In August, most of the best action movies on Hulu fall squarely under the sci-fi banner. So if you don’t mind starships, aliens, and digital worlds, then you should be right at home with our selections for the three action movies on Hulu that you need to watch in August. Sometimes sci-fi movies give you better action than the standard genre flicks can.
But if you prefer your action to be a little more down-to-Earth, our first pick of the month is a rousing adventure flick featuring one of the oldest masked heroes in literature: Zorro!
The Mask of Zorro (1998)
Not every Zorro reboot is equal, but director Martin Campbell outdid himself with The Mask of Zorro. This film made the pulp hero who predates Batman seem cool again by reintroducing the original Zorro, Don Diego de la Vega (Anthony Hopkins), and allowing him to set the stage for his successor, Alejandro Murrieta (Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny‘s Antonio Banderas).
It’s not as if Alejandro or Don Diego had much of a choice. Both of their lives were ruined by a mutual enemy, Don Rafael Montero (Stuart Wilson), a man who even stole Don Diego’s daughter, Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones), and raised her as his own daughter. To bring down Don Rafael, Don Diego trains Alejandro to be a great swordsman before they con their way into his orbit. Except to see lots of swordfights and great action choreography. But feel free to ignore the 2005 sequel, The Legend of Zorro.
Watch The Mask of Zorro on Hulu.
Tron: Legacy (2010)
There have been two Tron movies to date with a third, Tron: Ares, on the way in 2025. So far, none of the films have been appreciated in their time. Tron: Legacy was born out of the cult classic status of the 1982 original, and it even brings back Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner to reprise their respective roles as Kevin Flynn and Tron. Although you’ll see more of Boxleitner as Tron’s human counterpart, Alan Bradley.
Two decades after Kevin Flynn disappeared under murky circumstances, his son, Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), stumbles on a way into the digital Grid. To his horror, Sam discovers his father’s duplicate, Clu, has taken over the Grid. Clu even has grand ambitions to expand his empire to the real world. And unless Sam and his new ally, Quorra (Don’t Worry Darling‘s Olivia Wilde), can connect with Kevin, then Clu’s plans may come to fruition.
Watch Tron: Legacy on Hulu.
John Carter (2012)
We could go on at length about why John Carter is the one movie you need to watch on Hulu in August. The short version is that Pixar veteran Andrew Stanton really poured his heart out for the story that paved the way for Star Wars and almost every space opera that came after it.
Taylor Kitsch stars as John Carter, an ex-Confederate army captain who wants nothing more to do with war. But when a new war comes to doorstep, John is mysteriously transported to Mars. The red planet’s low gravity gives John superhuman strength compared to its inhabitants, and he’ll need it if he wants to prevent a war between the humans of Helium and the alien Tharks who also live on the world they call Barsoom. John also captures the attention of Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins), a princess of Mars who may have to sacrifice her own happiness for the good of her people.
Watch John Carter on Hulu.
