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The best sci-fi movies on Hulu right now

Evelyn from A Quiet Place Part II looking determined, her kids behind her.
Paramount

Even Hulu isn’t immune from a few light months when it comes to new sci-fi movies. The only really big addition in June is Independence Day, which is, of course, the perfect movie to watch on the Fourth of July. But the science fiction alternatives on Hulu are largely Alien, Predator, and Planet of the Apes movies that we’ve seen multiple times.

The good news is that one of the holdovers, A Quiet Place Part II, is on Hulu just in time for the prequel movie, A Quiet Place: Day One, to hit theaters at the end of June. A Quiet Place Part II is on loan from Paramount, so it may not be sticking around all summer. But it will be on Hulu at least through the end of June. And if you’re looking for more science fiction stories, keep reading to see our picks for the best sci-fi movies on Hulu.

If you’re looking for more films to watch, remember that Hulu is part of the Disney Bundle. That includes the basic Hulu subscription (with ads), Disney+, and ESPN+, all for just $14 a month. That’s a great deal, and you don’t even have to travel to the future for it.

If you’re curious about what’s available in science fiction on other streaming services, we also have guides for the best sci-fi movies on Netflix, as well as the best sci-fi movies on Amazon Prime Video.

Recently added to Hulu

A Quiet Place Part II (2021)

A Quiet Place Part II
71%
7.2/10
r
96m
Genre
Science Fiction, Thriller, Horror
Stars
Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds
Directed by
John Krasinski
Watch on Hulu

A Quiet Place Part II briefly flashes back to the day that aliens invaded, as Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and Lee Abbott (John Krasinski), and their kids, Regan (Millicent Simmonds) and Marcus (Noah Jupe), witnessed the fall of humanity to these sightless creatures. In the present, Lee is dead and Evelyn just wants to find a safe place for her family.

Oppenheimer’s Cillian Murphy also has a major role in the sequel as Emmett, a friend of the family who has been greatly changed by his ordeal during the invasion. But as Emmett joins the Abbott family on their journey, they discover that the aliens aren’t the only threat that’s waiting for them in the new world.

Independence Day (1996)

Independence Day
59%
7.0/10
pg-13
145m
Genre
Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
Stars
Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum
Directed by
Roland Emmerich
Watch on Hulu

It sure was nice of the aliens to invade on a long holiday weekend like the Fourth of July. But it wasn’t very neighborly of them to go around blowing up Earth’s major cities and turning the White House into a weenie roast. Regardless, Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin’s Independence Day was a big blockbuster that recaptured the spirit of the disaster films from the 1970s and led to a resurgence of sci-fi movies as well.

Ex-fighter pilot Thomas J. Whitmore (Bill Pullman) is the unlucky guy who gets to be president when the fate of the entire world is at stake. Thankfully, Whitmore rises to the occasion with one of the most rousing speeches put to film. Will Smith (Bad Boys: Ride or Die) and Jeff Goldblum (Wicked) also star as Captain Steven Hiller and David Levinson, respectively. President Whitmore may be the leader that humanity needs, but Steven and David have to take the fight to the aliens themselves.

Planet of the Apes (1968)

Planet of the Apes
79%
8.0/10
g
112m
Genre
Science Fiction, Adventure, Drama, Action
Stars
Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter
Directed by
Franklin J. Schaffner
Watch on Hulu

Tim Burton’s 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes may have better special effects than the 1968 original, but the original film has a much better story that was co-written by The Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling. This movie also gave Charlton Heston one of his most famous roles as George Taylor, an astronaut from Earth who crashes on an unknown world where apes are the dominant species.

Ape scientists Dr. Cornelius (Roddy McDowall) and Dr. Zira (Kim Hunter) are sympathetic to Taylor even before they discover he can speak. Regardless, another ape scientist, Dr. Zaius (Maurice Evans), will do almost anything to silence Taylor and prevent him from learning the secret of the Planet of the Apes.

