The Ten Most Underrated Movies of the 2010s

The 2010s were full of widely praised, rightly praised and wrongly praised movies. Here is a list of ten of the most underrated and least appreciated movies of the 2010s.

10 – Rocketman (2019) (directed by Dexter Fletcher)

The Elton John biopic received a positive reception when it released in May 2019 but it never truly lived up to the heights that Bohemian Rhapsody and its extreme success had achieved. It seemed Rocketman was destined to be confined forever to living in Bohemian Rhapsody’s shadow but I think it deserves to have its turn in the sun, as it is a vastly better movie.

Rocketman is a musical and almost has a surreal and fantastical vibe around it. The acting from Taron Egerton, including his musical ability, mixed with a far more talented supporting cast than Bohemian Rhapsody had, truly made the film more memorable to me.

Rocketman is a nonstop heartache the whole way through but it is an absolute joy to watch. It was my personal favourite cinema experience and I sobbed the whole way through. This truly highlights how emotional the film was.

Taron covered the original Elton John songs brilliantly and familiar melodies often were more effective than the original songs. The version of ‘Crocodile Rock’, a rather upbeat Elton John song, was haunting and melancholy in the film.

The film reflected Elton John’s bittersweet and tragically beautiful life and his inclusion in putting the film together was definitely noticeable and made the film all that more personal.

9 – Us (2019) (directed by Jordan Peele)

Following his success with 2017 horror film, Get Out, Jordan Peele took another swing at horror but this time he tried something completely different. Whereas Get Out was a social commentary on racism, Us tackles classism and the questions of what makes us human albeit in a much scarier way. Whilst Get Out was tense and thrilling all the way through, Us is much more of a classical horror movie.

The acting is some of the greatest I’ve ever seen for a horror movie, the genre which often has a reputation of having bad acting, and Lupita Nyong’o was absolutely incredible throughout the movie. You felt trusting of her as the loving mother but she managed to flick a switch and was truly terrifying as the tethered (evil) version of her character.

The film had an impact on me after viewing and I thought about it the whole night after. I laughed at some points and held my breath in fear at other times. The film was a masterpiece but it will forever be compared to Jordan Peele’s other masterpiece, despite this being his magnus opus.

8 – Nanny McPhee and The Big Bang (2010)

Nanny McPhee was a boring film in my opinion, and I never enjoyed it as a child as I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters. The sequel, Nanny McPhee and The Big Bang, completely did a U turn and provided me with a wonderful watching experience. The characters were instantly more likeable, the setting was better, the cinematography and colour grading were brighter and more cheerful than the original, which reflected the more fairy tale vibe that this film succeeded in providing, despite failing on their first attempt.

The film is best described as being ‘British’’. The entire film bled Britain, whether it be Emma Thompson giving a world class performance as per usual, or whether it be the wartime setting. The acting from the child actors was remarkable too. They were vastly better than the child actors from the first film.

This film seemed to always be swept under the rug by a lot of people who wrote it off as an unnecessary sequel to an average children’s movie, but it is much more than that. It is a heart-warming experience about love and family and the joining of classes in the toughest of situation.

7 – Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

The first Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movie felt a little like a cash grab for JK Rowling after the success of the Harry Potter movies. When it was announced that the film would receive four sequels, reactions were mixed. I was personally excited though as they were going to introduce more Harry Potter characters like Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald, a character briefly touched upon in the series, would receive bigger focus.

The sequel, Crimes of Grindelwald abandoned the comedy and light hearted feel of the original film and instead decided to go for a moodier and darker tone. It is similar to The Empire Strikes Back in that its tone was much more mature than it’s more adventurous and feel good first movie.

The acting was absolutely incredible. Johnny Depp as Gellert Grinelwald was instantly one of my favourite villain performances in a movie ever. He was a scene stealer and just demanded the attention of everyone watching with his intense and almost persuasive performance.

I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoyed the Harry Potter movies but didn’t like Fantastic Beasts as this movie is more like the former.

6 – Cinderella (2015)

I usually avoid Disney movies, as it’s not my preferred genre. This film however, completely, stunned me with it’s mix of emotions. It wasn’t like a typical Disney movie where the prince marries the princess and they defeat the evil witch. It was a heart-breaking, moving and inspiring story of a young woman with no happiness in the world finding true love in someone who was classes above her.

The set design is beautiful and truly immerses you in the fairy tale story. The acting is wonderful and the cast included a multitude of esteemed actors such as Derek Jacobi, Lily James and Cate Blanchett who provide world class performances. I was moved to tears several times during the film and have watched it many times since, just for the performances.

