7 new to Max movies to stream in July with 90% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes

Tom's Guide

09-07-2025

There are a lot of great movies to check out from the list of everything new to HBO Max in July 2025.
HBO Max is the best streaming service out there, in no small part due to the great movies it adds to the streaming service every month, and this month is no different.
To help you figure out exactly what you need to watch, I've combed through the list and found seven movies that meet the high bar of a 90% or higher "fresh" rating from critics on the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes. Granted, not every movie with a high rating is guaranteed to be a hit, but it is a useful metric to see which films are beloved by critics and audiences alike.
This month's batch includes a pair of new, must-see movies — including "Sinners" — as well as some older films, including Cate Blanchett's incredible performance in "Carol."
Here are the seven new to Max movies with a 90% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes that you need to watch right now. But first, check out one of the best TV deals we've found so far this Prime Day in case your home theater needs an upgrade.
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"Sinners" stars Michael B. Jordan as identical twins Elijah ("Smoke") and Elias ("Stack") Moore. These two have come back to their home of Clarksdale, Mississippi, after years away fighting in World War I and then joining Al Capone's Chicago Outfit.
They've come back to start a juke joint for the local Black community, and to get the job done, they've enlisted some help. They've also recruited their cousin Sammie (Miles Caton), a blues performer who goes by the name of "Preacher Boy," to perform at the juke joint's opening night.
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Sammie's music is transcendent, inspiring an incredible scene from director Ryan Coogler. But his musical talent catches the ear of a local vampire (Jack O'Connell), and things take a turn when he arrives at the venue looking to join the fun.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%Watch it now on Max
"On Becoming a Guinea Fowl" stars Susan Chardy as Shula, a young Zambian woman. It's billed as a black comedy, but it delves into dark themes such as sexual assault, so don't expect a laugh riot.
The movie starts with Shula driving on an empty road one night. While driving, she discovers the body of her uncle Fred (Roy Chisa) lying in the middle of the road.
As Shula and her cousins come together for the funeral, it becomes clear that some are grieving more than others. As the grieving process moves along, long-buried secrets come back out into the open.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%Watch it now on Max
"Get Out" stars Daniel Kaluuya as Chris Washington, a young Black photographer living in New York. When he and his white girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams), go upstate to visit her parents (Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener), Chris expects some potentially awkward conversations.
He's not disappointed on that front, but things truly take a turn into the weird when Rose's mother, Missy, tricks Chris into a hypnosis therapy session. From then on, this turns into a full-blown horror movie, and easily one of the best movies of the past decade.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%Watch it now on Max
"Carol" stars Rooney Mara as Therese Belivet, an aspiring photographer in Manhattan. One day, while working at Frankenberg's department, she meets Carol (Cate Blanchett), and Therese is immediately drawn to her.
When she realizes Carol has accidentally left her gloves at the store, she even takes the initiative to mail them back to her. Carol sees this initiative and invites Therese to lunch and later to her home, beginning a burgeoning romance.
But to say their love is complicated is an understatement. Therese has a boyfriend, Dannie (John Magaro), and Carol is going through a nasty divorce with her husband, Harge (Kyle Chandler), who is trying to obtain proof of her homosexuality to gain sole custody of their daughter.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%Watch it now on Max
"Woman at War" stars Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir as Halla, a choir conductor who engages in eco-activism in her spare time.
By eco-activism, I mean using sabotage to disrupt the operation of an aluminum plant in the Icelandic highlands.
That life of rebellion becomes complicated, though, when a long-forgotten adoption application for a Ukrainian child becomes approved. Now Halla has to balance avoiding the government and police investigating her crimes while also getting her adoption of this child approved.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%Watch it now on Max
While you might not have heard of this movie, you've undoubtedly heard of Toni Morrison. The acclaimed novelist won a Pulitzer Prize for her novel "Beloved," and eventually became the first Black woman Nobel Prize in Literature.
But that's only the tip of the iceberg of the interesting life that she led, starting with her upbringing in a Rust Belt town, to then, eventually, becoming one of the preeminent authors of her time.
"Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am" examines this incredible life, and by all accounts is a nearly as incredible documentary. Don't miss it now that it's on Max.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%Watch it now on Max
Spun off from the "Wallace and Gromit" film series, "Shaun the Sheep Movie" stars Justin Fletcher as the voice of Shaun, a mischievous sheep we first met in the 1995 movie "A Close Shave."
In this animated adventure, Shaun and his woollen friends spend most of their days tricking the farmer of their flock (John Sparkes) into counting sheep and falling asleep.
One day, this plan goes wrong, as the farmer falls asleep in a caravan that goes rogue and makes its way into the city. Upon waking, he has forgotten who he is, but not his sheep shearing skills, and becomes a hair stylist known as Mr. X.
Back at the farm, though, the flock and Shaun realize they need the farmer. So they head into to city to find him ... and chaos ensues.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 99%Watch it now on Max
Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2022, and has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. He's not one to shy away from a hot take, including that "John Wick" is one of the four greatest films ever made.
Here's what he's been watching lately: