7 Overlooked Movies From The 2010s That Are Almost Perfect

The 2010s were the home of some of the best movies in recent memory. La La Land, The Shape of Water, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Hereditary, The Social Network, Drive, The Wolf of Wall Street, it didn’t take long for these movies to be seen as classics. But not all of the decade’s great works were given proper appreciation. For instance, both Nightcrawler and Prisoners (featuring one of Paul Dano’s many great performances) received praise from critics and made money, but they fall just short of being seen as classics. They’re underrated, but not nearly as underrated as the following seven movies.

None of the following movies got the level of awards season appreciation they were worthy of. And, in time, they haven’t really expanded their audience but so much. Yet they deserve to.

7) Killer Joe

The late, great William Friedkin was never afraid to mess with the audience’s heart or expectation of a narrative. Be it the gritty realism of The Franch Connection, the head spin of The Exorcist, the sexual underworld of Cruising, or the death of the protagonist in To Live and Die in L.A., he always knew how best to make you uncomfortable or on the edge of your seat.

His final theatrical film, Killer Joe, an adaptation of Tracy Letts’ play (Letts also wrote the screenplay), is no exception. This Southern Gothic crime story is intimate and focused on low-level, dumb criminals who get in over their heads with the wrong man. That would be Matthew McConaughey’s Joe Cooper, who very much earns his nickname, “Killer Joe.” 2011 to 2014 years were the age of the “McConaissance,” and of the nine films released during that era, only two didn’t get the respective level of credit they deserved. One was Bernie, the other was Killer Joe.

Stream Killer Joe on Prime Video.

6) The Final Girls

While it’s mostly a comedy, The Final Girls knows how to wear its love for slasher film classics on its sleeve. Better yet, it knows how to play with that subgenre’s tropes so well that it ends up being one of the more elaborate, entertaining, and heartfelt members of said subgenre.

It’s that heartfelt aspect that allows The Final Girls to soar. At its core what The Final Girls functions as is a tale of grief and an incredible chance to find closure in that grief. Well, provided you can survive the bloody rampage of a masked murderer.

Stream The Final Girls on Prime Video.

5) Under the Skin

Under the Skin was lauded when first released but has since gone under the radar. And that’s strange, because not only is Scarlett Johansson one of the most bankable and respected stars out there, but there’s also a strong argument to be made her work here is the best of her career.

Johansson is relegated to silence throughout much of the film and given the fact she’s playing an alien impersonating a human, she’s not even allowed to do but so much with her face. She’s restricted in several ways yet still manages to keep us glued to the minimalist narrative throughout.

Stream Under the Skin for free on Kanopy.

4) The Killing of a Sacred Deer

An underrated thriller-horror indie that nonetheless gets lost amongst the accolade-laden entries of Yorgos Lanthimos’ filmography, The Killing of a Sacred Deer is nonetheless just as solid as The Lobster and Poor Things and better than Kinds of Kindness.

The film didn’t lose money and got a warm reception from critics, but such a visceral revenge story, loaded with unexpected twists, should have ended up on more “best of the year” lists. While Emma Stone has ended up being Lanthimos’ preferred star, his camaraderie with Colin Farrell was just as strong, because this is easily one of the Minority Report actor’s best performances.

Stream The Killing of a Sacred Deer on HBO Max.

3) Hunt for the Wilderpeople

It may have been one of the best movies of 2016, but Hunt for the Wilderpeople was and remains the unsung treasure of Taika Waititi’s filmography. Like Thor: Ragnarok and, especially, Jojo Rabit it’s a fairly seamless blend of the director’s unique brand of humor and heartstring-tugging sentimentality.

Much credit is also due to the three lead stars, all of whom clearly understand Waititi’s wavelength. It’s not surprising we saw two of them, Rachel House and Sam Neill, in Ragnarok the following year. But the real MCP is Julian Dennison, who went on to star in bigger movies such as Deadpool 2, Godzilla vs. Kong, and How to Train Your Dragon.

Stream Hunt for the Wilderpeople on fuboTV.

2) The Death of Stalin

Armando Iannucci is one of the great satirical writers. And while his Avenue 5 and The Franchise (which he executive produced) didn’t take off, Veep, I’m Alan Partridge, and In the Loop all prove his greatness.

Add The Death of Stalin to that list, because it’s a brilliant and hysterical look at multiple men’s mad dash for power in the wake of the death of Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin. The cast is note perfect, especially Simon Russell Beale, Rupert Friend, and Steve Buscemi. All involved deliver Iannucci’s dialogue with conviction and the right level of seriousness that makes you wonder if this absurdist power struggle is really that far off from what happened in real life.

Stream The Death of Stalin on Hulu.

1) Shame

With just five feature films under his belt, Steve McQueen has proved himself to be the best of any director working today when it comes to making the audience feel a range of emotion. And while 12 Years a Slave was the film of his that cleaned up at the Oscars, it’s his first two films, Hunger and Shame, that stand as his most gripping works.

Shame in particular does just as good a job as 12 Years when it comes to leaving the audience visibly shaken. It’s a tale of sex addiction that forces you to dive into the deep end of someone consumed by impulse. It was the best movie of 2011 and to this day it’s baffling how Hugo, War Horse, The Help, and the notoriously not great Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close could all score Best Picture nominations while Shame was nominated for zero, count ’em zero, Academy Awards.

Stream Shame on HBO Max.

What movie from the 2010s do you think should be more beloved today? Let us know in the comments.

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