Max may have gone through a rebrand recently, dropping the HBO Max name and bringing in a horde of Discovery+ content, but that doesn’t mean the streaming service isn’t still a hub for great movies. In fact, Max has one of the most robust film libraries of any streamer, containing hit blockbusters and classic films in every different genre. With so many awesome movies available at the touch of a button, trying to determine the “best” on the service is a fool’s errand.
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That said, with so many different types and genres of films on Max, it’s a bit easier to break down the few best films in each of the different genres. So that’s what we aimed to do with this list. If you’re looking to sort through all of the films on Max and find the best of the best, we’ve got you covered.
Below, we’ve picked out 50 of the best movies currently available on Max and broken them down into different genres. If you’re in the mood for action, comedy, drama, sci-fi, fantasy, documentary, superheroes, horror, or even a great animated movie, there are a lot of great options on Max.
Below, you’ll find our rundown of the 50 best movies now streaming on Max. If you’re not currently subscribed to Max, you can sign up here.
Best Action Movies on Max
The Matrix (1999)
“A computer hacker joins forces with rebel warriors to battle a malevolent cyberintelligence.” (All four Matrix movies are streaming on Max)
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Joe Pantoliano
Casino Royale (2006)
“007 earns his license to kill and faces off against a ruthless financier of terrorists in Daniel Craig’s debut as James Bond.”
Starring: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Jeffrey Wright, Judi Dench
Dunkirk (2017)
“Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-winning telling of the World War II battle at Dunkirk in which 330,000 Allied troops had to be evacuated.”
Starring: Fionn Whitehead, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jack Lowden, Tom Hardy, Barry Keoghan, Mark Rylance
3:10 to Yuma (2007)
“In this riveting western remake, a rancher agrees to deliver an outlaw to justice only to be hunted by the man’s cold-blooded henchmen.”
Starring: Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Peter Fonda, Gretchen Mol, Ben Foster
Lethal Weapon (1987)
“The high-octane action classic with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as mismatched cops who take on a vicious narcotics ring.” (All four Lethal Weapon movies are streaming on Max)
Starring: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Gary Busey
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
“Tom Cruise is a soldier who continuously relives the day he was killed fighting alien forces in this futuristic sci-fi thriller.”
Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson
Best Comedies on Max
13 Going on 30 (2004)
“An uncool girl magically becomes a successful adult after making a wish at her disastrous birthday party.”
Starring: Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, Judy Greer, Andy Serkis
Burn After Reading (2008)
“The Coen brothers meld sex, spies, lies, extortion and plastic surgery to form this darkly comic concoction.”
Starring: George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins, Brad Pitt
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
“Two lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.”
Starring: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan
Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
“A silent-screen swashbuckler finds love while trying to adjust to the coming of sound.”
Starring: Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O’Connor
The Lobster (2016)
“In this pitch-black comedy, single adults must find a romantic partner within 45 days or be transformed into an animal of their choosing.”
Starring: Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Lea Seydoux, Olivia Colman, John C. Reilly
National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)
“The Griswold family set out in high spirits, ready to spend their vacation driving from Chicago to Walley World on the West Coast.”
Starring: Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Anthony Michael Hall, Dana Barron
Best DC Movies on Max
Batman Returns (1992)
“The sequel to Batman pits the caped crusader against his most fiendish opponents yet: the evil Penguin and the sinuous and mysterious Catwoman.”
Starring: Michael Keaton, Michelle Pfeiffer, Danny DeVito, Christopher Walken, Michael Gough
Superman: The Movie (1978)
“From the doomed planet of Krypton, two parents launch a spaceship carrying their infant son — with powers far beyond those of mortal men — to earth.”
Starring: Christopher Reeve Marlon Brando, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman
The Batman (2022)
“Robert Pattinson stars in the dual role of Gotham City’s vigilante detective and his alter ego, reclusive billionaire Bruce Wayne.”
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Andy Serkis, Colin Farrell
The Suicide Squad (2021)
“A superhero action adventure featuring a collection of the most degenerate delinquents in the DC lineup.”
Starring: Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, David Dastmalchian, Daniela Melchior, Peter Capaldi, Sylvester Stallone, Viola Davis
The Dark Knight (2008)
“With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to destroy organized crime in Gotham for good.” (All three of Christopher Nolan’s Batman films are streaming on Max)
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman
Birds of Prey (2020)
“When one of Gotham’s most sinister villains, Roman Sionis, puts a target on a young girl, Harley teams up with Huntress, Canary and Renee Montoya.”
Starring: Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett, Rosie Perez, Chris Messina, Ewan McGregor
Best Drama Movies on Max
Parasite (2019)
“The 2019 Academy Award-winning Best Picture follows a poor family that secretly begins to infiltrate a wealthy family’s household.”
Starring: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, Jang Hye-jin, Park Myeong-hoon, Lee Jung-eun
Casablanca (1942)
“An American saloon owner in North Africa is drawn into World War II when his lost love turns up.”
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Dooley Wilson
Eighth Grade (2018)
“Elsie Fisher shines as an anxious teen striving for acceptance while navigating her last week of eighth grade in this coming-of-age drama.”
Starring: Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton, Emily Robinson, Jake Ryan, Daniel Zolghadri
Moonlight (2016)
“This Best Picture Oscar winner traces the coming-of-age of Chiron, a Black man, through his childhood, adolescence and early adulthood.”
