Considering HBO is known for being the gold standard when it comes to storytelling and production on TV, the same can't exactly be said for HBO Max. Though the TV network is always ahead of the curve, HBO Max is lagging behind in movies compared to its competitors like Amazon Prime and AppleTV+.
The streaming service is still trying its best, as the films uploaded so far have this generation's best actors and directors attached. However, not even Meryl Streep can help, as most of the platform's movies don't even come close to reaching a 7.0 on IMDb.
Locked Down (2021) - 5.2
Locked Down is one of the very first of an inevitable string of quarantine-based movies. The British comedy is relatable, as there are countless jokes about zoom calls, working from home, and drinking a glass of wine while working, but it's also low-hanging fruit.
With there being easy jokes aimed at COVID hoarders, Larry David did it much better in the new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Then, all of a sudden, halfway through the movie, it suddenly changes from a COVID comedy to a heist caper. And with Locked Down staring both Anne Hathaway and Mindy Kaling, it feels like Ocean's Eight-lite.
The Witches (2020) - 5.3
Up to this point, HBO Max doesn't have any other four-quadrant kind of movie in its exclusive catalog. Together with Warner Bros., HBO Max pulled out all the stops, putting celebrated and seasoned director Robert Zemeckis at the helm, casting Anne Hathaway in the lead role, and remaking a massively popular 1990s movie.
Unfortunately, a winning formula like that doesn't always work. The Witches proves that making movies isn't just some kind of algorithm where an acclaimed director + an award-winning actor × an existing property = a blockbuster hit. Audiences thought the movie was forgettable and that the original Witches is still better.
Superintelligence (2020) - 5.4
Though Melissa McCarthy is one of the most bankable comedy actors there is, she's had a string of failures recently, whether it's the 2021 superhero movie Thunder Force or the 2019 crime caper The Kitchen. And sandwiched between them is the just as badly received HBO Max exclusive Superintelligence.
The movie follows an artificial intelligence that wants to wipe out the whole of mankind. Ironically, for a movie about artificial life and a character trying to explain to the superintelligence what's so great about humanity, viewers found the film lifeless.
An American Pickle (2020) - 5.7
An American Pickle stands out in Seth Rogen's filmography, as there's some kind of concept that goes further than him simply getting high on a couch and making jokes. The movie is about an Eastern European Jewish immigrant from the early 1900s, but he wakes up in modern-day New York after being preserved in a vat of pickles.
Though the concept didn't quite catch on with general audiences, ironically, critics enjoyed it a lot more. And while its premise is a little hard to get on board with, it's full of soul, has a surprisingly great dual-performance from the comedian, and it could go down as Seth Rogen's best movie.
Let Them All Talk (2020) - 6.1
As he is such a prolific director, there are so many overlooked Steven Soderbergh movies, and it looks like the 2020 movie Let Them All Talk is going to be added to the list. The film follows a writer who takes a trip with some old friends that she hasn't seen in years, and the result is a perfectly serviceable comedy-drama.
Where streaming services are doing everything they can to gain subscribers, casting Meryl Streep in an HBO Max exclusive movie was one of the service's biggest moves. But some think the network wasted the prestige casting, as the movie feels weightless, and compared to Streep's filmography, completely inconsequential.
Unpregnant (2020) - 6.3
Of all the HBO Max original movies, Unpregnant is the most typical HBO movie, as it unashamedly tackles hot potato subject matter. The movie sees a pregnant teenager unable to get an abortion in her home state of Missouri, so she takes a road trip to Albuquerque instead.
Unfortunately, the movie didn't land well with general audiences because, for a comedy, the laughs are fairly sparse. But Unpregnant still has a hopeful spirit about it and its strong social message doesn't feel forced.
No Sudden Move (2021) - 6.5
Stephen Soderbergh works at an alarmingly fast rate, as he's one of the few directors who has released more than one movie a year, and he's done so on several occasions. That was no different with his two projects for HBO Max, as Let Them All Talk and No Sudden Move were released just six months apart.
However, they are two completely different films. Where the Meryl Streep-starring movie is a comedy, No Sudden Move is a period crime thriller. It's more in Soderbergh's wheelhouse, as it sees an ensemble cast of criminals who are forced to work together under mysterious circumstances. But it still doesn't hold a candle to the director's crime classics like Ocean's Eleven.
Charm City Kings (2020) - 6.7
One thing most of the HBO Max original movies are lacking in is excitement, but Charm City Kings almost makes up for it. The movie is an adrenaline-fuelled, high-octane thrill ride that follows the Midnight Clique, a crew of dirt-bike riders.
The film was mostly criticized for being predictable, but it's still thoroughly entertaining. And though it isn't quite The Fast and the Furious, though it isn't saying much, it's one of the best movies about biker gangs and racing. It blows the cheesy Torque out of the water and it leaves Biker Boyz in the dust.
Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) - 8.1
Though Zack Snyder's Justice League came to fruition after fans famously started campaigning for the "Snyder Cut" on Twitter, its whole existence is thanks to HBO Max. It had a limited theatrical run, but the movie was greenlit so it could be a major tentpole in the streaming service's exclusive content. Even its format is made for streaming services, as the movie is an epic four hours long and is split into chapters.
But in the end, the film is better than the original theatrical version by leaps and bounds. It makes more sense, it's more exciting, and it no longer has the jarring color grade saturation. However, it still leaves HBO Max subscribers desperately wanting a great, truly original exclusive movie.