7 Best Sci-Fi Movies on Hulu Right Now (April 2025)

Though it went on to spawn a Tyrannosaurus rex-sized franchise, the first Jurassic Park film stands head and shoulders above all the rest. Now that cloning technology is really bringing animals back from extinction, its themes are more relevant than ever. In the first movie, wealthy businessman John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) realizes his dream of de-extincting dinosaurs in the mysterious Isla Nublar theme park. Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) arrive to assess the safety of the island, but the creatures inevitably break loose, leaving Grant and Sattler to help Hammond’s grandchildren (Ariana Richards and Joseph Mazzello) survive the chaos. Jeff Goldblum also stars as scientist Ian Malcolm, who famously explains how “life finds a way.”

In addition to being a thrilling adventure with groundbreaking visuals and a fantastic soundtrack, Jurassic Park raises fascinating questions about scientific ethics and how humans interact with the natural world. The groundbreaking special effects still hold up and look better than most CGI creatures in movies today.

Dune director Denis Villeneuve helms this thoughtful, quieter take on an alien invasion story. There are few explosions or shoot-outs in this one — instead, Arrival focuses on the nature of communication. Amy Adams stars as Louise Banks, a brilliant linguist who is enlisted to try and decipher the language of aliens (called heptapods) who have landed on Earth. Jeremy Renner plays Ian Donnelly, a physicist who bonds with Banks as they endeavor to understand the heptapods. As twelve global superpowers attempt to understand the aliens’ purpose, tension grows high. 

The movie was nominated for eight Academy Awards, and won for Best Sound Editing. In addition to posing fascinating theories about how other civilizations might communicate, Arrival will get you thinking about the nature of love, time and relationships. It’s a beautiful, quiet film that leaves a big impression.

A prequel to the 1987 film Predator, Prey is a historical sci-fi story about an early encounter with the titular aliens. (The aliens in question are fond of hunting humans as trophies.) Prey takes place in 1719 and follows Naru (Amber Midthunder), a young Comanche woman who longs to become a hunter instead of a healer. When a Predator lands on Earth, eager to hunt down and kill humans, it’s up to Naru and her brother Taabe (Dakota Beavers) to stop the creature. Naru must hunt the Predator to protect her tribe. At the same time, her tribe comes into conflict with French fur traders who are destroying the local population of buffalo. 

Naru is an inspiring protagonist — a powerful fighter with a fierce will and determination. Midthunder’s performance is intense and unyielding as she refuses to become a victim to the alien threat. She takes charge of her destiny and turns the tables on the Predator, becoming the hunter instead of the hunted. Prey has rightfully been called the best film in the Predator franchise, and since it’s a prequel, it’s a great place to start if you’re new to the story.

In the not-too-distant future — actually, the year 2035, which feels way less distant now than it did in ‘04 — a robot called Sonny (Alan Tudyk) is the prime suspect in the murder of a scientist (James Cromwell). Detective Spooner (Will Smith), who hates robots, is determined to prove Sonny’s guilt, but the truth is more complicated than he initially suspects. Inspired by sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov’s work, I, Robot asks us to examine the role that humanity plays in its own destruction. 

The movie is part sci-fi action story and part murder mystery with an engaging protagonist you can root for and a twisty plot that will keep you guessing.  Tudyk, best known for his goofier roles in Disney films like Moana and Frozen, gets to show off his more dramatic acting chops as the conflicted Sonny, who acts more human than some of his enemies. 

One of Jim Carrey’s most powerful performances, The Truman Show is about entertainment, identity and freedom. As an infant, Truman (Carrey) was adopted by a television network. Unbeknownst to him, his entire life has been broadcast as a 24/7 television show. Network executive Christoff (Ed Harris) controls the sophisticated, high-tech fake world in which Truman resides. But as Truman turns 30, he begins to notice the flaws in his world and to rebel against his picture-perfect sitcom life. He grows unsatisfied with his wife, who unbeknownst to him is played by an actress (Laura Linney), and endeavors to reunite with Sylvia (Natascha McElhone), a “background character” he fell in love with during his school days. 

Carrey retains his zany charm and penchant for coining catch phrases, but he also shows depth and complexity as a man who is questioning the nature of his own reality. The movie was so influential that a psychiatrist encountered multiple schizophrenic patients who believed they were in a reality show after the movie premiered. The delusion went on to earn the name “Truman Show Syndrome.” As screenwriter Andrew Niccol told 3 News NZ, “You know you’ve made it when you have a disease named after you.”

“Don’t panic!” This hilarious sci-fi film is based on the beloved novel of the same name by Douglas Adams, and it promises to deliver the answer to “The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything.” A tall order, perhaps, and it will be up to you to decide if the answer is satisfactory. Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, Sherlock) stars as Arthur Dent, a completely ordinary man who, through a series of improbable circumstances, becomes the last living survivor of Earth after its destruction.

Along with his friend Ford Prefect (Yasiin Bey, formerly known as rapper Mos Def), he escapes the planet and joins Galactic President Zaphod Beeblebrox (Sam Rockwell) and Zaphod’s girlfriend Trillian (Zooey Deschanel) on a quest aboard a stolen spacecraft with an unknown goal. This movie is clever, fast-paced, and at times philosophical, but it’s also a silly good time. The performances are sharp, the dialogue is witty and it imagines space in a way that’s different from other movies in the genre.

This underappreciated film is a remake of the 1990 classic starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Rather than being set on Mars, like the original, the 2012 version of Total Recall is set on Earth, giving it a grittier, more grounded feeling. Colin Farrell stars as Douglas Quaid, a factory worker plagued by dreams of being a secret agent. He seeks the help of Rekall, a company that implants artificial memories into people’s minds to help them feel as if they’ve lived their dream life. Instead of implanting false memories, however, the process reawakens real memories that have been repressed in his brain. 

After discovering that he really was a secret agent, Quaid begins uncovering more and more lies in his life, like the identity of his wife Lori (Kate Beckinsale), or even his real name. But nothing is ever certain when you can’t trust your own memories, and Quaid struggles to distinguish real memories from false ones. 

Farrell’s chemistry with co-star Jessica Biel, who plays his long-lost lover Melina, is palpable, leading you to root for the couple even as you doubt the truth of their origins. Bill Nighy is delightfully enigmatic as the leader of a resistance movement. Total Recall possesses a revolutionary spirit that will keep you invested in Quaid’s journey to discover his true identity.