Hulu is the best way to stream ’80s and ’90s action movies
Hulu is the best way to stream ’80s and ’90s action movies
From Arnold to Bruce, Hulu has a lot to like when it comes to classic action movies.
Action movies are always in style. While most recently it’s been all about the superhero action star, there was a time in the 80s and 90s when the hero of the story was an “every person” – just like you and me. No superpowers, no high-tech gear – just a man (and sometimes a woman – usually Sigourney Weaver), their wits, and their gun. If you’re looking for that kind of classic action movie, I’m here to give you my take on the best streamer for your buck. While there are a few contenders, in my mind, there’s one that just manages to beat everyone else in hand-to-hand combat: Hulu. Here’s why I think Hulu is the best streamer for classic action movies.
Everything you need to know about the best streamer for classic action movies:
What 1980s classic action movies can you watch on Hulu?
There’s a simple reason why Hulu is my favorite streamer for watching classic action movies from the ’90s: it’s got more of the classics. First, there’s the iconic movie, “Aliens” from visionary director James Cameron. This high-octane sci-fi action thriller builds on the terrifying universe of the original (also on Hulu) while ratcheting up the action even more. Sigourney Weaver stars as Ellen Ripley, a lone survivor of a deadly alien encounter, as she is pulled back into danger when a remote colony goes silent. Reluctantly joining a military team sent to investigate, Ripley confronts her deepest fears as the mission turns into a desperate fight for survival. With relentless tension, groundbreaking effects, and a powerful lead performance, “Aliens” is a masterclass in action-genre storytelling.
No list of classic action movies is complete without the GOAT that redefined the genre… “Die Hard.” Directed by John McTiernan and starring Bruce Willis, the 1988 film follows John McClane, an off-duty NYPD officer, as he visits his estranged wife at her company’s holiday party in a Los Angeles skyscraper. When the building is taken hostage by a group of ruthless terrorists, McClane is thrust into a deadly cat-and-mouse game. Armed with his wits and sheer determination, McClane fights to outsmart the enemy and save the hostages. Combining explosive action, sharp humor, and a career-defining performance from Willis, “Die Hard” remains a timeless classic of the “every man” whooping some butt.
For those waiting for the first Arnold Schwarzenegger movie on this list, the wait is over. Hulu has “Predator,” directed by John McTiernan (see above… he knows what he’s doing). “Predator” tells the story of Dutch, a seasoned mercenary tasked with leading an elite squad on a high-stakes rescue operation deep in the Central American jungle. What begins as a routine operation quickly escalates into a nightmare when they are hunted by a mysterious and deadly alien predator. Equipped with advanced weaponry and nearly invisible, the creature tests the team’s survival instincts to the limit, creating one of the landmark movies in action cinema.
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Aliens
July 18, 1986When Ripley’s life pod is found by a salvage crew over 50 years later, she finds that terraformers are on the very planet where they found the alien species. The company has also sent a family of colonists out to investigate her story… and have since lost all contact. Directed by James Cameron, Aliens takes a small sidestep from the horror genre and goes for a more sci-fi action approach as Ripley and the colonial marines return to the feared planet and search for answers. This endlessly quotable flick is enjoyable every time you see it.
According to legend, Cameron landed the directing job by writing “Alien” on a dry erase board. Then adding an “s” so it said “Aliens.” And then he drew two lines through the “s” - “Alien$.”
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Alien
May 25, 1979The commercial spaceship Nostromo is heading back to Earth when they’re tasked with intercepting a distress signal from a distant planet. The crew discovers a chamber full of seemingly benign eggs. When one hatches unexpectedly, the crew is unaware of the impending nightmare set to descend upon them. Directed by Ridley Scott, this film is the first in the series to feature its most-known protagonist, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver).
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Die Hard
July 15, 1988NYPD cop John McClane’s plan to reconcile with his estranged wife is thrown for a serious loop when, minutes after he arrives at her offices Christmas Party, the entire building is overtaken by a group of terrorists. With little help from the LAPD, wisecracking McClane sets out to single-handedly rescue the hostages and bring the bad guys down.
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Predator
June 12, 1987A team of elite commandos on a secret mission in a Central American jungle come to find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.
What 1990s action movies can you watch on Hulu?
Hulu carries its action-momentum from the 1980s into the 9190s with more of the best classic action movies. And it does it with “Speed” (see what I did there?). Directed by Jan de Bont and starring Keanu Reeves, “Speed” is a pulse-pounding action thriller that never lets up. The film follows LAPD officer Jack Traven, who must outwit a vengeful bomber by keeping a city bus above 50 miles per hour to stop it from exploding. With Sandra Bullock as an unwitting passenger-turned-driver, the stakes climb as Jack races against time to save everyone on board. Combining relentless tension, explosive action, and sharp chemistry between its leads, “Speed” remains a quintessential 1990s action classic.
