Hulu is kicking off the new year in style by releasing new movies throughout January. One of Hulu’s most anticipated films this month is Self Reliance, Jake Johnson’s feature-length directorial debut about a man attempting to avoid hunters for 30 days to win $1 million. Other movies coming to Hulu this month include Dirty Dancing, Dangerous Waters, and The Good Mother.
Besides the high-profile releases, there are plenty of underrated gems to stream on Hulu. Below are three underrated movies on Hulu to watch in January. Our picks include an Academy Award-nominated documentary, a time loop action film, and sci-fi horror with minimal dialogue.
Minding the Gap (2018)
Minding the Gap, one of the best documentaries on Hulu, begins as a depiction of a decade-long friendship between three young men – Keire Johnson, Zack Mulligan, and Bing Liu – in Rockford, Illinois. They bond over skateboarding, and the film frequently shows footage of the trio skating throughout the city. Yet, Minding the Gap is much more than a film about skateboarding and friendship. Liu, who produced and directed Minding the Gap, shifts the focus halfway through from light-hearted antics to a sophisticated commentary about race, economic status, and manhood.
Liu learns that all three men, including himself, have experienced abuse in their homes, and for some, the mistreatment has continued in their everyday lives. Minding the Gap is an emotionally gripping examination of masculinity and a moving depiction of the struggle for a better life in the face of economic disparity.
Watch Minding the Gap on Hulu.
Boss Level (2021)
The time loop is a popular plot device that, when done right, can lead to an effective story. The movie that immediately comes to mind is Groundhog Day, the poster boy for time loops done right. Happy Death Day and Palm Springs are recent examples of time loops applied to the horror and rom-com genres, respectively. In Boss Level, a time loop is added to a sci-fi action film.
Paradise Highway‘s Frank Grillo stars as Roy Pulver, a retired special forces soldier trapped in a time loop where he’s on the run from assassins. Each day ends with Roy’s death. Each death gives Roy more knowledge to survive a little longer each day. Roy finally has a breakthrough when he discovers the person responsible for the time loop. To end the loop, Roy will have to level up and become the world’s best action hero, taking out each assassin one by one.
Watch Boss Level on Hulu.
No One Will Save You (2023)
In recent years, Hulu has become a champion of science fiction and horror. Prey, No Exit, Hellraiser, and Fresh are genre films that have found success on the streamer within the past three years. In September 2023, Hulu released No One Will Save You, which easily is the second-best movie on that list behind Prey. The big selling point to No One Will Save You is that five words of dialogue are spoken in the entire movie.
Written and directed by Brian Duffield, No One Will Save You stars Kaitlyn Dever as Brynn, a young woman who lives alone on the edge of a small town. Brynn becomes the local outcast after the deaths of her mother and best friend. With no one to confide in, Brynn copes by building a model town in her living room. One night, an alien breaks into Brynn’s home. However, Brynn accidentally kills the alien with one of her models. This leads to an alien invasion the next day, as Brynn accepts she must fight for her life.
Watch No One Will Save You on Hulu.
