HBO Max: The 10 best movies to watch this weekend – CNET [CNET]

May 23, 2021 Thomas Giboney technology

david — Comedy-drama The Personal history of David Copperfield stars Dev Patel.

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For a relatively new streamer, HBO Max already boasts a ton of content, from a selection of its premium HBO offerings to classics from the Criterion Collection. Armando Iannucci’s wonderfully entertaining comedy-drama The Personal History Of David Copperfield hit the streamer earlier this month, so definitely give that a watch if you haven’t already.

This list narrows the rest of the content down to the newer HBO Max Originals, of which there are a handful of quality films. Plus, blockbusters Tenet and Wonder Woman 1984, which hit HBO Max earlier in the year as part of WarnerMedia’s simultaneous theatrical and streaming release plan. See more details on what else is to come further down.

Superhero

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

Fan of the ’80s? Including that filmmaking style? The sequel to Wonder Woman leans hard into its inspirations, which will either take you back to pleasingly simple versions of adventure and heroism, or really annoy you with a nonsensical plot and slow pace. Gal Gadot’s Diana Prince hasn’t moved on from Steve Trevor’s (Chris Pine) death, working at the Smithsonian where an ancient artefact kicks off a world of trouble and forces her to make a few hard decisions. Kristen Wiig and Pedro Pascal are new additions to the cast. Colorful, lightweight escapism.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)

See at HBO Max

Thriller

Tenet (2020)

Warner Bros.

If ever there was a movie that improves with multiple rewatches, it’s Tenet. Thanks to its release on HBO Max, you can now understand the plot that goes with its spectacular visuals. John David Washington stars as the Protagonist, whose name is a subtle hint to his James Bond mission to prevent a world-destroying attack — from the future. The Protagonist learns to manipulate the flow of time with the help of Robert Pattinson’s debonair Neil. Possibly the most Christopher Nolan of Christopher Nolan movies, Tenet is as entertaining as it is cerebral.