For those who like their ’90s action movies a little extra, there’s the over-the-top classic, “Con Air.” Directed by Simon West and starring Nicolas Cage, the movie tells the story of Cameron Poe, an Army Ranger and parolee, who is trapped on a prisoner transport plane hijacked by a batch of dangerous criminals. As chaos unfolds mid-air, Poe must fight back to protect innocent lives and reunite with his family. When you add big, colorful villains to Cage’s signature intensity, you get a film that delivers adrenaline-fueled entertainment that’s pure 1990s excess.
For a 1990s action movie with a sci-fi twist, there’s the Will Smith movie “Independence Day.” Directed by Roland Emmerich, the film follows a group of unlikely heroes—including a fighter pilot, a tech-savvy scientist, and the President of the United States—as they rally together to fight off a devastating alien invasion. With Earth on the brink of annihilation, the characters create a daring plan to strike back against their technologically superior enemies. If you haven’t seen it, watch it because “Independence Day” helped redefine the blockbuster genre in the 1990s.
Back to another Cage classic, Hulu also carries “The Rock,” directed by Michael Bay. “The Rock” follows a mild-mannered FBI chemical weapons expert, Stanley Goodspeed, as he teams up with ex-convict, John Mason, to stop a group of rogue Marines who have taken hostages on Alcatraz Island. Armed with stolen chemical weapons, the Marines threaten to destroy San Francisco unless their demands are met. As time runs out, Goodspeed and Mason have to infiltrate the impenetrable fortress of Alcatraz in a desperate bid to save the city.
Finally, this last movie brings together two heavyweights of the genre: director James Cameron and action star Arnold Schwarzenegger… in “True Lies.” With a blend of action, comedy, and romance, the film follows Harry Tasker, a secret agent who has kept his dangerous double life hidden from his family for years. When his latest mission intersects with his wife’s mundane routine, Harry is forced to bring her into his high-stakes world. As the two navigate terrorists, shootouts, and daring rescues, their relationship is seriously tested… and transformed.
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Speed
June 9, 1994Jack Traven, an LAPD cop on SWAT detail, and veteran SWAT officer Harry Temple thwart an extortionist-bomber’s scheme for a $3 million ransom. As they corner the bomber, he flees and detonates a bomb vest, seemingly killing himself. Weeks later, Jack witnesses a mass transit city bus explode and nearby a pay phone rings. On the phone is that same bomber looking for vengeance and the money he’s owed. He gives a personal challenge to Jack: a bomb is rigged on another city bus - if it slows down below 50 mph, it will explode - bad enough any day, but a nightmare in LA traffic. And that’s just the beginning…
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Con Air
June 5, 1997Newly-paroled former US Army ranger Cameron Poe is headed back to his wife, but must fly home aboard a prison transport flight dubbed “Jailbird” taking the “worst of the worst” prisoners, a group described as “pure predators”, to a new super-prison. Poe faces impossible odds when the transport plane is skyjacked mid-flight by the most vicious criminals in the country led by the mastermind — genius serial killer Cyrus “The Virus” Grissom, and backed by black militant Diamond Dog and psychopath Billy Bedlam.
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Independence Day
June 25, 1996Strange phenomena surface around the globe. The skies ignite. Terror races through the world’s major cities. As these extraordinary events unfold, it becomes increasingly clear that a force of incredible magnitude has arrived. Its mission: total annihilation over the Fourth of July weekend. The last hope to stop the destruction is an unlikely group of people united by fate and unimaginable circumstances.
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The Rock
June 7, 1996When vengeful General Francis X. Hummel seizes control of Alcatraz Island and threatens to launch missiles loaded with deadly chemical weapons into San Francisco, only a young FBI chemical weapons expert and notorious Federal prisoner have the skills to penetrate the impregnable island fortress and take him down.
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True Lies
July 15, 1994A fearless, globe-trotting, terrorist-battling secret agent has his life turned upside down when he discovers his wife might be having an affair with a used car salesman while terrorists smuggle nuclear war heads into the United States.
What other streamers have classic action movies?
Now, there are a few streamers that deserve honorable mention. First, Prime Video has many of Arnold’s classics, including “Commando,” “Total Recall” (one of my favorites) and “The Terminator.” It also has “Goldeneye” for those looking for some spy-action action.
Max gets a quick nod because it has all three of the “Robocop” movies, as well as “Batman” (1989). And Paramount+ is worth peeking at because it carries “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” “The Matrix” and the entire “Mission Impossible” franchise.
