Although you may know Hulu first and foremost for the many TV series it hosts, if you’re looking for movies to watch, Hulu has also got you covered. The movies on Hulu are a mix of originals and titles that were originally released in theaters, but there are plenty worth exploring. In particular, Hulu has some of the best sci-fi movies you’re likely to find on any service. Between original Hulu movies and other titles, Hulu’s sci-fi movie selection can compete with those on any streamer. Here are nine of the best titles worth checking out now.
No One Will Save You (2023)
93m
Genre
Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller
Stars
Kaitlyn Dever, Elizabeth Kaluev, Zack Duhame
Directed by
Brian Duffield
A nearly wordless film about an alien invasion and the single woman who battles for her own survival, No One Will Save You was an instant success when it arrived on Hulu. Starring Kaitlyn Dever in a deeply emotional, nearly wordless performance, the film follows her character Brynn as she attempts to survive the invasion of her hometown by a race of highly evolved, telekinetic aliens. Are there moments when someone should maybe say something? Sure. But No One Will Save You manages to thrill with no words at all, which is a feat unto itself.
Alien (1979)
117m
Genre
Horror, Science Fiction
Stars
Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Ian Holm
Directed by
Ridley Scott
One of the best sci-fi movies ever made, Alien follows a group of working-class astronauts who stumble on an alien species that has been scientifically designed to kill them all. The movie’s combination of sci-fi and horror works to great effect, and it also features some wonderful reminders that your employer often doesn’t care all that much whether you live or die. Alien was Sigourney Weaver’s breakout role and one that would define much of her career. It also happens to be a great movie on basically every technical level, which is why it has stood the test of time.
Melancholia (2011)
135m
Genre
Drama, Science Fiction
Stars
Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland
Directed by
Lars von Trier
Telling a small, intimate story about the end of the world, Melancholia follows two sisters who have very different reactions to the coming end of everything. Kirsten Dunst delivers a remarkable performance as one of those two sisters, who has been battling heavy depression and seems much more accepting of her fate. Few movies have better captured the weight of depression than Melancholia, which uses its sci-fi overtones in order to tell a very real story about the dread and beauty of the end of the world.
Infinity Pool (2023)
118m
Genre
Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller
Stars
Alexander Skarsgård, Mia Goth, Cleopatra Coleman
Directed by
Brandon Cronenberg
One of the stranger, more sadistic movies on this list, Infinity Pool tells the story of wealthy vacationers who clone themselves and watch those clones get executed in order to avoid death themselves. The movie follows the implications of this conceit all the way to its rotten core, showcasing the way that the very idea of the self gets lost as soon as you watch yourself die. Although it’s not filled to the brim with gore or guts, Infinity Pool will live in your head for weeks anyway, whether you want it to or not.
Akira (1988)
124m
Genre
Animation, Science Fiction, Action
Stars
Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama
Directed by
Katsuhiro Otomo
One of the best movies about the fallout from the atomic bomb in Japan, Akira is set in a future where a bomb was dropped on Tokyo, totally destroying the city. In that new Tokyo, we follow Akira as he attempts to save a friend named Tetsuo who has been horribly mutated after getting involved in a secret government project. As Tetsuo’s power grows and he loses control, we get a horrifying picture of the buried traumas at the heart of modern Japan. This is a country that was annihilated and had to pretend that it could rise above that horrific past. Akira communicates that perfectly and is one of the best anime stories ever told.
Possessor (2020)
104m
Genre
Horror, Thriller, Science Fiction
Stars
Andrea Riseborough, Christopher Abbott, Jennifer Jason Leigh
Directed by
Brandon Cronenberg
The second Brandon Cronenberg title on this list, Possessor is another movie that deals with the theme of identity. Telling the story of an assassin who takes over other people’s bodies in order to get to her targets, the movie is about the blurry lines between your own lives and the lives of the people you become. Possessor is appropriately gnarly, but that gnarliness also gets a little existential, and that’s the fun of all of Cronenburg’s movies to date. Few directors get at the unique horrors of being a person quite the way that he does.
Palm Springs (2020)
90m
Genre
Comedy, Romance, Science Fiction
Stars
Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, J.K. Simmons
Directed by
Max Barbakow
A sci-fi comedy about a pair of people stuck in the same day together, Palm Springs is delightful from beginning to end, and one of the best comedies of the past few years. Starring Cristin Milioti and Andy Samberg, the movie is really just a riff on Groundhog Day that has the decency to tell some new jokes. The chemistry between Milioti and Samberg is also off the charts, creating a believable romance between two people stuck in truly dire circumstances. Palm Springs may be treading familiar ground in its premise, but the way it goes about telling its story feels completely new.
Prey (2022)
100m
Genre
Thriller, Action, Science Fiction
Stars
Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Michelle Thrush
Directed by
Dan Trachtenberg
A prequel to the Predator franchise that managed to almost single-handedly reinvigorate it, Prey tells the story of a young Comanche woman who finds herself going toe-to-toe with a Predator. The movie, which is set almost entirely outdoors, features some genuinely great action sequences. Even more crucially, though, the movie manages to take a familiar premise and give it new life, thanks in large part to Amber Midthunder’s commanding central performance. Prey is not super connected to the rest of the Predator franchise, and in the end, that’s for the best.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
105m
Genre
Thriller, Action, Drama, Science Fiction
Stars
James Franco, Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto
Directed by
Rupert Wyatt
The first of three new Planet of the Apes movies that arrived in the 2010s, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is essentially an origin story for the apes that eventually take over planet Earth. While it’s not perfect, Rise features one moment so genuinely awe inspiring and chilling when an ape first learns to talk, that it more than merits inclusion on this list. This entire franchise is well worth watching, both for its connection to the original Apes movies and because all three movies are great in their own right.
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