There’s a lot of competition out there in the streaming world, and it can be hard to shuffle through the services to find the best movies to stream right now. Though there are plenty of great movies on Netflix and Amazon still has the platform beat in terms of overall quality, many of the movies on Hulu can’t be streamed anywhere else.
Hulu may, especially from today’s vantage point, seem like a vestigial arm of Disney that doesn’t have its own identity anymore. That’s why I was surprised to discover just how many great movies the service has, including the kind of adult fare that Disney doesn’t allow anywhere else. If you want something grisly or scary, like I often do, then Hulu is a great place to find it.
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The best movies on Hulu can be gritty, family-friendly, and even sci-fi-oriented films. So, if you’re looking to expand your binge-watching horizons, we’ve found the best movies to watch on Hulu right now.
White Men Can't Jump (2023)
101m
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Stars
Jack Harlow, Sinqua Walls, Laura Harrier
Directed by
Calmatic
Watch on Hulu
There may be too many reboots in entertainment right now, but this iteration of the Woody Harrelson classic is a fun sports flick for those who are familiar with the original and newcomers alike. Jack Harlow and Sinqua Walls play the unlikely basketball hustlers at the movie’s center with a great sense of humor, and modernize the story to make it relevant to today’s streaming audience. Basketball fans should appreciate the references to street ball culture they’ve come to know and love.
Nomadland (2021)
93%
7.3/10
108m
Genre
Drama
Stars
Frances McDormand, David Strathairn, Linda May
Directed by
Chloé Zhao
Watch on Hulu
From celebrated rookie film genius Chloé Zhao comes Nomadland, a beautiful and wary tale of humanism and the American experience. When Fern (Frances McDormand) loses her home — and her husband not too long after — she takes to the road, living wherever she ends up at night and meeting some interesting people along the way. Nominated for six 2021 Academy Awards, the film took home Oscars for best actress, for Zhao’s directing, and as the year’s best picture.
Prey (2022)
100m
Genre
Thriller, Action, Science Fiction
Stars
Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Michelle Thrush
Directed by
Dan Trachtenberg
Watch on Hulu
Proof that there are great new movies on Hulu, Prey follows a young Comanche woman as she begins to suspect that something otherworldly is attacking her tribe. Thanks to a ferocious central performance from Amber Midthunder, and generally strong direction from Dan Trachtenberg, Prey has some of the best action in the entire franchise, and may also be the installment in this franchise that has the most to say about the world outside of its intricate lore. Prey didn’t get a theatrical release, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t one of the good movies on Hulu.
How to Blow Up a Pipeline (2023)
104m
Genre
Crime, Drama, Thriller
Stars
Ariela Barer, Kristine Frøseth, Lukas Gage
Directed by
Daniel Goldhaber
Watch on Hulu
A genuinely great thriller with a solid political bent, How to Blow Up a Pipeline follows a group of strangers who come together with the sole mission of disrupting a pipeline that carries oil. The movie goes to great effort to explain how each member of the group got there and is remarkably frank about how devastating the impacts of the oil industry have already been. How to Blow Up a Pipeline is a pretty angry movie, but thanks to its strong cast of largely unknown actors, it’s also compelling from minute one.
No One Will Save You (2023)
93m
Genre
Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller
Stars
Kaitlyn Dever, Elizabeth Kaluev, Zack Duhame
Directed by
Brian Duffield
Watch on Hulu
An almost completely wordless alien invasion movie, No One Will Save You tells the story of an isolated young woman who suddenly discovers that her town is being taken over by aliens. As she battles to save herself, there are plenty of thrills and surprises that make the whole experience feel utterly satisfying, even though no one says anything. Kaitlyn Dever is key to the movie’s success, as her central performance keeps us locked in, and gives us a firm understanding of who her character is through only her expressions.
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019)
162m
Genre
Comedy, Drama, Thriller
Stars
Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie
Directed by
Quentin Tarantino
Watch on Hulu
Quentin Tarantino’s ode to the Hollywood of the late 1960s, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a sprawling movie that spends much of its running time focused on fading TV star Rick Dalton and his loyal stuntman Cliff. The two tool around Los Angeles together as Rick takes various odd jobs, and we come to learn that he lives next door to Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski. The movie’s final 40 minutes, in which the Manson murders of 1969 come to a very different outcome than they did in real life, is the kind of perversion of history that Tarantino has been so fascinated by in recent years. This time, though, everyone gets a pretty happy ending, all things considered.
