The Sci-Fi Action Hidden Gem You Need To Watch On Hulu

Way back in 2008, the minds behind Marvel Studios forever changed the blockbuster game with the release of Iron Man, a first-rate, surprisingly character-driven action spectacular that essentially birthed the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it. In doing so, they also ushered in the era of superhero cinema, which — for better or for worse — has dominated the multiplex in the decade-plus since. To put it mildly, the genre has been more than prolific since then, with both the big-screen and small-screen markets being flooded with superhero fare almost to the point of overload.

That being the case, it's become increasingly difficult for even the more die-hard fans to keep up with which storylines and heroes are swooping into theaters and onto television networks from one week to the next. Of course, these days, the streaming realm is rapidly becoming ground zero not just for new superhero stories (The Umbrella Academy, WandaVision), but for fans of the genre to catch up on action-packed ass-kickers they might've slept on during their theatrical runs.

On the topic of severely slept-on superhero flicks with theatrical runs that can only be described as sequel-squashing disasters, a certain 2012 sci-fi actioner that some folks believe to be the directorial debut of genre maestro Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Annihilation, Devs) certainly fits the bill. Fear not: If you're among the many who mis-judged the film upon its release almost a decade ago, Hulu is currently giving you the chance to right that egregious wrong.

Filled with unbridled brutalist bombast, the 2012 film Dredd deserves far more love than it's gotten over the years, even if it's recently become a bit of a cult classic. But if you're not yet among the Dredd-loving genre elite, or if you wrote it off due to its sharing source material with Sylvester Stallone's dreadful 1995 flick Judge Dredd, you're missing out on one of the better comic book adaptations of the modern era. And please understand that Dredd couldn't be any less like that unfathomably off-key Stallone release.

In fact, Dredd is a legitimate 180-degree course correction from that movie and fully indulges in the doom, gloom, grit, and grime of the infamously bleak comics that inspired it. That source material centers on a police officer in a dystopian future who autonomously operates as judge, jury, and executioner. The 2012 movie was brilliantly adapted by Alex Garland and features the great Karl Urban stepping into the title role for a wildly stylized, hyper-violent action extravaganza that follows Dredd and a gifted new recruit (Olivia Thirlby) as they storm a fortress-like high-rise to bring down a local druglord (Game of Thrones alum Lena Heady) who's been flooding the streets with a powerful psychedelic. 

Yes, the ensuing raid is every bit as viscerally thrilling and unabashedly bloody as you might imagine. It's also almost impossible to look away from, thanks to Garland, director Pete Travis, and Oscar-winning director of photography Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire) imbuing Dredd with a singular style and unflappable energy rarely glimpsed in the superhero realm. If you want to witness the cinematic insanity for yourself, you should track down Dredd on Hulu today.