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7 stunning sci-fi shows and movies coming to HBO Max in December 2021

“Why use old cold to make something new?”

by Robin Bea
7. Blade 2

December 1

Even with Guillermo del Toro directing, Blade 2 is a bit of a mess. Fortunately, it’s the fun kind of mess, with enough fun vampire-slaying action to fill the hole where its plot should be.

6. Cloud Atlas

December 1

Based on a sprawling sci-fi novel, the Wachowskis’ Cloud Atlas charts a metaphysical journey across hundreds of years. It was as ambitious as it was divisive, which is to say it’s a post-Matrix Wachowskis movie.

5. Jupiter Ascending

December 1

Another polarizing film from the Wachowskis, Jupiter Ascending is a space opera about legacy, immortality, and... bees? It’s an extremely bizarre movie, but if nothing else, it’s never predictable.

4. Mortal Kombat (1995)

December 1

The original Mortal Kombat is a lot cheesier than its recent remake, but no less fun. If you’re a fan of martial arts and unconvincing special effects, give this one a try.

3. Station Eleven Season 1

December 16

Station Eleven is a post-apocalyptic tale, but one that’s more interested in imagining a hopeful future than wallowing in the muck. It’s based on an Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning novel by Emily St. John Mandel.

2. The Matrix Resurrections

December 22

The Matrix Resurrections picks up after one of the best sci-fi movies of all time and two of the most baffling sequels ever. Directed solo by Lana Wachowski, it’s being kept hush-hush but is undoubtedly this month’s biggest debut.

1. The Suicide Squad

December 23

The Suicide Squad premiered back in August, and it returns to HBO Max this month. Note the “The” in the title, which distinguishes this James Gunn-directed supervillain romp from the 2016 disaster Suicide Squad.