5 new "Max" films over 90% at Rotten Tomatoes.

5 new "Max" films over 90% at Rotten Tomatoes.

Along with the May flowers, April brings a slew of new films to Max. From mega-franchises like "Harry Potter" to foreign action thrillers like "Infernal Affairs," this month is full of blockbusters and classics. But it is the highly rated new releases that are of interest.

Here are some of the new films that scored 90% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes among the max hits in April 2024. While a high rating on a review aggregation site is not necessarily a guarantee that the film will be liked, it is a useful indicator that the majority of critics believe the film is worthy of inclusion on their watch list.

Max's highest-rated new films span a variety of genres, from documentaries to Oscar-winning dramas. What they all have in common, however, is an endorsement from people who make their living evaluating films. That's more than enough reason to stream these five films now.

"Zone of Interest," which won two Academy Awards this year, including Best International Feature Film and Best Sound, finally landed on Max this month. Christian Friedel as Rudolf Hess and Sandra Hüller as his wife Hedwig star in this poignant World War II historical drama. The film revolves around this German couple building a perfectly fenced-in life in the literal shadow of the Auschwitz concentration camp run by Rudolf.

The film does not turn a blind eye to the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany against the Jews, but it is more background noise than a main character. The real horror comes from observing the mundane routines carved out by a family that sees their position in the Holocaust as merely a means to a better life.

Genre: History/Drama Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93 Streaming on Max

"McQueen" addresses the legacy of Lee A. McQueen, the eccentric and anti-establishment fashion designer known as Alexander McQueen. This fascinating documentary follows McQueen's life from his early days as a tailor, through his rise at Givenchy, and ultimately to the launch and direction of his eponymous line.

By combining home videos of the designer goofing around in his studio with footage from his shows and interviews with close colleagues, "McQueen" succeeds in capturing his impact on those around him and the fashion industry at large. At the same time, it does not turn a blind eye to the controversy, overwork, and drug-induced stretching that drove McQueen to suicide in 2010.

Genre Documentary Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99 Streaming on Max

All eight Harry Potter films are available on Max this month, making it easier than ever to watch all the films in order. The most highly rated of them all (at least on Rotten Tomatoes) is the finale, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2: Part 2."

The franchise follows the adventures of Harry, Hermione, and Ron at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and "Deathly Hallows" is its second part: in "Deathly Hallows: Part 2," the trio faces the greatest evil in wizarding history. After locating and destroying all the Horcruxes that keep Lord Voldemort immortal, Harry and Voldemort face off in Hogwarts Castle.

Genre Fantasy/Adventure Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96 Max

Considered one of the most popular films of the 21st century, The Social Network is a biographical drama about the founding of Facebook and the feud between co-founders Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) and Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) The film is a biographical drama about the founding of Facebook and the feud between co-founders Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) and Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield).

Directed by David Fincher ("Fight Club"), the film begins at Harvard University in 2003 and follows two sophomores as they create a website from their dorm room that becomes a de facto social network for millions of people throughout the 2010s. The Social Network traces the trajectory of the project. In a unique nonlinear structure that weaves together multiple timelines, The Social Network explores the dangers of confusing business with friendship and highlights how cutthroat the birth of what would become the world's largest social media platform has been.

Genre: Biographical Film Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96 In 2003, Sofia Coppola (daughter of esteemed director Francis Ford Coppola) followed up her acclaimed directorial debut, "The Virgin Suicides," with what is regarded as one of the greatest romantic dramas of all time.

A mixture of comedy and pathos, "Lost in Translation" is credited with reviving Bill Murray's career and breaking Scarlett Johansson from teen to adult roles. The film portrays Bob (Murray), an aging movie star who has come to rely on television advertising to sustain his career. Returning to Tokyo to promote Suntory Whiskey, he meets newlywed Charlotte (Johansson), who accompanies her celebrity photographer husband on his work. Both Bob and Charlotte are feeling lost in life, but they form a deep friendship.

Genre Romantic Comedy/Drama Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95 Streaming on Max

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