Oomoog the Ecstatic 314 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 You can utilize critic reviews and awards, though I will be utilizing IMDb scores because it's the only thing which doesn't seem fake and curated as propaganda in the world today. Anyway, a film I just saw recently that strikes me as definitely underrated on IMDb is Top Gun. I thought it was brilliant, visionary, well directed and acted, and much preferred it to movies that essentially seem overblown in attributes or ie. less significant in message, like Shawshank Redemption and other films on the IMDb Top 250. I think these certain films are technically right, but don't cut at the heart of story-telling like a good David Lynch film for instance. My short list for now, Very Underrated The Family Man Top Gun Riding in Cars with Boys The Time Machine (2002) A Scanner Darkly Now and Then Waterworld Underrated Lost Highway Mulholland Dr. Kingpin Predestination The Thing Memento Eyes Wide Shut Homeward Bound Dark City That Thing You Do! Ponyo Boiler Room E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial All Dogs Go To Heaven Magnolia Troy The Count of Monte Cristo Almost Famous Harry Potter 1 & 2 Casino Royale (2006) and older Bond movies Home Alone Howl's Moving Castle Overrated (in the IMDb Top 500) The Green Mile Se7en Shawshank Redemption Leon: The Professional Prisoners Schindler's List Django Unchained Joker The Dark Knight Rises One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Princess Mononoke (one of the greatest maybe the greatest score though) Avengers movies Fargo Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2001: A Space Odyssey Whiplash Before Sunrise/Sunset Zootopia 12 Monkeys The Hobbit films Arrival District 9 I'm sure I missed a lot or haven't seen every movie on IMDb, but I'll come back to add more. But what's cool about this is, others can recommend you movies based on what you like. What does your overrated and underrated list look like? What movies would you recommend me based on mine? Also, the greatest horror movie I've seen is Until Dawn, so it would be considered an underrated movie since it's usually not classified as a film. JTN 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_grig 470 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 Why is E.T. underrated? It got 9 Oscar nominations and won 4. JTN 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSH 968 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 Some very strange choices there. Too many to take issue with individually but: Casino Royale underrated? It was, and still is, widely considered to be the best Bond film of the modern era. The Shawshank Redemption overrated? If you don’t love Shawshank, chances are you’re beyond redemption. Predestination I agree with. But I think the issue is that not enough people are aware of it; I discovered it only last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oomoog the Ecstatic 314 Posted May 23, 2022 Author Share Posted May 23, 2022 2 hours ago, Michael G. said: Why is E.T. underrated? It got 9 Oscar nominations and won 4. 1 hour ago, LSH said: Casino Royale underrated? It was, and still is, widely considered to be the best Bond film of the modern era. Because people voted hundreds of other movies better than them that aren't. Pretty self-explanatory. You are free to agree with them. I don't, hence the thread, although for me I trust IMDb still more than any site for recommendations; an imperfect gambit. It's why most of their Top 500 I don't list as overrated but well-rated. 1 hour ago, LSH said: The Shawshank Redemption overrated? If you don’t love Shawshank, chances are you’re beyond redemption. Well I like it but certainly don't love it. The overrating of it doesn't help enjoy it more, but I enjoy it for its uniqueness. It's not, say, unforgettable or essential story-telling--it fills its own little space without connecting deeper. Casino Royale on the other hand is probably one of my Top 3 movies. Much better than Shawshank and most of IMDb's Top. (I seem to kind of enjoy other casino movies for some reason, Casablanca, All Dogs Go To Heaven, Ocean's Eleven, Grim Fandango...) Anyway, go ahead and post your own lists! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,508 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 Hands up all those who saw THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION on its original theatrical run. Be honest, now Overrated: KING KONG (2005) SICARIO SCHINDLER'S LIST Every single MCU film Every single DCU film Most films by C. Nolan esq. Underrated: DUNE QUANTUM OF SOLACE SPECTRE 2010 DRACULA (1979) ALIEN ³ OCEAN'S 12 LICENCE TO KILL KING KONG (1976) DEAD AGAIN THE KING OF COMEDY BRITANNIA HOSPITAL Andy and JTN 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 1 minute ago, Naïve Old Fart said: Hands up all those who saw THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION on its original theatrical run. Be honest, now I was 7 years old, so not going out to see bittersweet prison dramas much. Naïve Old Fart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,508 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 I only mention THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION because it seems to be a film that most people caught up with, on video/DVD. Rather like BLADE RUNNER, and HIGHLANDER (two films I also saw on their theatrical runs - BLADE RUNNER five times), it found its audience in the home instead of in the movie house. In all honesty, isn't this just another "fuck you" to all those who don't agree with our individual choices? My lists are no more than films that I like, and films that I do not like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glóin the Dark 1,220 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 6 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said: Hands up all those who saw THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION on its original theatrical run. I did. Naïve Old Fart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,508 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 Good for you, sport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glóin the Dark 1,220 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 Can't match you on the other