Photo Credit ( Pixabay )

Movies that are huge hits when they first come out are frequently tremendous hits. Others, however, are acclaimed as masterpieces just years after their debut – by the same viewers and reviewers who had not previously recognized them. These are some of the most underappreciated films ever made.

One explanation would be that society was not yet prepared to comprehend the film’s plot and themes when it first came out, or it might have been eclipsed by a better movie that had a greater impact on viewers. It is crucial to remember that not all films that did not receive positive reviews from critics or perform well at the box office are always considered “underrated.”

Furthermore, the definition of a “underrated” film is somewhat different from that of a “badly made” picture. This is due to the fact that the former may still appear awful years after it was released, which is more related to, say, subpar performances by the actors, director, or screenplay than it is to how viewers or critics view the film. Thus, underappreciated movies can be categorized as having plots that received praise for acting and filming long after they were released from both critics and viewers.

Wings of Desire,
Among the most underappreciated films ever made are those directed by well-known filmmakers. Even though performers have garnered accolades on the awards circuit for their impactful performances in the movies, audiences occasionally struggle to relate to the characters they play on screen.

It also has nothing to do with genre. For example, along with the moving German film Wings of Desire (1987), underappreciated films include the thrilling action thriller Wheelman (2017), starring Frank Grillo, and the fantasy picture The Fountain (2006), in which Hugh Jackman plays a man searching for eternal life. The first two were unable to satisfy either fans or critics, or both. And even if they succeeded in winning them over, Wings of Desire’s audience was limited by the “one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles,” as the renowned South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho memorably stated in 2020.

Even though the BAFTA winner has one of the highest ratings of any movie ever made, the English picture that was inspired by it and received negative reviews, City of Angels (1998), did better at the box office and is still well-known today. One explanation for this is that Meg Ryan and Nicolas Cage, two of the biggest stars of the 1990s, starred in City of Angels.

It’s no secret that a lot of movies have achieved fame because to their talented actors, excellent production values, and clever marketing techniques. However, there are also a number of films that are underappreciated even though they have strong plots and performances. This can be due to anything from poor language and marketing to the audience’s incapacity to comprehend the films when they were first released.

Technically, the movie only features background sounds and no dialogue. As such, it is more reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin movies. And this is among the main causes of Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday’s extreme underappreciation.

Tati and Henri Marquet were nominated for Best Writing, Story, and Screenplay at the 28th Academy Awards in 1956 for the picture, which was a commercial and critical triumph at the time. Three sequels starring the character Hulot came after it.

However, the movie is not as well-known abroad as Mr. Bean or even Charlie Chaplin films.
Mississippi Masala, one of the most romantic underappreciated movies ever, follows an African-American man named Demetrius (Denzel Washington) and an Indian-origin girl named Mina (Sarita Choudhury) as they fight to get others to recognize their love. The main source of their issue is Mina’s family, who will never forget the suffering they went through when they were compelled to flee their native Uganda due to the dictator Idi Amin’s ethnic expulsion of Asians in 1972.

Critics responded favorably to it because of its theme of forced relocation and interracial romance. Although the Mira Nair film did not receive an equally strong reaction from viewers, progressives still hold it in high regard decades later.

The plot, which is set during the Napoleonic Wars, centers on an adventurous British captain named Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe) pursuing a French warship in South American waters, despite the dangers to his crew and the damage to his own ship.

When this movie came out, Crowe was having a lot of success. Two years prior to this, he had received the Academy Award for best actor for his outstanding performance in Gladiator, which brought him international renown. Additionally, the actor performed in A Beautiful Mind (2001), which was nominated for an Academy Award, a year before to Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

After being possessed by a demon, Jennifer (Megan Fox), the title character, transforms into a violent being. Jennifer is a popular high school girl. Jennifer’s best friend Needy (Amanda Seyfried) has to intervene to stop her from killing every man in the school. Needy learns the startling reality about Jennifer’s possession during this process.

Revisionists claim that the movie is Fox’s best performance to date. Its off-the-mark marketing, which emphasized it as a campy teen film, has made it one of the most bizarre films to watch. This undermined Jennifer’s Body’s fundamental value as a significant feminist narrative.

Another excellent movie that manages to make an appearance amid lesser-known Hollywood productions is Speak. It is based on Laurie Halse Anderson’s 1999 book of the same name, which tells the story of a young girl who experiences trauma and stops talking.

When Melinda (Kristen Stewart) calls the police during a well-attended summer party, her high school friends reject her. Nobody makes an effort to comprehend the terrible reality that compelled Melinda to call the police. Her parents also don’t comprehend what their daughter is struggling with as the story goes on. Melinda uses art as a way to cope with her own issues. She ultimately gets the self-assurance she needs to handle the situation and others involved.

Stewart displays her exceptional acting skills, which were overlooked by the Twilight series (2008–2012), despite the fact that the vampire movies brought her international recognition. It is noteworthy, nevertheless, that despite receiving very good reviews from critics at major US film festivals like Sundance and Woodstock, Speak was never shown in theaters. This may be the reason it is a lesser-known movie, making it one of the 2000s’ most underappreciated masterpieces.

The renowned Coen brothers’ Western anthology film was mostly streamed on Netflix and had a limited theatrical run. Even though it has a cast of well-known performers, it is still comparatively unknown despite being one of Netflix’s best hidden gems. Among them are Brendan Gleeson, Zoe Kazan, Tyne Daly, Liam Neeson, Harry Melling, Tim Blake Nelson, and James Franco.

The first of the six narratives in the movie, which centers on a singing gunman who seemingly cannot be defeated in a duel, is where the title comes from.

The movie also tells the story of an elderly gold prospector who strikes it lucky and a young cowboy whose luck runs out. One of its most tragic tales, however, is Meal Ticket, which uses the plight of a performing man without arms and legs to highlight the brutal reality of life in the Wild West.

The setting is the only connection between the six short stories in the entire film.

One of the most underappreciated films on Prime Video is Raincoat, the first Hindi-language production directed by the renowned Bengali director Rituparno Ghosh (1963–2013). O. Henry’s short novel The Gift of the Magi served as the inspiration for the movie’s narrative.

On a rainy day in Calcutta, Manoj (Ajay Devgn), who is struggling financially, goes to the home of his former flame Neerja (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) to ask for financial assistance. Manoj believes they may assist him since Neerja married a wealthy man. Once there, though, he finds it difficult to explain his situation to her. As their discussions progress, Manoj becomes aware that Neerja’s ostensibly affluent lifestyle is not adding up.

Raincoat was a box office disappointment even though it had two of India’s biggest actors at the time in the major roles and had a lot of character development. Furthermore, some critics at the time were unable to appreciate the complexity of the tale or the performances of the cast.

Nonetheless, the movie took home the Best Feature Film in Hindi National Film Award.