If you’re looking for great action movies to stream, it can be hard to know where to begin. There are some great options on services like Amazon and Netflix, but they aren’t the only places where interesting action can be found. If you’re desperate for a great popcorn flick, check out our list of action movies on Hulu. From newer titles to action classics, they’ve got you covered, and we’ve combed through their options to find the best titles for you to start with.
If you’ve seen all of the best action movies on Hulu, you can also check out some other gems like all types of movies on Hulu, movies on Netflix, or movies on Amazon Prime.
The King's Man (2021)
131m
Genre
Action, Adventure, Thriller, War, Mystery
Stars
Ralph Fiennes, Harris Dickinson, Gemma Arterton
Directed by
Matthew Vaughn
Watch on Hulu
A vulgar prequel to one of the most vulgar franchises still running, The King’s Man follows a young agent tasked with stopping the worst elements from around the world from starting a war that could bring humanity to the brink of destruction. Although those stakes may feel bloated, The King’s Man soars because of its dedication to down-and-dirty action set pieces. Few action franchises put as much time and effort into building out elaborate, smart action, and it pays off in spades for viewers at home.
Prey (2022)
100m
Genre
Thriller, Action, Science Fiction
Stars
Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Michelle Thrush
Directed by
Dan Trachtenberg
Watch on Hulu
Perhaps the first great action movie that is also a Hulu Original, Prey is a Predator prequel that follows a Native American woman who finds herself face to face with this alien threat. Because of the movie’s setting, it’s a lot more down and dirty and visceral than some of the other movies in this series. Thanks to an explosive performance from Amber Midthunder, it has a thoroughly compelling action heroine at its center. Prey revitalized this franchise in a way that few individual movies have ever been able to do, and we’re hoping more movies take a page out of this book.
Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
122m
Genre
Action, Science Fiction, Adventure
Stars
Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly
Directed by
Robert Rodriguez
Watch on Hulu
Although it wasn’t much of a success upon its release, Alita: Battle Angel has had a fairly popular secondary life and has become something of a cult phenomenon. The movie, which is adapted from the manga of the same name, follows Alita, an android girl who reawakens and has no memory of who she is or where she comes from. As the movie unfolds, we begin to understand that Alita’s past is going to catch up with her, even as we begin to appreciate how dangerous she could be.
The Creator (2023)
134m
Genre
Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
Stars
John David Washington, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, Gemma Chan
Directed by
Gareth Edwards
Watch on Hulu
A reminder that there are great ways to employ CGI, The Creator is a sci-fi epic about the perils of artificial intelligence. The film is set in a future in which AI and humanity are at war, and humanity’s last great hope for survival is to wipe out a weapon that has taken the form of a human child. Part of the movie’s brilliance, though, is in the ways it complicates the notion that humanity is a noble force battling against evil. Not every plot development here works, but The Creator looks incredible and features some truly innovative set pieces.
Bullet Train (2022)
126m
Genre
Action, Comedy, Thriller
Stars
Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Directed by
David Leitch
Watch on Hulu
A funny, smartly directed action movie set entirely in Japan, Bullet Train follows an assassin looking for inner peace who finds himself face to face with a variety of lethal adversaries on the world’s fastest train. Brad Pitt proves to be a delightfully off-beat protagonist, and the movie surrounds him with foes both likely and unlikely. What’s most important here, though, is that the action is pretty riveting from start to finish, and the setting feels unique enough to justify any plot contrivances that the movie may throw our way.
Bad Boys for Life (2020)
124m
Genre
Thriller, Action, Crime
Stars
Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens
Directed by
Bilall Fallah, Adil El Arbi
Watch on Hulu
After decades apart, Martin Lawrence and Will Smith got back together for Bad Boys for Life. Like its predecessors, Bad Boys for Life is loud and filled with gunplay, but it’s also a clever reflection on how its two leads have aged since they were the renegade cops of the first two installments. Now, they’re just as renegade, but they’re teamed with an elite strike force that may show them just how irrelevant their older methods are. Bad Boys for Life had the misfortune of coming out right before COVID-19 hit, but it remains an exciting action romp even so.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
130m
Genre
Science Fiction, Action, Drama, Thriller
Stars
Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Toby Kebbell
Directed by
Matt Reeves
Watch on Hulu
All three of the films in the 2010s Planet of the Apes trilogy are excellent, but Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is the best of the bunch. This movie follows Caesar, the leader of a breakaway group of apes, as they come face to face with human forces that have been greatly depleted by a pandemic. Featuring truly innovative CGI, the movie is brilliantly directed and remarkably thoughtful about the lingering effects of resentment of trauma. Planet of the Apes has always been a political franchise, and Dawn is no exception.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
119m
Genre
Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
Stars
Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black
Directed by
Jake Kasdan
Watch on Hulu
Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart have not proven that they only make good movies, but Welcome to the Jungle is one of their better efforts, in part because it also includes Jack Black and Karen Gillan. Part of the reason it works is that Johnson and company are playing video game characters instead of real people, which means that they can go big and silly and poke a little bit of fun at themselves. Welcome to the Jungle is lighthearted and fun and features some genuinely good jokes, which may explain how it became such a phenomenon.
Black Hawk Down (2001)
145m
Genre
Action, War, History
Stars
Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana, Ewan McGregor
Directed by
Ridley Scott
Watch on Hulu
Telling an approximation of a true story, Black Hawk Down follows U.S. troops who are deployed to Somalia in the midst of a civil war. After one of their copters is attacked, the soldiers must fight for their own survival amid an outbreak of violence. Featuring a slew of talented young male actors, Black Hawk Down is really an action movie from almost the second it begins until it’s over. The violence can sometimes be startling, but that’s part of the point. Black Hawk Down is thrilling, to be sure, but it can also be confrontational about the nature of the war it depicts.
The Lost City (2022)
112m
Genre
Action, Adventure, Comedy
Stars
Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe
Directed by
Aaron Nee, Adam Nee
Watch on Hulu
An action comedy that reminds us why Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum are both movie stars, The Lost City is as thrilling as it is hilarious. The film stars Bullock as a fantasy romance author who gets kidnapped by a very real supervillain who believes she can lead him to an ancient city’s lost treasure. When her cover model is the only guy available to bring her back, the two of them go on an odyssey through the jungle that ultimately brings them closer together. Funny, surprising, and smart, The Lost City is everything you’d want a movie like this to be.