Poor Things (2023)
142m
Genre
Science Fiction, Romance, Comedy
Stars
Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe
Directed by
Yorgos Lanthimos
Watch on Hulu
One of the best movies of 2023, Poor Things tells the story of Bella Baxter, an adult woman who is implanted with the brain of an infant, and has to learn about the world through her encounters with the various men in her life. Director Yorgos Lanthimos brings plenty of aesthetic flair to this story, and the script is wildly inventive and funny. What really makes the movie work, though, is Emma Stone’s daring, utterly committed central performance. No one has ever played a baby as well as Stone does here, and she plays Bella’s evolution into a fully formed adult beautifully as well.
Anatomy of a Fall (2023)
152m
Genre
Thriller, Mystery, Crime
Stars
Sandra Hüller, Swann Arlaud, Milo Machado-Graner
Directed by
Justine Triet
Watch on Hulu
One of the best and most endlessly discussed movies of 2023, Anatomy of a Fall tells the story of a woman accused of her husband’s murder after he’s found dead outside their home, having fallen from a window above. The movie, which is primarily in German and English, is one of the most riveting crime dramas made in recent years, thanks in large part to Sandra Huller’s hugely compelling central performance. Anatomy of a Fall is about what it means to be married, the nature of truth, and how to keep living for yourself. It’s also, thankfully, a really great time.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
130m
Genre
Science Fiction, Action, Drama, Thriller
Stars
Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Toby Kebbell
Directed by
Matt Reeves
Watch on Hulu
The middle chapter in the latest completed Apes trilogy, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes sees the ape Caesar firmly established as the leader of a blossoming ape civilization. Humans, meanwhile, are struggling to get by after a pandemic wiped the vast majority of them from the planet. The two sides come into conflict, leading to an explosive battle that’s also a stark reminder that there is good and evil among both the humans and the apes. The CG here largely holds up, and Andy Serkis is remarkable in his central role as Caesar, one that should be at least as widely acclaimed as his Gollum performance.
Ferrari (2023)
131m
Genre
History, Drama
Stars
Adam Driver, Penélope Cruz, Shailene Woodley
Directed by
Michael Mann
Watch on Hulu
Telling part of the story of Enzo Ferrari, Ferrari is a movie that’s obsessed with why men do things like race cars at over 100 mph. Starring Adam Driver as the titular central character, the movie follows him as he deals with crises both at home and at work. The movie’s brilliance, though, comes from the way it suggests that each of these problems is really all about Ferrari’s core inability to avoid lashing out. Featuring some stunning race cinematography and magnetic performances from Driver and from Penelope Cruz, Ferrari is thoroughly compelling from beginning to end.
The First Omen (2024)
119m
Genre
Horror
Stars
Nell Tiger Free, Ralph Ineson, Sônia Braga
Directed by
Arkasha Stevenson
Watch on Hulu
Although it’s ostensibly a prequel to The Omen, The First Omen is a pretty delectable horror movie in its own right. The film is set within the Catholic church in Rome and follows a young nun who begins to question her own faith when she discovers that the church appears to have a hand in producing evil incarnate. With hints of horror classics like Rosemary’s Baby and Possession, The First Omen is genuinely terrifying and sharply directed. Even if you know what happens in The Omen, there’s plenty to admire here, including a remarkable central performance from Nell Tiger Free.
All of Us Strangers (2023)
103m
Genre
Romance, Drama, Fantasy
Stars
Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Carter John Grout
Directed by
Andrew Haigh
Watch on Hulu
A strange, deeply emotional story about a middle-aged gay man who revisits his childhood homes and begins having conversations with the ghosts of his parents, All of Us Strangers is sad, lush, and beautiful. Featuring a brilliant central performance from Andrew Scott, as well as superb supporting performances from a roster of other actors, the movie is surreal and strange but always in ways that further the story of its central character. While the ending has been divisive, it’s impossible to deny that All of Us Strangers is one of the most interesting movies about grief and the lives we lead after it ever made.
Smile (2022)
115m
Genre
Horror, Mystery
Stars
Sosie Bacon, Kyle Gallner, Jessie T. Usher
Directed by
Parker Finn
Watch on Hulu
A surprisingly sharp horror movie that’s scarier than you might think, Smile tells the story of a psychiatrist who begins to imagine things after one of her patients kills themselves in front of her. As her visions become more and more terrifying, she begins to realize that the virus infecting her mind may ultimately take her life. The way the film plays with reality, as well as its expertly orchestrated set pieces, combine to make Smile one of the best horror movies of recent years, even if it is very much about trauma.
