Six Underrated Films From the 2000s
This Millennium has already produced some great films. While many continue to be talked about, others have been somewhat forgotten or never acknowledged for how good they were. This is my list of six underrated films from the 2000s.
The Prestige
Director Christopher Nolan is probably best known for his adaption of the Batman series. In between ‘Batman Begins’ and ‘The Dark Knight’ he pulled out this gem. Starring Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale, ‘The Prestige’ is about rival magicians at the end of the 19th century. Not only is the storytelling done perfectly, there is not a dull moment where you hope the movie comes to an end. The film twists at us through flashbacks, ultimately ending with several shocking surprises. ‘The Prestige’ although well-received, never got the attention other Nolan films did after like the Batman ones or ‘Inception.’ The film holds up great and when his career is over may be seen as his best work to fans that did not live through his progression.
Apocalypto
After the success he had with ‘The Passion of the Christ’, Mel Gibson wasted no time with working on another historical epic, ‘Apocalypto.’ This however was not based on any specific historical event. The film is about a tribe of Mayans facing their end. Captured by warriors in search of slaves and sacrifices, the tribe is demolished except for one man who finds his destiny, putting his life on the line to protect his pregnant wife and young child. The best quality of the film might be the world we are taken into. A time of violence and disorder, the places this movie goes are completely new. A big part of why this movie does not get talked about might because many skipped it due to the subtitles or even because many of the actors had little experience and were unrecognizable. We can only hope Gibson directs something else soon to get Apocalypto back into the conversation.
Children of Men
The dystopian science fiction thriller ‘Children of Men’ never received the praise from the public that it deserved. The film stars Clive Owen as a man contacted to help acquire transit papers for his estranged wife for unknown reasons. The ex-wife, played by Julianne Moore, is the leader of an anti-government group with differing opinions on what to do when it is discovered that for the first time in 18 years a woman has been able to conceive. Full of action and a great message of hope, ‘Children of Men’ is a movie that will stand the test of time. How soon the common person begins appreciating it remains uncertain.
Frailty
Ask a man to watch a movie with Matthew McConaughey as one of the top billed stars and you may have a problem. After a barrage of chick flicks, McConaughey made enough of an appearance in ‘Frailty’ where it was not overwhelming. He hardly even had time to take his shirt off. The film really stars Bill Paxton as a father who with the help of his sons, carries out a series of religious directed murders against people he claims are demons. Not a classic horror movie by any means, but still terrifying, ‘Frailty’ was a sleeper film that few people ever acknowledged for its originality and terror.
The Machinist
Best known for Christian Bale’s transition from his usual buff physique to a sickly insomniac made of only skin and bone, ‘The Machinist’ was a movie that struck oil with fans of strange psychological thrillers. Haunting and mysterious, the story of a machinist struggling with a repressed memory unfolds throughout. Movies with this style rarely reach legendary status as they are made for a particular niche group of film lovers. Bale has since starred in much bigger films that have helped to knock this one out of talking points.
The Butterfly Effect: Director’s Cut
It’s important for fans to distinguish between the different endings of this film. The theatrical release has a more wholesome and hopeful ending while the Director’s Cut was cruel and mind-blowing. The film stars Ashton Kutcher and deals with the idea that if a person travels back in time and changes one thing, they change everything. Kutcher’s character gains the ability to travel backwards in an attempt to improve his life, his friend’s lives, and his mother’s life. Each time he does things get worse for someone until a decision must be made. If not for the Director’s Cut ending, this film would have been very good. Because of the ending the film’s directors supposedly wanted, this movie deserved a little more attention these days and upgrades it to great. The time travel logic may not be perfect, but until we actually have a time machine in every living room there’s little reason to complain.
