Yes, Hulu offers a ton of TV shows, but don’t forget about Hulu movies too. For anyone looking to make the most of their monthly membership, we’ve got seven new Hulu movies you should watch (or rewatch) before Hulu announces they’re leaving.
Consider this an addition to our mega list of the best movies on Hulu, as it brings together some of the best new movies on Hulu from the past month.
And, as usual, we’re backing our choices here with the critical consensus provided by Rotten Tomatoes. (will open in a new tab) site aggregation. Each of these films has a rating of 90% or higher (mostly all A-movies). With these movies, Hulu helps keep up with the rest of the best streaming services.
So, scroll down to find out what makes them so great, then watch them with a Hulu subscription. (will open in a new tab)
All of the movies listed below appeared on Hulu on March 1, 2023.
Shape of Water (2017)
Guillermo Del Toro’s fantasy film The Shape of Water took many by surprise, and while it led to some awkward jokes about interspecies mating, it’s a truly heartfelt film. In it, we meet Eliza (Sally Hawkins), a mute woman who lives a quiet and mostly reclusive life while working as a guardian at a top-secret facility. There, she finally finds someone to bond with, a captive being (Doug Jones) who looks half fish, half human.
Realizing that she must save him in order to keep their bond alive, Eliza explores how she can save him and not get caught. Visually striking, as if a fairy tale had been brought to life, and equally emotionally powerful, The Shape of Life is a gem you may have missed in the movies and one you shouldn’t sleep on.
Genre: Drama/Fantasy/Romance
Score on Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
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City (2010)
The first of three great crime films on this list, The City returned Ben Affleck to the director’s chair in a big way. The life of Doug (Affleck), the leader of a Boston gang of bank robbers who survives on no attachments other than his love for his brother James (Jeremy Renner), becomes very difficult. Of course, things go wrong when Doug falls in love with Claire (Rebecca Hall), a former hostage that James once took.
Now Doug must decide if he wants to get out of the underworld he built for himself and if he’s willing to put her in danger to do so. Critics praised Affleck and Hall’s chemistry for making a film that could have failed in other hands work.
Genre: crime drama
Score on Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
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Renegades (2006)
The role of Jack Nicholson as a crime boss and Alec Baldwin as a police chief doesn’t exactly break new ground, but The Departed isn’t so much reinventing the wheel as improving it.
Here we follow cops and criminals like the modern Sharks and Jets as each infiltrates the mole into the other’s squads. Up-and-coming officer Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), for example, goes undercover and tries to befriend mob boss Frank Costello (Nicholson). The big question is, can he get the details he needs before a scammer named Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) gets deep enough into the system to find out that Costigan is a rat?
Tense and tense to the last moment, The Renegade is filled with memorable quotes and perfect shots.
Genre: crime drama
Score on Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
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LA Confidential (1997)
Yes, we’ll get that out of the way: some people won’t want to watch film noir starring Kevin Spacey. We don’t blame these people. And for those who can? Curtis Hanson’s LA Confidential is the same perfect-paced drama it was on the big screen.
Detective Lieutenant Exley (Guy Pearce) is determined to find justice for his dead father (also a cop), and in the process, he’s ready to push the rest of the force away. While pulling strings of lies in Los Angeles, Exley uncovers leads involving another officer (Russell Crowe) and we learn that Sgt. Vincennes (Spacey) was mistakenly leaking information to the press.
A gripping mystery film that makes viewers feel smarter while they eat popcorn, LA Confidential is an instant classic.
Genre: Drama
Score on Rotten Tomatoes: 99%
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What you do! (1996)
The resurgence of Beatlemania in the 1990s was reflected in Tom Hanks’ directorial debut on the silver screen. What you do! , which is also the first film he wrote, features the Beatles-like band The Wonders and follows their success. And it all starts when band members Jimmy (Jonathon Sheck) and Lenny (Steve Zahn) need a new drummer and they bring in Guy (Tom Everett Scott), whose original song helps propel the band up the ladder. They soon meet Mr. White (Hanks) who manages them, and even add Jimmy’s girlfriend Faye (Liv Tyler) to the traveling circus to help with the wardrobe.
While what you do! did not discover anything particularly new, he captivated critics with his charm and warmth. Fun hours at night when you don’t want to go too deep.
Genre: comedy/drama
Rating on Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
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Groundhog Day (1993)
If you’ve seen Palm Springs (one of the best movies on Hulu) but haven’t seen the film that basically set the stage for it and every other time-loop comedy, it’s time to fix that. Groundhog Day (which we’ll be revisiting over and over again) scored for an ingenious plot in which weatherman Phil (Bill Murray) becomes more and more unhappy as forces beyond his control force him to relive the day when he illuminates the annual moment, when the Punxsutawney Groundhog Phil sticks (or doesn’t stick) his head out of the ground.
The wacky premise of one of director Harold Ramis’s best films, Groundhog Day, is based on charm and humor. While this movie may stray from the cliché and draw on classic movie history, Murray’s version of the Scrooge character is entirely his own.
Genre: Comedy
Rating on Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
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Glory (1989)
Last shown on HBO Max, Fame rounds out this list of the best new films for Hulu and has received critical praise for offering a fresh take on the American Civil War. Here we meet the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, one of the Union Army’s first black combat units.
Whereas the script by Kevin Jarr presents the group as a white unit leader, Colonel. The Robert Gould Show (Matthew Broderick), starring Denzel Washington. He deservedly won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Private Silas Trip, an escaped slave who enlisted in the military.
Genre: military drama
Rating on Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
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