The 15 best sci-fi movies on Hulu

Akira (1988)

Few animated films have packed as much of a punch as Akira, based on the manga series of the same name. The film follows Kaneda, the leader of a biker gang in Neo-Tokyo, which is now thriving after a psychic "Esper" destroyed Tokyo in 1988. Kaneda's best friend, Tetsuo, gains the same psychic abilities after a motorcycle accident, leading Tetsuo down a path of destruction that some fear could result in history repeating for Neo-Tokyo. Akira's release in the late-'80s was a watershed moment in animation, especially for anime crossing over to the U.S. As EW's Marc Bernardin wrote in 2001, "Akira was unlike anything Americans had seen before — at least, Americans who hadn't scoured comic book and sci-fi conventions for bootleg videos of Japanese anime." —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch Akira: Hulu

Director: Katsuhiro Otomo

Cast: Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama, Taro Ishida, Tesshō Genda, Mizuho Suzuki

Related content: Spotlight on Akira director Katsuhiro Otomo

Alien (1979)

Ridley Scott's Alien was the one that started it all for a franchise that would spawn sequels, comics, video games, and more. Before any commercialization, though, there was this terrifying sci-fi thriller, which finds Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and her fellow crew members aboard the space tug Nostromo investigating a spacecraft in disrepair, only to find it contains menacing, bloodthirsty aliens. And, as the iconic tagline states, "In space, no one can hear you scream." With the threat of the alien Xenomorph around every corner, the original Alien is arguably more horror than traditional sci-fi, but the innovative effects and dark, gritty vision of the future have had an influence on the science fiction genre for decades to come. —K.J.

Where to watch Alien: Hulu

Director: Ridley Scott

Cast: Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto

Related content: Inside the making of Alien's iconic, nightmare-inducing eggs

Dual (2022)

Sarah (Karen Gillan), a terminally ill woman, agrees to be cloned for the benefit of her loved ones in this sci-fi satire. After she unexpectedly lives, she returns to her regular life only to discover that her boyfriend and mother prefer her "double." When Sarah's double makes it clear that she intends to stay in the picture, the original Sarah decides to challenge her according to the law: a duel to the death. The film, which also stars Aaron Paul, Theo James, and Beulah Koale, was well-received when it premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. While similar to 2021's Swan Song, in which Mahershala Ali plays similarly double roles, Dual is much more biting than its mournful counterpart, with a fun pair of performances from Gillan. —K.J.

Where to watch Dual: Hulu

Director: Riley Stearns

Cast: Karen Gillan, Beulah Koale, Theo James, Aaron Paul

Related content: Jumanji: The Next Level's Karen Gillan on becoming an accidental action star

Dune (2021)

This is only the beginning. So ends this acclaimed adaptation of Frank Herbert's "unfilmable" tome, released 37 years after David Lynch's poorly received take on the material. Taking place in a faraway future, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), a young heir who has troubling premonitions while his family assumes control of Arrakis, a desert planet containing a coveted, life-enhancing spice. The film charts his journey in navigating his harsh new environment to fulfill his destiny of bringing peace to the planet. While this is only the first of a two-part adaptation — Dune: Part Two is in theaters now — the film was showered with praise from critics and audiences, going on to score 10 Oscar nominations and six wins. —K.J.

Where to watch Dune: Hulu

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, Chang Chen, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem

Related content: Dune: Part Two stars shine in EW's exclusive cover shoot

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

Arthur Dent's house being demolished becomes the least of his concerns in this comedic adaptation of Douglas Adams' beloved book series of the same name. The unlucky Brit soon comes to realize his friend Ford Prefect is actually an alien, warning Arthur that the Earth will soon be destroyed to make way for a bypass. Ford brings Arthur aboard his spaceship, after which they embark on a zany interplanetary journey across the galaxy. While its distinctly British sense of absurdism may not be for everyone, there’s a cheeky pleasure in seeing a befuddled Martin Freeman and a charismatic Sam Rockwell bouncing off each other within the distinct world created by Adams. —K.J.

Where to watch The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: Hulu

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: Garth Jennings

Cast: Martin Freeman, Sam Rockwell, Mos Def, Zooey Deschanel, Bill Nighy, Alan Rickman, Anna Chancellor, John Malkovich

Related content: The Hitchhiker's long journey to film

I'm Your Man (2021)

What if a robot who looked exactly like a human could fulfill your every need? And what if that humanlike robot looked like Dan Stevens? In Maria Schrader's fascinating German-language film, Maren Eggert's Alma ponders this and other moral quandaries. After agreeing to participate in a three-week study in which she is to report her findings of living with the robot, Tom (Stevens), Alma finds herself having conflicting feelings about her new deferential partner. I'm Your Man received widespread critical acclaim upon its release, along with accolades from various organizations. EW's Leah Greenblatt praised Schrader's direction, calling her "too clever and melancholic to let her gentle, off-kilter Man dissolve into breezy happily-ever-afters. Instead, the movie offers something much truer to life: a love story that ends, perhaps, just when it's begun." —K.J.

