Since the dawn of movie-making, it seems like directors are obsessed with telling stories about a destructive planet filled with corrosion, violence, and unimaginable threats to humanity. On the other hand, viewers gravitate towards this genre type because the thought of a world overrun by an infection or authoritative villain is something that feels like it can become a reality.
While thrillers or horror movies are just as exciting, there's nothing quite like a dystopian movie. From the characters and unique storylines that come with it, here are the top 10 dystopian movies to immediately stream on Hulu.
Judge Dredd: 5.6 (1995)
In 2080, Earth has turned into an uninhabitable planet and is deemed the "Cursed Earth." The population has turned to larger cities to stay alive, but the crimes and violence are out of control. There is no authority, and no government, until a new force comes into play.
Instead of three separate systems, a new justice system has combined police, jury, and executioner. A select group of judges commands the system. The story centers on a stringent judge named Joseph Dredd (Sylvester Stallone). When he is framed for murder by his villainous brother Rico (Armand Assante), he's sentenced to prison. Will Rico get away with his evil plan and cause chaos in the city, or does Dredd have his own plans to avenge himself behind bars? From comics to the big screen, some people think Stallone's depiction of Dredd was horrendous, but there are a few things behind the story that viewers might not know about.
High-Rise: 5.6 (2015)
High-Rise is a 2015 dystopian sci-fi-drama that centers on a luxurious town block in London during the 1970s. Once a chic and modern building for all classes, the main purpose is to contain its residents so they don't have a reason to explore the outside world. When Dr. Robert Lang (Tom Hiddleston) moves into the 39th floor, he meets a new woman, makes friends with a lower-class family, and seemingly has a good life...until he doesn't.
After he's kicked out of a costume party because of his boring suit, the situation sets off a string of events that leads to a man jumping from the building and the impending doom of the building and its sinister residents. High-Rise is based on the J.G. Ballard novel of the same name and is one of director Ben Wheatley's best movies so far.
Terminator: Dark Fate: 6.2 (2019)
Every Terminator fan knows Terminator 2: Judgement Day is Arnold Schwarzenegger's best movie, but the latest installment, Terminator: Dark Fate, has done pretty well for itself. Directed by Tim Miller, the sixth movie came out in 2019 and brought back some familiar faces. After a woman is attacked by a powerful terminator from the future, she's saved by an enhanced human named Grace (Mackenzie Davis).
During their time on the road, they meet Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) and seek out additional help from a T-800 Terminator (Schwarzenegger) living in isolation. Dark Fate is action-packed and still revolves itself around a desolate world where humans still have to worry about robots from the future.
Aniara: 6.2 (2018)
After a continuous string of natural disasters, the planet has been left unlivable. To save humanity, the survivors are transported on a spaceship to Mars. During the three-week trip, the ship veers off-course and smashes into space debris. Captain Chefone (Arvin Kananian) tells the passengers everything is okay, but in reality, the ship will never get back on course again.
Aniara is a movie that takes a strong look at how consumed humanity has gotten in a dystopian world and how they'll grasp with their new lives ahead.
Predator 2: 6.3 (1990)
After its 1987 predecessor, Predator 2 continued in a world full of violence and war. Centered in Los Angeles, California, the LAPD and rival gangs are neck-and-neck with each other. But little do they know, something much more sinister is on the horizon.
The Predator has made it to the United States and will take out anyone in its path. Starring Danny Glover as Lieutenant Mike Harrigan and Bill Paxton as his partner, Jerry Lambert, The Predator 2 is a heck of a ride, and it proves to be the definitive sequel in the series.
Maze Runner: The Death Cure: 6.3 (2018)
Maze Runner: The Death Cure is the third and final movie to round out the franchise. Protagonist Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) sets out on his most dangerous mission yet, where he leads a group of familiar faces to get into the last standing city, WCKD. They need to figure out what caused "The Flare" virus and why they're the only immunes one left.
In the city, immune children are being experimented on, and the group will suddenly realize just how evil humanity can be.
28 Weeks Later: 7.0 (2007)
After the carnage in 28 Days Later, the sequel shows survivors at a compound in Great Britain. After a man named Don (Robert Carlyle) nearly escapes a group of zombies, he's reunited with his kids Tammy (Imogen Poots) and Andy (Mackintosh Muggleton) in the city. But when their mother, who was thought to be dead, comes back, things go sideways, and the area is infected with the virus once again.
Also starring Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, and Harold Perrineau, 28 Weeks Later center on a dystopian world full of the raging undead.
Dredd: 7.1 (2012)
After the 1995 movie, director Pete Travis decided to do a remake of the dystopian sci-fi movie. Set in a violent futuristic world, the story once again centers on an authoritative system completely ruled by the police. The cities have blurred into one large area and are filled with chaos, bloodshed, and wars.
A group of Judges controls the power of being a judge, jury, and executioner, but Judge Dredd is the ultimate controller. As he takes on a rookie named Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), together, they try to take down a drug lord named Ma-Ma (Lena Headley) before the city's drug epidemic gets any worse.
I Am Legend: 7.2 (2007)
It's been years since a mysterious plague took out most of the population, and Dr. Robert Neville (Will Smith) is alive, alone, and working on a cure. As the movie follows the life he's made in the city with his dog Sam, one wrong move could compromise everything.
I Am Legend is a movie about loss, companionship, a terrible plague, and one man's find to save what he couldn't before.
28 Days Later: 7.6 (2002)
A month after a mysterious disease takes out most of the world, a man named Jim (Cillian Murphy) wakes up in a desolate hospital after being in a coma. When he ventures outside, he realizes something is extremely wrong. After nearly being pummeled by a group of people, he meets a band of survivors, and he realizes what's happening.
But it's not just the undead Jim and the rest of the cast have to watch out for, because when they feel the safest is when things go really wrong.