Predator (1987)

Predator
47%
7.8/10
r
107m
Genre
Science Fiction, Action, Adventure, Thriller
Stars
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Elpidia Carrillo
Directed by
John McTiernan
Watch on Hulu

Contemporary critics of Predator dismissed it in 1987, but it has since gone on to become recognized as one the all-time great sci-fi action movies. It’s also one of the few films to give Arnold Schwarzenegger an on-screen nemesis who is even more intimidating than he is. The Predator (Kevin Peter Hall) is given no name in the movie, and this alien hasn’t come to Earth to make friends. Instead, he’s hunting people.

Major Alan “Dutch” Schaefer (Arnold Schwarzenegger), his CIA contact Al Dillon (the late Carl Weathers), and the rest of Dutch’s mercenary team find out the hard way that they’ve become the prey to this killer from another world. They may be skilled soldiers by Earth’s standards, but the Predator is toying with them as he picks them off one-by-one.

War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

War for the Planet of the Apes
82%
7.4/10
pg-13
140m
Genre
Drama, Science Fiction, War
Stars
Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Karin Konoval
Directed by
Matt Reeves
Watch on Hulu

The Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy comes to a strong conclusion in War for the Planet of the Apes. After years of conflict with humans, Caesar (Andy Serkis) has lost almost all compassion for his rival species, especially after humans killed his wife and child. That’s why Caesar is so slow to warm up to Nova (Amiah Miller), a mute human girl who is befriended by his right-hand orangutan, Maurice (Karin Konoval).

Before Caesar can lead the apes to sanctuary, he’ll have one last battle to fight against the Colonel (Woody Harrelson), a man whose brutal tactics may allow humanity to retain their hold on the Planet of the Apes.

The Fifth Element (1997)

The Fifth Element
53%
7.6/10
pg-13
126m
Genre
Adventure, Fantasy, Action, Thriller, Science Fiction
Stars
Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman
Directed by
Luc Besson
Watch on Hulu

In 1997, The Fifth Element was a breath of fresh air for sci-fi lovers with a story inspired by European science fiction comics. Bruce Willis stars as Korben Dallas, a former soldier turned cab driver. While trying to make a living in the future, Dallas’ world is rocked when Leeloo (Milla Jovovich) literally drops in on his flying car.

Leeloo isn’t initially sure who she is or what she’s supposed to be doing shortly after her resurrection, but she eventually goes off to space in order to prevent the triumph of the Great Evil. And Dallas is going to help Leeloo do it, whether he wants to or not.

The Creator (2023)

The Creator
63%
6.8/10
pg-13
134m
Genre
Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
Stars
John David Washington, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, Gemma Chan
Directed by
Gareth Edwards
Watch on Hulu

After an extended absence from theaters, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story director Gareth Edwards helmed and co-wrote The Creator. Tenet’s John David Washington stars as Sergeant Joshua Taylor, a soldier in humanity’s war against an overpowering AI force. Years after losing his wife, Maya Fey (Gemma Chan), to an AI attack, Taylor is given a new mission that may decide the outcome of the war.

Taylor’s goal is to find and destroy a new AI weapon, Alpha-O, which has the ability to control any technology remotely. But much to Taylor’s shock, the weapon is actually Alphie (Madeleine Yuna Voyles), a child-like AI he decides to take under his protection regardless of the consequences.

Alien (1979)

Alien
89%
8.5/10
r
117m
Genre
Horror, Science Fiction
Stars
Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Ian Holm
Directed by
Ridley Scott
Watch on Hulu

2024 marks the 45th anniversary of Ridley Scott’s Alien, and it remains one of the best sci-fi/horror films of all-time. The story focuses on the ill-fated crew of the Nostromo, a spaceship that investigates a strange transmission during their interstellar journey. What they find is the body of a long-dead humanoid-like alien and a facehugger that leaves the ship’s executive officer, Kane (John Hurt), with an alien growing inside of his body.

No amount of Pepto-Bismol is going to save Kane when the xenomorph bursts from his body. Unfortunately for Captain Dallas (Tom Skerritt), Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), and the rest of the crew, the xenomorph is more than capable of hunting them down one by one.

