As dozens of movies come out every year in theaters, it’s natural for us to miss out on a few good flicks. With the rise of streaming over the last decade, it has brought even more content in front of us, and most movies go under the radar unless they’re in the running for big awards or fall under the banner of Marvel, Star Wars, or one of the other major movie franchises.
Over the next few months, we’ll go through five underrated movies for each of the past 15 years. This’ll include horror movies that never quite caught on with wide audiences, action movies that got lost in the shuffle, comedies that brought laughs but not money, and romantic films that didn’t win audiences hearts right away. The five movies of 2010 are all good films but aren’t ones that will make many people’s favorites list or dominated the box office.
1: The Crazies ($55 million box office/72% on Rotten Tomatoes)
Originally released in 1973, The Crazies is a movie that most casual moviegoers didn’t realize was a remake when it was released in 2010. The movie stars Timothy Olyphant as local sheriff David Dutton and he is joined by a cast lacking other big names which likely prevented the movie from finding a bigger audience in its initial release.
Throughout the movie, David is forced to navigate his town’s spiral into madness as the local community becomes infected with an unknown illness that turns them into zombified killers. For a movie that doesn’t feature a huge budget, the action and kill scenes are quite fun and there’s a sense of tension throughout the film that keeps you hooked until the end.
The ending also leaves you guessing how the infection will continue to spread while still wrapping up the story nicely. The Crazies may not be the best or most original zombie movie, but it’s still a quality addition to the genre and is a great time for any horror fans.
2: Knight and Day ($262 million box office/51% on Rotten Tomatoes)
Tom Cruise has spent most of the past decade filming sequels so it can be hard to remember that he had a long stretch of action movies including Oblivion, Edge of Tomorrow, and the underrated flick Knight and Day. Joined by Cameron Diaz, the film doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it still showcases the leads natural chemistry and is worth a watch.
The film follows Roy Miller (Cruise) and June Havens (Diaz) throughout numerous cities, chases, and close calls that makes for a fun if uneven ride throughout the film. Knight and Day is full of action movie cliches but is the perfect Sunday afternoon on the couch movie, especially if you’re a fan of Cruise’s standard practice of running and shooting bad guys.
The movie was a box office disappointment and the lackluster reviews upon release have led to this being one of the big disappointment’s of Cruise’s recent run. Overall though, the film is a good watch and enjoyable for fans of him and Diaz.
3: The Other Guys ($170.9 million box office/79% on Rotten Tomatoes)
When it comes to Will Ferrell comedies, most people wouldn’t put The Other Guys in his top five. On the other end, his co-star Mark Wahlberg is mostly known for his work in action movies and his performance in this movie caught many people by surprise. The Other Guys is an underrated comedy overall, but easily the most underrated comedy of the entire year.
The movie follows Ferrell (Allen Gamble) and Wahlberg (Terry Hoitz) as they get caught up in a web of political mystery and are forced to work together to figure out a case. Although the plot sounds similar to other cop movies, the comedy works well throughout the entire film and is backed up by additional stars such as Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton, Steve Coogan, and amazing cameos by Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson.
Part of why this movie went a bit under the radar is that Wahlberg’s performance was overshadowed by his other movie released in 2010, The Fighter. His performance in that led to numerous accolades and award nominations so it’s easy to understand why a movie like The Other Guys fell behind in moviegoers minds.
By now, most people have likely seen this movie, but it’s not one frequently brought up as one of Ferrell’s best comedies and has definitely fallen into the underappreciated comedies list.
4: Let Me In ($27 million box office/88% on Rotten Tomatoes)
Horror movies have a tendency to become underrated just due to the lack of widespread appeal amongst most casual moviegoers. Let Me In, a remake of the Swedish film Let The Right One In, didn’t generate much publicity upon initial release but was one of my favorite movies of this entire year.
The film follows Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and his new neighbor/vampire Abby (Chloë Grace Moretz). Although both actors were still children at the time of this release, they give remarkable performances that showcases the strength we find from those around us, especially in scary moments during our lives.
The movie features numerous brutal deaths and violent moments, so it’s definitely not a recommendation for anyone who gets queasy at the sight of blood. Saying that, it also tells a strong emotional story and even with it being nearly two hours long, it’s an easy and enjoyable watch that both horror and non-horror fans can enjoy.
Although the movie was received well by critics, it failed to make much of a profit in theaters and isn’t typically mentioned as one of the best horror movies, let alone vampire movies, to come out within the last two decades.
5: The Town ($154 million box office/92% on Rotten Tomatoes)
This is easily the biggest “How is this underrated?” movie on my entire list and arguably during this entire exercise, but as a person who has listed this as their favorite movie since my first viewing, I am a strong believer that it doesn’t get the full appreciation it should.
The Town is a movie that mixes strong action, great character performances, a worthwhile story, and numerous best-of-career level performances that mixes up into an overall amazing film. Even with the strong critics reviews and an even stronger box office gross, the film still doesn’t seem to get listed amongst the best crime films.
This is easily one of Ben Affleck’s best performances from his long career, and one could argue that both Jeremy Renner and Blake Lively turn in their best performances of their entire careers. Lively’s performance as a drug addict doesn’t involve a ton of screen time, but you can instantly tell she’s bringing her best the first time we see her.
The Town also features a fantastic final act that will leave you guessing how the film will end until the very last second. Although most would say that Argo is the better movie of Affleck’s directing career, this is easily the most fun movie he has directed.
