The summer movie season has now begun. Last weekend, the box office received some juice thanks to Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts*. While Marvel movies stream on Disney+, DC fans can watch Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman on Max. James Gunn’s Superman will eventually stream on Max, but that won’t happen until late this year.
If superhero content doesn’t pique your interest, Max remains an excellent streamer for movies due to the Warner Bros. library. Within this library is a sea of underrated movies ready to be streamed. This weekend’s recommendations include a fantasy romance, a shark attack thriller, and a laugh-out-loud comedy.
We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
Practical Magic (1998)
Love, witches, and ’90s superstars are the spell’s ingredients in Practical Magic. Sisters Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian Owens (Nicole Kidman) are from a magical family of witches. The sisters live with their aunts after their parents’ death due to the family curse — men will die if they fall in love with an Owens woman.
Despite avoiding magic most of their lives, Sally and Gillian are forced to use their powers to destroy the spirit of a vicious ex-boyfriend (Goran Visnjic), who threatens their family line. Practical Magic has the ingredients for a good spooky story even though it falters toward the end. Practical Magic 2 is coming in 2026, so many of the creatives involved will get a second chance to nail this story.
Stream Practical Magic at the Garden on Max.
Meg 2: The Trench (2023)
The Meg franchise is unadulterated “garbage fish.” The niche genre — a killer fish wreaks havoc on humans — is unapologetic in its ridiculousness, from the characters and line deliveries to the plot and visuals. Some of these movies belong in the trash. Meg 2: The Trench is not one of those films. It’s the best version of garbage fish because it features the sea’s top predator: a shark.
Six years after the first film, Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) and his team head down to the Mariana Trench to better understand Megalodon (“Megs”) sharks. The group makes two shocking discoveries: an illegal mining operation is operational on the ocean floor, and multiple Megs inhabit the trench. You know where this is headed. The Megs escape the trench, swim to the surface, and unleash hell. Thankfully, Statham knows a thing or two about killing Megs.
Stream Meg 2: The Trench on Max.
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016)
Neighbors, Nicholas Stoller’s hilarious bromantic comedy, became a sneaky hit in 2014, grossing $270 million worldwide on an $18 million budget. Did the film need a sequel? Not really. However, Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, and Zac Efron are so good in these roles that a sequel became a welcome surprise.
After surviving a fraternity, Mac Radner (Seth Rogen) and his pregnant wife, Kelly (Rose Byrne), now face off against sorority Kappa Nu and their leader, Shelby (Chloë Grace Moretz). Mac and Kelly need to sell their house, which happens to be next to Kappa Nu. This rivalry leads to another prank war. This time, Mac and Kelly bring in a secret weapon: Teddy Sanders (Efron). While the sequel relies on the same formula as its predecessor, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising remains funny as hell thanks to the juvenile humor and the comedic chemistry of the leads.
Stream Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising on Max.
