3 action movies on Max you need to watch in January

Every streaming service is working overtime to make sure that it can compete in what has become a pretty crowded streaming market. Few streaming services have as many movies worth checking out as Max, though, thanks to its combination of a deep archival library and plenty of new movies rotating regularly.

If you’re looking for a great action movie available on the service, we’ve got you covered. We’ve pulled together three of the best action movies you should watch on the streaming service, no matter what you’re looking for:

We also have guides to 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+.

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)

To its immense credit, Godzilla vs. Kong does not even pretend to care about its human characters. Their maneuvers and plans are only brief interludes between the spectacle that everyone actually came to the theater for. Gratifyingly, when Kong and Godzilla finally do start fighting, it’s worth the wait.

The journey to get there is not quite as satisfying, but the human cast is doing their best to keep things engaging, and Rebecca Hall and Brian Tyree Henry are particularly effective at this particular kind of nonsense. What we came for is a wrestling match between two giant creatures, though, and that doesn’t disappoint.

You can watch Godzilla vs. Kong on Max.

Princess Mononoke (1997)

Hayao Miyazaki is not known for being an action filmmaker, but Princess Mononoke is one of the exceptions to that general rule. The film follows a young man caught in the middle of a war between industrious humans and the gods of the natural world that they are destroying.

The film reflects many of Miyazaki’s preoccupations, including his concern over the state of the natural world. It’s also one of his longest movies, but the world he builds is so utterly singular that the running time flies by. Every Miyazaki movie is great, and Mononoke is one of the very best.

You can watch Princess Mononoke on Max.

The Revenant (2015)

Leonardo DiCaprio won his Oscar for this physically taxing performance, but The Revenant is at its best when it’s leaning into the skills of its award-winning cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki. A man (DiCaprio) is left for dead by one of his comrades after a severe bear attack.

The Revenant follows his journey both back to civilization and eventually to get revenge. DiCaprio’s physical commitment to the role is impressive, as is the fluid camerawork that takes us through many of the film’s most muscular, thrilling sequences.

You can watch The Revenant on Max.