2020 marked the arrival of yet another streaming service to the battle for supremacy. HBO Max joined Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+, and many others. It actually made quite the early impact due to an impressive catalog of films and television shows spanning the past few decades.
One of the most notable things to happen regarding HBO Max was their deal with Warner Bros. Several major films will hit the streaming service on the same day that they arrive in theaters. It will mostly come to fruition in 2021 but was part of 2020 as well. For the sake of this list, they will be considered HBO Max original movies, alongside the other films to go directly to the service.
Superintelligence (5.3)
The combination of Ben Falcone and Melissa McCarthy has been a pretty great one over the years. From the married couple's iconic scene on a plane in Bridesmaids to him directing her in Tammy, The Boss, and Life of the Party, they usually deliver funny work whenever they get together.
2020 saw them join forces again for Superintelligence, released on November 26. The action comedy is about a powerful A.I. system (voiced by James Corden) that ultimately chooses to study Carol Peters (McCarthy), a totally average woman. As it attempts to enslave the world, she must prove that humans should be saved. Reviews were lackluster, scoring a 29% on Rotten Tomatoes, and being considered forgettable.
The Witches (5.3)
In 1990, the original The Witches was released. Based on a Roald Dahl book of the same name, it has become a cult classic and many audience members recall how terrifyingly creepy the titular witches were. Thirty years later, on October 22, a remake starring Anne Hathaway hit HBO Max.
The premise sees a group of evil witches who masquerade as regular women and wants to kill children. Hathaway's performance was mostly praised and with Robert Zemeckis directing, you might've expected a better response. Alas, the whole thing was considered inferior to the original. Not even Octavia Spencer and Chris Rock being part of the cast could save it from a lackluster IMDb rating and a 49% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Wonder Woman 1984 (5.5)
The arrival of Wonder Woman 1984 to HBO Max was a huge deal. The DCEU blockbuster had been delayed several times and was put on the streaming service on the same day that it hit theaters, December 25. The anticipated sequel managed to land a disappointing 60% on Rotten Tomatoes but the IMDb rating was even lower.
While certain aspects were praised, many others lacked. Gal Gadot and most of the cast performed well, while the Hans Zimmer score was great. However, it was considered overly long, had a convoluted plot, lacked action, and Diana herself didn't come across as the strong kind of woman that she needed to be. Regardless, a third installment is in the works.
An American Pickle (5.7)
So far, things have had mediocre ratings on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes. This is a bit different. An American Pickle, which was HBO Max's first original movie hitting on August 6, actually has a pretty strong 73% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics seemed to appreciate this but audiences were less interested in the ridiculous comedy.
An American Pickle stars Seth Rogen as an Eastern European Jewish immigrant worker at a pickle factory who accidentally gets preserved in a vat of pickles for a century. He wakes up in modern-day Brooklyn and connects with his last living descendant, also played by Rogen.
Let Them All Talk (6.1)
It's the first film on the list to actually be considered "certified fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes (89%) and score over a 6.0 on IMDb. Let Them All Talk shined immediately when you look at the cast. Meryl Streep leading anything is usually going to be something worth checking out.
The same goes for something directed by Steven Soderbergh. Arriving on December 10, Let Them All Talk follows a famous author (Streep) who embarks on a cruise with her friends and nephew while coming to terms with issues from her past. The direction and cast were praised, as was the mostly improvised dialogue.
Unpregnant (6.2)
The second HBO Max original movie to arrive debuted on September 10. Unpregnant is a delightful film that blends genres like comedy, buddy road trip, drama, and coming-of-age tales. The chemistry between leads Haley Lu Richardson (Five Feet Apart) and Barbie Ferreira (Kat from HBO's Euphoria) was met with almost universal acclaim.
Also scoring an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, Unpregnant focuses on a Missouri teen who travels to New Mexico with her former friend to get an out of state abortion. Along the way, they deal with their relationship, history, and all sorts of roadblocks. The likes of Giancarlo Esposito and Breckin Meyer have small supporting parts.
Charm City Kings (6.4)
The second of two "certified fresh" films on Rotten Tomatoes (81%) tops the list in terms of IMDb score. Released on October 8 to HBO Max, nearly ten months after it first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, Charm City Kings shines a rare light on the world of dirt bike culture.
An adaptation of the 2013 documentary 12 O'Block Boys, this film follows a fourteen-year-old who wants nothing more than to join an infamous group of dirt bikers in Baltimore. The film was also recently in the news as one of the supporting actors was charged with murder. On a more positive note, the performances were praised, with rapper Meek Mill and Wandavision star Teyonah Parris being among them.