Hulu subscribers should be glad to hear that the streaming service didn’t waste any time this month before adding its top title for August: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. This film’s streaming arrival comes almost three months to the day after its theatrical release. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes was also one of this summer’s best films, and it easily takes the first slot among our picks for the three Hulu movies that you need to stream this weekend.
Our other two choices include a horror film that flew under the radar in 2023, as well as a terrific action-adventure flick from 1998 that has plenty of swordplay and romance. Among these three films, it’s going to be a fun weekend for movie lovers on Hulu.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)
Director Wes Ball had a hard act to follow after Matt Reeves wrapped up the reboot trilogy with War for the Planet of the Apes. Rather than start over from scratch, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes maintains continuity with the reboots by jumping ahead 300 years after the life of Caesar. In that time, Caesar’s teachings have largely been forgotten, and his legacy has been usurped by the deadly and ambitious Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand).
A young ape named Noa (Owen Teague) discovers first-hand how deadly Proximus’ ambitions can be when his entire tribe is kidnapped and enslaved. To free his people, Noa needs the help of a wise orangutan named Raka (Peter Macon), and a young human girl named Mae (The Witcher‘s Freya Allan), who is more than she appears to be.
Watch Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes on Hulu.
Suitable Flesh (2023)
Only true horror devotees and Shudder subscribers sought out Suitable Flesh, director Joe Lynch’s adaptation of H. P. Lovecraft’s horror story The Thing on the Doorstep. Heather Graham stars as Dr. Elizabeth Derby, a psychiatrist whose patient, Asa Waite (Judah Lewis), is convinced that his father, Ephraim Waite (Bruce Davison), is sometimes able to take over his mind and body.
Elizabeth doesn’t take Asa’s story seriously until Ephraim pulls his body-swapping trick on her. The old man has seemingly found a way to cheat death with magic, and if Elizabeth and Asa aren’t careful, they may be the ones lying 6 feet under instead of Ephraim.
Watch Suitable Flesh on Hulu on August 3.
The Mask of Zorro (1998)
For romance and adventure fans, this week’s final selection is The Mask of Zorro, the film that made Catherine Zeta-Jones a star while featuring her in what can only be described as an erotic sword fight. Don’t worry, parents. It’s all PG-13 in this updated take on Zorro, but the romantic heat between Alejandro Murrieta (Antonio Banderas) and Elena Montero (Zeta-Jones) sizzles throughout their scenes together.
The original Zorro, Don Diego de la Vega (Anthony Hopkins), is the father of Elena who spent decades in captivity because of his mortal enemy, Don Rafael Montero (Stuart Wilson). Thanks to Don Rafael, Elena doesn’t even know who her true father is. Meanwhile, Alejandro is a common bandit with a grudge against Don Rafael’s associate, Captain Harrison Love (Matt Letscher). To get their mutual revenge, Don Diego and Alejandro form a pact as the latter is trained to take up the mantle of Zorro and free the people of California from Don Rafael’s dark ambitions.
Watch The Mask of Zorro on Hulu.
