2022 is shaping up to be a big year forHulu. The streaming giant has only increased in power since its new ownership under Disney, with the recently releasedFire Islandalready making waves with a solid critical reception. Not to mention there’s the highly anticipatedPrey, which is primed to bring new blood to thePredatorfranchisein early August. You won’t have to wait that long to experience some movies to fit the Summer season, as Hulu has a surprisingly large repertoire of films despite being most well-known for their television programs.
Related:The Best Movies on Hulu Right Now
Hot Fuzz (2007)
Run Time:2 hours and 1 minute
Directed by:Edgar Wright
Written by:Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg
Starring:Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent, Timothy Dalton, and Olivia Coleman
Arguably thebest film from Edgar Wright(which is really saying something),Hot Fuzzis far more than just a funny satire on action films. It’s one of the best-written action comedies of all time, following an exceptional London police officer who is forced to transfer to a small town in the countryside for literally being too good at his job. Once he gets there, he unravels a conspiracy in a twist conclusion that is far too amazing to spoil for you here, so go giveHot Fuzza buzz if you haven’t already.
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Taken (2008)
Run Time:1 hour and 30 minutes
Directed by:Pierre Morel
Written by:Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen
Starring:Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, and Famke Janssen
Liam Neesonhas become pretty well known for being the poster child for older action stars, but you can’t really blame the actor for taking on all these roles when he was in a movie that was as successful asTaken. Even those who have never watched a single minute of the movie know that the film is about a father with “a particular set of skills” tracking down his daughter after she was abducted. There’s a reason whythatphone call has become such an iconic scene in film history because what comes after it is an action-packed thrill ride about one pissed-off dad.
Predator (1987)
Run Time:1 hour and 47 minutes
Directed by:John McTiernan
Written by:Jim Thomas and John Thomas
Starring:Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Venture, Bill Duke, and Sonny Landham
To put it bluntly, this film will make you “a god-damned sexual tyrannosaurus”. Just like Blain. There are just too many amazing quotes to count inPredator, with a good chunk of them being said before the iconic alien even shows up. The band of instantly likable brothers is seemingly on just another mission to Central America until they begin to get picked off by something in the jungle that they can’t see. The creature hunting them turns out to be an extra-terrestrial being that hunts the galaxy’s deadliest inhabitants for sport, but this is the first time that such an awesome being has come face to face with someone likeArnold freakin' Schwarzenegger.
Rio (2011)
Run Time:1 hour and 36 minutes
Directed by:Carlos Saldanha
Written by:Carlos Saldanha, Earl Richey Jones, Todd R. Jones, Don Rhymer, Joshua Sternin, Jennifer Ventimilia, and Sam Harper
Starring:Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, George Lopez, Jamie Foxx, will.i.am, and Jemaine Clement
Though tonally it contrasts pretty significantly with the violentPredator,Riostill takes advantage of a luscious tropical setting. As the name implies,Riotakes place in, well, Rio, and the city is beautifully rendered in some vibrant, stunning animation. It’s a classic “fish out of water” story where Blu, a domesticated blue macaw, is supposedly one of the last of his kind, so he’s invited to Rio de Janeiro in an attempt to save the blue macaw from extinction.
Akira (1988)
Run Time:2 hours and 4 minutes
Directed by:Katsuhiro Ôtomo
Written by:Katsuhiro Ôtomo and Izô Hashimoto
Starring:Misuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama, and Tesshô Genda
HBO Max may be the first streamer that comes to mind when thinking of Japanese animation due to its catalog ofStudio Ghibli films, but Hulu also has its fair share of anime content, including one of the most acclaimed films of the genre.Akirais a gorgeous, visceral, intense glimpse into the near future of “Neo-Japan”, with a dark futuristic world similar toGhost in the Shell. Here, a group of bikers takes on a super-powered ex-biker before he turns Neo-Japan into an all-out war zone.
Hitch (2005)
Run Time:1 hour and 58 minutes
Directed by:Andy Tennant
Written by:Kevin Bisch
Starring:Will Smith, Kevin James, and Eva Mendes
Alex Hitchens’s job is fitting given his name. He’s essentially a dating coach who sets up men with women they perceive as being far out of their league. Hitch (Will Smith) prides himself on his anonymity, but his rapid success stories eventually catch the attention of a journalist who wants to expose the date-doctor for manipulating the subjects of his clients. Both of them have the best of intentions, but their paths intertwine to make them realize the romance they’ve been too busy to pay attention to.
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)
Run Time:1 hour and 32 minutes
Directed and Written by:Rawson Marshall Thurber
Starring:Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, and Christine Taylor
Not a true story, but still one that follows a group of underdogs trying to save their gym. The gang at Average Joe’s Gym has been dealing with White Goodman, an eccentric health nut and owner of a rival gym. When Goodman tries to close Average Joe’s Gym, their only hope to save it is to participate in a national dodgeball championship. It’s a cameo-filled fun time with plenty of dodging, ducking, dipping, diving, and more dodging.
Weekend at Bernie’s (1989)
Run Time:1 hour and 37 minutes
Directed by:Ted Kotcheff
Written by:Robert Klane
Starring:Andrew McArthy, Jonathan Silverman, Catherine Mary Stewart, and Terry Kiser
Believe it or not, cult-favoriteWeekend at Bernie’swasn’t too well received by critics when it first premiered. For whatever reason, the story about two guys who lug around their deceased boss’s corpse wherever they go to hide the fact that he was murdered didn’t resonate with some people. Weird. Anyway, the dark comedy still has plenty of great moments of visual humor to showcase its silly concept.
Logan Lucky (2017)
Directed by:Steven Soderbergh
Written by:Jules Asner
Starring:Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Daniel Craig, and Farrah Mackenzie
Otherwise known as “Ocean’s 7/11”,Logan Luckyis probably the closest thing we’re ever going to get to anOcean’s 14fromSteven Soderbergh. Soderbergh returns to his heist film roots in an even more satirical and humorous theft caper, where down-on-his-luck Jimmy Logan, his amputee brother, his gear head sister, and an eccentric explosive convict attempt to rob a NASCAR race. Fans of theOcean’strilogy will undoubtedly feel right at home with the style and tone of the film, and it’s refreshing to see a new heist film as the genre hasn’t had too many entries in the last few years.
Dazed and Confused (1993)
Run Time:1 hour and 43 minutes
Directed and Written by:Richard Linklater
Starring:Jason London, Wiley Wiggins, Matthew McConaughey, Rory Cochrane, and Mila Jovovich
If you’re looking forMatthew McConaughey’s first-ever feature film, look no further. An early venture fromRichard Linklater,Dazed and Confusedis arguably the ultimate stoner comedy. A slice-of-life story about a group of weed enthusiasts in their last year of high school, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a movie script with more uses of the word “man” thanDazed and Confused.
