Sci-fi movies are one of Hulu’s strengths, thanks to the impressive 20th Century Fox film library. All of those billions that Disney spent buying Fox’s entertainment assets went a long way toward giving the company a fully rounded streamer like Hulu. Fortunately, Hulu also brings in movies from outside of the 20th Century Studios and Disney labels, which gives it even more options for science fiction fans.
This month’s picks for the three sci-fi movies on Hulu that you need to watch in July includes one of the most recent Alien films, a remake of a science fiction classic from the ’50s, and a new take on a postapocalptic threat.
Alien: Covenant (2017)
The next Alien sequel, Alien: Romulus, is heading to theaters next month. That makes this month the ideal time to catch the last film in the franchise, Alien: Covenant. This film is both a sequel to Prometheus and a prequel to the other Alien films, with Michael Fassbender in a dual role as the androids Walter and David.
David initially presents himself to Walter and his human crew of the Covenant as an ally. But Daniels (Katherine Waterston) and the rest soon realize that David is behind the infestation of the xenomorphs that threatens everyone on the planet. And David believes that Walter may see things his way, since they are both removed from humanity. But if Walter doesn’t resist his “brother,” then none of the human crew will escape with their lives.
Watch Alien: Covenant on Hulu.
The Animal Kingdom (2023)
There are plenty of postapocalyptic zombie movies, but The Animal Kingdom goes in a different direction. Instead of turning people into the undead, the civilian population is slowly becoming human/animal hybrids. It’s not quite the end of the world at first for a teenager named Émile (Paul Kircher), although his mother was one of the early victims. When the movie starts, life is still relatively normal for Émile and his father, François (Romain Duris).
But it soon becomes clear that Émile has been infected with whatever is causing this change. That means he has to keep his distance from the girl that he likes, Nina (Billie Blain). However, Émile can only hide his physical transformation for so long. When he assumes his final form, there may not be a safe place for him.
Watch The Animal Kingdom on Hulu.
The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
The remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still didn’t get a lot of love from critics, but who was better to play a human-looking alien than Keanu Reeves? There is a certain inhumanity in some of Reeves’ performances that fits perfectly for his character in this movie, Klaatu. Plus, Reeves was surrounded by a very good supporting including Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Kathy Bates, and a memorable extended cameo for John Cleese.
Connelly plays Helen Benson, the stepmother of Jacob Benson (Jaden Smith), and one of the scientists who encounters Klaatu when he arrives on Earth. Klaatu hasn’t come to save humanity, he’s arrived to issue an ultimatum to the people of Earth. If they don’t stop destroying the planet, Klaatu’s robotic companion, Gort, will destroy them. It’s up to Helen and Jacob to make Klaatu see the value of humanity before it’s too late to stop Gort from completing his task.
Watch The Day the Earth Stood Still on Hulu.
