Companion thread to the 'most overrated' discussion (lichess.org/forum/off-topic-discussion/most-overrated-films-in-imdb-top-250?page=1) and the full IMDB list for reference is here: www.imdb.com/chart/top/
I'm going to go by genre since I think that's easiest:
Crime (major enough subgenre to be addressed in its own right):
Casino – Massively underrated in the #100s. Edges GoodFellas in just about every way (scope of story, acting, atmosphere etc.)
Scarface – And same goes for this one. Stupid references to this film (Say Hello to My Little Friend) aside, Scarface is a superbly written, acted, and scored tragedy where all the arcs are resolved in a compelling way.
Carlito’s Way – The companion film to Scarface, a little more low-key and introspective, that also ties up very neatly. Penn’s role (his best) is worth highlighting.
Training Day – Also heavily hyped, but well-structured thriller including career-high roles for Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke
Honorable mention: Witness to the Mob - Probably the best made for TV film. A very unglamorized look at the mafia that earns its 3-hour runtime
Honorable mention: Donnie Brasco – Johnny Depp shines in a normal-looking role, although the film is maybe overly sentimental
Drama
Titanic – The most mind-boggling omission from the list. Simply put, Titanic is an experience, as it submerges you entirely into the catastrophe on screen during the second act. The scale of technical craft is incredible (nothing comes close in the CGI era). And the story attached (more about living life freely than the romance per se) is also compelling. The one salient flaw in the film is possession of the jewel by Rose at the end, which is cheap, unnecessary, and contradicts the film’s entire message of living life unbridled (the jewel would have been a ‘safety net’ but also a source of paranoia). But it's isolated enough to block out.
The Graduate - Iconic counterculture film
A Few Good Men – Worth including for the climactic exchange alone. Peak acting by Cruise and Nicholson
Witness – Bittersweet drama about spanning cultural divides. (on a side note the spoof For Richer or Poorer is also excellent)
Historical:
Spartacus - is a major omission. Setting aside the significance of the film from a cultural perspective (it helped break the blacklist that was prevalent in Hollywood at the time), it’s an epic, gritty production with a powerful and timeless message.
Ben Hur – deserves a higher spot due to its acting, quality of production (e.g. the chariot race) and humanist themes, including a refreshingly secular (for the most part) cameo by the historical figure Jesus. As an added bit of trivia though, Romans cut the thumbs off from rowers pointedly so that revolts such as the one on the ship wouldn’t take place.
Comedy: (Never gets a fair shake because humor is more subtle/situational by nature and doesn't carry as easily across borders)
Home Alone - Incredible that this holiday classic isn’t on the list. The first one is better all-around than Lost in New York
Midnight Run – Polished action/comedy with lots of heart
Office Space – No end of priceless scenes and commentary in this workplace comedy even if the ending falls a bit flat
Dumb and Dumber - The best Jim Carry caper, complimented by his teaming with Daniels
My Cousin Vinny – Classic courtroom comedy with great culture clash overtones
Trading Places – This one is actually a Christmas staple in Italy.
Honorable mention: Rat Race – Great concept and some hilarious scenes (the veterans rally speech LOL) that might make the cut by getting rid of some of the low-grade antics (e.g. most shtick involving the brothers). The ending where the contestants get suckered out of money is also at odds with the cynical tone of the rest of the film, although you could argue it’s good PR after their crime sprees I suppose.
Animation:
Beauty and the Beast (1991) – Basically a flawless film that’s incredible in its expression (the live-action remake is a travesty by comparison)
Ratatouille – A sparkling feature that charms with its wit, passion, physical antics and insights into cuisine
Action/Adventure:
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom – The one entry in the franchise with intrigue, darkness and excitement to spare is surprisingly overlooked
The Mummy (1999) – Great story, characters and composition. The sequel felt like a caricature.
Spider Man (2002) – The original Spider Man trilogy deserves a spot on the list. It eclipses the cookie cutter superhero films that it paved the way for in the relatability of its characters and themes. I think many people would face the same ethical dilemma put in Peter’s shoes.
Jumanji (1995) – Classic coming of age movie and as a bit of trivia the same actor plays Van Pelt and the dad.
Sci-Fi/Horror:
Mother! – A surreal, waking nightmare (best watched alone in the dark in the late hours) and powerful fusion of anthropology, philosophy and religious themes. Really breathtaking.
They Live – The most distilled embodiment of dystopia in film (on the TV side, selected episodes of Black Mirror would fit the bill)
Terminator – Groundbreaking and culturally seminal film. Should be in the list together with the sequel.
Terminator 2 – This deserves higher than mid-30s ranking. Impressive story, cast and visual effects, including great role reversal and the best villain in the franchise. Also underappreciated from a philosophical perspective, however. Among rampant, superficial notions of synthetically engineering awareness or emotion (e.g. the film "AI"), Terminator exemplifies the one true common denominator between humans and machines and perhaps the most central attribute of all, -will-
Predator – Functionally closer to horror than sci-fi. The premise of aliens on safari, physical design of the monster (recreated from an original dopey look), tension, combat, and music are all imaginatively rendered
The Ninth Gate – intriguing mystery about occult books with a catchy score
Honorable mention: The Omen – Classic horror. The sequel also stands up well.
Honorable mention: The Fly (1986) – Appropriately gruesome adaptation of the 1950’s story
Martial Arts: Another marginalized genre
Bloodsport – Van Damme vs Bolo is possibly the greatest matchup in the genre but it’s the quality of the extended supporting cast and presentation (including great soundtrack) that make it particularly shine.
Game of Death – This is a super niche pick, but the studio release, incorporating Bruce Lee’s recorded footage (and improving on his clunky/over-expositional story and writing while also streamlining the fight scenes) is actually very well done and the soundtrack phenomenal.
