We humans love to travel through time. Or at least the idea of it is fascinating to us and has been for ages. But while we can’t transport to another period quite literally, we have movies to help us travel and discover a different space through the existing human timeline.
For those of you who love to travel to the past, this article is for you. Listed below are the best history movies on Hulu available for watching, which will give you the ‘time-travel experience’ you’re looking for.
This list has it all, be it the ancient Greeks, the Second World War, or a revolutionary event in the past. So go and take your pick and start streaming on Hulu. If you’re bothered by the unavailability of the platform’s services in your region, don’t be. Simply download the highly reliable ExpressVPN, and all such restrictions will disappear.
Let’s start this trip down memory lane, then, shall we?
Chevalier
- Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., Samara Weaving, Lucy Boynton
- Director: Stephen Williams
- Year: 2022
- IMDb: 6.5/10
The famed violin composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, was illegitimately born to an enslaved African. This is a true story based on his actual life as he paves his way up into the high society of the French, finally getting recognized as one of the best. If you have a passion for music or are a music composer, this one’s for you.
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The Imitation Game
- Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode
- Director: Morten Tyldum
- Year: 2014
- IMDb: 8.0/10
Heard the name Alan Turing? This is based on him. During World War 2 in 1939, the British Mathematical genius, with the help of his other mathematician peers, tried to decipher the German Enigma Code, which was deemed impossible to decode by its creators. At the same time, he tries to swim through the troubled waters life has represented to him. The Imitation Game indeed outdoes other history movies on Hulu.
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1917
- Starring: Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, Daniel Mays
- Director: Sam Mendes
- Year: 2019
- IMDb: 8.2/10
April 6, 1917. One message needs to be delivered so that 1600 men can be saved from the claws of death. Lance Corporals Schofield and Blake are charged with delivering this message as they tread through vast fields of death, witnessing the horrors of war on the way to their destination. The only thing that keeps them moving is the determination to save the 1600 lives dependent upon them. This one will grip your heart tightly.
Hidden Figures
- Starring: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe
- Director: Theodore Melfi
- Year: 2016
- IMDb: 7.8/10
Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson are three extraordinarily intellectual African-American women about to embark on a project with NASA. These three brains are among those who helped launch astronaut John Glenn into orbit. A feat that had put America ahead of others in the Space Race. Witness the behind-the-scenes of this feat from the perspective of these honorable women.
The Monuments Men
- Starring: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray
- Director: George Clooney
- Year: 2014
- IMDb: 6.1/10
A mix of seasoned professionals – architects, art scholars, and historians – are assigned the task of retrieving masterpieces of art that were stolen by the Nazi forces as per the orders of their leader. But time is of the essence to them in the face of the ‘Nero Decree,’ which states that these stolen artifacts must be destroyed if the Reich falls.
Harriet
- Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Janelle Monáe, Leslie Odom Jr.
- Director: Kasi Lemmons
- Year: 2019
- IMDb: 6.7/10
This is a story of revolution ignited by a headstrong and determined Harriet. After saving herself from the merciless jaws of slavery, she continues on the path and fights for the freedom of the other enslaved fellows. Her actions led her to become known as a heroic figure today. Based on actual events.
Dunkirk
- Starring: Fionn Whitehead, Barry Keoghan, Mark Rylance
- Director: Christopher Nolan
- Year: 2017
- IMDb: 7.8/10
Soldiers of the Allied forces, 400,000 in total, are stuck together on the beach with no way to their homes. With attacks from the German forces and dim hopes of someone coming to their rescue, the young boys, away from home, hope to be evacuated and sent home. It is an authentic cinematic experience coming from Christopher Nolan.
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Pompeii
- Starring: Kit Harington, Emily Browning, Kiefer Sutherland
- Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
- Year: 2014
- IMDb: 5.5/10
Set in ancient Rome, Kit Harington plays the role of Milo, who used to be enslaved and has now turned into a gladiator. He finds himself enamored by a beauty named Cassia. Their social classes differ, and Cassia is also promised to an evil Roman senator. When Mount Vesuvius gets close to eruption, he goes out in search of his beloved to save her if he can.
