The 10 best movies on HBO you can watch right now

Whether you get HBO via its traditional cable channel or through the HBO Max streaming service, the premium movie and TV service has many amazing movies. The selection of HBO films changes monthly, so we are here to find the best ones for you.

Read more: What’s new on HBO Max

The best movies on HBO:

Editor’s note: We will regularly update this list of the best movies on HBO as new ones are released on the streaming service.

It

Stephen King’s last name is explanatory of his position in the world of horror. His scary novels are beat by none, and It is one of his best works. The movie adaptation (and remake) easily makes it to this list of the best movies on HBO.

Pennywise is back, and more hungry than ever. His 27-year absence has surely helped him build up an appetite for children, and someone must do something about it. A group of bullied kids is up to the task, and they must find the courage to face this shape-shifting beast.

Argo

This 2012 movie won the Best Picture Oscar for that year, and it’s easy to see why. It tells the true story of a part of the 1979 Iran hostage crisis kept secret for years. During the fall of the Shah of Iran, six members of the US embassy in the country managed to find sanctuary in the neighboring Canadian embassy. The US government wanted to get the workers out of Iran before the followers of Ayatollah Khomeini found them. The film shows how that was accomplished in a very different way that we won’t spoil here. Ben Affleck, who stars in and directed Argo, tells an excellent tale that would sound like a Hollywood spy movie if it wasn’t real.

Kill Bill Vol. 1/Vol. 2

We are combining both of these movies into one entry on our list, because it’s basically one really long film. It’s also, without a doubt, one of the best movies on HBO. Directed by Quentin Tarantino, this tribute to Japanese kung-fu and samurai flicks actually elevates those genres to a new level. Uma Thurman is perfect as “The Bride,” a member of a group of assassins lead by Bill, played by David Carradine. However, we soon learn that “The Bride” decides to leave the group to have a normal life. Her former teammates find her, attack her and leave her for dead. In fact, she was in a coma, and she’s out for revenge against every single one of them, especially Bill. With some time-twisty storytelling, some excellent action sequences, and even an anime sequence, these two films must be watched.

Rocky

It’s sometimes hard to forget that the Rocky series of movies began with this under-the-radar 1976 film. The story of Rocky Balboa, a small-time boxer who suddenly finds himself fighting against the world’s heavyweight champion, may be the ultimate in sports underdog stories. The movie itself is a successful underdog story. Its star, Sylvester Stallone, wrote the script for the movie as well, and his performance, the script, and John G. Avildsen’s direction helped to turn this low-budget film into a huge hit, and it won the Oscar for Best Picture that year. You can also watch all of the Rocky sequels on HBO as well.

The Suicide Squad

The DC universe is full of supervillains, and in The Suicide Squad, they’re all in a high-security prison specifically made for the most dangerous killing machines. Being locked up is no fun, so they take the first chance to get out and accept joining the secret Task Force X. They’re sent on a search and destroy mission in the middle of a remote island, full of enemies.

The Suicide Squad is made of some of the most dangerous characters DC has produced. These include Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker, King Shark, Thinker, Savant, Javelin, etc.

The 40 Year-New Virgin

The 40 Year-New Virgin is one of the funniest movies we’ve watched, so it easily makes it into our list of the best movies on HBO. It’s the story of a man that the title of the movie can define. He works in a tech store and has some ridiculous friends. He’s also nerdy, innocent, and has no experience with women. The film takes you through his emotional and sexual awakening with whom becomes the woman of his dreams.

You can imagine the silly moments and funny events this film will take you through. It’s a great movie for a light-hearted time full of laughter.

Joker

Who knew that a movie based on Batman’s greatest villain could be not only great, but also thought-provoking?. Joaquin Phoenix won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Arthur Fleck. He’s a professional clown with severe mental issues. He also lives in Gotham City, where it seems no one wants to help or care about him. Fleck’s story turns into the Joker’s origin as we see him go deeper into madness. He then becomes a symbol for others to turn to violence and anarchy. This movie is dark and edgy, and unlike any DC Comics-based movie you will ever watch. It’s one of the best HBO movies you can watch.

Wonder Woman 1984

Princess Diana of Themyscira is back after the film launched in 2017, but this time she is trying to keep a low profile, living a normal life as an archeologist in the Smithsonian Museum. This is until an old friend comes back from the very distant past, and a power-hungry entrepreneur threatens the world’s safety. Wonder Woman must find a way to save the planet once again, all while letting go of her happiness.

Blade Runner 2049

Many people thought that making a sequel to the 1982 classic sci-fi movie Blade Runner was a mistake. As it turns out, Blade Runner 2049 is at least as good as the original, and perhaps even better in places. Director Denis Villeneuve takes over from the original film’s director Ridley Scott (who is still a producer of the sequel), and it feels seamless. The dark future world of Los Angeles is once again the center of this movie. Ryan Gosling plays a replicant (this world’s name for android), who also happens to be a blade runner, who hunts down replicants that go off track. The story goes deeper into the themes of replicants and artificial intelligence, and how they get closer and closer to becoming truly human. It’s definitely one of the best movies on HBO.

Tom & Jerry

This animated movie is perfect for the whole family to watch. Our childhood cartoon comes back to life, along with the most popular rivalry in cartoon history. Yes, we’re talking about Tom & Jerry, and the latest 2021 film is definitely one of the best movies on HBO.

Just before a big wedding that’s to take place in New York City’s top hotel, Jerry decides to move into the luxurious building. The owners aren’t happy with his presence, so they Hire Tom to get rid of Jerry. You know what happens next! It’s the typical case of the cat and the mouse.

Honorable mentions

Here are a few movies on HBO that didn’t quite make our best list:

• Darkest Hour – Gary Newman won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the WWII British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in this movie.
• Dunkirk – Christopher Nolan’s excellent 2017 movie about the efforts early in WWII to get British soldiers out of harm’s way from the Nazi army.
• Ted – Mark Wahlberg and the voice of Seth Mcfarlane are terrific together as a man who still hangs out with his talking teddy bear.
• Independence Day – This is truly a great summer popcorn movie, featuring lots of action, drama, and humor as an alien invasion takes place on Earth.
• The Mummy (1999) – Another fun action film combines horror with 1930s pulp adventure, as an ancient Egyptian mummy comes alive to take over the world.

These are the best movies on HBO you should add to your watchlist, in our opinion, although there are plenty of other great ones to choose from as well. We’ll update this post with new titles once they make it to the streaming service.