TechRadar's best Max movies guide is packed with some of the top films ever made and they are continuously adding great titles to its huge library. Warner Bros. Discovery owns Max, which explains why it's filled with the century-spanning back catalogue of one of the most successful studios in Hollywood history.
Looking at the varied selection of quality content in its catalog, it's clear why Max is one of the best streaming services around. In our list below, you'll find an epic list filled with recent blockbusters alongside indie hits and timeless classics, all chosen by our resident film experts.
New titles are added to Max all the time, so be sure to read our guide to new Max movies to see the freshest films or if you want to see the full collection and check out everything new on Max in December 2024 to see what new shows are coming up too, as well as our best Max shows guide for our top picks.
Best action movies on Max
The Suicide Squad
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RT score: 90%
Age rating: R
Director: James Gunn
When Marvel and Disney briefly removed James Gunn from Guardians of the Galaxy 3, DC swooped in and gave him a writing/directing gig on this quasi-sequel to 2016’s mediocre Suicide Squad. Confusingly, it was titled The Suicide Squad but in this case the definite article was entirely justified. Given free rein to keep or discard characters and continuity as he pleased, Gunn shaped a hilariously funny, frequently rude tale of memorably amoral supervillains on a mission to eliminate a giant pink starfish. DC were so impressed that they allowed Gunn to make spin-off series Peacemaker (one of the best Max shows), and then hired him to co-manage all their future movie and TV output.
The Dark Knight trilogy
RT scores: 85% for Batman Begins; 94% for The Dark Knight; 87% for The Dark Knight Rises
Age rating: PG-13
Director: Christopher Nolan
After the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) became widely accepted as the benchmark for superhero movies, many people forgot how radical – and brilliant – Christopher Nolan’s Batman film trilogy was. Crafting a dark-and-moody Gotham City nearly two decades before Robert Pattinson got soaked in The Batman, Nolan’s decision to ground the Caped Crusader in a believable world proved a masterstroke. Always a mainstay on our list of the best Max movies, Batman Begins remains one of cinema’s great origin stories, while follow-up The Dark Knight is an ambitious crime thriller that would probably have won numerous major awards if its protagonist didn’t dress up as a giant bat. The Dark Knight Rises isn’t quite the closer the trilogy deserves, but the series still stands up as the pinnacle of DC storytelling on the big screen. See where each film placed in our Christopher Nolan movies ranked and best Batman movies pieces.
The Batman
RT score: 85%
Age rating: PG-13
Director: Matt Reeves
Not even Spider-Man can compete with the Caped Crusader when it comes to big screen reinventions. This movie doubles down on the Dark Knight’s reputation as the World’s Greatest Detective, with a labyrinthine, noir-ish mystery that borrows as much from Seven as the Dark Knight's previous screen outings. Robert Pattinson is a suitably angsty Bruce Wayne, while Paul Dano’s chilling reinvention of classic villain the Riddler adds extra edge. Learn more about the Dark Knight's cinematic history in our guide on how to watch the Batman movies in order. And if you want even more, you won't want to miss The Penguin.
Mad Max: Fury Road
RT score: 97%
Age rating: R
Director: George Miller
While action blockbusters aren’t traditionally regarded as art, the ingeniously choreographed stuntwork of Fury Road ensured even the most highbrow critics had to give the fourth Mad Max movie its due. After a lengthy and troubled production (excellently documented in author Kyle Buchanan’s Blood, Sweat & Chrome), director George Miller built an entire movie around a single madcap chase across a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Although the movie bears the character’s name, Tom Hardy’s Max is relegated to a monosyllabic supporting player, leaving a magnificent Charlize Theron to take the lead as the heroic Imperator Furiosa.
Best comedy movies on Max
Wonka
RT score: 82%
Age rating: PG
Director: Paul King
Few were calling out for Roald Dahl’s legendary chocolatier to be given his own origin story musical, but the creative team behind the brilliant Paddington movies conjured up a suitably tasty concoction. While not quite as endearing as the Peruvian bear’s adventures in London, Wonka uses similar feelgood ingredients to explain how the eponymous hero went from idealistic dreamer to the most famous candyman in the world. Dune star Timothée Chalamet is excellent as Willy Wonka, delivering the witty songs (written by the Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon) in style, while finding the right levels of wide-eyed wonder. A-list support comes from Olivia Colman as the villainous owner of a boarding house, and Hugh Grant as a very cynical Oompa-Loompa.
