The Best Movies Leaving HBO Max In March 2021

It's almost March, which will mark one year since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States (or at least the point when this country began taking it seriously). Why not distract yourself from what is sure to be a litany of anniversary articles by watching a few films instead? There are some awfully good movies leaving HBO Max in March 2021, and we'll highlight several of them and then provide you with the entire list below.

Alien has become one of those movies that's so ingrained in our cultural consciousness that it's difficult to imagine what a shock wave this must have been when it originally debuted. Shedding the baggage of its many sequels, Ridley Scott's brilliant combination of science fiction and horror still maintains every ounce of its power all these years later – largely thanks to Sigourney Weaver's star-making performance, killer production design, and those indelible creature effects.

You have until March 14 to watch this latest film from director Shaka King, a terrific crime thriller/character study of two men who appear to be on opposite sides of history but who ultimately both find themselves in a position in which they must defy extreme odds to accomplish their goals. Daniel Kaluuya deserves every accolade for his transformative performance as Black Panther activist Fred Hampton, Jr., and Lakeith Stanfield – though not given quite as much do to as the eponymous "Judas" – still excels by infusing his performance with a haunted quality.

Why not round things out with a Kaluuya double feature? He's solid in Queen and Slim, but this movie is really a coming-out party for Jodie Turner-Smith, who plays the female lead in this highly powerful story that is loaded with mesmeric and eye-catching imagery. The two of them play characters who gun on the run after a police encounter gone wrong, and while I know there were some complaints about the film's messaging around the time of its release, I think there's still enough good stuff in it to recommend it.

A film about power, control, and relationship dynamics, Ruby Sparks is about a writer (Paul Dano) who concocts the perfect woman (Zoe Kazan) on the page, and is shocked to learn that he has somehow manifested her into the real world. That could be the premise for a pretty dumb comedy, but Dano and Kazan, a real-life couple who co-wrote the script, treat it seriously and actually explore some profound ideas within this framework.

I'd put the first half of Wedding Crashers up against any comedy from the past twenty years – and maybe even the last fifty years. Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson are absolutely lighting it up in this movie, it marked the first time Bradley Cooper really played a love-to-hate-him a**hole, Christopher Walken is Walken-ing it up all over the place, Rachel McAdams is being charming as hell, and Isla Fisher was just crushing what remains her best-known role to this day. The film takes a bit of a somber turn in its back half as it resolves its plot, but that first half has so many highs that you're still coasting by the time the end credits roll.

March 1:

Shazam!, 2019 (HBO)

March 12: 

Vacation, 2015

March 13: 

The Curse Of La Llorona, 2019 (HBO)

March 14: 

Judas and the Black Messiah, 2021

March 22: 

Pokemon Detective Pikachu, 2019 (HBO)

March 28: 

Tom & Jerry, 2021

March 31: 

Alien, 1979 (Director's Cut) (HBO)

Alien 3, 1992 (Extended Version) (HBO)

Alien Resurrection, 1997 (Extended Version) (HBO)

Aliens, 1986 (HBO)

All The Right Moves, 1983 (HBO)

Alvin And The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, 2011 (HBO)

Any Given Sunday, 1999

Batman & Mr. Freeze: Subzero, 1998

Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason, 2004 (HBO)

The Bush Years: Family. Duty. Power., 2019

The Chronicles Of Riddick, 2004 (Director's Cut) ( HBO)

Die Hard 2, 1990 (HBO)

Die Hard With A Vengeance, 1995 (HBO)

Die Hard, 1988 (HBO)

Edtv, 1999 (HBO)

The End: Inside The Last Days Of The Obama White House, 2017

Grudge Match, 2013 (HBO)

Habana Boxing Club, 2018 (HBO)

Hours, 2013 (HBO)

The Last Emperor, 1987 (HBO)

Last Knights, 2015 (HBO)

Love & Basketball, 2000

Michael, 1996

Mrs. Doubtfire, 1993 (HBO)

The Night Before, 1988 (HBO)

P.S. I Love You, 2007

Purple Rain, 1984

Queen & Slim, 2019 (HBO)

Revolutionary Road, 2008 (HBO)

Richard Jewell, 2019 (HBO)

Ruby Sparks, 2012 (HBO)

See No Evil, 2006 (HBO)

Sleight, 2017 (HBO)

Superman Vs. The Elite, 2012

Teen Titans: Trouble In Tokyo, 2006

The Thing, 2011 (HBO)

Tolkien, 2019 (HBO)

Tricky Dick, 2019

Twelve Monkeys, 1995 (HBO)

Vixen, 2015

The Way Back, 2020 (HBO)

Wedding Crashers, 2005

The Witches Of Eastwick, 1987