Yes, Hulu offers a ton of TV, but do not overlook Hulu's movies. For everyone who wants to make the most of their monthly membership, we've got seven new-to-Hulu movies you should watch (or rewatch) before Hulu announces they're on their way out.
Consider this an addition to our mega-list of the best movies on Hulu, as this pulls in some of the top new movies on Hulu from the past month.
And, as usual, we're backing up our choices here with the critical consensus provided by the Rotten Tomatoes aggregation site. Each of these movies has a score of 90% and up (basically all A- films). With these films, Hulu helps keep pace with the rest of the best streaming services.
So, scroll down to check out what makes them so great, then watch them with a Hulu subscription.
All of the below films arrived on Hulu on March 1, 2023.
The Shape Of Water (2017)
Guillermo Del Toro's fantastic The Shape of Water caught many by surprise, and while it led to some awkward jokes about interspecies mating, it's a truly heartfelt movie. In it, we meet Elisa (Sally Hawkins), a mute woman, who lives a quiet and mostly-solitary life that has her working as a custodian at a top secret facility. There, she finally finds someone to bond with, a captive being (Doug Jones) who looks part-fish and part-human.
Realizing she must save him in order to keep their connection going, Elisa investigates how she could save him and not get caught. Visually striking, as if a fable were brought to life, and just as emotionally powerful, The Shape of Life is a gem you may have missed in cinema that you shouldn't sleep on.
Genre: Drama/fantasy/romance
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
Stream it on Hulu
The Town (2010)
The first of three excellent crime movies on this list, The Town brought Ben Affleck back to the director's chair in a big way. Life gets very complicated for Doug (Affleck), the leader of a gang of Boston-based bank robbers who was surviving because of his lack of attachments — except the love of his brother James (Jeremy Renner). Of course, things go wrong when Doug falls in love with Claire (Rebecca Hall), an ex-hostage that James once took.
Doug now has to decide if he wants out of the underworld he's built for himself, and if he's willing to put her at risk to do it. Affleck and Hall's chemistry was lauded by critics for making the film — which could have failed in different hands — work.
Genre: Crime drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
Stream it on Hulu
The Departed (2006)
Casting Jack Nicholson as a crime lord and Alec Baldwin as a police chief isn't exactly breaking new ground, but The Departed is less about reinventing the wheel than it is about refining it.
Here, we follow the cops and the criminals, like the modern day Sharks and Jets, as each plants a mole inside the other's squads. Up and coming officer Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), for example, is undercover and trying to make friends with mob boss Frank Costello (Nicholson). The big question is can he get the details he needs before a crook named Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) burrows deep enough into the system to learn that Costigan's a rat?
Taut and tense til the last moment, The Departed is filled with memorable quotes and perfect shots.
Genre: Crime drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Stream it on Hulu
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Yes, we'll get it out of the way up front: some will not want to watch a noir where Kevin Spacey plays a lead gumshoe. We don't blame those folks. But for those who can? Curtis Hanson's L.A. Confidential is still the same perfectly-paced drama it was on the big screen.
Detective lieutenant Exley (Guy Pearce) is intent to find justice for his dead father (also a cop), and he's willing to alienate the rest of the force in the process. As he pulls at the strands of lies in Los Angeles, Exley uncovers leads tied to another officer (Russell Crowe), and we learn that sergeant Vincennes (Spacey) has been wrongly doling out intel to the press.
A compelling mystery flick that lets audiences feel smart while they much their popcorn, L.A. Confidential was heralded as an instant classic.
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 99%
Stream it on Hulu
That Thing You Do! (1996)
The Beatlemania revival in the 1990's hitched a ride on the silver screen in Tom Hanks' directorial debut. That Thing You Do!, which is also the first movie he wrote, features a Beatles-like band called The Wonders, and follows their success. And it all begins when band-members Jimmy (Johnathon Schaech) and Lenny (Steve Zahn) need a new drummer, and pull in Guy (Tom Everett Scott), whose original song helps propel the band up the industry ladder. Soon, they meet Mr. White (Hanks), who manages them, and they even add Jimmy's girlfriend Faye (Liv Tyler) to the traveling circus to help with wardrobe.
While That Thing You Do! didn't break any especially new ground, it won critics over with its sheer amount of charm and warmth. A fun watch on a night you don't want to get too deep.
Genre: Comedy/drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
Stream it on Hulu
Groundhog Day (1993)
If you've seen Palm Springs (one of the best movies on Hulu), but haven't seen the film that basically laid the ground work for it and every other time-loop comedy, it's time to rectify that. Groundhog Day (which we'll rewatch over and over again), won points for its inventive plot, where weatherman Phil (Bill Murray) becomes more and more miserable as forces beyond his control have him re-living the day where he's covering the annual moment where the groundhog Punxsutawney Phil pokes (or doesn't poke) his head out of the ground.
One of director Harold Ramis' finer films, Groundhog Day's wacky premise is grounded by charm and humor. While this film could veer into cliches and lean on classic cinema history, Murray's version of a Scrooge character is all his own.
Genre: Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
Stream it on Hulu
Glory (1989)
Most-recently spotted on HBO Max, Glory rounds out this list of the best new-to-Hulu movies, and it won critical praise for offering a new angle on the American Civil War. Here, we meet the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, one of the Union Army's first Black fighting units.
While Kevin Jarre's screenplay introduces the group by way of the unit's white leader, Col. Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick), the spotlight shines firmly on Denzel Washington. He deservingly won an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his portrayal of Private Silas Trip, a runaway slave who enlisted.
Genre: War drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
Stream it on Hulu
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