Barbie
RT score: 88%
Age rating: PG-13
Director: Greta Gerwig
From Transformers and GI Joe to The Lego Movie, Hollywood has been taking inspiration from kids’ toyboxes for years. Never, however, have we seen anything quite like Barbie, a movie that’s simultaneously a multi-million-dollar commercial for a doll, and a witty, sophisticated examination of 21st century feminism. Margot Robbie is brilliant as the classic, stereotypical Barbie who goes through something of an existential crisis when she realizes she’s actually a child's plaything. Desperate to get her life back on track she takes a trip to the real world but – unfortunately for her – longtime boyfriend Ken (a similarly excellent Ryan Gosling) also hitches a ride, becoming a plastic embodiment of toxic masculinity along the way. Director Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird, Little Women) navigates the movie’s many tonal shifts with fun, style and a smart satirical eye. Indeed, having dominated the global box-office in 2023, the impressively self-aware Barbie is destined to be the subject of academic essays for years to come.
Best drama movies on Max
Priscilla
RT score: 84%
Age rating: R
Director: Sofia Coppola
The ideal companion piece to Elvis, this biopic (from Lost in Translation and Marie Antoinette director Sofia Coppola) shifts the focus to Presley’s wife, Priscilla. Based on Priscilla Presley’s memoir Elvis and Me, the movie follows her journey from a teen besotted with a much older guy (who just happens to be the most famous man in the world), through their difficult marriage and painful divorce. Cailee Spaeny (Alien: Romulus) delivers a star-making turn as Priscilla, who finds that living with the king of rock 'n' roll is not all it’s cracked up to be. Meanwhile, Euphoria and Saltburn's Jacob Elordi shows the darker sides of Elvis in a similarly excellent performance as Priscilla’s famous husband.
Behind the Candelabra
RT score: 94%
Age rating: PG-13
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Although Michael Douglas spent much of the ’80s and ’90s in chiselled leading man mode, the 21st century has seen him morph into one of Hollywood’s finest character actors. His multi-award-winning performance as legendary pianist Liberace – a man who didn’t believe in understatement – in Behind the Candelabra is one of the undoubted highlights of his long career. The star gets A-list support from Matt Damon as Liberace’s boyfriend, a younger man who finds himself trapped in a bizarre, acrimonious hell when the musician tries to mould him in his own image. Douglas’s Traffic director Steven Soderbergh tells the story in typically accomplished style.
Best fantasy movies on Max
The Lord of the Rings trilogy
RT score: 92% for The Fellowship of the Ring; 95% for The Two Towers; 94% for The Return of the King
Age rating: PG-13
Director: Peter Jackson
The Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of those rare movie series where everything – and everyone – came together in the right place at the right time. How different history could have been had New Line not trusted director Peter Jackson’s vision, and allowed him to film all three movies back-to-back in his native New Zealand – the perfect real-world stand-in for J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. In Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, Jackson found the ideal co-writers to translate J.R.R. Tolkien’s sprawling novels to the screen, while the visual effects geniuses at Weta discovered many groundbreaking ways to make a magical world feel real. Jackson also found the right performers for every iconic role, from Gandalf to Gollum, Elrond to Eowyn. Without The Lord of the Rings, there’d be no The Witcher, no Game of Thrones, and certainly no The Rings of Power, which will forever be judged against what Jackson achieved two decades ago.
Spirited Away
RT score: 96%
Age rating: PG
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
If you're new to Studio Ghibli, Spirited Away is an excellent place to start and it is my personal favourite out of them all (so far!). Here, a young girl finds herself at an abandoned amusement park inhabited by supernatural beings. But it's not fun and games, as she learns she must work to free her parents who have been turned into pigs. Though it does have some weird moments (not a bad thing, to be clear!) and some disturbing imagery, it is a fantastical and fun movie that needs to be seen to be believed. It's always hard to fully define a Ghibli movie, but what I will say is it's very worth your time.
