Throughout their careers, many filmmakers have made the best and worst movies, and everything in-between. Famous filmmakers like Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino have had their hits with Indiana Jones and Pulp Fiction, but they've also had other films like 1941 and Death Proof which aren't as well known. Die-hard cinephiles would definitely consider these films as more underrated.
Not every film is a huge commercial success so sometimes these films fade into obscurity until they're found again and have a second life through home media or streaming. Reddit is the perfect place to find great takes on underrated films and could be pivotal in changing a lot of people's opinions.
The Abyss (James Cameron)
Available To Stream On STARZ
Even though it wasn't a huge box office success, The Abyss still remains some of James Cameron's best work. Reddit user SebFitz88 makes a great point saying "[...]it has a certain sense of sci-fi wonder and all the actors are amazing, especially Ed Harris."
The Abyss employed revolutionary visual effects, which were created by Lucasfilm's Industrial Light & Magic. The film's visual effects caused its release to be delayed by a month (via The New York Times). While Aliens and The Terminator films are viewed as Cameron's best works, The Abyss definitely gives the other two a run for their money.
Silence (Martin Scorsese)
Available To Stream On Paramount
The fact that Silence received neither the Best Director or Best Picture nominations at the 89th Academy Awards was quite shocking. Not given a good marketing run or a wide release, Paramount should have pushed Silence's marketing and award campaign way harder.
Reddit user nilrednas states "[...]it's one of the best things he's ever done, personally. It's beautiful, crafted, well-acted, haunting, and introspective." Rodrigo Prieto's cinematography is absolutely gorgeous and offers contrasting beauty to an otherwise grim story. Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver are also just exceptional in their roles. Despite being a box-office bomb, Silence easily stands as some of Scorsese's greatest work.
Déjà Vu (Tony Scott)
Available To Stream On Amazon Prime Video
The brother of Ridley Scott and also a prolific filmmaker himself, Tony Scott had an extremely wide array of action films with Top Gun, viewed as his magnum opus. Into the 2000s, Tony Scott was the guy to direct big event action films. Déjá Vu marked the director's third of five collaborations with Denzel Washington.
Reddit user lawschoolredux expresses "That happy ending with that freeze-frame and Beach Boys song always gives me chills and leaves me with a smile." The film's very happy ending is a nice contrast to the rest of the bombastic, suspenseful film. As Scott's only sci-fi film, Déjá Vu was an interesting departure from his previous exploits and that's why it stands as his most underrated movie.
Duel (Steven Spielberg)
Available To Buy On Amazon Prime Video
Probably the most prolific filmmaker of the last two centuries, Steven Spielberg can do no wrong. Every film of his always hits the right boxes with audiences and especially The Academy. However, one film of his people never talk about is Duel. Technically a television film, Duel was Spielberg's feature directorial debut.
User PSquared1234 mentions "Personally, I'd vote for Duel for my Spielberg pick. Dennis Weaver is chased all over the desert by this rusty tanker truck. One can see elements of this movie that would be revisited [sic] in Jaws." The suspense built in the film is done so well and the camera work is done in a way that makes this truck seem like a towering beast. Even on a small budget, Steven Spielberg can make anything look good.
In the Mouth of Madness (John Carpenter)
Available To Stream Buy On Amazon Prime
Throughout the '80s and '90s, John Carpenter was making the weirdest but coolest movies nobody else would think of. The only problem is that they weren't making money. However, over time, many of his films have since developed a massive cult following. One of the best examples is In the Mouth of Madness.
On Reddit, user ericbkillmonger notes that it's a "very unsettling horror film that makes you think a lot. Very creepy tone." The film follows an insurance investigator as he searches for a horror writer in a small town when the lines between fiction and reality begin to blur as Lovecraftian horror elements start taking over the town. Sam Neill delivers an exceptional performance as his mental health begins to decline. As ericbkillmonger mentions, it certainly does have a creepy tone.
Insomnia (Christopher Nolan)
Available To Stream On HBO Max
Hot off the success of Memento, Nolan's follow-up film was Insomnia, which starred the great Al Pacino and Robin Williams. Reddit user trimonkeys argues that "Coming out in between Memento and Batman Begins and being a relatively straightforward movie seems to make it the forgotten Nolan movie."
While the film is rarely talked about, it still made the top 10 best Nolan films based on Letterboxd. It features some of Robin Williams' best acting as he plays a conniving twisted novelist while Al Pacino plays a veteran cop who's trying to fight his own demons. It's a huge departure from Nolan's large-scale event films and is just a really fascinating psychological thriller.
THX 1138 (George Lucas)
Available To Stream On HBO Max
Long before Lucas had started coming up with concepts for Star Wars, the filmmaker began his illustrious career with a gem called THX 1138. The title of the film would later become the namesake for Lucasfilm's innovative sound system THX. Reddit user nuggetman415 voices that "It’s definitely a more niche kind of sci-fi movie, with odd shots and an unsettlingly minimalist color palette. But it’s a fascinating take on dystopia and humanity's relationships with machines."
One of the film's most iconic aspects was its unique white color palette. Originating from his USC short film Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB (which is now preserved in the National Film Registry), the film detailed a dystopian society where emotions are now outlawed and must be suppressed (as ordered by the law). At the time of its release, it received mixed reviews but has since been regarded as a masterpiece.
Ed Wood (Tim Burton)
In so many ways, Ed Wood is Tim Burton's most underrated movie. From the fantastic acting to the well-developed script, everything just works so well. Reddit user LaxSagacity makes a good point, mentioning "Such a solid film, but I think lacking Burton's signature style, people seem to forget about it." Even though the film doesn't have Burton's signature gothic touch, it's still very much him.
Burton's knack for telling stories with very quirky characters is very evident with Ed Wood. The film was also extremely progressive for the time as it discussed important subjects, such as gender dysphoria.
Vanilla Sky (Cameron Crowe)
Available To Stream On HBO Max
Yet another very versatile filmmaker, Cameron Crowe followed his classic Almost Famous with Vanilla Sky. When it came out, it received negative reviews with many baffled at what they had just seen. However as Reddit user maxwood believes that "it'd do a lot better" if it was released today since it was "Ahead of its time [and had] amazing performances." They couldn't be more right. Vanilla Sky would fare much better today following the release of some high-concept sci-fi films in recent years.
The film is a captivating mix between romance, mystery, and sci-fi. There have also been many interpretations over the years as to what the ending even means. If Vanilla Sky had the same love as Inception, it definitely would still be talked about today. Regardless, Vanilla Sky is definitely worth the watch.
Legend (Ridley Scott)
Available To Stream On DIRECTV
One of the most respected filmmakers in the industry, Ridley Scott has an extremely impressive resume of films, from Alien to Blade Runner to Gladiator and more recently, House of Gucci. Reddit user jayman419 makes a great comparison to George Lucas stating "Alien and Blade Runner were his American Graffiti and Legend was his Star Wars." Upon completing Alien, Ridley Scott conceived a story to make an epic adventure film inspired by fairy tales, which was his passion project.
Due to studio interference, Ridley Scott had to sacrifice final cut privileges and the film was released in 1985 to mixed reviews and a disappointing box office return. Years later, Scott would restore his cut and release it on Blu-Ray. The result is a magical adventure film featuring some of the best makeup and production design of the time. It's easily Tom Cruise's most underrated film as well.