We love HBO Max so much that we call it the best streaming service. Sure, HBO Max had a rocky 2022, but this year’s seen it stay strong with the fantastic The Last of Us series while adding enough critically adored films that we’re raising the bar for what gets included in our round-up of top new movies.
All of this helps us make sure the best HBO Max movies is stocked with new options. And so we love to curate a monthly list of the newly added films with superb Rotten Tomatoes scores. The reviews aggregator analyzes critics’ reviews to give you a numerical score that summarizes what percentage of the critical mass favors a movie. This time, we’re using 90% (basically an A-) as the cut-off point for which HBO Max movies to feature.
So, fire up HBO Max and pop some popcorn, because our list is all you need to find the right movie for you to watch tonight. Here are the top new to HBO Max movies to stream right now.
Creed (2015)
How did director Ryan Coogler do it? Creed is the least likely of spinoff films, taking the unknown son of Apollo Creed and turning him into a prize fighter. Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) has come to Philadelphia to find his future through his father’s past rival. Yes, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) himself is still around, even though he isn’t eager to bring the son into the arena where his father died in the ring.
Not only does Creed succeed as a film thanks to the amazing chemistry between Jordan and Sly, but it’s a phenomenal film for both old and new audiences. The start of a new franchise, Coogler’s film is electric with its energy and looks fantastic. And Creed even offers a successor to the “running up the steps” scene, in a powerfully motivating run through the streets of Philly.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
Genre: Sports drama
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Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
If you’ve just finished Minority Report (one of the best movies on Netflix right now), and you’re in the mood for more Tom Cruise, then you need to see the under-seen (at least by my count) Edge of Tomorrow. In it, Cruise plays military officer William Cage who’s been leading the charge against aliens — but only through propaganda. Now, though, he’s being thrown into the field. Where he dies. Hilariously, though, Cage finds himself in a Groundhog Day-like experience, as he keeps restarting from the point of enlisting. Fortunately, a war hero named Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt) may be able to crack the code for what’s going on.
Applauded for its clever script and sense of humor, Edge of Tomorrow is the perfect answer to a question nobody ever asked: “what if movies were more like Halo?” Consistently entertaining, Edge of Tomorrow is one of those movies you shouldn’t sleep on if you missed it in theaters.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Genre: Sci-fi action
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Force Majeure (2014)
Also known as Turist, Force Majeure is a thriller that throws a Swedish family into a fancy ski resort at the wrong time. Because when they think everything’s hunky dory, the elements seemingly conspire to throw their vacation into disarray. Oh, and if this kind of vacation chaos sounds familiar, that’s because it’s from Ruben Östlund, director of Triangle of Sadness (one of the best new movies on Hulu for this month).
Those who have seen Triangle of Sadness know what to expect: the elements provide a means of shattering the humans around it, and exposing the underlying tensions. Nobody is judged, but none of them escape unscathed, either. Hilarious, thought-provoking and utterly gripping, Force Majeure is one to watch.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
Genre: Comedic drama
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Gravity (2013)
Sandra Bullock’s characters have survived so much over the years that Gravity’s director, co-producer and co-writer Alfonso Cuarón realized she had to get jettisoned into outer space. Here, she’s Dr. Ryan Stone, a medical engineer helping an aging astronaut (George Clooney) on his final mission before hanging up his moon boots.
But when the mission goes wrong, Stone is set into a wild situation where she has to — somehow — survive. Fantastic and immersive CGI (in theaters, Gravity was one of the few great 3D movies ever), combined with the personal stories that Bullock and Clooney’s characters are endurring, make for an intense triumph of cinema.
Genre: Science-fiction
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
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Milk (2008)
Director Gus Van Sant and star Sean Penn, both somewhat in need of a win, needed to make the movie Milk. The film documents the life story of Harvey Milk, America’s first openly gay man elected to public office, back in 1977. The film shows us both sides of his situation, with his strong campaign, ascension to office and the dark twisted hate that stood against him.
Penn got the majority of the applause for his work, but Milk wouldn’t work without the assembled ensemble. Strong performances from Emile Hirsh, Diego Luna and James Franco make Milk feel more like a historical document about a moment and a community than any mere biopic.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Genre: Historical drama
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Casino Royale (2006)
Daniel Craig’s time as 007 may have had a rough ending, but it’s best known for its critically-acclaimed opening. 2006’s Casino Royale was the reboot that the James Bond franchise kind of needed, introducing Craig as Bond during his first mission. With a freshly minted license to kill, Bond goes up against one of his best villains ever in the bloody-eyed Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen).
A slightly simplified affair, this remodeled Bond isn’t quippy, and he isn’t carrying a lab’s worth of tech either. Instead, Bond is armed with a strong script and an intense performance, and he slayed critics everywhere with both. It didn’t hurt that he was alongside Mikkelsen and the inimitable Dame Judi Dench.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
Genre: Action/espionage
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The Accused (1988)
As difficult to watch as it is important in cinematic history, The Accused put Jodie Foster in the role of Sarah Tobias, a woman raped by three men. The assault took place in a bar, with an audience of cheering booze-soaked customers in attendance. And when District Attorney Katherine Murphy (Kelly McGillis) takes Tobias’ case, a new struggle forms as DA Murphy doesn’t believe that she can get a conviction — while Sarah won’t settle for less.
A film I still remember watching for a Gender Studies class in college, The Accused is artfully made and devastatingly depressing. While younger audiences may see it as a document of a terrible point in our history as a society, all will have a hard time denying Foster’s powerful performance.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
Genre: Drama
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