I'm going to go by genre since I think that's easiest:
Crime (major enough subgenre to be addressed in its own right):
Casino – Massively underrated in the #100s. Edges GoodFellas in just about every way (scope of story, acting, atmosphere etc.)
Scarface – And same goes for this one. Stupid references to this film (Say Hello to My Little Friend) aside, Scarface is a superbly written, acted, and scored tragedy where all the arcs are resolved in a compelling way.
Carlito’s Way – The companion film to Scarface, a little more low-key and introspective, that also ties up very neatly. Penn’s role (his best) is worth highlighting.
Training Day – Also heavily hyped, but well-structured thriller including career-high roles for Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke
Honorable mention: Witness to the Mob - Probably the best made for TV film. A very unglamorized look at the mafia that earns its 3-hour runtime
Honorable mention: Donnie Brasco – Johnny Depp shines in a normal-looking role, although the film is maybe overly sentimental
Drama
Titanic – The most mind-boggling omission from the list. Simply put, Titanic is an experience, as it submerges you entirely into the catastrophe on screen during the second act. The scale of technical craft is incredible (nothing comes close in the CGI era). And the story attached (more about living life freely than the romance per se) is also compelling. The one salient flaw in the film is possession of the jewel by Rose at the end, which is cheap, unnecessary, and contradicts the film’s entire message of living life unbridled (the jewel would have been a ‘safety net’ but also a source of paranoia). But it's isolated enough to block out.
The Graduate - Iconic counterculture film
A Few Good Men – Worth including for the climactic exchange alone. Peak acting by Cruise and Nicholson
Witness – Bittersweet drama about spanning cultural divides. (on a side note the spoof For Richer or Poorer is also excellent)
Historical:
Spartacus - is a major omission. Setting aside the significance of the film from a cultural perspective (it helped break the blacklist that was prevalent in Hollywood at the time), it’s an epic, gritty production with a powerful and timeless message.
Ben Hur – deserves a higher spot due to its acting, quality of production (e.g. the chariot race) and humanist themes, including a refreshingly secular (for the most part) cameo by the historical figure Jesus. As an added bit of trivia though, Romans cut the thumbs off from rowers pointedly so that revolts such as the one on the ship wouldn’t take place.
Comedy: (Never gets a fair shake because humor is more subtle/situational by nature and doesn't carry as easily across borders)
Home Alone - Incredible that this holiday classic isn’t on the list. The first one is better all-around than Lost in New York
Midnight Run – Polished action/comedy with lots of heart
Office Space – No end of priceless scenes and commentary in this workplace comedy even if the ending falls a bit flat
Dumb and Dumber - The best Jim Carry caper, complimented by his teaming with Daniels
My Cousin Vinny – Classic courtroom comedy with great culture clash overtones
Trading Places – This one is actually a Christmas staple in Italy.
Honorable mention: Rat Race – Great concept and some hilarious scenes (the veterans rally speech LOL) that might make the cut by getting rid of some of the low-grade antics (e.g. most shtick involving the brothers). The ending where the contestants get suckered out of money is also at odds with the cynical tone of the rest of the film, although you could argue it’s good PR after their crime sprees I suppose.
Animation:
Beauty and the Beast (1991) – Basically a flawless film that’s incredible in its expression (the live-action remake is a travesty by comparison)
Ratatouille – A sparkling feature that charms with its wit, passion, physical antics and insights into cuisine
Action/Adventure:
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom – The one entry in the franchise with intrigue, darkness and excitement to spare is surprisingly overlooked
The Mummy (1999) – Great story, characters and composition. The sequel felt like a caricature.
Spider Man (2002) – The original Spider Man trilogy deserves a spot on the list. It eclipses the cookie cutter superhero films that it paved the way for in the relatability of its characters and themes. I think many people would face the same ethical dilemma put in Peter’s shoes.
Jumanji (1995) – Classic coming of age movie and as a bit of trivia the same actor plays Van Pelt and the dad.
Sci-Fi/Horror:
Mother! – A surreal, waking nightmare (best watched alone in the dark in the late hours) and powerful fusion of anthropology, philosophy and religious themes. Really breathtaking.
They Live – The most distilled embodiment of dystopia in film (on the TV side, selected episodes of Black Mirror would fit the bill)
Terminator – Groundbreaking and culturally seminal film. Should be in the list together with the sequel.
Terminator 2 – This deserves higher than mid-30s ranking. Impressive story, cast and visual effects, including great role reversal and the best villain in the franchise. Also underappreciated from a philosophical perspective, however. Among rampant, superficial notions of synthetically engineering awareness or emotion (e.g. the film "AI"), Terminator exemplifies the one true common denominator between humans and machines and perhaps the most central attribute of all, -will-
Predator – Functionally closer to horror than sci-fi. The premise of aliens on safari, physical design of the monster (recreated from an original dopey look), tension, combat, and music are all imaginatively rendered
The Ninth Gate – intriguing mystery about occult books with a catchy score
Honorable mention: The Omen – Classic horror. The sequel also stands up well.
Honorable mention: The Fly (1986) – Appropriately gruesome adaptation of the 1950’s story
Martial Arts: Another marginalized genre
Bloodsport – Van Damme vs Bolo is possibly the greatest matchup in the genre but it’s the quality of the extended supporting cast and presentation (including great soundtrack) that make it particularly shine.
Game of Death – This is a super niche pick, but the studio release, incorporating Bruce Lee’s recorded footage (and improving on his clunky/over-expositional story and writing while also streamlining the fight scenes) is actually very well done and the soundtrack phenomenal.
