Culture Crash: The Rollout of HBO Max

HBO Max is the newest major entry into the streaming wars, and it’s probably my favorite streaming platform currently available. Before we get to the pros, though, there are some confusing parts to the whole endeavor. First of all, it seems many people aren’t sure what HBO Max is, exactly. Is it just the newest iteration of HBO Go or HBO Now? Well, no. HBO Go and HBO Now offer a plethora of options from the HBO library, but both are better compared with the Showtime Anytime or Starz apps – individual channels doing their best.

HBO Max, however, is more like Netflix or Disney Plus, a serious force to be reckoned with in the streaming space. Though it didn’t launch with Roku or Amazon Fire capability due to some negotiation breakdowns, HBO Max is available on Chromecast, Apple TV, Playstation 4 and some other platforms and honestly it’s worth seeking out.

HBO Max brings everything from HBO GO and HBO Now to the table, but it adds in a whole lot more from the Warner Brothers library. In addition to new Looney Toons cartoons and a late night format show hosted by Elmo, HBO Max also has The Maltese Falcon, The Wizard of Oz, Singin’ in the Rain, all 8 Harry Potter movies, the Lord of the Rings, classic Godzilla movies and more.

Another major attraction for the streaming platform is that it is the home for the entire library from the Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli, which made quite a few animated favorites like Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro.

While a number of platforms, especially Netflix, have been divesting from film libraries of old classics in favor of building new libraries of original content, HBO Max has a refreshing library of movies and shows I’ve always wanted to watch, but haven’t gotten around to, and gives movie-lovers a place where Charlie Chaplin classics can live next to James Bond.

Like I said, HBO Max really needs to figure out a deal with Roku, but as far as its content goes, I have few complaints.

I’m Evan Rook.

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