Alien: Romulus (2024)
119m
Genre
Horror, Science Fiction
Stars
Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux
Directed by
Fede Álvarez
Watch on Hulu
The Alien franchise is one of the more reliable in Hollywood, and that’s been true for decades. Alien: Romulus is not a masterpiece like the first few installments of the franchise, but it has plenty of the thrills that you would want from this franchise. The film is set after the events of the first film but before the second, and follows a crew of young people trying to escape from desperate circumstances who find that they’re being hunted by the titular creatures. To its credit, Romulus goes to some new places with its alien imagery, and Cailee Spaeny proves to be an utterly winning lead, even if she’s not quite Sigourney Weaver.
Ad Astra (2019)
123m
Genre
Science Fiction, Drama
Stars
Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga
Directed by
James Gray
Watch on Hulu
One of the great underseen sci-fi movies of the 21st century, Ad Astra stars Brad Pitt as an astronaut in the near future who is sent deep into outer space in order to track down his own father. Along the way, Pitt’s fearless astronaut, who carefully controls his emotions, faces a number of challenges and threats, none more trenchant than the loss of his long-held stability. Featuring one of Pitt’s best performances and the kind of effects more space movies should take advantage of, Ad Astra is a reminder of how much genre can elevate the stories it tells.
What Hulu movies are leaving in January?
January 2
- Mia and Me: Hero of Centopia (2022)
January 6
- The Year of the Everlasting Storm (2021)
January 9
- Pharma Bro (2021)
January 13
- Ailey (2021)
January 14
- Bergman Island (2021)
January 20
- Paris, 13th District (2021)
January 21
- The Estate (2020)
January 26
- Happening (2021)
January 27
- Mayday (2021)
January 28
- Charli XCX: Alone Together (2021)
- 9 Bullets (2022)
- Assassin (2023)
- Stop and Go (2021)
January 29
- The Reef: Stalked (2022)
- Gigi & Nate (2022)
January 31
- Small Engine Repair (2021)
- 10.0 Earthquake (2014)
- 12 Pups of Christmas (2019)
- A Chance for Christmas (2021)
- A Christmas Movie Christmas (2019)
- A Snow White Christmas (2018)
- A Unicorn for Christmas (2021)
- An En Vogue Christmas (2014)
- Christmas Crush (2019)
- Country Christmas Album (2018)
- Four Cousins and a Christmas (2021)
- Merry Kissmas (2015)
- The Spruces and the Pines (2017)
What Hulu movies are coming in January?
January 1
- After Earth (2013)
- American Psycho (2000)
- The Devil’s Own (1997)
- The Devil’s Own En Español (1997)
- Dirty Grandpa (2016)
- Empire Records (1995)
- Ender’s Game (2013)
- The Great Debaters (2007)
- Heat (1995)
- Insidious (2011)
- Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)
- Insidious: Chapter 2 En Español (2013)
- Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015)
- Insidious: Chapter 3 En Español (2015)
- The Intouchables (2011)
- John Wick (2014)
- John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
- John Wick: Chapter 3 (2019)
- The King Of Comedy (1983)
- Little Manhattan (2005)
- Man of the House (2005)
- Man Of The House En Español (1995)
- Mr. Deeds (2002)
- Pacific Rim (2013)
- Paddington (2014)
- Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)
- Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 (2015)
- Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 En Español (2015)
- Paul Blart: Mall Cop En Español (2009)
- Shutter (2008)
- Sorry To Bother You (2018)
- The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada (2005)
- The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada En Español (2005)
- Threesome (1994)
- The Town (2010)
- To Rome With Love (2012)
- The Walk (2015)
- xXx (2002)
- xXx En Español (2002)
- xXx: State of the Union (2005)
- xXx: State of the Union En Español (2005)
January 3
- Mothers’ Instinct (2024)
January 7
- Stopmotion (2023)
January 8
- Fall (2022)
- 65 (2023)
January 9
- 65 En Español (2023)
January 10
- The Girl Locked Upstairs: The Tanya Kach Story (2024)
- American Star (2024)
January 12
- The Silent Hour (2024)
January 14
- My Penguin Friend (as2024)
January 17
- The Bad Shepard (2024)
January 21
- Sleep (2023)
January 24
- The Killer Inside: The Ruth Finley Story (2024)
- Arcadian (2024)
- City of Dreams (2023)
January 28
- Humane (2024)
January 31
- Take Cover (2024)
