his portrayal of the world’s most famous boyfriend — and rightfully so, as his rendition of “I’m Just Ken” was an instant hit — but it’s Robbie’s subtle transformation over the film’s story that really makes it sing.

Colorful, creative, and with plenty to say, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is a hilarious exploration of consumerism, feminism, and toxic masculinity. And now that it’s streaming, you can repeat Barbenheimer from the comfort of your couch whenever you want.

Parasite

Director: Bong Joon Ho
Cast: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Thriller
Rating: R
Runtime: 2hr 12m
Rotten Tomatoes: 99% (Critics), 90% (Audience)

In this perfectly-calibrated drama about class disparity, Bong Joon Ho tells the story of an unemployed family who become entangled with a much wealthier family. While the premise may seem straightforward, the experience of Parasite is anything but that. It’s just best to go in without much knowledge in order to get the full impact of the movie.

Parasite made history in 2020 as the first foreign language film to ever win Best Picture at the academy awards — and for good reason. If you haven’t seen it, watch it. If you have seen it, now’s as good a time as any to watch it again.

Midsommar

Director: Ari Aster
Cast: Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, William Jackson Harper
Genre: Horror
Rating: R
Runtime: 2hr 25m
Rotten Tomatoes: 83% (Critics), 63% (Audience)

How scary can a movie be that takes place in broad daylight? Well, in the case of Ari Aster’s Midsommar, the answer is pretty damn terrifying. Set in Sweden, this horror movie follows friends and anthropologists who study a remote town and the rare summer festival its inhabitants host every 90 years.

In recent years, Ari Aster has emerged as one of horror’s most exciting voices, and Midsommar is perhaps the biggest feather in his cap. You won’t be ready for Florence Pugh’s screams.

21 Jump Street

Director: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Cast: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Brie Larson
Genre: Comedy/Action
Rating: R
Runtime: 1hr 50m
Rotten Tomatoes: 85% (Critics), 83% (Audience)

A comedy from the creators of the Lego Movie and Into the Spider-Verse adapted from the 80s TV show, 21 Jump Street stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as young-looking cops who go undercover as high schoolers to tackle a drug ring. The big catch? High school is much different from when they last attended, whether they’re being forced to run relays in P.E. or causing havoc in band.

A fun take on the buddy-comedy, 21 Jump Street mines Hill and Tatum’s chemistry and new environment for plenty of laughs.

Death of a Unicorn

Director: Alex Scharfman
Cast: Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Will Poulter
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller, Comedy
Rating: R
Runtime: 1hr 44m
Rotten Tomatoes: 53% (Critics), 76% (Audience)

If you like camp and violence, there’s plenty of entertainment to mine from Death of a Unicorn. One of A24’s latest genre-bending movies, it stars Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega as a father/daughter duo who accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while traveling to a retreat in the woods for the weekend. What follows is part comedy, part fantasy adventure, and part creature feature, complete with a murderous unicorn.

Its absurd blend of carnage, mayhem, and satire makes it one-of-a-kind. Talk about a unicorn.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Edition)

Director: Peter Jackson
Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler
Genre: Fantasy/Action
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 3hr 28m
Rotten Tomatoes: 92% (Critics), 95% (Audience)

Peter Jackson’s sweeping adaptation of the beloved fantasy novels by J.R.R. Tolkien are a truly special movie experience. The care and attention to detail that went into the film’s creation shows in every frame, and as the beginning of the epic journey Fellowship of the Ring sets the rest of the trilogy up perfectly.

Perhaps the most definitive literary adaptation ever put to film, it’s a true gift that HBO lets you stream the extended editions of The Lord of the Rings trilogy without breaking out your boxed set. It’s 200 minutes well spent.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Director: Tim Burton
Cast: Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara
Genre: Comedy/Fantasy
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1hr 45m
Rotten Tomatoes: 76% (Critics), 79% (Audience)

Hot Topic kids, rejoice! Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is more than just a serviceable sequel to the cult-classic Michael Keaton film—it’s the best Tim Burton film in years.

Wacky, ghoulish, and with fresh blood thanks to a very Wednesday-esque Jenna Ortega, this sequel picks up decades after the original, with Lydia (Winona Ryder) still affected by Beetlejuice. She’s thrust back into his macabre mayhem when her daughter (Ortega) discovers a portal to the afterlife and she must travel to save her. The movie’s final act, set to the song “MacArthur Park” is Burton at his best.

Elf

Director: Jon Favreau
Cast: Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart
Genre: Comedy, Holiday
Rating: PG
Runtime: 1hr 37m
Rotten Tomatoes: 86% (Critics), 79% (Audience)

Who better to play a human raised by elves at the North Pole than Will Ferrell? In the charming Christmas comedy, Elf, Ferrell plays Buddy, who, after learning he isn’t a real elf, travels to New York City to connect with his biological family. The fish out of water (or is it “elf out of snow?”) antics are a blast to watch, with Buddy’s bright green and yellow outfit sticking out like a sore thumb amidst the muted greys and browns of NYC.

One of the best holiday films in recent decades, Elf is also funny enough to be worth watching in any winter month, even if it hits hardest in December.

The Dark Knight

Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart
Genre: Action/Crime
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2hr 32m
Rotten Tomatoes: 94% (Critics), 94% (Audience)

Perhaps the best Batman movie ever, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight is edge-of-your-seat, action-packed entertainment and then some. Anchored by a brooding Christian Bale as the titular Dark Knight, Nolan’s use of Chicago as a stand-in for Gotham City is all kinds of perfect — particularly during a thrilling vehicle sequence bathed in the orange lamplight of Lower Wacker Drive.

While its twisty plot is half the fun, the other half is the career-defining performance by Heath Ledger as the Joker. Grimy, wily, and macabre, Ledger delves to the deepest levels of depravity and still finds ways to create a three-dimensional madman in the process. Performances like these show just what a loss his death was.

Looking for more streaming recommendations? Check out our guides to the best TV shows available on Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, AppleTV+, and HBO Max, plus the best movies on Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, Disney+, and Tubi.