This post is updated regularly as movies leave and enter Hulu. *New additions are indicated with an asterisk.
It’s time to have some fun. Let’s put down all the serious, Oscar-winning dramas, leave the documentaries for another day, and forget about that TV season that everyone tells you that you should be watching. There’s a reason that the most successful genre on the home market has been the same for over a generation now: People love action movies. They allow us to escape reality and enter a world where the good guy (usually) wins the day. These are the best action flicks currently on Hulu, updated monthly.
The Abyss
Year: 1989
Runtime: 2h 20m
Director: James Cameron
James Cameron’s 1989 sci-fi blockbuster is one of the most prominent films never to have been released on Blu-ray in the United States — but that finally changes in March with the 4K release, and it’s finally more readily available on streaming, too. People who love this movie really love this movie, and it’s great to see it finally coming to the fans who have deserved it for so long.
Akira
Year: 1988
Runtime: 2 hours, 4 minutes
Director: Katsuhiro Otomo
Animated action! Anyone who thinks a Japanese anime film from the ‘80s doesn’t deserve a spot on this list simply hasn’t seen Akira, a movie that feels more influential with each film that copies its template. Based on the 1982 manga of the same name and set in the oh-so-distant future of 2019, this story of a biker with telekinetic abilities has influenced dozens of action and sci-fi project. It gets better every time you watch it. (Note: Both the dubbed and subtitled versions are on Hulu.)
*Bad Boys
Year: 1995
Runtime: 1h 59m
Director: Michael Bay
When this action film was released, no one involved was anywhere near as big as they would become, including stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, and director Michael Bay. This flick is incredibly rewatchable, and the love for this series is still strong, as proven by the massive success of Bad Boys for Life, released just before the pandemic in 2020, and the upcoming Bad Boys: Ride or Die. Note: Bad Boys II is also on Hulu.
The Creator
Year: 2023
Runtime: 2h 13m
Director: Gareth Edwards
Yes, the script here gets a little clunky and cribs a bit too much from other sci-fi films, but history is going to come around to The Creator for one reason: It looks stunning. It’s not just the blend of tactile cinematography and cutting-edge special effects, it’s the kind of visual language that’s almost always missing from Hollywood blockbusters. Gareth Edwards’ film will find an audience in the future. Get on the bandwagon early.
Escape Room
Year: 2019
Runtime: 1h 39m
Director: Adam Robitel
How did it take so long for Hollywood to make this one? A clever, enjoyable B-movie, this thriller flick takes the concept of an escape room to extremes, and it ended up making over $150 million worldwide, leading to a 2021 sequel. Taylor Russell and Logan Miller lead a group of people who end up having to survive a series of increasingly dangerous escape rooms.
*The Fifth Element
Year: 1997
Runtime: 2h 6m
Director: Luc Besson
There’s not a lot of great sci-fi on Hulu, but you should fire this one up if you’re jonesing for something set in a different time and place in space. And make sure you do so on the biggest TV in your house and with the volume at a level to wake the neighbors. Luc Besson’s vision isn’t exactly a great piece of storytelling, but this Bruce Willis vehicle is a perfect example of the director’s skill with world-building and technical elements.
*Hellboy
Year: 2004
Runtime: 2h 2m
Director: Guillermo del Toro
No, not that David Harbour nonsense—this is the Guillermo del Toro and Ron Perlman original adaptation of the great Mike Mignola comic about a demon-man turned into a reluctant hero. Working with the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, Hellboy and his team keep the world safe from whatever is trying to break through the thin line between humanity and something much scarier. Perlman is great and Del Toro brings a visual flair missing from most blockbusters.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
Year: 2017
Runtime: 1h 59m
Director: Jake Kasdan
This massive blockbuster actually isn’t on streaming services that often, so take this chance while you can on Hulu. Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan star as the avatar versions of four teens who end up transported into a video game. A massive hit when it was released, it’s already produced one sequel, with another in development. It’s a lot of fun.
Knight and Day
Year: 2010
Runtime: 1h 50m
Director: James Mangold
James Mangold (Logan) directed this fun action flick that’s basically built on the massive screen charisma of Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. Reuniting the stars of Vanilla Sky, the film casts Diaz as a woman who gets caught up with a spy on the run from the CIA. It’s been kind of forgotten by history but it’s a decent action choice on a lazy weekend.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Year: 2005
Runtime: 2h 6m
Director: Doug Liman
While the great new TV version kills it over on Prime, watch the original movie that gave the world Brangelina on Hulu. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt star as a seemingly ordinary suburban couple who discover that they both have secret identities as competing assassins. When they get assignments to kill each other, all Hell breaks loose.
Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior
Year: 2005
Runtime: 1h 45m
Director: Prachya Pinkaew
In 2003, action movie fans were looking for the next Jackie Chan or Jet Li and they found a martial arts superstar in Tony Jaa, who had his breakout film in Ong-Bak, the story of a Muay Thai master in a small village in Thailand who ventures to retrieve the stolen head of an ancient statue for his people. The film was a hit, producing two sequels, also both on Hulu.
*Pacific Rim
Year: 2013
Runtime: 2h 11m
Director: Guillermo del Toro
The Oscar-winning genius Guillermo del Toro let his inner child play with both giant robots and massive monsters in his underrated blockbuster. Co-written and directed by the Oscar winner, Pacific Rim is a consistent blast, a flick wherein you can feel the joy of the people who created it. Who doesn’t want to watch gigantic creatures and metal men the size of skyscrapers go at it?
Predator
Year: 1987
Runtime: 1h 47m
Director: John McTiernan
It’s also on Hulu, but you can probably skip the first sequel (although definitely don’t skip Prey) and just stick to the 1987 original, a lean, mean movie that features one of Ah-nuld’s best ‘80s performances. It’s a survival tale that starts off like a war movie before it throws in one of the universe’s most famous killing machines.
Prey
Year: 2022
Runtime: 1h 40m
Director: Dan Trachtenberg
The director of 10 Cloverfield Lane clearly knows how to make unexpected films in hit franchises and that’s exactly what he delivers in one of the biggest original film hits in the history of Hulu. A prequel to Predator, Prey details what happened when the alien killing machine crossed paths with a Comanche woman (Amber Midthunder) three centuries ago.
*Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Year: 2011
Runtime: 1h 45m
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Any list of the best modern action trilogies really needs to include the rebooted Planet of the Apes series that started with this excellent blockbuster over a decade ago. James Franco plays a man who raises a genetically engineered chimpanzee named Caesar (Andy Serkis, who gives an all-timer mo-cap performance), who starts the revolution of the primates over their human captors. It’s a phenomenal movie, and the saga continues this summer in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
Shadow in the Cloud
Year: 2020
Runtime: 1h 23m
Director: Roseanne Liang
Chloe Grace Moretz stars in this clever genre hybrid that starts as a study of sexism on a fighter plane over the Pacific during World War II and then becomes basically an alien movie. Moretz is the first unexpected passenger on the plane; a gremlin who seems to be trying to take it down is a bigger problem. Lean and mean, this is a ridiculous B-movie, but don’t question the logic, just enjoy the ride.
*True Lies
Year: 1994
Runtime: 2h 21m
Director: James Cameron
Remember when James Cameron made kick-ass action movies that weren’t set on Pandora? Those were the days. Cameron directed Arnold Schwarzenegger in this influential action pic about a family man who also happens to be a G-man. Co-starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, and Bill Paxton, it’s a perfectly paced film that’s easy to watch over and over again.
The Wave
Year: 2015
Runtime: 1h 45m
Director: Roar Uthaug
Disaster movies aren’t the exclusive property of American filmmakers! Norway can make ‘em too! This is one of the best disaster movies of the 2010s, the story of an avalanche in Norway that leads to an 80-metre wave that rolls through the region around it, causing havoc.
X-Men: First Class
Year: 2011
Runtime: 2h 8m
Director: Matthew Vaughn
The entire X-Universe was essentially rebooted in Matthew Vaughn’s great superhero film, one that turned the series from the somber tone of the ‘00s flicks to something more playful and fun. James McAvoy took on Professor X and Michael Fassbender stepped into the metal boots of Magneto for this smart prequel with style to spare. It’s held up well as one of the better superhero movies of the 2010s.
*X2: X-Men United
Year: 2003
Runtime: 2h 14m
Director: Bryan Singer
Long before Marvel ruled the world, the comic book franchise that mattered was X-Men, and there are many people, including yours truly, who think the second film in the original trilogy is the best of the bunch. Building on the foundation poured by the first, X2 takes more creative risks, tackling multiple character arcs in a way that feels like a great comic book multi-issue run.
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