The 10 MOST UNDERRATED Movies of the Decade

You may have already taken a gander at our Top 10 Best Movies of the Decade list that was posted last week. This time around, we're going for movies that are just as good as the ten already listed, but sadly went mostly under the radar. These are films that perhaps slipped through the cracks of your watch list, but deserve your attention just the same. They're all great movies, just not as highly touted and recognizable as the ones on the 10 Best list. And, even if you have seen them, every single one of these films deserves a re-watch, if only to remind yourselves how great they truly are. So, without further adieu, Keith Beshwate and I give you...


(in no particular order...)



The 10 Most UNDERRATED Movies of the Decade




Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Audiences have a weird relationship with Tom Cruise. If it's not another Mission: Impossible film, they generally write it off. After Cruise made the mediocre Oblivion, Edge of Tomorrow didn't really strike a chord either, with most people relegating it to a cross between a second-rate Tom Cruise film and a blatant Groundhog Day ripoff. However, despite its novelty, Edge of Tomorrow was shockingly enjoyable. It's one of those films that's almost too smart for its own good and has even better re-watch value than most sci-fi. Plus, we can thank it for fully establishing Emily Blunt as a new resident badass.


Obvious Child (2014)

Gillian Robespierre's Obvious Child made small waves upon release. But the film exits now as a lasting testament to women's agency and independence in a world where expectations attempt to force central character Donna (played only as Jenny Slate could) into an all-too-familiar "do the right thing" decision. It's Donna's confrontation and challenge of the norm that makes Obvious Child a beautiful message of empowerment.


The Nice Guys (2016)

Once every ten years, writer/director Shane Black writes and directs a clever noir-action-comedy film, usually with actors you wouldn't expect in the roles he writes. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was the ferocious Robert Downey Jr. comeback (which, if you liked that movie - this movie is its smokin' hot cousin), and The Nice Guys gives us the unlikely duo of Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, two actors certainly not known for their comedy chops. Yet, with an intelligent script and whip-smart and witty dialogue, The Nice Guys is arguably the best comedy of the decade.


The Invitation (2015)

I wrote about Karyn Kusama's The Invitation for this very blog. Did you watch it? I gave it an A-. Not a good enough score? I'd probably give it an A now. In an age where a film's final reveal begs for immediate rewatch, The Invitation's tense draw and horrific third act make it an amazing tale of "confronting reality" (qtd. from the last time I told you to watch this movie).


Nightcrawler (2014)

Nightcrawler was underrated by pretty much everyone, it seems, in 2014 - failing to even produce an Oscar nomination for what is undoubtedly Jake Gyllenhaal's best and most haunting performance. In his directorial debut, Dan Gilroy explores the darker side of the media with this scathing indictment of capitalism and obsession. It's one of the most original and creepy thrillers in recent memory and it deserves more love than it has since gotten.


Take Shelter (2011)

There's rarely a role Michael Shannon can't make his own. As a character actor, he's phenomenal to watch (just look at his pedigree from the last decade). But the film that was his best of the decade is Take Shelter, one in which he plays more of an "everyman" but makes said man's fears and protection of family incredibly palpable. Jeff Nichols' film about a man's decent into supposed madness about an impending mega-storm is a must-watch meditation on faith, morality, and family.



Logan Lucky (2017)

Logan Lucky was such a quiet release, it almost flew under my radar. However, don't be fooled by what looks like a straight-to-cable knock off of smarter heist movies. Logan Lucky is a hilarious and incredibly sharp comedy. And despite its commercial failure, this hillbilly companion to Ocean's 11 holds up as one of the best of the decade. You'd be hard-pressed to find a cast with chemistry as perfect as this - and if you were ever on the fence about Adam Driver or Channing Tatum or even Daniel Craig... Logan Lucky will convince you to become a believer.


Fruitvale Station (2013)

Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler are nearly household names by now. But before Black Panther and Creed, there was Fruitvale Station, the real-life story of the devastating New Year's Eve day of Oakland resident Oscar Grant, shot to death on a BART platform years before the prevalence of smartphone-captured police murders. Jordan and Coogler are now amongst the Hollywood elite, and this film is the reason why.


Dredd (2012)

Dredd failed because no one had faith in a semi-low budget remake of a terrible Sylvester Stallone/Rob Schnieder movie, obviously. But Dredd ended up being the biggest surprise of the entire decade as the film succeeds in almost every way Sly's failed - it's exciting, it's witty, it's visually stunning, it's absolutely batshit bonkers, and it's some of the most fun I've ever had watching a movie in a theater.


20th Century Women (2016)

I'm an absolute sucker for feature films by music video directors (see: Under the Skin, David Fincher, and most Spike Jonze, not so much Her), and I will follow Mike Mills down any road he paves. 20th Century Women is a well-acted, aesthetically endearing cross-generational powerhouse that takes coming-of-age tropes and spins them for all ages, with a great soundtrack/score to boot.


HONORABLE MENTIONS: The World's End, Mother!, Blade Runner 2049, Frank, Inside Llewyn Davis, Good Time