Welcome to the latest in a series of articles examining how different streamers are fighting for their money in 2021. We've already asked you whether you should cancel Netflix in 2021, ditch Amazon Prime Video, or end your Disney Plus membership. Now it's HBO Max's turn, which will turn one on May 27, 2021. HBO Max is almost a year old. Launched in the midst of a pandemic, this attempt to replace HBO's existing streaming services has expanded it beyond premium premium cable shows and a huge library of movies, making it a more versatile competitor to Netflix. The service has become supercharged with some key decisions, like bringing new Wonder Woman 1984 and Godzilla Vs Kong movies to the service at a time when we're all hungry for new blockbusters, or giving Zack Snyder a chance to finish his Cup of Justice. .League. I love HBO Max as a streamer. I love high-end TV series, and HBO is always a great outlet for them. I also appreciate that I can watch crisp episodes of Batman Beyond without having to dig into my fantastic Blu-ray set, or always be able to find something to enjoy in their huge selection of movies. The strategy of going big with new blockbusters seems to have been controversial in the creative industry of Hollywood, which depends on box office returns for various reasons, but as a consumer, what's wrong? Don't you like watching Godzilla Vs Kong on a Friday? evening? We missed out on the theatrical experience, but it was a great way to make this service stand out. For a service that costs $14.99 per month, that's what you really want, although starting in June you'll be able to enjoy a $9.99 ad-supported tier, just without the profits from all those 2021 blockbusters. While Netflix reliant on creating its own intellectual properties to excite you, HBO Max has the advantage of being able to rely on greater familiarity, which is why the Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon, which is just getting started, is so important. filming. It's also the reason so many shows based on the DC Universe are in the works, including a Green Lantern series and two spinoffs from the upcoming The Batman and The Suicide Squad movies. €15 per month is still a huge request in 2021, even with its generous library. So should you cancel your HBO Max subscription in 2021? Next, we'll see how the service works, and then we'll give you our answer.
HBO Max originals are pretty solid overall
(Image credit: HBO) There's no doubt that HBO Max has plenty of originals to enjoy. The HBO side of the service is funneled into high-end, high-profile original shows with a high success rate, most recently Mare of Easttown with Kate Winslet, and The Nevers, a more divisive supernatural drama. Considering that HBO's old streaming service, HBO Now, costs the same price of $14.99 per month, there's an argument that the service is still worth it for those originals alone. As for HBO Max originals, these seem to fill in the gaps by helping make the service more like Netflix and broadening the platform's appeal, especially to women. HBO has a reputation for being a premium media brand, but HBO Max's goal is to take a bigger slice of the streaming pie, hence the reason it launched with the series-filled Friends and The Big Bang Theory for convey. . This is about as little HBO as possible. This means that original content strategy is a little harder to discern, at least in its first year of programming. Some things there, like the sci-fi drama Raised By Wolves and the mystery series The Flight Attendant, mesh quite well with the kinds of shows HBO already does. But then there's a whole gamut of reality shows that aren't HBO at all: the well-reviewed dog grooming show Haute Dog, or Craftopia. HBO Max seems to think that it needs a little bit of everything to compete with Netflix. Along with that, there's a whole DC Comics part of HBO Max, which is smart play. Original shows that were previously limited to the DC Universe app are now available on the service as originals: Doom Patrol, Titans, and the famous animated series Harley Quinn, for example. Warner also has plenty of other shows in this universe, including a newly announced Batman animated series with JJ Abrams' name attached to it.
Mortal Kombat is one of the biggest releases on HBO Max this year. (Image credit: Warner Bros) On paper, it's harder to pin down what HBO Max's "identity" is compared to other services, but it makes up for that with its library of awesome stuff. And, of course, the fact that it's been releasing great movies day after day with its limited-time theatrical releases, which underscores the real strength of HBO Max: that it's just an amazing service for movies. The release of Godzilla vs Kong, Mortal Kombat, The Little Things, and Those Who Wish Me Dead put the service at the center of the pop culture conversation, at enormous cost, of course. But these Warner versions look like ``real'' movies, something Netflix movies sometimes don't. The best is arguably yet to come, with The Suicide Squad landing on the streamer in August and The Matrix 4 in late 2021.
The library is really cool
(Image credit: HBO) Aside from the originals, HBO Max is a real treat to pick up if you've never had access to HBO before. Even if you've seen several of the biggest shows like Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, or The Wire, there's plenty more to dig into: the cult sketch series Mr. Show, for example, the animated series Spawn, or countless supers. miniseries. like Show me a hero with Oscar Isaac or The night of with Riz Ahmed. These are just the HBO shows too. On top of that, it's really great to see the '90s Batman, Superman, and Batman Beyond animated series making their home on HBO Max - these are all-time classics that have long deserved a permanent streaming home. Then, as mentioned, the service has a sequel to broad sitcoms like The Big Bang Theory and Friends; you can bet Netflix is jealous that they don't have comedies with the same level of recognition, which are also extremely achievable. This material is the foundation of a successful streamer, so the heart of HBO Max is incredibly strong. HBO Max is just a great service for movies. In fact, we've put together a list of the best HBO Max movies this week, and we haven't scratched the surface of what's on offer here. Having TCM as a channel within the app means the service has a suite of classic Hollywood movies that build on Warner's legacy as a movie studio. On the other end of the spectrum, the sheer number of superhero movies is truly impressive, possibly as impressive as Disney Plus's MCU library. Everything from the 1989 Batman movie to Joker and Wonder Woman 1984 is served here. For moviegoers, it's a deep and exciting library.
Is the price of HBO Max a problem?
HBO Max's price is a downside to the service and makes it a harder sell than sub-$10 services like Disney Plus, Hulu (with ads), or Apple TV Plus. As stated at the top of this page, launching an ad-supported monthly tier for $9.99, even if you don't have access to new movie releases like The Suicide Squad, will certainly help people give the service a try in absentia. . of a free trial. HBO Max overcame a major hiccup and finally became available for Roku devices in December. Having broader support for 4K content is something the service still lacks compared to Netflix (which costs $3 more per month than HBO Max if you want the 4K level), though new movie releases are available in a higher resolution. Wonder Woman 1984, Zack Snyder's Justice League, Mortal Kombat, and Those Who Wish Me Dead are available in 4K on compatible devices. This week it was announced that Warner Media and Discovery will merge to form a single entity; what this means for HBO Max subscribers has yet to be clarified, although some insiders have speculated that the service will be bundled with other Discovery+ services in the future. Either way, $14,99 isn't exactly an impulse buy price, even with tons of quality programming, it's a big ask. The level of advertising could give us an idea of whether or not HBO Max will be able to capture an audience the size of Netflix in the future.
Should you cancel HBO Max in 2021?
(Image credit: HBO) If HBO Max is the only subscription service in your life, or if you enjoy it alongside another cheaper service like Disney Plus, we think the streamer is worth keeping. The library of movies, the growing list of shows and the release of new blockbusters have made it more and more exciting over the past year. It's successful enough as a standalone general entertainment service that you can enjoy it as a viable alternative to Netflix. However, if you're looking at a monthly bill for four or five dishes, this is a candidate for the slice, simply because it costs so much. Netflix and standard HBO Max have a combined monthly cost of €28.98. Throw in Disney Plus, and that goes up to €36.97. And at that time, will you have time to see everything that appears in the services? For now, just for the cost, HBO Max is easy to recommend if you think its variety of content will make it your go-to streamer. If not, you might want to consider only signing up when you're desperate to watch, like when The Suicide Squad drops in August. But the bold changes made with this service to date have made it more than just a race with its older competitors. Today's best HBO Max deals