All Quiet on the Western Front
- Starring: Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Aaron Hilmer
- Director: Edward Berger
- Year: 2022
- IMDb: 7.8/10
Based on the novel of the same title by Erich Maria Remarque. This movie perfectly depicts the initial glory of fighting a war, the way men are brainwashed into thinking this is their purpose in life, and then the truth begins to seep in. The horrors of war and incessantly impending death drive the men mad, traumatizing them. It is told from the perspective of a young German boy during the First World War.
Mohenjo Daro
- Starring: Hrithik Roshan, Pooja Hegde, Kabir Bedi
- Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
- Year: 2016
- IMDb: 5.6/10
Set back in 2016 BC, when the Indus Civilization was at its apex. We follow the story of a young farmer named Sarman, who learns of the corrupt ruler of Mohenjo Daro, Maham, and his family’s connection with him. And now, he plans on avenging his family while trying to save the life of a high-status woman he’s fallen for.
The Book Thief
- Starring: Sophie Nélisse, Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson
- Director: Brian Percival
- Year: 2013
- IMDb: 7.5/10
Here’s another book adaptation. But we must warn you that this is going to break your heart. Badly. Liesel has just lost her family to the Second World War and is taken in by the loving Hans and Rosa. To cope with the losses and terrors of war, she takes solace in books as she’s taught to read and write by Papa. Amidst all this, she develops a deep friendship with the neighbor’s boy, Rudy.
Exodus: Gods and Kings
- Starring: Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Ben Kingsley
- Director: Ridley Scott
- Year: 2014
- IMDb: 6.0/10
Taken up from the biblical book of Exodus, this movie recounts the journey of Moses. When Ramses II takes up the throne, Moses takes up a war against the man he was raised with as brothers. He asks the Pharaoh to release his fellow Jews from slavery but only gets a refusal in return. This movie is definitely among the best history movies on Hulu.
Lincoln
- Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn
- Director: Steven Spielberg
- Year: 2016
- IMDb: 6.2/10
Civil war was percolating throughout the nation, and at the same time, Lincoln had to battle with his cabinet members as he struggled to pass the amendment that would liberate all the enslaved people. Stuck in this quagmire of a situation, Lincoln has to use the political intellect and wits that have earned him his name in the history of US presidents.
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The Exception
- Starring: Lily James, Jai Courtney, Christopher Plummer
- Director: David Leveaux
- Year: 2016
- IMDb: 6.8/10
The former German Monarch Kaiser Wilhelm II is living in a secluded mansion in the Netherlands during World War 2. Stefan Brandt, a German commander, is tasked with keeping him safe as the German government suspects a British spy might be in the Monarch’s vicinity. While performing his duties, Brandt develops a romance with one of the maids in the mansion named Meika.
Emily
- Starring: Emma Mackey, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Fionn Whitehead
- Director: Frances O’Connor
- Year: 2022
- IMDb: 6.8/10
Depicting the life of the globally acclaimed writer of classic literature, Emily Bronte, this movie portrays her journey through womanhood as she grapples with the loss of her mother and eagerly seeks creative and personal freedom in her life. These experiences lead to the creation of the finest novel the writer offers.
Pawn Sacrifice
- Starring: Tobey Maguire, Liev Schreiber, Peter Sarsgaard
- Director: Edward Zwick
- Year: 2014
- IMDb: 7.0/10
Bobby Fischer, the legendary American chess player, played by Toby Maguire, is preparing for the biggest match of his life against the Soviet Grandmaster Boris Spassky. The world is hooked onto their screens and is watching their every move. Fischer did not want to disappoint his nation in the 1972 World Chess Championship. Tune in to see how it goes.
Three minutes: A Lengthening
- Starring: Helena Bonham Carter, Glenn Kurtz, Moszek Tuchendler
- Director: Bianca Stigter
- Year: 2021
- IMDb: 7.3/10
This 16mm footage, lasting only three seconds, offers the viewers a brief glimpse into the lives of the Jews residing in Poland close to the Second World War. The film was shot by David Kurtz in 1938 in his home. The three minutes recorded are then imaginatively extended into a feature-length film. This movie surely will transport you into the lives of polish jews before the Holocaust struck them.