two, though! Naïve Old Fart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oomoog the Ecstatic 314 Posted May 23, 2022 Author Share Posted May 23, 2022 Best movies in the IMDb Top 30 are Star Wars, Pulp Fiction, and The Matrix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 The two Nolans least belong there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy 4,091 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 1 hour ago, Naïve Old Fart said: Hands up all those who saw THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION on its original theatrical run. Be honest, now It's fun to think of beloved movies that were weak box office that you were in for the ground floor. I saw A Christmas Story theatrically in 83 for example. Blade Runner in 82 also. Edited to add: I did see Shawshank theatrically because Tim Robbins was really on a roll as an up and comer with Jacob's Ladder, Bob Roberts, The Player, Short Cuts, and Hudsucker Proxy. Naïve Old Fart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edmilson 7,398 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 Underrated: Chris Nolan's Interstellar, Zack Snyder's Watchmen Overrated: Mad Max: Fury Road Disco Stu and Oomoog the Ecstatic 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 1 hour ago, Andy said: Edited to add: I did see Shawshank theatrically because Tim Robbins was really on a roll as an up and comer with Jacob's Ladder, Bob Roberts, The Player, Short Cuts, and Hudsucker Proxy. Robbins in '92-'94 is just an all-timer, incredible run. And really his entire legacy is built on just that 3 year period, he never came close to that level again. And don't forget IQ! Very underrated movie. Andy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,327 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 4 minutes ago, Edmilson said: Underrated: Chris Nolan's Interstellar 8,6/10 on IMDb is not underrated. Everyone loves it to death. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not Mr. Big 4,639 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 Underrated: Avatar JTN and GerateWohl 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,327 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 And deservedly so! Naïve Old Fart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edmilson 7,398 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 1 minute ago, AC1 said: 8,6/10 on IMDb is not underrated. Maybe, but if I remember correctly, the critical consensus on the release was that it was one of Nolan's weaker films. I don't think it's all that great, mind you, only that it ain't as bad as most people think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raiders of the SoundtrArk 2,429 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 39 minutes ago, Edmilson said: Underrated: Chris Nolan's Interstellar, Zack Snyder's Watchmen Overrated: Mad Max: Fury Road How do you come to believe that Watchmen is underrated? Where ever you go on the Internet this movie is praised as a masterpiece by people. I would even say that on the contrary it is really overrated (not that it is bad at all but it ain't that good either) JTN 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 12,033 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 3 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said: OCEAN'S 12 Weren't this and 13 quite mediocre? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edmilson 7,398 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 17 minutes ago, May the Force be with You said: How do you come to believe that Watchmen is underrated? Where ever you go on the Internet this movie is praised as a masterpiece by people. I would even say that on the contrary it is really overrated (not that it is bad at all but it ain't that good either) From what I remember, this was a pretty controversial movie, it had as many detractors as it had fans. 14 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said: Weren't this and 13 quite mediocre? Yep. Both Oceans 12 and 13 were terrible. I haven't seen the ladies' version, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,327 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 2 hours ago, Edmilson said: 2 hours ago, Edmilson said: Maybe, but if I remember correctly, the critical consensus on the release was that it was one of Nolan's weaker films. True, the general public was less critical for the movie than the movie critics were, but I thought the OP was talking about public reception, like the scores on IMDb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce marshall 1,315 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 SHAWSHANK 😒 gimme a break IMDB!😠 If you want to watch a GREAT prison break film, check out ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ. Talk about an underrated film ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oomoog the Ecstatic 314 Posted May 23, 2022 Author Share Posted May 23, 2022 For underrated I think I'll add to the top Eyes Wide Shut definitely, and perhaps maybe(?) Waterworld, The Man From Earth, and Total Recall (need to rewatch them first.) Just trying to think of more movies. We probably get a lot of flack for posting overrated lists, so Godspeed you martyrs. Try just taking your own Top 100 list and write if they're overrated and underrated on IMDb. That should be easy, then do the opposite for IMDb's Top 100--write if they're over or under. 