The film is still, to this date, the best live action adaptation of an animated Disney movie, and is one that is never mentioned.

5 – Spring Breakers

Spring Breakers is often wrongly accused of being a movie guilty of being sexist with a warped perception of what teenagers get up to on spring break but it’s actually a very deep movie based around how easy it is for powerful men to prey on vulnerable young women who are desperate for money and escape.

The film presents its villain as being wacky, crazy and almost likeable so his manipulations of the characters goes unnoticed due to his actions that coerce the audience. This is an incredibly clever tactic by the director as it shows how one character can have a controlling effect on the audience.

Spring Breakers has wonderful cinematography and is overall a beautiful movie to watch. The colours are often neon and there are many weird and trippy shots.

The whole movie is like a wild ride and feels as if it has no genre. I came out of the film not knowing whether it was good or bad but it marked an impression on me, therefore it must have been a success.

4 – Scream 4

Scream is perhaps horrors most iconic franchise but when Scream 4 dropped in 2011, 11 years after Scream 3, its hype had died down slightly. The movie was seen as a failed attempt in reviving a stale and finished franchise, something many horror franchises are guilty of. I disagree with this assessment as I personally think it is the greatest movie of the series that were made.

The original cast are a joy to see back on screen and the new characters are instantly likeable and memorable. The killer, I won’t spoil for your own sake, is the best in the franchise and the performance blew me away. The twists are fun and the video recording aspects of the plot make it all that much more relevant to the modern day.

From a horror standpoint, the film has some outstanding and very graphic death scenes in the franchise, and the production is a thousand times more professional looking than the original films, and though it does not feel as iconic, it is much better in my opinion.

3 – Four Lions

Four Lions is a film that is very daring, as it could have easily offended so many people. It is the perfect comedy as it balances a very serious topic yet makes it incredibly humorous. The film is not just a comedy, but it is a tragedy as well. Four Lions makes you laugh at but it also enables you to feel incredibly sorry for the terrorists. One is a convert, one has been radicalised, one has been peer pressured, one is gullible and believes everything told to him, and one is incredibly stupid.

The comedy is handled superbly, is incredibly dry and incredibly dark. The final act of the movie, however, is immensely sad as the terrorists realise that they’ve been radicalised and do not truly believe in the cause. They don’t realise this until it’s too late, making it all that much more tragic.

The film is a masterclass in how to do dark humour and still has never been topped in the genre of satirical comedy. The acting from Riz Ahmed, Kayvan Novak, Nigel Lindsay, Arsher Ali and Adeel Akhtar are all absolutely incredible. Riz’s performance is that of a manic, desperate man who, though bad, loves his family. This duality makes you feel for him despite the fact that he is a terrorist planning to kill many people. Kayvan and Nigel handle comedy incredibly well and the most humorous moments are from those two. The high calibre acting in this movie makes it a joy to watch and I have watched it several times this year.

Fans of bleak and dark comedies will absolutely love this. From laughing with everything you’ve got, to feeling on edge during the last act – It’s definitely an experience.

2 – Unicorn Store

Unicorn Store was a film I never thought I would watch but when it dropped on Netflix, I decided to give it a go and I was blown away. Brie Larson’s dual role as director and lead actor is incredibly admirable. As somebody who has directed before, the role of director is stressful enough, but to also be a lead actor and have that responsibility as well must have been incredibly stressful.

The film follows an innocent young woman who feels like she’s still a kid and not ready to grow up. She still believes in unicorns and fantastical things, and sees the wonder in the world compared to most adults. We follow her as she grows and develops as a person and falls in love. It is an incredible film and the twist ending is nice and definitely made me smile.

It’s a cute film that I would recommend spending an evening watching. You’ll feel like a child again. If only for just over an hour.

1 – Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Batman v Superman is a hated movie. Hated by critics and hated by superhero fans. But it really is misinterpreted. This movie was not a superhero action movie but instead was a political thriller.

Zack Snyder has always been my favourite director and his take on Superman being hounded politically is an idea that has barely been touched upon and probably never will now that this movie did not do well critically.

This movie is perfect if you view it as a Superman movie. Batman is the villain and you are meant to dislike Ben Affleck’s goon murdering Batman. You are meant to follow him as he is slowly redeemed as the movie progresses. You are meant to love Henry Cavill’s Superman as you watch him try to deal with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

The film is about progression. It’s about hope. It’s about how the human race would deal with Jesus Christ if he suddenly appeared on Earth. How governments would fall and nations would crumble. It is a political and theosophical masterpiece but will forever be doomed due to it’s status as a comic book movie.