Science fiction movies included, the Hulu collection has a tendency to be a bit of a mixed bag; movies come and go rather quickly, making compilations like this one all the more useful. The variety of sci-fi movies currently on the market includes classic anime like Akira, critically praised movies like Looper, and horror movies that mix genres, like Come True or Predator and its 2022 precursor Prey.
Akira
Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira set the standard for all anime films from the early 1990s through today. Akira, which was based on the initial chapters of Otomo’s renowned manga series, set a new standard for cinematic excellence and was the most costly animated movie ever made. It shocked the whole industry. Akira is situated in the expansive city of Neo-Tokyo, constructed on the ashes of the past and swaying alarmingly on the brink of social instability, thirty-one years following World War III was ignited by a catastrophic explosion that devoured the city of Tokyo.
The movie tells the experiences of two adolescent motorcycle gangsters named Kaneda Shotaro with Tetsuo Shima, whose lives were forever altered one fatal night outside of town. Kaneda and his comrades watch in horror as Tetsuo is taken away by an undercover military unit after colliding with a strange kid during a turf war with another bike gang. From that point forward, Tetsuo starts to exhibit startling new mystical powers as Kaneda urgently tries to arrange a rescue.
Year: 1988
Director: Katsuhiro Otomo
IMDb: 8/10
Children Of Men
From Children of Men’s simply explosive opening moments to its frantically ambiguous closing moments, we recall the dread the most—the sense of unrelenting, inevitable doom. The entire film is shot through with a depressing gray scale image, as if humankind were still coping with its burning even if everyone swept through the ashes.
Theo (Clive Owen), a troubled former activist and present bureaucrat, meanders among the rising public unrest in 2027 that is being stoked by British armed forces cracking down on migrants escaping the rest of the world’s slide in society. Theo (Clare Hope-Ashitey), who is cynical and constantly confronted by death, is forced to help his alienated ex-wife (Julianne Moore), by assuming responsibility for Kee (a Virgin Mary symbol and the last documented pregnant woman on Earth), who is under the guardianship of Kee.
Year: 2006
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Knowing
Students were requested to create drawings for a time capsule in 1958 at the opening of a new primary school. However, one girl writes rows of seemingly random digits on her piece of paper. 50 years later, when a fresh student group opens the time capsule, Caleb Koestler discovers the girl’s mysterious letter. Professor John Koestler, Caleb’s father, quickly discovers that the numbers contain encrypted messages that forecasts the dates, fatality totals, and geographic locations of every significant disaster during the last 50 years. Three more events are still to come.
Stars:Nicolas Cage, Rose Byrne, Chandler Canterbury
Directed by: Alex Proyas
IMDb: 6.2/10
Looper
Time travel is possible in the not-too-distant future. But it’s forbidden and only accessible on the black market.
As a result, the mob is typically the only one to use time travel to transport targets 30 years into the past where a paid time-traveling killer known as a “looper” is ready for them. Joseph Gordon-character, Levitt’s Joe, is doing well as a looper until his future self has been sent back to “stop the loop” one day.
Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt
Directed by: Rian Johnson
Predators
How many Predator films do we really need? Most likely not these many. But that doesn’t lessen the quality of the rare standout entry, like Predators. In this remake, Adrien Brody plays a commando who finds himself amid a gang of murderers who were all unexplainably thrown together on some other world. There, a new type of predator hunts the group of individuals through a thick jungle, pushing them to cooperate and adapt or go their separate ways.
Stars: Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga
Directed by: Nimród Antal
IMDb: 6.4/10
The Congress
The Congress features Wright as herself and paints her as almost insanely incompetent at her job, despite the fact that most reviewers would probably concur that she is not a particularly bad actress. Because she is unemployed so often, the fictitious Robin’s most lucrative position to yet has been selling Miramount Studios her image in exchange for a sizable amount of money and a pledge never to act again. The computer-generated Robin seems to be a larger star today than the actual performer ever was, 20 years after the original Robin. However, Robin’s emotions about ceding ownership over her likeness have altered when her contract is about to expire. She also becomes sucked into a campaign against the Miramounts, led by Dylan Truliner (Jon Hamm), the artist who animated the film.
Stars: Robin Wright, Harvey Keitel, Jon Hamm
Directed by: Ari Folman
IMDb: 6.4/10
Prey
After decades of poor installments, Predator has at last produced a movie that matches the 1980s original. Prey is a prequel set in the 18th century and focuses on a Comanche woman named Naru who wants to become a hunter, a job that is typically only held by the group’s male members. When an alien invasion attacks Earth and largely ruins Naru’s town, she retreats to the woods where she must confront a peril she would never have anticipated.
It is more challenging to believe like Prey is a contemporary interpretation of an existing IP when it comes to licensing that has been in place for a long time. The setting and time period are accurate, and Naru is a nice and capable main protagonist.
Director: Dan Trachtenberg
IMDb: 7.2/10
Crimes Of The Future
In addition to being a maestro of horror, David Cronenberg has also dabbled in science fiction. Even while Crimes of the Future doesn’t quite achieve the same stratospheric heights as Cronenberg’s The Fly and Videodrome, the 2022 movie is still a remarkable endeavor. The film, which takes place in a world not too distant from the present, imagines a world characterized by degradation and despair, the latter of which is exemplified by humanity’s hideous attempts to escape reality.
Cronenberg’s penchant for body horror is evident in Crimes of the Future to the extent that this parallel future views such behaviors as entertainment. If you’re interested in watching this movie on Hulu in Canada, it’s worth noting that the film’s pacing may feel somewhat sluggish compared to other sci-fi movies on the platform.
However, this deliberate choice allows the talented performers to fully explore their characters, providing ample room for captivating performances. Given the nature of the film’s graphic content, it goes without saying that viewers who intend to watch this film on Hulu in Canada should have a sturdy stomach.
IMDb: 5.9/10
About Time
In contrast to several other movies that employ this plot device, the time-travel film About Time is pleasantly understated. Tim makes use of the Lake men’s capacity to change the past in order to improve his romantic life. Tim understands that most actions have an impact, even if the upsides might exceed the downsides, whether he returns to set up a meeting with the woman he likes or helps his sister.
Sweet, endearing, and well-acted describe About Time. The remainder of the ensemble consistently rises to the occasion and has strong chemistry with Domhnall Gleeson as well as Rachel McAdams. Science fiction is a superb medium for amazing stories, but the subgenre has also given rise to many amazing individual stories.
IMDb: 7.8/10
