Some streaming services struggle to keep great sci-fi movies on tap for their subscribers. Hulu doesn’t have this problem because it can draw upon 20th Century Fox’s library of films. That was the whole point of Disney buying Fox a few years ago. The combined movie catalogs mean Hulu has no shortage of science fiction films.
This month’s selections for the three sci-fi movies on Hulu that you need to watch in January include a film that flew in under the radar last fall, as well as one of Tom Cruise’s best science fiction flicks and an adaptation of a beloved sci-fi comedy. If you like sci-fi, then you’re probably to love these films.
The Creator (2023)
After a long absence from theaters, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story director Gareth Edwards returned with The Creator, a sci-fi film about humanity’s war against artificial intelligence. Some parts of humanity even side with the machines in this conflict, but Sergeant Joshua Taylor (John David Washington) is particularly bitter over an attack that cost him his arm and his leg, as well as the life of his wife, Maya Fey-Taylor (Gemma Chan).
Taylor is recruited for a new mission by footage that suggests Maya is still alive. To get back to Maya, Taylor has to find Alpha-O (Madeleine Yuna Voyles), an AI weapon that could spell the end of humanity. Much to Taylor’s shock, Alpha-O is a childlike robotic simulant with more humanity than its superiors. That’s why Taylor disobeys orders to kill her as he searches for an alternate solution.
Watch The Creator on Hulu.
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Now that Tom Cruise has signed a multiyear deal with Warner Bros., Edge of Tomorrow 2 has a better chance of happening. Cruise headlined the first Edge of Tomorrow as Major William Cage, a military journalist who made the wrong enemy during an alien invasion. Suddenly, Cage finds himself demoted and fighting on the frontline against the invaders before losing his life.
But since he was exposed to the blood of an alien, Cage discovers that he is reliving the same day over and over again. With his newfound ability, Cage becomes an expert soldier under the tutelage of Sergeant Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), the only other person to experience an alien time loop like he did. Yet even with Rita by his side, Cage learns that there’s always a point in their future where they both die. Getting past that dark fate will be a real challenge for both of them.
Watch Edge of Tomorrow on Hulu.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
You’ve never seen a more lighthearted destruction of Earth than in the opening minutes of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Douglas Adams’ beloved sci-fi comedy arrived on the big screen with Sherlock’s Martin Freeman as Arthur Dent, the only human male to make it off the planet thanks to his friendship with Ford Prefect (Mos Def), an alien travel writer.
This unlikely duo soon meets up with Ford’s semi-cousin, President Zaphod Beeblebrox (Sam Rockwell), a depressed android named Marvin (voiced by Alan Rickman), and the last human female, Trillian (Zooey Deschanel). Beeblebrox is on a quest to discover the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. Arthur just wants to find some peace and sanity, but that’s in short supply in this galaxy.
Watch The Hitchhiker’s Guide To the Galaxy on Hulu.
