What’s the most underrated movie you’ve ever watched?
How do you know if a movie is actually underrated vs just not popular?
I use 3 checks:
1. Gap between quality and attention. Did critics/audiences who did see it love it (high RT audience score, strong Letterboxd), but almost nobody saw it? That’s underrated. If everyone saw it and hated it, it’s just bad.
2. It got overshadowed, not outclassed. It came out same week as a Marvel movie, had terrible marketing, was on a streaming service with no push, or the genre was out of fashion.
3. People who love it REALLY love it. Cult energy. If you mention it and someone goes “OH MY GOD YES that movie,” that’s a sign. Overrated movies get “yeah it was fine.
I wouldn’t know how to answer such a question without a credible criteria acceptable to whoever is judging.
“Underrated” is a trap word. Because who is doing the rating?If you say a movie is underrated, you’re really making three claims at once, and each needs its own proof:
1. Quality claim: This movie is good.But good by what standard? Craft? Originality? Emotional impact? Rewatch value? Your criteria and my criteria will never be identical.
2. Rating claim: People rated it lower than it deserves.Which people? Critics? Box office? Awards voters? General audience? A movie can be loved by critics, ignored by audiences, and win nothing — is that underrated or just niche?
3. Authority claim: I can tell the difference. And that’s the hardest one to defend. Why should anyone trust my judgment over the crowd’s?So without agreeing on a yardstick first, “most underrated” is just “a movie I like that not enough people talk about, in my opinion.”A more credible way to frame it would be:
“Here is a movie that scored X with critics, Y with audiences, made Z at the box office, but achieves A, B, C on these specific filmmaking criteria.”
Then at least someone can argue with your criteria, not just your taste. That’s why I hesitate to make a list of underrated movies. Thank you.
However, there is a movie ‘Our sticky love ‘ Korean movie/series.
Of course, the one I consider the good kind of sticky love.
Prosecutor Go / Woo-in. Not the clingy, possessive kind — the kind that holds you to your values. I don’t watch movies just to pass time, I watch to learn about human beings, how relationships form, how people deal with uncertainty and challenges as they come. And that drama is exactly that. Go – losing her memory and having to rebuild who she is. Woo-in – coming back from a dark place. The grandmother who didn’t have much but gave him a place to be loved and come back to. That’s why I think it’s the kind of movie teenagers should actually watch. it teaches patience over impulse, respect over taking advantage, choosing to stay when running would be easier. Is that what is meant by “Our sticky love”? Would you think if it counts as underrated by that criteria mentioned earlier?Because if we use the yardstick above, it fits: high on human lessons, high on character, but not many people outside K-drama circles know it compared to the big titles.
—I am Adeyinka Ogunrombi, FCA — 34 years in public sector finance. I offer consultancy and academic services. My active business: http://Topupandgetreward.com — airtime, data and rewards. WhatsApp message only: +2348054048128