Where to watch I'm Your Man: Hulu

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Maria Schrader

Cast: Maren Eggert, Dan Stevens, Sandra Hüller

Related content: Dan Stevens was excited to visit the Beast's library while filming Beauty and the Beast

Infinity Pool (2023)

Dread is the name of the game in Brandon Cronenberg's latest horror-infused sci-fi offering, following the success of 2020's Possessor. Alexander Skarsgård and Cleopatra Coleman play a couple on vacation in a fictional country, where a deadly accident leads to them learning of its peculiar justice system: All crimes are punishable by death. However, wealthy offenders can pay a significant sum to have themselves cloned, and must watch their duplicate be executed. Infinity Pool falls into a familiar white-people-causing-trouble-on-vacation genre, which, as EW's critic observes, is "having a bit of a moment" lately between The White Lotus and Triangle of Sadness. Those who appreciate such social satires will find similar commentary here, just with more blood and guts and another go-for-broke performance by scream queen Mia Goth. —K.J.

Where to watch Infinity Pool: Hulu

EW grade: B– (read the review)

Director: Brandon Cronenberg

Cast: Alexander Skarsgård, Mia Goth, Cleopatra Coleman

Related content: Mia Goth says her latest horror outing Infinity Pool is a 'wild, wild film'

Melancholia (2011)

The all-too-real anxiety surrounding the end of the world looms large in this Lars von Trier-directed sci-fi drama, in which a rogue planet is predicted to collide directly with Earth. The true power of Melancholia, though, is in its portrayal of depression, as Kirsten Dunst's Justine experiences on the day of (and after) her disastrous wedding at her sister and brother-in-law's castle. Justine's feelings of impending doom lead to her accepting the apocalypse, contrasting with her sister Claire's (Charlotte Gainsbourg) growing existential fear. Von Trier may be known for his provocative style, but as EW's critic wrote, the director sets aside his need to shock here, "to create striking visual tableaux that, in their majestic simplicity, convey a profound emotional depth that transcends words." —K.J.

Where to watch Melancholia: Hulu

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Lars von Trier

Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alexander Skarsgård, Brady Corbet, Cameron Spurr, Charlotte Rampling, Jesper Christensen, John Hurt, Stellan Skarsgård, Udo Kier, Kiefer Sutherland

Related content: Oscar ignores Melancholia: Why?

No One Will Save You (2023)

Alien invasion thrillers have often centered on communities rallying together, but this new sci-fi spook-fest takes an intriguingly different direction. Kaitlyn Dever plays Brynn, a recluse who fights back when an alien enters her home, and must continue to do so all on her own. As the unnerving film goes on, we learn why she's been made an outcast by her community, stemming from an unforgivable decision made in her past. Featuring bracing action sequences, a committed Dever, and a commendable tactic to go dialogue-free for a vast majority of the film, No One Will Save You is an unpredictable thrill ride that epitomizes the classic narrative technique of show, don't tell. —K.J.

Where to watch No One Will Save You: Hulu

Director: Brian Duffield

Cast: Kaitlyn Dever

Related content: Why home-invasion movie No One Will Save You has lots of aliens but no dialogue

Palm Springs (2020)

Essentially an updated Groundhog Day for the 21st century, Palm Springs centers on a pair of Millennials who are sucked into a time loop. Andy Samberg plays Nyles, who has grown carefree after being stuck in the loop for ages, while Cristin Milioli is Sarah, who is experiencing its benefits and downsides for the first time. The duo grows closer (and fall out) through their endlessly repeating days, with Sarah resolving to find a way out of the loop through a dangerous experiment. Juggling the various tones of this high-concept romantic comedy could've resulted in disaster, but the film manages to nimbly toe the line of bittersweet romance and absurdity. The film earned numerous awards in 2021, including the Critics Choice Award for Best Comedy, the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay, and more. —K.J.

