11 movies to check out on Hulu this February

For February, Hulu brings home a bunch of under-the-radar indie offerings as well as at least one big-budget movie that has proved elusive on streaming services. The latter is The Abyss, James Cameron’s 1989 sci-fi film starring Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Michael Biehn that is challenging to find either digitally or even on disc. Also coming to Hulu in February is Naomi Watts in Infinite Storm, Luke Bracey in the mystery-thriller Mercy Road, Trace Lysette in the acclaimed drama Monica, Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum in the rom-com hit The Lost City, Angelina Jolie in Those Who Wish Me Dead, Oscar Best Picture winner Nomadland,and more.

Suncoast (2024, available February 9)

Writer-director Laura Chinn’s semiautobiographical coming-of-age story Suncoast stars Nico Parker, Laura Linney, and Woody Harrelson. The official synopsis of the film that premiered this year at Sundance reads: “Inspired by the semiautobiographical story of a teenager (Nico Parker) who, while caring for her brother along with her audacious mother (Laura Linney), strikes up an unlikely friendship with an eccentric activist (Woody Harrelson) who is protesting one of the most landmark medical cases of all time.”

The Abyss (1989, available February 9)

The audience for James Cameron’s sci-fi thriller The Abyss has grown over time despite stories about the challenging shoot and conflicts between the actors and Cameron on set. The Oscar-winning movie starring Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Michael Biehn has proven difficult to find on streaming services, but Hulu landed the rights for the time being. Cameron, who nearly died during filming, worked to remaster the film in 4K and reportedly didn’t even want to look at the old HD transfer. Here’s hoping that Hulu will treat users to a 4K stream of The Abyss for a new generation to discover.

The Lost King (2022, available February 9)

The official synopsis for the comedy-drama The Lost King reads, “An amateur historian defies the stodgy academic establishment in her efforts to find King Richard III’s remains, which were lost for over 500 years.” The Stephen Frears-directed movie starring Sally Hawkins, Steve Coogan, Shonagh Price, and Helen Katamba is based on the true story of a woman who believed that she discovered the lost burial site of King Richard III.

The Lost City (2022, available February 10)

The hit rom-com adventure The Lost City stars Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, and Daniel Radcliffe. The A.V. Club’s Jordan Hoffman writes, “The Lost City, directed by Adam and Aaron Nee, is a good movie, but for inscrutable and ineffable reasons. The story is not particularly original, daring only in its Romancing The Stone mimicry. It isn’t shot with any sizzling style. Its dialogue is clever one minute, then whiffs the next. And yet! Anyone who watches this motion picture and says they truly disliked it is probably telling a fib. It succeeds because of one thing: star power.” Just like Kathleen Turner’s character in Romancing The Stone, Bullock plays a reclusive romance novelist who gets swept up in a jungle adventure while on a book tour in The Lost City.

Infinite Storm (2022, available February 15)

At this point in her career, it’s safe to say that Naomi Watts elevates the material of any movie in which she stars. This applies to the drama-thriller Infinite Storm, based on the real-life survival story of a female climber who gets caught on a mountain during a blizzard and must team up with another stranded stranger to get down said mountain before nightfall. The A.V. Club’s Brent Simon writes, “It is on Watts’ shoulders, however, that Infinite Storm otherwise rests. Her talent at conveying swallowed pain and heavy regret outstrips the script’s more basic representations of the same. What sustains a viewer’s interest in Infinite Storm is Watts’ controlled performance, and the film’s direction.”

Next Goal Wins (2022, available February 15)

The official synopsis of Next Goal Wins reads: “Directed by Academy Award winner Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit, Thor: Ragnarok) and based on a true story, Next Goal Wins follows the American Samoa soccer team, infamous for their brutal 31-0 FIFA loss in 2001. With World Cup qualifying matches approaching, the team hires down-on-his-luck maverick coach Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender), hoping he will turn the world’s worst soccer team around in this heartfelt underdog comedy.” The A.V. Club’s Justin Lowe writes, “Shot in Hawaii with Oahu doubling for American Samoa, Next Goal Wins may not seem like the most original film, but the fact that it’s based on actual, if somewhat improbable, events means that it ultimately earns its uplifting perspective, owing largely to Waititi’s heartfelt commitment to the story.”

Amulet (2020, available February 17)

The official description of Romola Garai’s horror-mystery Amulet reads: “An ex-soldier, living homeless in London, is offered a place to stay at a decaying house inhabited by a young woman and her dying mother. As he starts to fall for her, he cannot ignore his suspicion that something sinister is going on.” The A.V. Club’s Toussaint Egan writes, “Amulet elevates these themes of repentance and sin through deft editing, strong performances, and a chilling score. It’s an evocative, confident debut, recalling the metaphorical horror of Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook or Babak Anvari’s Under The Shadow, even as it announces the arrival of a singular new voice.”

Nomadland (2020, available February 19)

Nomadland won several Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director for Chloé Zhao, and Best Actress for Frances McDormand. Based on the book Nomadland: Surviving America In The Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder, Nomadland stars McDormand as a Nevada widow who leaves her state to travel around the United States in her van as a nomad. The A.V. Club’s Katie Rife writes, “Nomadland is, in some ways, a condemnation of a system that rewards decades of corporate loyalty with poverty and insecurity. But it’s also remarkably clear-eyed and honest about the pleasures and benefits of life on the road, its blend of documentary and fiction allowing those on the margins to tell their stories on their own terms. What results is a nuanced portrait of free spirits who reject a culture that has rejected them.”

Mercy Road (2023, available February 23)

The Australian thriller Mercy Road stars Luke Bracey as a frazzled father who commits a terrible crime while trying to find his missing daughter and dodge the lawmen on his tail. The panic-inducing flick features Bracey communicating with a mysterious entity who claims to know the whereabouts of his missing daughter. Directed by John Curran, Mercy Road also stars Toby Jones, Alex Malone, Huw Higginson, Martha Kate Morgan, and Susie Porter.

Monica (2022, available February 25)

The Andrea Pallaoro-directed drama Monica stars Trace Lysette as the titular character, alongside Patricia Clarkson, Emily Browning, Adriana Barraza, and Joshua Close. The official synopsis reads: “The intimate portrait of a woman who returns home to care for her dying mother. A delicate and nuanced story of a fractured family, the story explores universal themes of abandonment, aging, acceptance, and redemption.”

Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021, available February 28)

In the action-thriller Those Who Wish Me Dead, Angelina Jolie plays a smokejumper who tries to protect a boy witness (Finn Little) by eluding a pair of assassins (Nicholas Hoult and Aiden Gillen) hired to kill him in the Montana wilderness. The A.V. Club’s A.A. Dowd writes, “Those Who Wish Me Dead is the kind of slim, mid-budget, action-crime boilerplate that Hollywood churned out on the regular in the ’90s. Back then, it might have starred Harrison Ford or Clint Eastwood or—if the budget dipped low enough—Howie Long. Today, it features Angelina Jolie, shedding any sultry glamour to play a firefighter thrust into a different kind of deadly inferno.”