7 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said: Underrated: DUNE QUANTUM OF SOLACE SPECTRE 2010 DRACULA (1979) ALIEN ³ OCEAN'S 12 LICENCE TO KILL KING KONG (1976) DEAD AGAIN THE KING OF COMEDY BRITANNIA HOSPITAL 48 minutes ago, bruce marshall said: If you want to watch a GREAT prison break film, check out ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ. Talk about an underrated film ! Which ones do you recommend based on my preferences? bruce marshall 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bollemanneke 3,338 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 Underrated: Basic Instinct 2. Overrated: the godfather. OPEN. YOUR. MOUTH. Oomoog the Ecstatic 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bayesian 1,359 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 Waterworld is seriously underrated. And Spielberg's West Side Story. IMHO. Overrated? Anything by Christopher Nolan following Dark Knight. Not to say that movies like TDKR and Interstellar weren't entertaining, but they are not the messianic work of the savior of upper middlebrow cinema that his acolytes claim. Oomoog the Ecstatic 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,508 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 5 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said: Weren't this and 13 quite mediocre? Yes they were, but I still like both. Soderbergh has said that 13 is his favourite of the three Ocean's films that he's directed. More underrated films: THE YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY, THE MOSQUITO COAST, FEARLESS, JACOB'S LADDER, THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN, THE FISHER KING, 1941, ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES. Jurassic Shark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 12,033 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 Just now, Naïve Old Fart said: THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN Pure fun! Naïve Old Fart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,508 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 1 hour ago, Oomoog the Ecstatic said: For underrated I think I'll add to the top Eyes Wide Shut definitely, and perhaps maybe(?) Waterworld, The Man From Earth, and Total Recall (need to rewatch them first.) Just trying to think of more movies. We probably get a lot of flack for posting overrated lists, so Godspeed you martyrs. Try just taking your own Top 100 list and write if they're overrated and underrated on IMDb. That should be easy, then do the opposite for IMDb's Top 100--write if they're over or under. Which ones do you recommend based on my preferences? I'd say: "Watch them all, and draw your own conclusions". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 12,033 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 7 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said: I'd say: "Watch them all, and draw your own conclusions". I'd rather paint them. In Paint. Oomoog the Ecstatic 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,508 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 Eejit. Jurassic Shark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edmilson 7,398 Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 Eyes Wide Shut is definetly underrated, although less so today than it was when it came out. One of my favorite Kubrick movies. bruce marshall and Naïve Old Fart 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oomoog the Ecstatic 314 Posted May 24, 2022 Author Share Posted May 24, 2022 4 hours ago, Bayesian said: Waterworld is seriously underrated. And Spielberg's West Side Story. IMHO. Overrated? Anything by Christopher Nolan following Dark Knight. Not to say that movies like TDKR and Interstellar weren't entertaining, but they are not the messianic work of the savior of upper middlebrow cinema that his acolytes claim. As a friend once put it, Nolan relies a lot on fast jarring shots in place of good story development. I'm sure there are much better movies out there than some I listed, so thanks for sharing your lists. I still don't really want to watch the Indiana Jones movies, I could never get into them really . Just saw this pretty good pre-SW sci-fi called A Boy and His Dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,327 Posted May 24, 2022 Share Posted May 24, 2022 9 hours ago, Edmilson said: Eyes Wide Shut is definetly underrated, although less so today than it was when it came out. One of my favorite Kubrick movies. I was one of its 'underraters'. Focussing entirely on the story, I was not impressed. I didn't find it shocking, tense, surprising, entertaining or anything. Then, after having already seen it a couple of times, I decided to watch it in the same way I watch 2001: ASO or Ridley Scott's The Duellists. Meaning, I was going to fully concentrate on the storytelling instead of the story. And this time, I saw the light. Suddenly I was sucked into the world of Dr. William Harford and the film became a trip (just like 2001: ASO can be a trip). Kubrick is probably the best storyteller the world of cinema has ever known. Talking about The Duellists (1977). If ever there was a movie that is massively underrated! It's baffling how close Ridley Scott came to Kubrick's visual storytelling capabilities. Just concentrate on the 'how', not the 'what', and you're in for an intense experience. Naïve Old Fart and bruce marshall 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,508 Posted May 24, 2022 Share Posted May 24, 2022 Agreed, on THE DUELISTS. That shot could almost be from BARRY LYNDON... almost... Not too sure about the whole "greatest storyteller" bit, Alex. There's all sorts of ways to tell a cinematic story. Hitchcock, and Spielberg can propel one through a story, like very few directors can. I would say that Kubrick was the greatest purely visual storyteller. I'm sure that if he could have made films with no script, then he would have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,327 Posted May 24, 2022 Share Posted May 24, 2022 39 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said: I would say that Kubrick was the greatest purely visual storyteller. That's what I mean. Film is a visual medium, after all. And he played (experimented) with 'pace' like Spielberg and many others can't or didn't. And he did it with such self-assurance! He wasn't scared of the audience's impatience. Naïve Old Fart and bruce marshall 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,508 Posted May 24, 2022 Share Posted May 24, 2022 He was - at least, from LOLITA onwards, and once he'd gotten the studio system out of his system - his own man. What are you confused about, Bruce? Alex is right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce marshall 1,315 Posted May 25, 2022 Share Posted May 25, 2022 I don't rate him above Spielberg- truly the greatest visual storyteller in the medium. Kubrick made two flat- out masterpieces; STRANGELOVE and 2001. PLUS two very good films ; PATHS and CLOCKWORK. Four films. Take his name off of his other films and nobody would be " reappraising" them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now