The 3 best movies on HBO Max this week

"Deadpool 2"

The "Avengers: Doomsday" trailer and San Diego Comic-Con hype may have you wanting to check out a superhero movie this week. "Deadpool 2" is a great choice. There's a world in which this sequel is overly derivative of its lightning-in-a-bottle predecessor, sticking to playing the hits and making the same old jokes.

Instead, the sequel widens the emotional aperture of the first film, putting the "Merc with a Mouth" on a much more touching journey than before. It also benefits from a new set of strong supporting characters (such as Josh Brolin's Cable and Zazie Beetz's Domino). The X-Force sequence alone makes this one worth the watch.

"Dune: Part Two"

If Comic-Con isn't your thing, then maybe "The Odyssey" has you wanting to watch another epic blockbuster. One of "The Odyssey's" most direct competitors for the best-of-the-decade crown in that arena is Denis Villeneuve's "Dune: Part Two." The first "Dune" film is a phenomenal blockbuster in its own right, laying the groundwork for the definitive adaptation of Frank Herbert's iconic sci-fi novel.

But Villeneuve and company hit the ground running in this sequel, a film that simultaneously feels grander and more intimate than its predecessor. From the first frame until the last, this is thoughtful, awe-inspiring epic filmmaking, the likes of which we must never take for granted.

"Seven Samurai"

If you want a more classic film epic to satisfy your post-"Odyssey" viewing, there are few better options than Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai." The film, which follows a group of seven warriors who unite to defend a village from bandits, has inspired numerous action movies since. Decades later, this 207-minute epic remains a jaw-dropping example of action filmmaking at its best.