The Wizard of Oz
RT score: 98%
Age rating: G
Director: Victor Fleming and King Vidor
There really is no place like home, and for a lot of people (myself included), the magical land of Oz will always give that cozy familiar feeling you're looking for. The Wizard of Oz is top comfort movie material and a timeless technicolor masterpiece that has continued to delight audiences time and time again since it was first released in 1939 (the movie is one of Rowan Davies' four all-time favorite films on Leterboxd). Even if you haven't seen the classic film, you've most likely heard one of the songs from the musical (Judy Garland's Over the Rainbow is unforgettable) or know of one of the wonderfully weird characters from L. Frank Baum's original novel. This is an undoubted classic and one you won't want to miss.
Best horror movies on Max
I Saw the TV Glow
RT score: 84%
Age rating: PG-13
Director: Jane Schoenbrun
I Saw the TV Glow remains my favourite film of 2024 so far. I know, I still need to get through October, and I'll no doubt have a lot of horror to devour over the coming weeks. But for now, I can tell you why you absolutely need to watch this movie. And if you need further convincing, check out this heartfelt piece from my colleague Rowan Davies. If you're anything like me, when you love something, you love it intensely. That's what happens when two teenagers bond over a supernatural TV series called The Pink Opaque. But soon enough, their mutual obsession with the show reveals a much bigger truth. Is everything really as it seems?
Evil Dead Rise
RT score: 85%
Age rating: R
Director: Lee Cronin
Horror is a genre I never usually choose when I'm looking for a movie to watch, but there was something about Evil Dead Rise that made my horror-phobic self willing to be petrified just this once. Evil Dead Rise is the fifth installment to the acclaimed Evil Dead franchise by Sam Raimi. In the movie, a reunion between two estranged sisters, Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) and Beth (Lily Sullivan) turns into a bloody fight for survival when an earthquake uncovers flesh-possessing demons in her apartment. Trust me when I say this is absolutely terrifying, even just thinking about it gets my heart pounding with its grotesque goriness. Evil Dead is also available to stream on Max and here are the two Evil Dead movies you should start with.
Best romance movies on Max
A Star is Born
RT Score: 90%
Age rating: R
Director: Bradley Cooper
I'm fussy when it comes to romance but I cry every time I watch A Star is Born. This version, led by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, marks the fourth time this movie has been adapted but it's no less brilliant than its predecessors. Here, we follow an alcoholic musician who discovers and falls in love with a young singer named Ally. What follows is a deep and emotional portrait of fame, addiction and love, elevated by two great central performances. You will need tissues for this one but I can't recommend it enough. Oh, and the soundtrack is great too!
Casablanca
RT score: 99%
Age rating: PG
Director: Michael Curtiz
It’s no accident that Casablanca regularly features on lists of the greatest movies of all time, because this wartime classic is proof that they really don’t make them like they used to. Humphrey Bogart is the bar owner whose life is turned upside down when an old flame (played by Ingrid Bergman) arrives in town with her new husband (Paul Henreid), a key figure in the resistance in Europe. Both a love story for the ages and a cunning piece of 1940s propaganda – the importance of sacrifice in wartime is a major theme – Casablanca is much imitated but never bettered. Endlessly quotable and exquisitely acted, if you haven’t seen it you must remember this: put it on your best Max movies watchlist immediately.
Best sci-fi movies on Max
2001: A Space Odyssey
RT score: 92%
Age rating: G
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Nearly a decade ahead of Star Wars – and a year before humans walked on the Moon – Stanley Kubrick expanded the possibilities of big-screen space travel. Where science fiction had traditionally been the preserve of schlocky B-movies, the legendary director assembled a spectacular vision of a future where beautiful ships glide elegantly through space to a score of classical music – and, at key moments, dead silence. But beyond the hardware, this big-screen riff on Arthur C Clarke's short story ‘The Sentinel’ asks huge philosophical questions about the origins of our species, and where we might be going next. Just don't ask us to ever remove 2001: A Space Odyssey from our best Max movies guide. In the words of HAL 9000: we're afraid we can't do that.
Dune: Part Two
RT score: 92%
Age rating: PG-13
Director: Denis Villeneuve
The highly-anticipated sequel to the 2021 movie Dune is the second of the two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert's 1965 sci-fi novel Dune. Dune: Part Two continues right where the first movie left off and follows the story of Paul Atreides who joins the Fremen people to fight against the evil House Harkonnen. Denis Villeneuve has done incredible things with his adaptation of Herbert's epic story. The cinematography is truly stunning, the atmosphere sinister, dramatic and filled with wonder and the script should keep fans of the book very happy. Performances from all of the cast are incredible too, especially Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Zendaya as Chani, a Fremen warrior, and Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Paul's Bene Gesserit mother. Whether you're already a fan of Dune or you're new to the sprawling sci-fi saga, movie lovers are going to enjoy Dune: Part Two immensely. It's a long way off, but if you love the sequel, you'll be glad to hear that a prequel series about the Bene Gesserit called Dune: Prophecy is set to arrive on Max later this year.
RoboCop
RT score: 92%
Age rating: R
Director: Paul Verhoeven
The 1980s was Hollywood’s ultimate era of violence and excess, and mainstream cinema doesn’t come more violent and excessive than RoboCop. Director Paul Verhoeven’s first US film is also a state-of-the-art sci-fi classic, a super-smart satire on capitalism and 20th century America masquerading as a big, dumb action movie. Peter Weller plays the ordinary cop who, after being fatally wounded by a sadistic gang, is transformed into the eponymous cyborg police officer. What follows is a classic tale of revenge wrapped up in witty one-liners, memorable villains, and lots and lots of blood. The less fun 2014 reboot, starring Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton and Samuel L. Jackson, is available on Max, too.
The Martian
RT score: 91%
Age rating: PG-13
Director: Ridley Scott
Matt Damon stranded in space, again?! I hear you, and while this sci-fi masterpiece doesn't quite hit the highs that Interstellar does, The Martian is no less iconic. Based on the fantastic novel of the same name by Andy Weir, one of the best hard sci-fi writers around, the movie follows Dr Mark Watney as he tries to survive on Mars after being left behind by his crew. Damon puts on a hilarious performance as a space pirate trying to get back home to Earth, going as far to use his botanist skills to cultivate the first ever harvest of potatoes on the red planet. It's a lighthearted watch and one you'll no doubt want to return to for its razor-sharp script.
Best thriller movies on Max
Parasite
RT score: 99%
Age rating: R
Director: Bong Joon-ho
There were few arguments when Parasite won Best Picture at the 2020 Oscars. After all, the South Korean movie – the first ever non-English language winner of the prestigious prize – is the sort of film that sears itself onto your brain from the first time you see it. On one level it’s the story of a down-on-their-luck family who con their way into working for a rich household, but there’s much more to it than that. Writer/director Bong Joon-ho (The Host, Snowpiercer, Okja) crafts an ingenious social satire about the haves and the have-nots in modern society, and keeps your sympathies shifting as you try to decide who the real parasites are. It also manages to be extremely funny while packing an emotional punch when it needs to.
Love Lies Bleeding
RT score: 94%
Age rating: R
Director: Rose Glass
I know I'm in for a good time when it comes to A24 films and the indie production company's next winning project arrived in the form of queer slasher Love Lies Bleeding. Set in the backdrop of 1980s bodybuilder culture, Love Lies Bleeding follows the love story between gym manager Lou (Kristen Stewart) and bodybuilder Jackie (Katy O'Brian). They instantly fall for each other and plan to leave town, but the couple become embroiled in the dark world of Lou's criminal family where love and violence soon collide. Love Lies Bleeding is powered by the scene-stealing performances of the talented Stewart and O'Brian which make this a gripping romantic thriller.
How we choose the best Max movies
Max is home to over 2,000 movies and 1,300 TV shows to watch, so they've got quite the library for you to scroll through. Not all are worth your time either, so we've worked hard to curate the best ones. To be picked as one of the best to stream on the service and be included in this guide, a movie must have a Rotten Tomatoes score from the critics of at least 80%, be available to stream on Max in the US and recommended by one of the members of the TechRadar streaming team.
This is by no means an exhaustive list and we'll continue to add to the guide as new movies get added to the service, while also making sure to remove any that don't fit the above criteria. As more movies get added on a regular basis, we’ll be sure to keep this updated. So, be sure to check back. And, if you’re not a subscriber and are considering it, here’s a guide to Max that’s packed with useful information on signing up.
For more Max-based coverage, read our guides on the best Max shows, The Last of Us season 2 and Euphoria season 3.
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