Check out where to stream some of the other big action movies from the 80s and 90s:
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Mission: Impossible
May 22, 1996When Ethan Hunt, the leader of a crack espionage team whose perilous operation has gone awry with no explanation, discovers that a mole has penetrated the CIA, he’s surprised to learn that he’s the prime suspect. To clear his name, Hunt now must ferret out the real double agent and, in the process, even the score.
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Mission: Impossible II
May 24, 2000With computer genius Luther Stickell at his side and a beautiful thief on his mind, agent Ethan Hunt races across Australia and Spain to stop a former IMF agent from unleashing a genetically engineered biological weapon called Chimera. This mission, should Hunt choose to accept it, plunges him into the center of an international crisis of terrifying magnitude.
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RoboCop
July 17, 1987In a violent, near-apocalyptic Detroit, evil corporation Omni Consumer Products wins a contract from the city government to privatize the police force. To test their crime-eradicating cyborgs, the company leads street cop Alex Murphy into an armed confrontation with crime lord Boddicker so they can use his body to support their untested RoboCop prototype. But when RoboCop learns of the company’s nefarious plans, he turns on his masters.
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RoboCop 2
June 22, 1990After a successful deployment of the RoboCop Law Enforcement unit, OCP sees its goal of urban pacification come closer and closer, but as this develops, a new narcotic known as “Nuke” invades the streets led by God-delirious leader Cane. As this menace grows, it may prove to be too much for Murphy to handle. OCP tries to replicate the success of the first unit, but ends up with failed prototypes with suicidal issues… until Dr. Faxx, a scientist straying away from OCP’s path, uses Cane as the new subject for the RoboCop 2 project, a living God.
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RoboCop 3
January 21, 1993The mega corporation Omni Consumer Products is still bent on creating their pet project, Delta City, to replace the rotting city of Detroit. Unfortunately, the inhabitants of the area have no intention of abandoning their homes simply for desires of the company. To this end, OCP have decided to force them to leave by employing a ruthless mercenary army to attack and harass them. An underground resistance begins and in this fight, RoboCop must decide where his loyalties lie.
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Commando
October 3, 1985John Matrix, the former leader of a special commando strike force that always got the toughest jobs done, is forced back into action when his young daughter is kidnapped. To find her, Matrix has to fight his way through an array of punks, killers, one of his former commandos, and a fully equipped private army. With the help of a feisty stewardess and an old friend, Matrix has only a few hours to overcome his greatest challenge: finding his daughter before she’s killed.
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Total Recall
June 1, 1990Construction worker Douglas Quaid’s obsession with the planet Mars leads him to visit Recall, a company that manufactures memories. When his memory implant goes wrong, Doug can no longer be sure what is and isn’t reality.
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The Terminator
October 26, 1984In the post-apocalyptic future, reigning tyrannical supercomputers teleport a cyborg assassin known as the “Terminator” back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, whose unborn son is destined to lead insurgents against 21st century mechanical hegemony. Meanwhile, the human-resistance movement dispatches a lone warrior to safeguard Sarah. Can he stop the virtually indestructible killing machine?
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GoldenEye
November 16, 1995When a powerful satellite system falls into the hands of Alec Trevelyan, AKA Agent 006, a former ally-turned-enemy, only James Bond can save the world from an awesome space weapon that — in one short pulse — could destroy the earth! As Bond squares off against his former compatriot, he also battles Trevelyan’s stunning ally, Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen), an assassin who uses pleasure as her ultimate weapon.
Pierce Brosnan begins his run as Bond in this film. It’s also Judi Dench’s first appearance as M. GoldenEye is also notable as the inspiration for one of the greatest Nintendo 64 games ever.
- Director: Martin Campbell
- James Bond: Pierce Brosnan
- Villain(s): Alec Trevelyan (Sean Bean)
Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen)
Boris Grishenko (Alan Cummings) - Bond Girl(s): Caroline (Serena Gordon)
Natalya Simonova (Izabella Scorupco) - Theme Song: “GoldenEye” by Tina Turner
- Soundtrack Composer: Éric Serra
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Batman
June 21, 1989Batman must face his most ruthless nemesis when a deformed madman calling himself “The Joker” seizes control of Gotham’s criminal underworld.
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Terminator 2: Judgment Day
July 3, 1991Set ten years after the events of the original, James Cameron’s classic sci-fi action flick tells the story of a second attempt to get rid of rebellion leader John Connor, this time targeting the boy himself. However, the rebellion has sent a reprogrammed terminator to protect Connor.
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The Matrix
March 31, 1999Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth.
