If you get a little lost in HBO Max‘s lineup of movies in December, it’s understandable.
There are a lot of options to choose from, even if you’re looking for great movies that you just didn’t love enough to buy on Blu-ray when you had the chance.
Regardless, the Watch With Us team has chosen the three underrated HBO Max movies you should watch in December.
Our picks for the month include an intense action thriller, the king of all mockumentaries and one of the best superhero movies anyone has ever made.
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‘Atomic Blonde’ (2017)
If you thought Charlize Theron was good in Mad Max: Fury Road, then you’ll be impressed with her performance in Atomic Blonde as MI6 agent Lorraine Broughton, who can hold her own in any situation, whether it’s a bloody brawl in an abandoned building or a romantic tryst in a sleazy bar. In November 1989, Lorraine is sent into West Germany to recover a file that will upend the entire spy community that she’s reviving.
David Percival (James McAvoy) stole the list himself, and he’s more than happy to see Lorraine take the blame. He doesn’t realize that Lorraine has already been fighting for her life since she stepped into Berlin. This film also has some twists and turns that deserve to be seen rather than spoiled before you’ve had a chance to see the movie.
Atomic Blonde is streaming on HBO Max.
‘This Is Spinal Tap’ (1984)
There were mockumentaries before This Is Spinal Tap, but as they say in the film, “this one goes up to 11!” Rob Reiner directed the movie and stars as Martin “Marty” Di Bergi, a man who follows the English heavy metal band Spinal Tap as they attempt to reclaim the group’s glory days. The band’s members, David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) and Viv Savage (David Kaff) all have eccentric personalities that play off each other well.
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This film brilliantly satirizes music films, and the bizarre humor is sublime. Not everyone is going to be a fan of the film, but for those who get it, this is a seminal movie from the ’80s. It also paved the way for future rock mockumentaries, including the sequel, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, which was released in 2025.
This Is Spinal Tap will stream on HBO Max on December 12.
‘X-Men: First Class’ (2011)
The reason why X-Men: First Class stands out among the 20th Century Fox Marvel movies is that it was made quickly to make sure the rights didn’t lapse. Subsequently, director Matthew Vaughn didn’t have much studio interference, and he delivered one of the best movies in the franchise. He also displayed an impeccable eye for talent by lining up Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Rose Byrne, Nicholas Hoult and Zoë Kravitz for roles before they became even bigger stars.
Fassbender is the standout among this cast, and his turn as the future Magneto, Erik Lehnsherr, is mesmerizing. He’s a Holocaust survivor who wants revenge on Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon), the Nazi who murdered his mother. Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) offers Erik a different path forward as the cofounder of the X-Men. While most of the team buys into Charles’ philosophy of living peacefully among humans, his adoptive sister, Raven (Lawrence), is drawn to Erik’s more militant stance against mankind.
X-Men: First Class is streaming on HBO Max.