Dual (2022)

Dual
62%
5.8/10
r
95m
Genre
Science Fiction, Thriller
Stars
Karen Gillan, Aaron Paul, Beulah Koale
Directed by
Riley Stearns
Watch on Hulu
Karen Gillan plays a dual role in Dual, as Sarah and her double. In the near future, Sarah is diagnosed with a terminal illness, and she allows herself to be cloned to spare her boyfriend, Peter (Beulah Koale), and her mother, (Maija Paunio), from the emotional pain of losing her. But when Sarah miraculously recovers her health, she is horrified to discover that the clone has already taken over her life. Sarah’s mother and Peter even prefer the clone to the real Sarah! And by law, only one Sarah can survive. That’s why Sarah has one year to train herself, with the help of Trent (Aaron Paul), to fight her clone in a battle to the death.

Crimes of the Future (2022)

Crimes of the Future
67%
5.9/10
r
107m
Genre
Drama, Horror, Science Fiction
Stars
Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux, Scott Speedman
Directed by
David Cronenberg
Watch on Hulu
Ah, David Cronenberg. Never change. Crimes of the Future is Cronenberg’s first sci-fi film in two decades, and you really shouldn’t watch this movie while eating. It goes the full Cronenberg with disgusting sci-fi body horror. Viggo Mortensen stars as Saul Tenser, a man whose Accelerated Evolution Syndrome makes his body constantly produce new organs. So in this near future, Saul constantly has his organs removed as a piece of performance art by his partner, Caprice (Léa Seydoux). This actually sexually excites National Organ Registry agent Timlin (Love Lies Bleeding‘s Kristen Stewart), and it leads Saul into an even darker corner of the body modification underground.

Come True (2020)

Come True
68%
5.9/10
105m
Genre
Science Fiction, Horror
Stars
Julia Sarah Stone, Landon Liboiron, Carlee Ryski
Directed by
Anthony Scott Burns
Watch on Hulu
Plagued by sleep disturbances her whole life, teenage Sarah (Julia Sarah Stone) sees things get worse after she runs away from home and is hunted by shadowy figures in her dreams every night. Hoping it will be the answer to her prayers, Sarah agrees to participate in a sleep study run by the creepy Dr. Meyer (Christopher Heatherington). Unfortunately, the study only makes things more dire as whatever’s stalking Sarah in her sleep begins to threaten her waking world. A visually impressive mix of sci-fi and horror, Come True has echoes of Philip K. Dick while feeling like a more thoughtful, indie answer to Wes Craven’s classic A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Come True - Official Trailer | HD | IFC Midnight

Boss Level (2021)

Boss Level
56%
6.8/10
101m
Genre
Action, Science Fiction, Thriller
Stars
Frank Grillo, Mel Gibson, Naomi Watts
Directed by
Joe Carnahan
Watch on Hulu
Every morning is the same morning for Roy Pulver (Frank Grillo) in Boss Level, and each of those mornings he wakes up to the same assassin burying a machete in his headboard and a small army of colorful killers waiting for him outside. No matter what he does, Roy can’t manage to survive past 12:47 p.m., and that doesn’t change until a clue from his estranged wife puts him on the right path. Time loop movies are nothing new. Films like Groundhog Day, Edge of Tomorrow, and even Hulu’s own Palm Springs have turned the idea of living the same day over and over again into a subgenre all of its own. What sets Boss Level apart is the dark humor and perfectly over-the-top violence with which the story is told. It’s an action-packed and fun way to spend an hour and a half, with lots of blood and lots of laughs.
Boss Level - Trailer (Official) • A Hulu Original

Editors' Recommendations

Movie images and data from:
Blair Marnell

Blair Marnell has been an entertainment journalist for over 15 years. His bylines have appeared in Wizard Magazine, Geek Monthly, SYFY Wire, Superhero Hype, Collider, DC Universe, and the official sites for Star Trek and Marvel. He also lends his pop culture expertise to Digital Trends on a variety of TV, movie, and streaming features.

Michileen Martin

Michileen Martin has written about pop culture in general and comics in particular for two decades. His work has appeared in numerous sites including Looper, PopMatters, Popdose, and nerdbastards.com. He probably knows more about the Incredible Hulk than you.

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