Six of the most criminally underrated films of all-time!

I could talk for hours upon hours about the films that I, and the majority of other avid film fans, love. I'm talking about my top five films; Back to the Future, Jaws, Oldboy (2003), Pulp Fiction, The Godfather. Undoubtedly phenomenal pieces of cinema, but everybody knows how great they are - and frankly, you don't need me to tell you how good they are! They're well known, they're critically acclaimed and they score well on IMDB. As so do the films scattered among my 6-10 ranking spots; Interstellar, Green Mile, Catch me if you can. Sure, perhaps they're not as revered as those in my top five, but they are still well-regarded nevertheless. I'll have to assume that you've seen all these films, and if you've not I cannot recommend them enough! However, this article is reserved exclusively for some of my favourite films that I would deem to be universally underrated. Perhaps referring to films that score poorly with critics/audiences, or films that haven't held up the recognition and awareness that they perhaps deserve. And with Coronavirus giving us all a lot more time to stay in and stick on a film, I thought this would be a good time to reveal some of the hidden gems of cinema, that I think are criminally underrated!

The first film I think is somewhat underrated is Grosse Pointe Blank. The film is about Martin Blank, a professional assassin who is sent on a mission to a small Detroit suburb, Grosse Pointe, where, by coincidence, his ten-year high school reunion party is taking place at the same time. The film stars John Cusack, in what I would comfortably claim is the best role and performance of his filmography. He stars alongside Minnie Driver, as well as Dan Aykroyd, who are also great in this film. It flawlessly merges clever comedy, interesting characters and creative action sequences - and not to mention, the best soundtrack in a movie of all time.

Now, when I say the film is underrated, it's probably only slightly underrated. I'd personally put this film on an IMDB rating of 8.3/10. It's actual score is 7.3 (so not that much lower), and it's Metascore (Critic score) is 76/100. However, the reason I say this film is underrated is that the majority of people (even film fans) haven't seen this film. If you compare the number of people who have rated this film on IMDB to the film rated highest on IMDB (Shawshank Redemption); Shawshank Redemption has had over 2.2 million ratings submitted, compared to the meager 85,000 of Grosse Pointe Blank! Also, two of the writers of this film worked on one of Cusack's following films, adapting Nick Hornby's High Fidelity for the big screen! (Which was a huge breakout film for Jack Black!). One of these two writers, Steve Pink, made his directorial debut in 2006 with a film called Accepted which is an underrated teen comedy about a college graduate who creates his own university after being rejected by every school he applies to. It stars Justin Long, Jonah Hill and Blake Lively, and is incredibly funny and clever (for a teen comedy).

The second underrated film on the list is Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star. It stars David Spade... no, bare with me, please. I know. The plot revolves around a thirty-something year old, self-centered former child star who hires a family to re-create the childhood he never had, in order to gain the experience to land the lead role in Rob Reiner's new movie. Yes, I know. It doesn't sound great, but bare with me, please. The film scores a 5.5/10 on IMDB with a Metascore (Critic Score) of 36. Yes! I know!

Okay. This is a film I saw when it was first released in 2003 (I was eight), and have since seen 8 or 9 times sporadically. I don't know if because I saw it when I was young I have developed an unconscious bias to it, or a blindness to the film's flaws which I'm certain there are (perhaps this too is why I stand by that The Great Mouse Detective is the best 20th century Disney movie). But, whilst I'm not saying this should be revered as a comedy classic, I think it's a film that in truth is a very funny, situational film with sparse moments of heartfelt authenticity. I think the protagonist, Dickie Roberts (former child star), is a character everybody roots for because of his childlike qualities that drive the comedy in the movie, as well as his aspiration to prove his worth in an industry/town that have already typecast him as a loser and a 'has been'. Throughout the film he grows up and learns what really is important to him for him to be happy. If you're looking for something short and lighthearted, packed with heartwarming comedy and nostalgic references, I recommend Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star.

Now, how about a supernatural and comedic horror from director Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings), starring one of the most iconic actors of the eighties, Michael J Fox. If you've not guessed already (I wouldn't expect you to) I'm talking about The Frighteners. In 1996, right before having a small role in Mars Attacks, Michael J Fox took a lead role in an oddball horror comedy written by the relatively unknown Peter Jackson and his wife Fran Walsh. The filmography of Michael J Fox is somewhat of a horror comedy in itself. In 1985 he was both Marty McFly in Back to the Future, and Scott Howard in Teen Wolf, arguably two of the most iconic roles in eighties cinema. Yet the films that followed are nowhere near as iconic, verging on irrelevant. So as a huge Back to the Future (ergo Michael J Fox) fan, The Frighteners is an intriguing prospect to see such an iconic star of 1985 in a role that you wouldn't expect to see him in.