Starring: Mahershala Ali, Alex Hibbert, Naomie Harris, Janelle Monae, Ashton Sanders, Jharrel Jerome, Trevante Rhodes, Andre Holland
Raging Bull (1980)
“Marin Scorsese’s compelling boxing drama with Robert De Niro as Jake La Motta, a ’40s middleweight champ haunted by personal demons.”
Starring: Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci, Frank Vincent
Pulp Fiction (1994)
“Quentin Tarantino’s modern classic that weaves together a series of interrelated stories involving a quirky group of characters.”
Starring: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Maria de Madeiros, Ving Rhames, Eric Stoltz, Rosanna Arquette, Christopher Walken, Bruce Willis
Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Movies on Max
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
“James Cameron’s blockbuster sequel returns to the world of Pandora, introducing new Na’vi cultures and a range of exotic sea creatures.”
Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Cliff Curtis, Kate Winslet
Dune (2021)
“The son of a noble family travels to a dangerous planet to ensure the future of his people in this visually stunning sci-fi epic.”
Starring: Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgard, Zendaya, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
“Supercomputer HAL 9000 guides astronauts toward the origins of humanity.”
Starring: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Douglas Rain
Ex Machina (2015)
“A computer programmer is recruited to take part in an artificial intelligence experiment involving a seductive, female-gendered cyborg.”
Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, Oscar Isaac
Hellboy (2004)
Hellboy — the demon superhero rescued from the Nazis — takes on the forces of darkness in this 2004 action film.”
Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Jeffrey Tambor, Karel Roden, Rupert Evans, John Hurt
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001, 2002, 2003)
“A chosen hobbit and his loyal friends join a wizard, an elf, a dwarf and two humans on a quest to destroy a powerful ring and defeat an evil lord.” (The extended editions of all three films are also available on Max)
Starring: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Ian Mckellen, Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm, Orlando Bloom, Liv Tyler, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, John Rhys-Davies, Andy Serkis
Best Animated Movies on Max
Spirited Away (2001)
“When Chihiro is whisked away into a breathtaking world full of spirits and demons, she must use all her wits in order to free herself and her parents.”
Starring: Daveigh Chase, Jason Marsden, Suzanne Pleshette, Michael Chiklis
The LEGO Movie (2014)
“A plain LEGO figure leads a screwball quest to save his city from its evil ruler in this blockbuster animated hit.”
Starring: Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
“This all-new, original story about Batman’s most difficult battle, as well as his confrontation with a mysterious villain — the Phantasm.”
Starring: Kevin Conroy, Dana Delany, Hart Bochner, Mark Hamill, Stacy Keach
Princess Mononoke (1997)
“A cursed warrior stumbles into a bitter war between a girl raised by wolves and the people of Iron Town in this masterpiece from Hayao Miyazaki.”
Starring: Gillian Anderson, Billy Crudup, Claire Danes, Minnie Driver, Jada Pinkett Smith, Billy Bob Thornton
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
“The temptation of his former fowl-stealing life proves too tough to resist for one incorrigible fox in this animated tale.”
Starring: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson
The Bob’s Burgers Movie (2022)
“This animated film finds the Belcher family trying to keep their restaurant afloat and solve a mystery.”
Starring: H. Jon Benjamin, Kristen Schaal, John Roberts, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, Larry Murphy, Zach Galifinakis, Kevin Kline, David Wain
Best Horror Movies on Max
Barbarian (2022)
“A woman agrees to split her Airbnb rental for a night with a mysterious male guest, setting off a nightmarish twist of events.”
Starring: Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgard, Justin Long
Sinister (2012)
“Crime novelist Ellison Oswald uncovers a box of mysterious home movies that seem to point to unspeakable terrors, he unlocks a nightmare.”
Starring: Ethan Hawke Clare Foley, Fred Thompson, James Ransone
Child’s Play (1988)
“A serial killer transfers his blood-thirsty soul into the body of a doll and terrorizes a little boy and his mother in this shocker.”
Starring: Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon
Hereditary (2018)
“After the death of her mentally ill mother, a woman and her family uncover their evil lineage.”
Starring: Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro, Mallory Bechtel, Ann Dowd, Gabriel Byrne
The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
“It’s old-school horror with a modern twist in this inventive tale that finds a group of college students facing horrors at a remote cabin.”
Starring: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kanz, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford, Sigourney Weaver
The Conjuring (2013)
“A family calls on supernatural investigators Ed & Lorraine Warren for help against a terrifying evil in their house.”
Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Ron Livingston, Lili Taylor
Best Documentaries on Max
“Explore the creative, musical and spiritual journey of David Bowie in this cinematic and sonic portrait of the music legend.”
Home Videos (2019)
“Jerrod Carmichael explores aspects of the Black experience through interviews with his family in this special.”
Amazing Grace (2018)
“A documentary presenting Aretha Franklin with choir at the New Bethel Baptist Church in Watts, Los Angeles, in January 1972.”
Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off (2022)
“Showcasing Tony Hawk’s pure joy in skateboarding, this documentary takes an all-encompassing look at his life and legendary career.”
Hoop Dreams (1994)
“A chronicle of the lives and high-school carers of two inner-city youths who both harbor legitimate hopes of playing professional basketball.”
All That Breathes (2022)
“Follow the kite brothers and their quixotic effort to protect the majestic black kite in New Delhi, India, in this Oscar-nominated film.”
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Images courtesy of Sony Pictures and Amazon MGM Studios
