10 movies that have no right to be as good as they are
With the release of a new movie by Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan or Denis Villeneuve, you’re almost guaranteed to see something special, innovative and fabulously cinematic. But countless other releases aren’t quite as predictable, and as cinema has evolved to incorporate new tastes for bigger, better and weirder movies, the modern industry has seen some releases that look like box-office bombs on paper.
Of course, sometimes your intuition is bang-on, with terrible-looking movies like 2011’s Jack & Jill, 2017’s Emoji Movie and 2019’s Cats being just as bad as you might think. But, other times, it’s difficult to accurately judge a movie by the cover, with films like 2010’s Hot Tub Time Machine, 2012’s Dredd and 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy exceeding expectations despite their absurd premises or dodgy cinematic history.
For this list, we’ve decided to celebrate those movies that had no right to be as good as they were, exploring cinema for films based on weird properties or boasting absurd concepts to a surprising degree of innovation. Largely focusing on modern movies, our list takes you on a trip from the early 1990s to the most recent Hollywood blockbusters, giving you a neat collection of films that you shouldn’t ignore (even if you think you should).
Take a look at our list below, which includes films from the likes of Phil Lord, Chris Miller, James Mangold, Gore Verbinski and Brian Henson.
10 hugely underrated movies:
The Brave Little Toaster (Jerry Rees, 1987)
An inanimate toasting device is probably the worst protagonist we can think of for a film, yet somehow director Jerry Rees made this work in his 1987 movie The Brave Little Toaster. Based on the novel of the same name by Thomas M. Disch, the film tells the story of a pack of outdated kitchen appliances who head to the city on a quest to find their owner, who abandoned them in the forest.
Featuring voice work from the likes of Jon Lovitz, Timothy Stack and Mindy Sterling, this animated family flick is a sheer delight, with a very surprising emotional edge that might even make you shed a tear for a courageous little toaster.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein, 2023)
The most recent movie on our list is John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein’s Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves, an adaptation of a popular board game that was adapted into a terrible film back in 2000. So, when the property was given another shot 23 years later, people weren’t expecting all that much, yet, surprisingly, the film is an utter joy of fantasy creativity and hilarious comedy.
Thanks to a glittering lead cast that includes the likes of Chris Pine, Sophia Lillis, Michelle Rodriguez, and Regé-Jean Page, Dungeons & Dragons is the perfect balance of comedy and drama, making for a strangely engrossing flick.
The Lego Movie (Phil Lord, Chris Miller, 2014)
On paper, Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s Lego Movie shouldn’t work at all. Based on the iconic construction toy, which is linked to literally no deeper lore or story, the directors and screenwriters found a way to make the plastic pieces fascinating in and of themselves, constructing a world that pulsed with vitality and creativity fueled by an emotionally-stirring core.
With a solid ensemble cast of voice actors, including Chris Pine, Will Arnett, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks and Morgan Freeman, the directorial duo created an animated flick that goes down as one of the greatest of the 21st century.
Logan (James Mangold, 2017)
By the end of the 2010s, the X-Men series was seriously running out of legs, with the massively disappointing X-Men: Apocalypse leaving the franchise aimless and hopeless. But then James Mangold released the Wolverine movie Logan, and the world woke up to the potential still clearly lodged at the core of the superhero series, with Hugh Jackman producing one of his finest-ever performances as the tormented brute.
A complex neo-noir drama, Logan helped elevate the X-Men franchise, giving the character the quality send-off he deserved, becoming the very best movie of the franchise at the very same time.
M3gan (Gerard Johnstone, 2022)
We’ve seen creepy doll movies hundreds of times before, with films like 1988’s Child’s Play, 2007’s Dead Silence and 2014’s Annabelle essentially repeating the same old beats time and time again. But with 2022’s M3gan, director Gerard Johnstone and writer Akela Cooper refreshed the entire horror sub-genre, instilling some much-needed levity into the film and creating a camp comedy thriller in the process.
Telling the story of a woman who gives a technologically-advanced doll to her niece, whom she has taken into her care, M3gan soon descends into a full-on bloodbath, with the titular doll becoming an instant horror icon.
The Muppets Christmas Carol (Brian Henson, 1992)
When you ask festive folk what the definitive adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol is, some people might reply with 1988’s Scrooged or even 1951’s Scrooge, but we’d bet that most would say Brian Henson’s family-friendly The Muppets Christmas Carol. A glorious retelling of the classic novel that follows a savage businessman whose life choices are challenged by three ghosts, Henson’s 1992 version is pure Disney magic.
Featuring a surprisingly solid performance from Michael Caine, who does a good job opposite a host of felt puppets, this 1992 gem will forever remain a Christmas staple, reimagining Dickens’ work in a fresh and original way.
Paddington 2 (Paul King, 2018)
If you’d told us before the release of Paddington 2 in 2018 that the animated feature film about an animated patriotic British bear would become a global sensation, we would have eaten our marmalade-covered hat. A sequel to the perfectly solid 2014 movie, Paddington 2 upped the stakes, telling a wild comedy-caper tale that sees the titular character set out on a mission to find the perfect present for his aunt’s 100th birthday.
Charming, hilarious and utterly absorbing, the film is an absolute treat that was beloved by critics and fans alike, even becoming something of a global franchise at the very same time, with the third instalment being highly anticipated.
Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (Gore Verbinski, 2003)
In hindsight, Disney’s Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl might have looked like a nailed-on classic, but back in 2003, many people were sceptical about the film’s quality. The main issue was that the concept of Pirates Of The Caribbean originated from the theme park ride of the same name, which had barely any storyline linked to it at all, apart from being a generic pirate-themed roller coaster.
But then the film was released, and a global franchise was sparked. The Curse Of The Black Pearl remains the greatest film in the series by quite some way, elevating Johnny Depp’s public profile with his iconic character Captain Jack Sparrow.
Rubber (Quentin Dupieux, 2010)
Just like our first entry on this list, where we talked about a talking toaster, who would have thought that a rubber tyre would make for a great protagonist? Sure, Quentin Dupieux’s weird, meta comedy Rubber isn’t for everybody, telling the story of a homicidal car tyre who wreaks havoc on a small desert town with its psionic powers, but for some people, it will be their new favourite film.
Blending some hilarious comedy moments with a clever, insightful narrative, Rubber becomes a totally surprising gem featuring the likes of Stephen Spinella, Wings Hauser, Roxane Mesquida and David Bowe.
Top Gun: Maverick (Joseph Kosinski, 2022)
Released 36 years after the first movie, directed by Tony Scott, Joseph Kosinski’s weird sequel was delayed significantly by the Covid-19 pandemic, and by the time the film hit cinemas, audiences already felt bored of it. Yet, against all odds, Top Gun: Maverick destroyed all expectations and blew the first movie out of the water, setting an example to other blockbusters about how to capture frenetic action sequences in the contemporary industry.
Somehow, Tom Cruise lost none of his spunk in the multiple decades since the original film, leading the film from the front line alongside a supporting cast that included Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Monica Barbaro and Jon Hamm.
