Happy New Year! Welcome to 2025. Hopefully, the new month will allow you to watch more movies. At the theater, Babygirl, and Nosferatu has done solid business. Nosferatu, in particular, is already Robert Eggers’ highest-grossing film at the domestic box office with $53 million.
If you can’t get to the theater this weekend, streaming is the next best option. While many streamers continue to raise prices, FAST services remain free of charge. On a FAST service, users can watch movies for free, though they have to view ads during the broadcast. Below are 6 recommendations for free movies to stream: a prison break thriller, an action prequel, and a sci-fi classic.
Thankfully, Hulu can keep you entertained with its fantastic lineup of newly added films. To narrow things down for you, we’ve chosen the 3 great Hulu movies that you need to stream this weekend.
Additionally, we’re throwing the spotlight on a crime thriller that will turn 30 in late 2025, as well as a selection that’s suitable for everyone in your household, from the young to the young at heart.
John Wick – 2014
John Wick, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, is the movie that reestablished Keanu Reeves as an action star. It’s the heartwarming tale of a grieving man who finds a new reason to live following the death of his wife, Helen (Bridget Moynahan). She arranged for John (Reeves) to adopt a dog and give it all of his love… right up until some punk gangsters attack him, kill the canine, and steal his car.
Iosef Tarasov (Game of Thrones star Alfie Allen) doesn’t know how badly he screwed up by leaving John for dead without finishing him off. John is the most feared assassin of his era, and this little jerk pushed him out of his retirement and into a bloody rampage of revenge that will only end when both Iosef and his crime lord father, Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist), are just as dead as Mrs. Wick.
Watch John Wick on Hulu.
Total Recall – 1990
With the new year comes a crop of movies celebrating key anniversaries. Total Recall will celebrate its 35th anniversary in June. Now that the film is on Pluto TV, don’t miss out on a chance to watch Paul Verhoeven’s influential sci-fi blockbuster, especially now that it’s on a free streaming service.
In 2084, Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) has recurring dreams of living on the colonized Mars with a mystery woman. Unable to travel to Mars, Quaid does the next best thing and visits “Rekall,” where false memories will be implanted into his head. Things go haywire during the procedure when Quaid learns his memories have been suppressed. Realizing his life is a lie, Quaid searches for the truth as a sinister organization tries to kill him.
Stream Total Recall for free on Pluto TV.
Heat – 1995
Writer and director Michael Mann put together an extremely impressive cast for his 1995 crime epic, Heat, including Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, Ashley Judd, Natalie Portman, William Fichtner, Dennis Haysbert, Hank Azaria, Danny Trejo, and more. But this film was all about the two men at the top of the credits: Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.
Mann placed The Godfather Part II co-stars on opposite sides of the law. De Niro plays an aging thief, Neil McCauley, who is under intense pressure following a robbery gone wrong. Pacino portrays an LA cop, Lieutenant Vincent Hanna, who is driven to bring Neil and his crew down. Heat memorably brought both actors together on-screen for the first time, but it’s more than just a gimmick. Pacino and De Niro brought their A-games to the film and made Heat an instant classic.
Watch Heat on Hulu.
Escape from Alcatraz – 1979
Clint Eastwood has been in the news lately for Juror #2, a solid courtroom drama that might be his last film as a director. While Eastwood is best known for directorial efforts over the past 30 years, the four-time Oscar winner made his bones as an actor, becoming one of the biggest stars in the 1970s and 1980s. One of Eastwood’s notable starring projects was Escape from Alcatraz, Don Siegel’s prison break thriller.
Based on true events, Escape from Alcatraz stars Eastwood as Frank Morris, a criminal who finds himself at Alcatraz’s maximum security prison after numerous prison escapes. Alcatraz is believed to be inescapable due to its seclusion on an island. With the help of fellow inmates John (Fred Ward) and Clarence Anglin (Jack Thibeau), Frank plans his next escape, though this one will be his most difficult attempt yet.
Stream Escape from Alcatraz for free on Pluto TV.
Paddington – 2014
How’s this for tonal whiplash? Going from Heat to Paddington may not seem like the obvious double feature, but the latter is a fantastic film in its own right, and it’s also very family-friendly if you want to watch it with children. There’s an easy way to tell who the bad people are in this movie. If they don’t like Paddington Bear (Black Doves star Ben Whishaw), then don’t trust them.
Nicole Kidman’s Millicent Clyde fails the Paddington test (she wants to have him stuffed for her collection). Meanwhile, Paddington charms Henry (Hugh Bonneville) and Mary Brown (Sally Hawkins), as well as their children. The Browns take Paddington in after he arrives in England, and they’ll have to ensure that he stays in one piece after Millicent sets her sights on him.
Watch Paddington on Hulu.
Prey – 2022
Instead of going into the future, director Dan Trachtenberg went back into the past with the Predator franchise for the excellent prequel Prey. In 1719, Naru (Amber Midthunder) is a young Comanche woman living with her tribe on the Great Plains. While Naru has been trained as a healer, she aspires to become a hunter like her brother, Taabe (Dakota Beavers).
Naru gets a chance to prove her worth when an alien predator touches down near her village. This predator possesses advanced weaponry and elite combat skills, but what’s even more concerning is its propensity for hunting humans. While the predator proves to be a ferocious adversary, Naru and her village also have to contend with ruthless colonists infringing on their home.
Stream Prey for free on Tubi.
