Underrated Movies: The List - Part One
Photo from Netflix
From Larissa Benfey
The term ‘underrated’ tends to get thrown around a lot, especially when it comes to movies. I saw a tweet the other day (by UberFacts) that prompted people to respond with their most underrated movies. My interest piqued, I looked through the thread and got the idea to watch the fourteen that came up the most and decide for myself (ten general audience movies and four technically deemed “kids’ movies”). If you’re intrigued too, read on to find out which ones I think truly deserve their ‘underrated’ status.
1. Equilibrium (2002)
This movie released on December 6, 2002. It opened on the same day as Analyze That and Adaptation and was a bona fide box office bomb, earning a meager $5.3 million total over its theatrical run, against a $20 million budget. Its science-fiction dystopian action premise meant it was immediately being compared to The Matrix at the time of its release. The Matrix released in 1999, for reference. Starring Christian Bale, it follows a lawman in a futuristic society where “all forms of feeling are illegal.” Basically, your suspension of disbelief is working overtime right from the start. But here’s where I have to admit my bias. I absolutely loved this movie when it came out, and have watched it dozens of times over the years. If I were to watch it for the first time today, I’d probably find a lot more flaws. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a score of 40% from critics, but 81% from the audience.
Do I think it’s underrated? I think if you’re into sci-fi or dystopian action and haven’t watched it, you’re doing yourself a disservice. But it’s probably appropriately rated as a solid sci-fi in the vein of The Matrix, while not actually being The Matrix.
2. In Bruges (2008)
Do you know what topped the box office in February of 2008? Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert.
Yeah.
It opened on February 1 and made $62 million that month. In Bruges, on the other hand, opened a week later, and made just $3 million in box office sales by the end of the month. It went on to earn $34.5 million worldwide by the end of its time in theaters, which was double its budget, but still more of a stain than a badge of honor. But if Equilibrium wasn’t enough of a hint that box office scores never really factor into my movie rating system, In Bruges is here to help!
It's a black comedy-drama crime thriller, so if those types of films aren’t your cup of tea, there’s not much I can do. But it absolutely lives up to every aspect of its mouthful of a genre. Hilarious in that dark comedic way, with frankly award-worthy performances by Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes and the rest of the cast, it’s a crime thriller with a lot of heart. Something you can’t say very often. It’s got Martin McDonagh written all over it—or rather, Martin McDonagh wrote all of it. Like many of his other films (Seven Psychopaths, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and The Banshees of Inisherin), this one is absolutely an underrated gem.
3. Lucky Number Slevin (2006)
Josh Hartnett, Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Stanley Tucci, Lucy Liu—even Sir Ben Kingsley, for crying out loud. To say this movie has an all-star cast is an understatement. But underrated? I’m not so sure. And this is coming from someone who used to give this movie a spot in her top five favorite movies, so maybe I’m just having a stroke, I don’t know.
The thing about this movie is, I’d say it was definitely underrated back in 2006, when it first came out. Like In Bruges, it had modest box office sales, making exactly double its budget. It has fun performances by Morgan Freeman and Sir Ben Kingsley. Bruce Willis plays Bruce Willis, but let’s be honest, that never gets old. And Josh Hartnett and Lucy Liu have great chemistry and pull off the plucky dialogue without batting an eye. I’m just not sure how well it holds up. The fact that it’s not on any streaming services gives me pause too (luckily, I own it on DVD). If you can find it, it’s a fun gangster flick that doesn’t take itself too seriously, but I think my final call here is: appropriately rated. Probably on par with Hartnett’s most recent gangster movie, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre.
4. The Nice Guys (2016)
Talking about this movie always hurts me a little bit. Because—spoilers—it’s one I’ve always believed to be underrated. It finally seems to be getting a bit more attention, with Ryan Gosling promoting the Barbie movie and people looking into his previous work. I watched it in theaters, but was clearly one of the few (it only made $62.8 million against its $50 million budget). In fairness, it released the same month as Captain America: Civil War, so for people who already filled their theater quota for the month, it fell through the cracks.
Directed by one of my favorite writer-directors, Shane Black (writer of Lethal Weapon, writer-director of Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang and Iron Man 3), it’s a neo-noir buddy action comedy—one of my favorite genres (can you tell how biased I am yet?). I have high hopes for Barbie, and I loved him in Crazy, Stupid, Love, but The Nice Guys is absolutely Ryan Gosling’s best comedic role yet. And that’s not just my opinion. He literally won the San Diego Film Critics Society award for best comedic performance. It may be my top choice of underrated movie and you need to do me and yourself a favor and go watch it as soon as possible. It’s available on Netflix (US and CAN), or you can rent or buy it on Prime, Apple TV, Google Play, and YouTube.
5. Dredd (2012)
A week before Dredd’s release in September 2012, Resident Evil: Retribution opened in theaters. Dredd shared its opening day with End of Watch, Trouble with the Curve, and House at the End of the Street. All of these films made bigger waves at the box office than the sci-fi action flick starring Karl Urban. It didn’t even make back its budget after its entire run in theaters. I never watched Stallone’s Judge Dredd, I didn’t read the comic of the same name, and I’m a sucker for stylized, ridiculous, fun action, so take all of that into account when weighing my opinion of this movie.
I absolutely loved it. I loved it when I watched it back in 2012, and I loved it when I watched it again this week. It’s gory and violent (it’s rated R, after all), yet keeps the story tight. It doesn’t waste a second getting into it and keeps going at a hundred miles per hour until the very end. This is a tough one though. I don’t think it deserved to bomb at the box office, but is it underrated? With its “certified fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, I think more people need to check it out, but otherwise, I’d say it’s appropriately rated as a gritty comic adaptation of a cartoonish character, brought to life masterfully by Karl Urban.
Kids’ Movie 1: The Iron Giant (1999)
All cards on the table, The Iron Giant might be my all-time favorite movie. Yes, it’s a kids’ movie, and yes, it still holds up—heck, it even still makes me cry and I’m well into my thirties. I’m going to keep this short and sweet and say, if you haven’t seen The Iron Giant yet, just go watch it. It could get all the love in the world and it would still deserve more. Without a doubt, underrated. Find it on Netflix (US and CAN), or rent or buy it on Prime, Apple TV, Google Play, or YouTube. You can thank me later.
Kids’ Movie 2: WALL-E (2008)
I find it intriguing when this one makes people’s lists because it made almost three times its budget upon theatrical release back in June 2008. I think it is incredibly unique and tells a beautiful story in many new and wonderful ways. If you haven’t watched it, consider this your sign. But with a 95% critic score and 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, success at the box office, and produced by a studio known around the world, I tend to categorize WALL-E as appropriately rated. A fantastic movie, through and through—but I think everyone already knows that.
What do you think so far? Do you agree with any of my ratings? Are there some movies you’ve added to your to-watch list? Tune in soon for Part 2!.
