Hey guys!. In this post, I’ll be discussing a list of Top 5 Underrated Movies of 2021. Everybody always talks about their favorite films from the previous year, but for this time, we wanted to focus on a slightly different aspect of last year’s films.
Not necessarily our favorites, but rather the ones that we thought were the most underrated. Now, underrated is a bit of a vague term and has lots of different interpretations. I was certainly tempted to include films that just had minimal word of mouth, but that’s more underseen than underrated.
So, because I like to have actual criterion for my lists, I decided to use Rotten Tomato scores. I decided to pick films that were rotten with both critics and general audiences and am gonna present them in order of audience score from highest to lowest, as or today’s recording date. Alright, let’s get this top list started.
5. Old.
Right now, Old has a rotten 53% audience score and a rotten 50% on the critic’s Tomatometer. Now, I can’t say I’m too surprised by the scores on this one - Shyamalan can be pretty hit-or-miss with his films and is often divisive, so a 50/50 split sounds about normal.
That said, I do think both the critic and audience scores are a little harsh for this film. It’s certainly not a top-tier Shyamalan movie, but it’s also not at the bottom of his filmography either.
People who aren’t fans of his style probably won’t be swayed to change their views on him with this one, but existing M. Night fans will probably be a bit more receptive to this one because it does contain a lot of his hallmarks.
Of course, the prevalence of these hallmarks is a bit of a double edged sword. Because in addition to the positive trademark filmmaking aspects, you also get the negatives.
As is often the case with Shyamalan’s films, the dialogue feels incredibly unnatural and the inconsistent pacing leaves much to be desired, especially during the second act. But, this movie has also got one hell of an interesting premise which really helps to counteract the issues present.
Granted, most of Shyamalan’s films have an interesting hook, but the concept of accelerated aging (and the various implications that come along with it) was fascinating.
It has its share of wonky moments, but the inherent twists and the excellent gradual make-up and prosthetic changes help to make this a bizarre, but satisfying thriller.
4. Encounter.
Right now, Encounter has a rotten 51% audience score and a rotten 57% on the critic’s Tomatometer. Unlike with the previous film on this list, I am actually genuinely surprised by the fairly low scores on this one.
I saw this at TIFF last year and it was actually one of my most anticipated movies at the festival. And luckily, it still ended up being one of my favorites even after watching it. This is a film that has a lot of elements to it - action, drama, touches of sci-fi and thriller. Something for everybody.
But where this film faltered was it marketing and I honestly think that’s the culprit behind the low scores. People came into the film expecting one thing and ended up getting something entirely different. I know that was certainly the case for me.
I went into it with just the logline and poster, but even so, I was anticipating something chock-full of sci-fi thrills. And it does deliver on that to an extent, but there are also some significant story and tonal shifts, including a few unexpected elements that really worked for me.
It might not have been what I expected, but it was still a captivating story with some really interesting concepts and some excellent performances from Riz Ahmed and his pair of young costars.
3. Kate.
Right now, Kate has a rotten 50% audience score and a rotten 44% on the critic’s Tomatometer. Like with Old, the scores on this one don’t surprise me at all. These sort of direct-to-video revenge action flicks never perform particularly well.
Every now and then you get one that breaks through and garners some praise, but it’s rare and as much as I enjoyed this Netflix film, it definitely doesn’t stand out from the crow in terms of its story.
You’ve seen most of it before: an assassin seeking revenge, the unlikely pairing of that assassin with the kid of one of their marks. Even the central poisoning plot device feels heavily lifted from Crank. So, if you’re looking for a wholly original and unpredictable story, you’ll want to search elsewhere.
But, if you want an entertaining and bloody action movie, this is one for you. The action is definitely a standout element here, unsurprisingly. It’s brutal and bloody, but also creatively choreographed and dynamically filmed.
In addition to the action, we’ve also got a very fun lead performance with Mary Elizabeth Winstead playing the title character, Kate. As with the story, this character isn’t particularly original or unique, but she’s definitely fun to watch.
Not only is she highly capable and badass, but she’s also dryly funny and Winstead does a great job of believably delivering the character’s progression over the course of the film’s single night.
2. Silent Night.
Right now, Silent Night has a rotten 47% audience score and a very recently (and barely) turned fresh 65% on the critic’s Tomatometer. This was sitting rotten only a few days ago, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it drops back down again.
This one is a bit of an acquired taste, so I’m not too surprised by the fairly split scores on it. It’s one incredibly bleak dark comedy, made all the more bleak by the fact that it’s actually a Christmas movie. But don’t go into this expecting holiday cheer because you’ll be sorely disappointed.
However, if you’re in the mood for a darkly unraveling family drama and some pitch black humor, this one might satisfy your Scrooge-like preferences.
Like Encounter earlier on the list, his was a film that I saw at TIFF that has since gotten a general release. But, unlike Encounter, I had never even heard of it prior to the festival and watched it on a whim one of the final days. I went into it blind and phew, that’s the way to do it!
So, I’m not gonna give anything away here regarding the plot. I will say that some of the messaging unintentionally comes across a bit unfortunate given the world’s current state of affairs, but in a way, it makes elements of the film more poignant.
You’ll see what messages I’m talking about when you watch the movie, but thankfully the director noted in her festival intro that the film was written years ago, so any connections to today’s big issues were inadvertent.
1. Gunpowder Milkshake.
Right now, Gunpowder Milkshake has a rotten 47% audience score and a rotten 58% on the critic’s Tomatometer. I’ve gotta admit, this is one I’m a little surprised by the scores on.
I mean, I know it’s not a movie for everybody, but this one’s just so low, especially with the audience score - it’s even lower than the score for Kate! Not only do I think this is the most underrated film of 2021, but it’s also one of my favorite films of the year too.
It has its issues with predictability like so many other assassin-led films, but this is just such a fun movie. I mean, the trailers had looked promising, but it ended up being even more entertaining than I expected.
I’ll admit that this sort of movie is right up my alley to begin with, so I might appreciate this one a little more than the average person, but man did I have such a good time with this one. It’s got a fun premise, a very distinctive style, and a lot more sarcastic humor than I anticipated.
It also has some excellent action. That kind of gets wrapped up in the fun element, but it’s such a unique blend of bloody brutality and creative, silly absurdity.
Karen Gillan is superb in the role, also delivering the same unique blend as the action and her interactions with other characters in the film only add to the entertainment value here.
That is it from today’s post on Top 5 Underrated Movies of 2021. If you do not agree with the points in the post and have some of your own opinions, share them with us in the comments section down below.
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Chandan is the writer of “Top 5 Underrated Movies of 2021”. Also, Connect with me on Facebook.