With the rise of streaming, it has now never been easier to catch the film that everyone is talking about. Whether it’s at your local multiplex or from the comfort of your own home. However, there are still those films that fly under the radar and have been slept on, the ones that don’t quite get the attention they deserve especially if they aren’t part of an already existing franchise or IP.
This article will look at some of the underrated gems of the 2010s, films that may have underperformed at the box office or just didn’t connect with mainstream audiences for one reason or another but may still deserve your attention. Read on to find out which have made the cut.
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
Directed by up-and-coming filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg who was mostly known for his YouTube short films at the time, 10 Cloverfield Lane is a tense, claustrophobic thriller focussed around three characters hiding in a state-of-the-art doomsday bunker built by crack pot conspiracy theorist Howard, as they suspect some form of attack has made the world above inhospitable. While the films title suggests it to be some form of sequel to 2008s Cloverfield, in truth the two films have very little in common and may have just been used to tie the film to an established IP, I won’t lie this is the reason I saw it back in 2016.
However, the film is far better than it has any right to be, with brilliant performances from everyone involved, especially John Goodman who puts in an Oscar worthy turn as doomsday prepper Howard who is more than meets the eye. A brilliant first feature from Dan Trachtenberg with elements of suspense and mystery and an unexpected third act.
Logan Lucky (2017)
Ever wanted to see Daniel Craig, Adam Driver and Channing Tatum with redneck accents pull off an Ocean’s style heist, look no further than Steven Soderbergh’s comedy/crime flick Logan Lucky. With an all-star cast of A-list talent, Logan Lucky is a tightly made, well-paced crime caper surrounding the Logan brothers and their attempts to put together a team of hillbilly criminals willing to pull off a heist during the NASCAR race in North Carolina.
Logan Lucky is a fun ride with a simple yet effective heist plot but is brought to life through the direction of Soderbergh and the brilliant performances of its cast with the standout being Daniel Craig as the aptly named criminal Joe Bang. A wildly entertaining movie with lots of laughs and great performances.
Everybody Wants Some!! (2016)
From acclaimed director Richard Linklater, most known for his work on the audacious Boyhood and the coming-of-age comedy Dazed and Confused, comes the so-called spiritual sequel to the latter, Everybody Wants Some. Set during 1980, the film follows the lives of a college baseball team the weekend before class begins with one thing on their minds, partying! While one could say there isn’t much of a plot to be found in Everybody Wants Some this is a film in which it invites you to just spend time and hangout with these larger-than-life characters as they navigate their way through the early stages of adulthood and independence.
Much like Linklater’s Dazed and Confused the film is full of fresh-faced newcomers such as Blake Jenner and Tyler Hoechlin who make up the tight knit and extremely competitive baseball team as they traverse through the various nightclubs, bars and house parties that the 80s college experience guarantees. Full of crude, authentic humour and a killer soundtrack (the films title coming from the Van Halen classic) Everybody Wants Some is a fun, entertaining spin on the college/teen movie.
Locke (2013)
Directed by Steven Knight and starring the brilliant Tom Hardy, Locke follows one man in his car driving to a destination while trying to keep his life from falling apart all from the drivers seat. While a film set completely in a car for the whole runtime doesn’t sound too riveting, Locke is brilliantly acted and written with Tom Hardy’s performance almost single-handedly carrying the film, he is present in almost every scene and pulls it off superbly. He plays a man on the edge, someone who has a lot going on and has a lot to deal with but can only do so much from his own car trying to keep all these people and things in his life from collapsing.
It feels like a very in the moment, realistic depiction of a stressful situation, while Hardy always sounds calm and in control, thanks to a soothing Welsh accent, when in reality he isn’t. Locke is a tense, fly on the wall drama that is brilliantly written and carried by the performance of Tom Hardy.
Under The Skin (2014)
Under The Skin is a disturbing, atmospheric thriller directed by British filmmaker Jonathan Glazer and starring Scarlett Johansson as an alien who stalks the streets of Scotland looking for unsuspecting men to pray upon until she begins to discover what it means to be human. Under The Skin is a unique film, for instance it offers an outside look at humanity in that we see the world through the eyes of an extra terrestrial in an almost documentary style.
In fact, many of the people Johansson interacts with in the film aren’t even actors and were literally plucked off the streets of Glasgow and captured using hidden cameras. It is this documentary style along with some trippy, disturbing visuals and an incredibly eerie score from Mica Levi that makes Under The Skin an intriguing, unique and disturbing watch that, in the vein of many sci-fi classics, will leave you with more questions than answers.
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