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At launch, HBO Max still needs work. The content on the service needs to be organized better, there needs to be a larger selection of classic TV shows, and better originals to expand on what is otherwise a pretty barren launch. However, does all that make HBO Max bad? No, and HBO Max has the potential to be better than both Netflix and Disney+, but right now, the lack of a large classic library of shows kind of hurts it. But if you take a step back from the shortcomings, you still have an incredible lineup of movies at launch alongside the vast array of HBO content. The movies alone make the service worth it if you are a huge movie fan and even if you aren’t into classic cinema, you also have a decent list of big Hollywood blockbuster movies right out of the gate. It just needs to fix a lot of the issues that are currently present. Whether or not this service is for you really comes down to your budget. HBO Max costs $14.99 per month and to put that in perspective, Netflix’s most popular tier is $12.99 per month and includes a huge amount of original content. While not all of those are winners, you do have big shows that are on there like Stranger Things and Bojack Horseman, along with a very robust library of anime titles available. Disney+ is $6.99 per month and mainly offers a lot more in the way of the back catalog of Disney shows and movies. Last, Hulu is $5.99 per month and offers a large catalog of TV and movies and at the moment, a good chunk of those TV shows are from brands under WarnerMedia. Hulu currently has a strong library of content from Cartoon Network, and some shows like the upcoming Animaniacs reboot will still be a Hulu Original. To many, HBO Max will seem like a steep price to pay for content even if the content available on day one is good but nothing mind blowing. Personally, I believe HBO Max is worth the investment because there’s a lot of good content on the way within its first year. A larger selection of originals and older content will become available as the year moves along and hopefully, they’ll fix the present issues with the site and also add support to Roku and Fire TV devices. While at launch, it might be lackluster in terms of a lot of older TV shows, HBO Max makes up for it with a great library of movies and the entire catalog of HBO shows. It’s worth your time and the price it’s going for.
Final Verdict:
8/10
