2022 is almost over, meaning it is time to reflect on some of the best films of the year. In an age of streaming, numerous platforms have attempted to compete with films on the big screen by releasing their own exclusive originals. One that stands out from the pack is Hulu, which in the past few years has benefited from Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox and their subsidiary Searchlight Pictures. Hulu released its batch of original films in 2022 and has found great success with genres like horror and romantic comedies.
Hulu Originals might not be as publicized as Netflix Originals, or have the franchise nostalgia that many Disney+ Original movies have, but the streaming service has delivered a wonderful variety of films for audiences to watch at home that is equal if not sometimes better than what was playing in theaters that week. These are the best Hulu Originals released in 2022.
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7 Hellraiser
Hulu
One of two high-profile reimaginings of an 80s horror property to premiere on Hulu (more on the second one later), Hellraiser rebooted the iconic horror franchise created by Clive Barker. The plot focuses on a young woman recovering from a drug addiction that summons the extra-dimensional demonic Cenobites, beings who thrive on people’s pleasure and pain.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
After multiple direct-to-video installments,Hellraiser returns the franchise back to its roots. While it may not climb to the heights of the 1987 original, it still offers a scary 21st-century update to the franchise and made for a great Halloween treat in 2022.
6 Fresh
Hulu certainly had a great year with horror films, with Fresh premiering in March 2022. The movie follows Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) who, after growing tired of online dating, meets what seems like an ideal man named Steve (Sebastian Stan) at a supermarket. After a few dates, he invites her to a weekend alone only to discover that Steve is in fact in the business of abducting women to eat their flesh as well as selling pieces of women to high bidders on the black market.
Fresh takes a grindhouse premise and, from a combination of wonderful direction by Mimi Cave and two strong performances by the leads, stands as a great horror film that taps into many modern fears of dating and human trafficking.
5 Fire Island
While Bros. generated a lot of attention as the first gay-led romance released in theaters by a major studio, Fire Island technically beat the film on June 3, 2022 (although unlike Bros. was not given a theatrical release). The film is inspired by Jane Austin’s Pride & Prejudice and focuses on a group of queer friends whose trip to Fire Island jeopardizes their bonds.
Fire Island was a great comedy for the summer, and with its combination of a strong cast and a clever update of the Jane Austin formula, Fire Island is a film that is both insightful, daring, and humorous and will likely be revisited for years to come.
4 Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
Lionsgate
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande is a sweet, humorous, and intimate character study that follows an older woman who hires a young male sex worker to help her become more comfortable with herself and her sexuality following the death of her husband.
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande is a refreshing spin on the sexual awakening story with two well-developed characters with rich inner personal lives that are brought to life by Emma Thompson and Dylan McCormack. It is a film that is upfront in its discussion of sex and intimacy, and it is rare to see an older actress given the spotlight in such a way that makes Good Luck to You, Leo Grande worth checking out.
3 Crush
Crush is a teenage coming-of-age story and a romantic comedy, two genres that are likely familiar to audiences that the tropes are more than played out. Yet what makes Crush so refreshing is how ordinarily everyone’s sexuality is treated. The movie is filled with characters that are somewhere on the LGBTQ+ spectrum, and it’s not a big deal, just a reality of the world. This makes the movie more reflective of real-life teenagers.
Crush taps into the fact that even low-stakes high school moments feel massive and apocalyptic to a teenager because of these burgeoning young feelings. Supported by an impressive cast of young stars like Rowan Blanchard, Auliʻi Cravalho, and Isabella Ferreira, Crush stands as a great modern update of the teenage rom-com.
2 Rosaline
Romeo and Juliet is a well-known story told so often one wonders what more is left to do with the classic tale. Rosaline is a funny, fresh, and incredibly clever take on the story by telling it from the perspective of Romeo’s first love Rosaline (Kaitlyn Dever). It reinvents the classic tale into a fun teen comedy about sabotaging a relationship, all while also discovering where Rosaline’s place in this classic story is.
Combine that with a wonderfully comedic cast alongside Dever that includes Bradley Whitford, Christopher McDonald, Minnie Driver, Kyle Allen, and Isabela Merced and Rosaline is a delightful watch. The movie feels right at home with late 90s teen Shakespeare reimaginings like Baz Lurhmann’s Romeo+Juliet or 10 Things I Hate About You.
1 Prey
Hellraiser wasn’t the only 80s property to get a new iteration on Hulu, with the Predator franchise getting a much-anticipated prequel in the form of Prey. The story of a young Comanche woman who finds herself face to face with the alien hunter earned such passionate responses from fans and newcomers that it became a question of how great Prey’s box office might have been if it were released in theaters.
Prey was easily the biggest movie released on Hulu, and was a huge hit among critics and audiences which put the Predator franchise back on track after multiple failed attempts to relaunch the series. Prey might have laid out a bright new future for the Predator franchise. It stands not only as Hulu’s best movie of 2022 but one of the year’s biggest surprises.