After a traumatic experience, architect Frank Bannister (Fox) discovers that he can see and communicate with the dead. He uses this gift to con people: enlisting the help of his phantom friends to frighten people so he can perform bogus exorcisms at a ghastly rate. However, when a demonic spirit appears and begins killing innocent townspeople, Frank realises he is the only person who can see what is happening and may be the only one who can stop it. The film actually scores well with IMDB users at 7.1/10 but falls surprisingly short with critics with a Metacritic score of 52/100. Personally, I'd comfortably put this film at a high 7, low 8. I read a great review that said something along the lines of 'The Frighteners is too silly to be a horror, and too scary to be a comedy'. The film mixes the genres incredibly well, and Michael J Fox is genius casting because he's impossible to dislike - even when he's conning unsuspected people and conversing with the dead. The film is a little dated, particularly in the sense of it's use of VFX - which is ironic as the film is only 5 years prior to Peter Jackson seemingly mastering the art of VFX in the Lord of the Rings trilogy - but the narrative, pacing and suspense is really what makes this a very good film, so if that's your sort of thing, look no further than The Frighteners. Next on my list of underrated movies is the 2004 Disney film National Treasure. Nicolas Cage's unusual filmography is often the butt to many a joke - maybe he is unaware that he is allowed to turn down film offers - but, surely National Treasure is the best film in his extensive filmography. Well, according to the box office, yes, National Treasure and its sequel are second only to The Croods in a list of highest grossing Nicolas Cage movies to date, but it's a resounding no according to IMDB users who score the film 6.8/10, which doesn't even get into Cage's top 30 films (based off IMDB ratings)! Its' Metascore rating makes for even worse reading, with it having a lowly 39/100.

If you don't know what the film is about here's a brief synopsis. Nicolas Cage plays Ben Gates, a man who descends from a long line of treasure-seekers who've all hunted for generations for a legendary treasure hidden by masons centuries ago. Ben must solve a series of clues to get closer to the treasure he hopes is real, all whilst avoiding ex-friends who will do anything to get their hands on the treasure first, as well as the FBI who try to capture Ben Gates at all costs. It is good family fun, with enough historical interest (unsure how factually accurate) to intrigue audiences of all ages. The film is cleverly set up as Ben wants to find the treasure to prove that it is real and thus validate his family name, as well as the fact that he enjoys the puzzle in solving the clues; he doesn't care about the monetary value of the treasure which is what makes us root for him instead of the men who want to find the treasure and riches at any cost. It's not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but I wish there were more live-action Disney films in the vein of National Treasure.

The penultimate film in my collection of underrated movies is another John Cusack movie, the 2003 film Identity. Stranded at a desolate Nevada motel during a nasty rain-storm, ten strangers become acquainted with each other when they realize that they're being killed off one by one. It's the ultimate set up for a tense mystery thriller. The film stars an ensemble cast of middling actors, led by Cusack and Ray Liotta, with a few other actors I'm sure you'll recognise, with a score from Alan Silvestri to boot! Directed by James Mangold, who directed the 2019 Oscar hopeful film Ford V Ferrari.

The film tends to split audience members, and I have to say I err on the side of thinking the film is very enjoyable and very clever. The film scores a 7.3/10, which isn't too unfair, but scores a lower 64/100 with its Metacritic score. One, more favourable, review from Mick LaSalle of SFGate reads, "At first, Identity seems like nothing more than a pleasing and blatant homage (i.e. rip-off) to the Agatha Christie-style thriller where marooned guests realize that a murderer is in their midst ... we've seen it before. Yet make no mistake. Identity is more than an entertaining thriller. It's a highly original one." But again, it seems to be a film that is little-known or not as successful as it should have been: grossing under $100 million worldwide to date - albeit with a $28 million budget. If you like 'Hollywood-ized' versions of Agatha Christie set-ups, then perhaps give this one a watch.

The final one on my list is more of a personal gripe than anything. As previously mentioned, Back to the Future is one of my favourite films of all time. But not only do I think it's the one of the best films of all time, I think it is the best TRILOGY of all time. Sure, the first film is the best but its sequels are very, very good too. Well, not according to critics (and a large amount of film fans). The Metascore ratings of the Back to the Future films score 87, 57 and 55 respectively. This particular gripe is with the lack of appreciation there is for Back to the Future part 2, which was groundbreaking in how it not only followed on from its prequel but enhanced it by creating a simultaneous timeline to play along the events of the first film! The sequel came out four years after the original, which is unsurprising as I cannot imagine a harder screenplay to write than Back to the Future part 2; both in the sense that the multiple and simultaneous timelines makes it an absolute headache and the fact that you've got huge expectations in following one of the best films ever made. I suppose what winds me up, as a Back to the Future fan, is how much the second film offers in terms of what is quintessentially Back to the Future yet often overlooked. Besides the iconic DeLoreon what do you associate with Back to the Future? It's got to be the Pink Mattel Hoverboard and the almanac - both of which are integral parts of the second film. There are lots of films that I'm sure are hugely underrated, not only by general consensus but by myself as well. If there's any that you think I've missed, let me know! And like I said, if you're struggling for a film to watch whilst we're all stuck indoors for the foreseeable future why not stick on one of these criminally underrated films!