Where to watch Palm Springs: Hulu

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Max Barbakow

Cast: Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, J.K. Simmons

Related content: The 23 best time travel movies of all time

Poor Things (2023)

Yorgos Lanthimos' story of self-discovery through the eyes of a reanimated woman is as strange as it is glorious. After a pregnant woman ends her life, an eccentric scientist implants the fetus' brain into its mother. The result is Bella Baxter (Emma Stone, in an Oscar-winning performance), who has the mind of a child but the body of an adult. Bella's desire to venture into the world leads to an epic odyssey as she thirsts for knowledge while dealing with men of various moralities. "For all its hilarity, explicit sex — which, for the record, is a) extremely sexy, b) earned, and c) hysterically funny — and foul-mouthed dialogue," EW's critic writes, "Poor Things is a romance about a woman learning to fall in love with herself, no matter what others think she should be." —K.J.

Where to watch Poor Things: Hulu

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

Cast: Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbott, Jerrod Carmichael

Related content: Yorgos Lanthimos on whether Poor Things is feminist: 'I try to make films more open than that'

Prey (2022)

Set in 1719 (268 years before a sleeveless Arnold Schwarzenegger battled his first alien), Prey is a prequel to the Predator franchise and the fifth film released chronologically. The movie follows Naru (Amber Midthunder) a Comanche medicine woman with aspirations of someday becoming as fierce a hunter as her brother. When Naru witnesses a Predator landing in the Great Plains, she interprets it as a call to action and plans to protect her tribe by tracking and killing the invader. The film employs a cast of primarily indigenous actors — and one former professional basketball player, Dane DiLiegro, attacking the role of Predator while wearing a suit so heavy, and restrictive, he told EW he was "essentially shooting this movie blind." His discomfort, endured in service of director Dan Trachtenberg's vision for the film, paid off, making this film and its villain feel, as Trachtenberg describes it, "far scarier, way more alien-creature-like, ferocious and feral." —Will Harris

Where to watch Prey: Hulu

Director: Dan Trachtenberg

Cast: Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Dane DiLiegro, Michelle Thrush, Stormee Kipp, Julian Black Antelope, Bennett Taylor

Related content: Prey star Amber Midthunder shuts down movie's haters

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

After an attempt to reboot the Planet of the Apes franchise proved ill-fated in the hands of Tim Burton, a new series of films starting with this 2011 installment was decidedly more successful. Rise of the Planet of the Apes explores the origins of the primate revolution, in which chemist Will Rodman (James Franco) raises Caesar, an ape with genetically enhanced intelligence who uses his wits to eventually take down the human race. The film deftly explores the slippery slope of experimenting with nature, and how lack of understanding can give rise to deadly consequences. Featuring state-of-the-art visual effects and yet another fiercely committed motion capture performance from Andy Serkis as Caesar, Rise is a gripping start to a series that would only become more visceral with 2014's Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, 2017's War for the Planet of the Apes, and 2024's Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. —K.J.

Where to watch Rise of the Planet of the Apes: Hulu

EW grade: B– (read the review)

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Cast: James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, David Oyelowo, Andy Serkis

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Slash/Back (2022)

"These aliens messed with the wrong girls," reads the tagline for this underrated Canadian sci-fi adventure. The film centers on pre-teen Maika (Tasiana Shirley) and her friends whose ordinary summer in the Inuit hamlet of Pang is rudely interrupted by an alien invasion. But these girls, as the tagline indicates, know just what to do to ward off the invaders, protecting the home they sometimes take for granted. Slash/Back fits in nicely with other tweens vs. the world properties like Stranger Things and The Goonies, with a dose of horror and cultural specificity to differentiate it from the films to which it lovingly plays homage. —K.J.

Where to watch Slash/Back: Hulu

Director: Nyla Innuksuk

Cast: Tasiana Shirley, Alexis Wolfe, Nalajoss Ellsworth, Chelsea Prusky, Frankie Vincent-Wolfe, Rory Anawak, Kristian Bruun, Shaun Benson

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X2: X-Men United (2003)

The X-Men film franchise continues onward, but it has arguably never topped this second installment from the original trilogy. After a military scientist emerges with a plan to exterminate all mutants, the rival X-Men and Brotherhood of Mutants are forced to set aside their differences to fight their common enemy. Everything is bigger and better here compared to its 2000 predecessor, from its memorable White House-set opening to its epic finale, but what resonates most is the potency of its social commentary. X-Men has long served as an allegory for the outcast — particularly the LGBTQ community — and X2 is the most potent realization of that commentary on film. "Anyone who has ever revealed an anxiously held personal secret," EW's critic writes, "knows that being a mutant isn’t a choice, and that authenticity is the source of all superheroism, in comic books and in life." —K.J.

Where to watch X2: X-Men United: Hulu

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: Bryan Singer

Cast: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, Brian Cox, Alan Cumming, Bruce Davison, Anna Paquin

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