Max is back with a vengeance and is once again pulling out all of the stops to prove why it’s still one of the best streaming services. Just like last month’s standout Babygirl (2024), there’s one new movie with over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes that is the clear one-to-watch out of everything new on Max in May 2025.
The Brutalist (2024) will be available to stream from May 16 and coming from someone who watched this in theatres, this is one you must catch up on if you missed it pre-awards season. Nevertheless, this isn’t the only new Max movie you should be excited to stream this month.
In addition to Brady Corbet’s Oscar-winning epic the best Max movies are getting an upgrade with a mixed flurry of romance, psychological horror, action-thriller, and family movies all with over 80% on Rotten Tomatoes – so it really is a diverse platter that will no doubt fill you up over the coming weeks.
The Brutalist (2024)
RT Score: 93%
Age rating: R
Length: 215 minutes
Director: Brady Corbet
Arriving on: May 16
This is what I mean when I say Max has its ear to the ground when it comes to fresh movie releases, and after being released in cinemas not even a year ago The Brutalist has found its new home on the streaming platform.
For those of you who missed the Oscar-winner now’s your chance to sit back with a bit of Adrien Brody, but be sure to set aside 3.5 hours.
In the wake of the Second World War Hungarian-Jewish architect László Toth (Brody) lands in the US seeking for a chance to rebuild his life and reunite with his wife since being separated due to the war. On his mission to achieve the American Dream he settles in Pennsylvania where his architectural talents are discovered by wealthy industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce), and his life is changed drastically – but with a big cost.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
RT Score: 92%
Age rating: R
Length: 108 minutes
Director: Michel Gondry
Arriving on: May 1
I streamed more movies than before in January 2025, and one of those movies was Michel Gondry’s sci-fi romance. For me, it was a very adequate streaming experience but I don’t yearn to watch it again immediately.
Though my opinion is standalone, I still believe that every movie buff should watch this if they get a chance – I’m talking to you, Max subscribers.
A messy breakup results in Joel (Jim Carrey) and now ex-girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet) to take drastic measures to get over their relationship. This starts when Joel learns that Clementine has decided to undergo a medical procedure which, by the end, all memory of Joel will be erased from her memory. He decides to undergo the same procedure, but they’re not the only couple that have sought out this technological advancement.
Silence of the Lambs (1991)
RT Score: 95%
Age rating: R
Length: 119 minutes
Director: Jonathan Demme
Arriving on: May 1
There’s nothing new I can say about Silence of the Lambs that I haven’t already voiced. Not only is it by far one of the 31 horrors I watched for Halloween last October but it’s a captivating start-to-finish journey. Not to mention that Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins are an on-screen dream team.
In the male-dominated field of law enforcement, determined trainee FBI agent Clarice Starling (Foster) is roped in to help track down serial killer Buffalo Bill whose victims are predominantly young women. To get an insight to Bill’s mind she is sent to sent to interview Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins), an ex-psychiatrist locked up for cannibalizing his victims. With the help of Lecter’s twisted yet incredible intellect, Starling and her team use him to their advantage and get closer to finding Buffalo Bill’s hideaway.
The Princess Bride (1987)
RT Score: 96%
Age rating: PG
Length: 98 minutes
Director: Rob Reiner
Arriving on: May 1
On another note, The Princess Bride is certainly a stark contrast to the suspense-packed Silence of the Lambs – it’s a fairy tale princess story. But don’t be thrown off by its child-friendly nature, as it’s proved to be a hit with critics on Rotten Tomatoes being the highest-rated movie in this list.
When a grandfather reads his sick grandson a storybook, the movie takes us directly into its pages. It follows a young farmer boy Westley (Cary Elwes) and his journey to be reunited with his true love Princess Buttercup (Robin Wright) who is being held captive by Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon). With his band accomplices, Westley battles through enemies and obstacles in hopes of rescuing his one true love.
Inception (2010)
RT Score: 87%
Age rating: PG-13
Length: 148 minutes
Director: Christopher Nolan
Arriving on: May 1
Although Christopher Nolan movies aren’t my usual cup of tea, I’ve actually been thinking about Inception quite a bit recently and how it’s been so long since I last watched it – and what are the chances that it’s coming to Max this month.
In his seventh directorial feature Nolan dives into his usual metaphysical themes like never before. Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is an experienced thief with a unique set of skills that allow him to enter people’s dreams and retrieve their secrets. These skills have made him a successful and notorious name but has come with grave costs.
When the opportunity to rebuild his life and erase his criminal history, he assembles his team of specialists to conduct a seemingly impossible reverse heist, and plant an idea inside the mind of a powerful businessman Robert Fischer, Jr. (Cillian Murphy).
Notting Hill (1999)
RT Score: 84%
Age rating: PG-13
Length: 123 minutes
Director: Roger Michell
Arriving on: May 1
Notting Hill is the first movie that comes to mind when I think of a classic, traditional rom-com, and Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant are the text book actors for the genre. My favorite thing about Notting Hill is that it’s one of those movies that seems to fit perfect for any season and time of year – kind of like Gilmore Girls.
Travel bookstore owner William Thacker (Hugh Grant) takes a normal job and lives an average life in London, but this is changed when Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) – an incredibly famous American actress – strolls into his bookstore one day. Following another unexpected meeting the two get closer, but the paparazzi’s obsession with Anna puts a strain on their growing relationship.
The Shining (1980)
RT Score: 83%
Age rating: PG-13
Length: 142 minutes
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Arriving on: May 1
Kubrick’s imagining of Stephen King’s horror novel of the same name has stood the test of pop culture time, becoming one of the most referenced movies ever – you don’t have to look further than American Horror Story: Hotel, or even The Substance (2024) as a more recent example.
After taking up a job as a winter caretaker at a secluded hotel aspiring novelist Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) moves his family to Colorado where he hopes to get over a long period of writer’s block. As Jack, his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and psychic son Danny (Danny Lloyd) settle into their new home at the hotel, things take a turn for the worst when the hotel’s haunted nature influences Jack’s behaviour, making him increasingly violent and sinister. While Jack plummets into madness, his son’s psychic visions become increasingly more worrying, surfacing the hotel’s past secrets.
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rowan.davies@futurenet.com (Rowan Davies)
