Hollywood is a cutthroat business. Hundreds of movies come out every year, hoping they can capture the zeitgeist and conquer audiences’ hearts. Some movies, like Aftersun, conquer critics but not audiences; others, like The Super Mario Bros. Movie, are commercial juggernauts with unfavorable reviews. Finally, rare projects like Top Gun: Maverick win at the box office and score with the critics.
However, not every movie can be a winner. With so many options available, some great movies underperform at the box office, becoming infamous flops. However, history will be kind to some of these unfortunate films, which will go down as underappreciated classics.
10 ‘Robin Hood’ (2018)
Taron Egerton stars as the legendary Prince of Thieves in the 2018 action-adventure film Robin Hood. The film serves as an origin story for the character, presenting him as a disillusioned knight returning from the Crusades to fight against the ruthless Sheriff of Nottingham, who seized his fortune and ancestral home.
Robin Hood is not a bad movie but is undeniably uneven and puzzling. Featuring many anachronistic choices that make its setting look more like Panem than Nottingham, the film is unsure of what it wants to be. However, Egerton is as charming as ever, and the film’s ambitious setpieces are actually quite impressive. Coupled with Ben Mendelsohn‘s scenery-chewing performance and Jamie Foxx‘s always-reliable presence, Robin Hood has everything to become a modern classic.
9 ‘Jupiter Ascending’ (2015)
The Wachowski Sisters directed the divisive space opera Jupiter Ascending, starring Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum, and Eddie Redmayne. The plot centers on Jupiter Jones, a cleaning woman who discovers she is the heiress to an intergalactic legacy that could alter the cosmos’ future.
Like the Wachowskis’ other efforts, Jupiter Ascending is wildly creative and ambitious. The film is a visually stunning cosmic adventure powered by a confident performance from Kunis and a dangerously deranged yet deliciously campy villainous turn from Redmayne. Far from perfect but intriguing enough to compel, Jupiter Ascending might never be one of cinema’s best space operas, but it has all the makings of a cult classic.
8 ‘Power Rangers’ (2017)
The 2017 reboot of Power Rangers deserves far more love than it gets. The film stars a cast of promising young actors in a modern retelling of the titular team’s origins. In Power Rangers, five teenagers living in the small town of Angel Grove acquire superhuman abilities to fight against the dangerous and twisted Rita Repulsa.
Power Rangers is a surprisingly compelling film that successfully introduces more gravitas to the campy 90s IP. With great performances from its young cast and an endlessly entertaining, balls-to-the-wall turn from Elizabeth Banks as Rita Repulsa, Powers Rangers is an unsung action-adventure romp on its way to becoming a fan favorite.
7 ‘Missing Link’ (2019)
The 2010s produced several great animated films, to the point where many slipped through the cracks. Such was the case for Laika’s 2019 stop-motion comedy Missing Link. The film revolves around Mr. Link, a Sasquatch who travels to the Himalayas to meet his Yeti relatives.
Charming, funny, and beautifully animated, Missing Linkis among the 21st century’s most underrated stop-motion films. The film deftly balances comedy with a subtle but powerful message, resulting in an entertaining and rewarding animated effort that will entertain audiences of all ages. Time will surely be kind to Missing Link, giving it the recognition it should’ve received upon its original release.
6 ‘West Side Story’ (2021)
Steven Spielberg had the daunting task of adapting one of cinema’s most beloved and iconic musicals and turning it into a relevant and topical picture for a new generation. However, audiences should know better than to bet against him; his 2021 remake of West Side Story is striking, colorful, vibrant, and more than worthy of standing next to the 1961 version.
Updating the classic story for a more critical generation, Spielberg’s West Side Story feels fresh without losing the musical’s iconic essence. The acclaimed director injects new life into the musical’s well-known numbers, creating a kinetic yet harmonious balance between splashy showmanship and refined artistry.
5 ‘Cloud Atlas’ (2011)
Adapting David Mitchell’s notoriously challenging novel Cloud Atlas was no easy task. However, the Wachowskis and Tom Tywker did the impossible, successfully translating the ambitious narrative into the big screen. Cloud Atlas follows multiple storylines across different periods, with the film’s ensemble playing multiple characters.
Some of Cloud Atlas‘ choices are highly questionable, but the film is an awe-inspiring cinematic achievement of magnificent proportions. With a fascinating take on infamously elusive concepts like fate, purpose, love, and identity, Cloud Atlas is an introspective and philosophical analogy disguised as a large-scale science fiction epic.
4 ‘The Suicide Squad’ (2021)
Following the critical failure of 2016’s Suicide Squad, DC brought James Gunn to direct a quasi-reboot of the IP. The Suicide Squad follows Task Force X as they travel to the lawless island of Corto Maltese to prevent the local government from getting their hands on a dangerous weapon known only as Project Starfish.
Few comic book properties fit Gunn’s sensibilities better than the infamous Suicide Squad. Thus, to nobody’s surprise, The Suicide Squad is a thrilling and hyper-violent ride. Loud, vulgar, unrestrained, and surprisingly warm, the film uses its collection of chaotic and criminal characters to offer a strong and uncompromising indictment of the USA’s foreign policies. The Suicide Squad marked a new dawn for the unstable and divisive DCEU, and its influence will only become clearer in the years to come.
3 ‘Hugo’ (2011)
Although best known for his considerable contributions to the crime genre, Martin Scorsese has also explored other genres, including adventure and sci-fi. His 2011 historical adventure film Hugo stars Asa Butterfield as an orphaned boy living alone in the Gare Montparnasse in 1930s Paris. Compelled to discover the secrets behind an automaton left behind by his late father, Hugo becomes involved in a mystery surrounding pioneering filmmaker George Mélies.
Hugo is a love letter to cinema from deep within Scorsese’s cinephile heart. Visually stunning and richly affecting, Hugo is a sweet and poignant celebration of the movies and their unpredictable and undeniable power to change a person’s life. Innocent but assured and daring, Hugo is an adventure film bound to become a timeless classic.
2 ‘The Man From UNCLE’ (2015)
Henry Cavill leads an impressive cast, including Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, and Hugh Grant, in Guy Ritchie‘s 2015 spy comedy The Man from UNCLE. The film follows an American CIA spy and a Russian KGB agent who team up to stop an Italian family from using nuclear weapons to worsen tensions between both countries at the height of the Cold War.
Stylish and vibrant, The Man from UNCLE might be Guy Ritchie’s best effort. The film benefits greatly from Cavill’s suave performance, Debicki’s deliciously wicked villain, and a confident and elegant approach to the swinging 60s. Funny, action-packed, and ridiculously rewatchable, The Man from UNCLE is an unsung triumph from the 2010s that ranks among the spy genre’s best entries.
1 ‘Babylon’ (2022)
Damien Chazelle followed his quiet and reflexive take on Neil Armstrong’s life with a debauched ode to excess that polarized audiences and critics. Set in the late 1920s, Babylon follows several characters trying to adapt to the rapidly changing Hollywood landscape as silent films die, leading to the rise of talkies.
Babylon is an excessively long movie about excess that could easily become tiresome. However, the film delivers its story with such gusto that it’s impossible to resist its perverse charms. Elevated by outstanding performances from Margot Robbie and Diego Calva, Babylon is a classic example of a film ahead of its time, with future audiences surely embracing its chaotic and twisted nature.