Tim’s Vermeer
- Starring: Tim Jenison, Penn Jillette, Martin Mull
- Director: Teller
- Year: 2013
- IMDb: 7.8/10
Tim Jenison is an inventor whose interest in the phenomenal artist Johannes Vermeer is piqued. In documentary-style shots, we explore alongside Jenison the techniques of painting that Vermeer used to give his paintings the hyper-realistic effect he used to add to his images.
Apollo 11
- Starring: Neil Armstrong, Mike Collins, Buzz Aldrin
- Director: Todd Douglas Miller
- Year: 2019
- IMDb: 9.1/10
Through the lens offered by this documentary, we get to see never-before-witnessed video footage of Commander Neil Armstrong with pilots Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins as they prepare for their trip to the moon. If you’re a space lover or fascinated by the moon, we recommend watching this historical event.
Maudie
- Starring: Sally Hawkins, Ethan Hawke, Zachary Bennett
- Director: Aisling Walsh
- Year: 2016
- IMDb: 7.6/10
Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis struggles as a housekeeper while polishing her artistic skills. In doing so, her arthritis poses a challenge for her. Through this historical drama, we watch the artist hone and grow her skills as she falls for the town fishmonger Everett Lewis, played by Ethan Hawke.
Tesla
- Starring: Ethan Hawke, Eve Hewson, Eli A. Smith
- Director: Michael Almereyda
- Year: 2020
- IMDb: 5.1/10
One of the greatest and most accomplished inventors mankind has ever seen, Tesla, is brought to life by Ethan Hawke in this narration of his life done by his love interest (of sorts), Anne Morgan. We are taken back in time with the narrator’s descriptive guide and witness his miraculous invention of Alternate Currents.
Medieval
- Starring: Ben Foster, Sophie Lowe, Michael Caine
- Director: Petr Jákl
- Year: 2022
- IMDb: 5.9/10
During the fifteenth century, as the Roman Empire began to fall and depreciate after the death of its emperor, the empire fell prey to the attacks of the Czech and Hungarian rulers. Based on actual events, this movie narrates the story of an acclaimed warlord, Jan Zizka, as he tears through enemies and contends with his budding love for the strong-spirited Lady Katherine.
The Iron Lady
- Starring: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Richard E. Grant
- Director: Phyllida Lloyd
- Year: 2011
- IMDb: 6.4/10
Being a woman, scoring the Prime Minister’s seat in the UK means breaking through the established norms and prejudices against class and, most importantly, gender. You’d have to be very cunning to manage the wolves constantly surrounding you. Margaret Thatcher is one such lady who would go down in history for achieving all this. And no one else could do justice to such an esteemed figure as the equally esteemed Meryl Steep.
Braveheart
- Starring: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan
- Director: Mel Gibson
- Year: 1995
- IMDb: 8.3/10
Under the tyrannical rule of King Edward I, a new hero, William Wallace, rises from the Scottish lands. In this historical drama, Mel Gibson gives an award-winning performance in the role of this legendary hero as he fights against the English Monarch and his armies.
The Good Traitor
- Starring: Ulrich Thomsen, Denise Gough, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard
- Director: Christina Rosendahl
- Year: 2020
- IMDb: 6.3/10
On the inauspicious day of April 9, 1940, Denmark is captured by the Nazi German forces and is asked for complete surrender. Henrik Kauffmann, the Danish ambassador to America, exhibits intellect and strength as he defies the orders of the German forces and is determined to win back the Danish people’s freedom.
Wrap up!
These history movies on Hulu mentioned above glimpse some of the most cardinal events across the human timeline. We’d like to offer a reminder that if you want to stream these on Hulu and cannot do so, simply install the highly trusted ExpressVPN, which will not just let you break past the geo-restrictions but also provide you impeccable connection speeds.
Now, you may take your pick depending upon the timeline you want to visit and have fun!