As First World problems go, losing your evening to non-committal HBO Max scrolling isn’t ideal. It’s way too easy to just stick on your 14th “The Sopranos” rewatch on the HBO streaming service,rather than give a potential sci-fi classic you’ve never seen before a much-deserved (and overdue) viewing.
That’s where my obsessive cinephile colleagues and I are here for. We all watch movies with great passion. For me, it’s what gets me out of bed in the morning. Though I don’t always personally agree with Rotten Tomatoes ratings — how is “The Matrix” only at 83%?! — the trio of HBO Max pictures I’ve picked out for you are all excellent, and all scored at least 90% or higher.
Anyway, the following three sci-fi flicks are all streaming now on HBO Max, and each one is stellar. So get them watched ASAP.
‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ (1968)
It’s utterly appalling that I only saw “2001: A Space Odyssey” for the first time post-COVID. Stanley Kubrick’s seminal sci-fi opus is a mind-bending watch in the best possible way. It looks incredible, the final act is both spellbinding and slightly mystifying, and it easily boasts one of the most iconic scores of all time.
It’s a five-star masterpiece. Yet I shamefully knew of it first for cheeky references in 1994’s “Deep Space Homer” episode from our beloved Springfieldian family, then again during 2023’s “Barbie”, which features a lovely, genuinely funny callback to the iconic monolith scene. And I’d never seen the film at that point! Shameful!
Just know that this is the defining Kubrick masterpiece. HAL! Those apes getting comfy up against the monolith! The all-time iconic final scene with the space baby! I know I said it before, but “seminal” really is the only word to describe “2001: A Space Odyssey”. It’s arguably the most important and influential sci-fi movie ever made. RT is doing Kubrick’s opus dirty at ‘just’ a 91% rating.
Rotten Tomatoes score:91%
Watch“2001:A Space Odyssey” on HBO Maxnow
‘Dune: Part Two’ (2024)
I’m fond of “Dune: Part Two”, just as I was of its 2021 predecessor — two movies that pretty much erased David Lynch’s polarizing 1984 version from memory banks. And Lynch rarely dealt in duds. Though I don’t consider him at the level of legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins (an occasional Denis Villeneuve collaborator), Greig Fraser still shoots the mid-part of this epic sci-fi trilogy gorgeously.
Do I think “Dune: Part Two” is as good a picture as either Villeneuve’s 2016 “Arrival” (91% RT rating) or my beloved “Blade Runner 2049” (88% RT)? Hell no. But it’s a classy sci-fi sequel that has me all in on this December’s Dunesday.
I can’t lie, though. I do think “Part Two” misses the wonderful presence of Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa). But hey, we still get those colossal sandworms. And new Big Bad Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (played with a delicious serpent-like venom by Austin Butler) proves a great foil for Paul Atredides. As for our moody duke, Timothée Chalamet continues to nail down his leading man status in films with real smarts.
Rotten Tomatoes score:92%
Watch“Dune: Part Two” on HBO Maxnow
‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ (2014)
Can you quickly indulge me in a quick Rotten Tomatoes rant? The fact that “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” is sitting on the same 91% rating as my favourite ever movie “Jurassic Park”… well, that’s frankly unhinged. The sequel to 2011’s successful franchise reboot “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”, “Dawn” is another well-meaning sci-fi with a heart, strong performances and excellent effects. It just ain’t Spielberg’s dino masterpiece. Rant over.
With our simian hero Caesar (another impeccable mo-cap performance from Andy Serkis) now very much in charge of his clan of developed apes, the film’s central conflict occurs when a team of humans tries to repair a hydroelectric dam in monkey territory. Although initial exchanges go badly, the kindly-natured super chimp eventually lets Malcolm (a very good Jason Clarke) fix the dam, and a cross-species friendship quickly ensues. However, thanks to the war-mongering antics of Gary Oldman’s Dreyfus and chimp backstabbing courtesy of Caesar’s chum Kobo — Toby Kebbell’s mo-cap turn is on par with Serkis’ — all-out war breaks out across a dystopian San Francisco. And the apes definitely have our number.
Rotten Tomatoes Score:91%
Watch“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes on HBO Maxnow.
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