The Creator. Don't have Hulu yet? Sign up hereThis 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.
How We Pick Our Films
Critic Brian Tallerico watches and writes about movies and TV every day. To curate this list, he dives into Hulu’s catalogue every month to surface exciting, white-knuckle action titles — using his taste and a lifetime of cinema study as his guide, instead of whatever the algorithm happens to be pushing. After triple-checking to make sure they’re still available, he watches each and writes his recommendation. We highlight more than just the thrilling crowdpleasers: Filmmakers use action to punctuate drama, lighten or heighten the mood of a movie, and explosively make an impact on cinema. Read on to find something to watch.
13 Assassins
Year: 2011
Runtime: 2h 5m
Director: Takashi Miike
Takashi Miike has directed over 100 movies, and this is one of the best, a stylish throwback to samurai cinema of old anchored by the modern filmmaking prowess of one of the best filmmakers alive. A remake of Eiichi Kudo’s 1963 film, this is loosely based on actual events from 1844 when 12 samurai and a hunter worked together to assassinate the leader of the Akashi clan. It’s a perfect balance of storytelling and sprays of samurai blood.
13 Assassins watch on huluAkira
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.)
Akira Watch on Hulu*Con Air
Year: 1997
Runtime: 1h 55m
Director: Simon West
Nicolas Cage leads one of his best ensembles in this hit about a plane full of convicts that gets hijacked. Of course, Cage plays the “good criminal,” a guy sentenced to ten years for defending his pregnant wife. He finds himself the only possible savior on a plane full of real bad guys that includes John Malkovich, Steve Buscemi, Ving Rhames, and Danny Trejo.
Con Air watch 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.
The Creator watch on huluDeep Blue Sea
Year: 1999
Runtime: 1h 31m
Director: Renny Harlin
Giant sharks + charismatic actors = something worth watching on Hulu. It’s been fun to watch this B-movie guilty pleasure build a following in the quarter-century since its release. It’s so popular still that there was a cheap sequel released not that long ago. It’s the story of genetically engineered sharks who attack people played by Saffron Burrows, Thomas Jane, LL Cool J, and Samuel L. Jackson, who has (spoiler!) one of the best death scenes in the history of action movies.
Deep Blue Sea watch on huluEdge of Tomorrow
Year: 2014
Runtime: 1h 48m
Director: Doug Liman
Also known as Live Die Repeat, this is one of the best video game movies even if it’s not technically a video game movie. It’s about a guy (Tom Cruise) who respawns every time he dies, taking what he learned from the previous attempt to try and defeat an alien race. That’s kind of how video games work. This movie rules, partially because it also includes a fantastic Emily Blunt supporting performance.
Edge of Tomorrow watch on huluEscape 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.
Escape Room watch on hulu*Godzilla vs. Kong
Year: 2021
Runtime: 1h 53m
Director: Adam Wingard
Adam Wingard (The Guest) directs this ultimate team-up between titans and he brings a playful glee to the entire project. It’s a B-movie on an A-movie budget—consistently ridiculous but also nonstop fun—and it really delivers in terms of “understanding the assignment.” Wingard knows that these movies need to be larger than life escapism and that’s exactly what he delivers.
Godzilla vs. Kong watch on hulu*Heat
Year: 1995
Runtime: 2h 51m
Director: Michael Mann
Robert De Niro and Al Pacino star in one of the best movies of the ‘90s, a stunning cat-and-mouse game between a career criminal and a workaholic cop. The book release of Heat 2 in 2022 brought a lot of people back to this movie, one that has held up remarkably well over the nearly three decades since it was released. It’s a masterpiece.
Heat watch on huluJumanji: 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.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle watch on hulu*The Matrix Resurrections
Year: 2021
Runtime: 2h 29m
Director: The Wachowskis
Almost two decades after the release of The Matrix Revolutions, the Wachowskis returned to the world of Neo and Trinity with a brave, daring new vision that questions the very existence of this film. A truly subversive piece of blockbuster filmmaking, it’s also an undeniably imperfect movie, but its ambition should make it worth another look for those who dismissed it on single viewing.
The Matrix Resurrections watch on hulu*The Mummy
Year: 1999
Runtime: 2h 5m
Director: Stephen Sommers
Brendan Fraser has had a career resurgence with his Oscar win for The Whale and his divisive role in Killers of the Flower Moon, so it’s a perfect time to revisit arguably his most popular film. It’s the one that should have kept him a star for decades—a wonderful adventure film that playfully updates the template that includes Indiana Jones and dates back to Errol Flynn. The entire trilogy is on Hulu.
The Mummy watch on huluOng 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.
Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior watch on huluPacific Rim
Year: 2013
Runtime: 2h 11m
Director: Guillermo del Toro
One of the most underrated action movies of its era, Guillermo del Toro’s ode to giant monster movies is an unpretentious delight, a movie that understands its B-movie origins and what people need from a flick about massive robots fighting enormous monsters. Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, and Charlie Day star in a movie that kinda underperformed initially but has built a loyal following over the last decade.
Pacific Rim watch on huluPrey
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.
Prey watch on huluShadow 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.
Shadow in the Cloud watch on huluSnowpiercer
Year: 2013
Runtime: 2h 6m
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Bong Joon-ho became a household name (at least in cinephile circles) when he won the Oscar for Parasite, but he had a hit before that in this sci-fi action flick starring Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swinton, Octavia Spencer, and John Hurt. It’s a brilliant allegory for society as a train has been divided into classes per car, and the peasants form a revolt. Visually striking and narratively ambitious, Snowpiercer is a film that only seems to grow in esteem with each passing year, especially now that Bong is increasingly famous.
Snowpiercer watch on huluUnderwater
Year: 2020
Runtime: 1h 34m
Director: William Eubank
Dumped in theaters just before the pandemic broke the industry forever, this underrated thriller has already developed something of a following on VOD and then HBO Max before now sliding over to Hulu. Kristen Stewart stars as a worker on an underwater drilling facility who discovers something ancient under the water. Half disaster movie and half monster movie, it’s a lot of fun.
Underwater watch on hulu*War of the Worlds
Year: 2005
Runtime: 2h 31m
Director: Steven Spielberg
The star and director of Minority Report reunited for this phenomenal adaptation of the classic H.G. Wells tale about the end of the world. Tom Cruise plays an ordinary guy who tries to survive the day the enemy aliens arrived in this incredibly well-directed action epic that plays well as escapism but can also be read as one of the first great movies about 9/11.
War of the Worlds watch on hulu*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.
X-Men: First Class watch on huluIf you subscribe to a service through our links, Vulture may earn an affiliate commission.
Related
The 20 Best Action Movies on Hulu Right NowncG1vNJzZmivp6x7t8HLrayrnV6YvK57wKuropucmnyjsdKtZJqbpJ68r3nMqK2inaNitba41GefraWc