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As we await the new year, it’s time for a rewind and look back at all the great movies that we might have overlooked.
2024 has been an extraordinary year for cinema. From blockbuster hits likeDeadpool & WolverineandWickedthat became pop culture conversations to critically acclaimed dramas likeDune Part: Two,Challengers, and others – we saw a lineup of great movies.
However, at the same time, some movies barely received any attention from either the audience or the critics.
Now, before we step into the new year and new anticipation of upcoming films, we have ranked the top 20 most underrated projects of 2024 as they also deserve to be watched and praised. Take a look at them.
20The Order
One of the most underrated movies of 2024 has beenThe OrderfeaturingJude Law. The crime thriller drama resonates with today’s issues of race relations and the rising militarization. Law gave one of his best performances and proved why he is a versatile actor. On the other hand, Nicholas Hoult also earns the credit for portraying such a villainous character.
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The final showdown in the film between Law and Hoult is iconic. This movie definitely deserves more attention, but for some reason, it got overlooked by many.
You can stream The Order on Amazon Video and is available to rent on Apple TV+.
From Andrea Arnold’s world,Birdis an extraordinary coming-of-age drama that revolves around intimate stories of young families. StarringBarry Keoghan, Franz Rogowski, Rhys Yates, and other actors in pivotal roles, the movie speaks about adolescents and economic issues. Keoghan gave a notable performance. This film shows what true indie cinema can be.
Stream it on Mubi or Prime Video and can be rented on Apple TV+.
18Stopmotion
This year has given quite a few horror movies but somehow people missed out onStopmotion. The storyline revolves around Ella (Aisling Franciosi), a stop-motion artist who is trying to finish her horror film after her mother’s death. But then her story starts to blend into her reality, and things take a sharp twist.
The creepy nightmares and the horror-coded scenes are enough to make you anxious throughout the film. It definitely deserves a lot more praise.
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Stream it on AMC and rent it on Apple TV+.
Thelmais a comedy/pseudo-thriller. June Squibb features as the titular Thelma, a 93-year-old woman who gets scammed by voice phising of $10,000. Squibb gives a great performance by portraying the wit and humor as the main character. The storyline follows Thelma and the problems that people of her age-range might face in such situations.
However, its not a movie for only the elder audience. It can be enjoyed by anyone from any age group as its all about Thelma’s journey and her relationship with other characters. There are many scenes that will tug your heartstrings in the right chord.
It is available to stream on Hulu or rent it on Apple TV+.
16Good One
Good Oneis a drama that revolves around a young girl Sam (Lily Collias), who goes to a camping trip with her father Chris (James Le Gros), and his best friend, Matt (Danny McCarthy). However, what starts as a vacation, Sam soon realizes she is the only responsible person in the group.
The feature film captures the reality and human experience very beautifully through its dialogue and cinematography. It is definitely one of the overlooked films of 2024.
It can be rented on Apple TV+.
15Boy Kills World
Boy Kills Worldgot a very lukewarm response from the audience when released in the theatres. StarringBill Skarsgårdas a deaf-mute person who sets out for revenge against Hilda Van Der Koy (Famke Janssen, popularly known for featuring inX-Men), for killing his sister.
The film paints a colorful picture. Despite great characters, Skargård’s perfect physical performance and an emotionally affecting story, why did people miss it? Well, it speaks a lot of dynamics, and the aggressiveness on the face might have turned people off. Or that’s what we think.
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Stream it on Hulu or rent it on Apple TV+.
14Exhibiting Forgiveness
Exhibiting Forgivenessis a movie that explores parental relationships as it follows a father who tries his best to reconnect with his son. The storyline focuses on an artist (played by Andre Holland) and his life as he portrays the struggles of his youth through his paintings.
Probably, for being a ‘slow cinema’, this film did not gain much traction. However, the essence ofExhibiting Forgivenessis great as it talks about generational trauma, parental realities, and the impossibility of reshaping the past.
It is available on rent on Apple TV+.
Adapted from Richard Mcguire’s graphic novel of the same name,Hereis a movie that takes place in one location using a static shot.
The storyline revolves around Richard Young (Tom Hanks) and his wife Margaret’s (Robin Wright) lives.
Robert Zemeckis‘ created world is a must-watch but unfortunately it comes on the underrated list.
Stream it on Prime Video or rent it on Apple TV+.
Sean Wang’s directorial and written film,Didiis a coming-of-age comedy drama which has been made from the director’s own experiences while growing up. The movie deserves to be watched because of Izaac Wright’s amazing performance as the 13-year-old Taiwanese boy, Chris.
The storyline focuses on Chris’ dilemma of chosing the side of his heritage before he prepares to go into high school, so that he can blend in. The movie explores a lot of realistic situations that we generally face while growing up. Despite the hilarious moments and great performances, it is one of the underrated movies of 2024.
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Stream it on Peacock or rent it on Apple TV+.
11Slingshot
Slingshotdefinitely deserves more love. Featuring Casey Affleck, Laurence Fishburne, and Tomer Capone as the three astronauts, the storyline revolves around their mission to one of Saturn’s moons. However, after repetitive hibernations and time gaps, their minds start to disintegrate, resulting in hallucinations.
While watching, you might get confused between what’s real and what’s in the distorting minds of the characters. However, despite such uniqueness in the storyline and the direction, sadly, the movie remains in the void of the space and an underrated movie.
Stream it on Prime Video or if you want, you’re able to rent it on Apple TV+.
10Snack Shack
Snack Shackis another coming-of-age comedy drama that comes under the underrated movies’ list. Written and directed by Adam Carter Rehmeier, the 2024 film is set in the 90s backdrop. The storyline focuses on two high-school besties A.J Carter (Conor Sherry) and Moose Miller (Gabriel LaBelle), who decide to run the local pool-side snack shack for some money.
However, their planning changes when they meet Brooke, a lifeguard. The drama has all the elements, including the raunchy stuff while dealing with teenage relationships and love triangles.
9Fancy Dance
Fancy Dancestars Lily Gladstone in the lead, who got immensely praised for her performance inMartin Scorsese‘sKillers of the Flower Moon.After getting a limited theatrical release on July 29, 2025, in the United States, the film was shifted to the streaming platform Apple TV+ on June 28.
The entire experience of this drama is too enticing. Despite the beautiful storyline that merges heritage and generational trauma, it is considered one of the most underrated movies of 2024.
Streaming available on Apple TV+.
8Oh, Canada
StarringJacob Elordi,Oh, Canadais a movie that explores the life of a documentary filmmaker (Richard Gere), in the backdrop of the Vietnam war.
Gere gave one of his best performances in the film and it could quite possibly earn him an Oscars nod. Paul Schrader’s film deserves to be celebrated by a larger audience.
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Stream it on Prime Video.
7I Saw the TV Glow
I Saw the TV Glowis another beautiful coming-of-age drama that revolves around a teenager who discovers his identity through a journey. It starts from an obsession with a fictionalized character in a TV show calledThe Pink Opaque. The director of this film shows the transgender experiences through this metaphor. It is one of the most underrated films of this year.
Stream it on Max or rent it on Apple TV+.
6Ghostlight
Ghostlightis a movie that was the easiest one to get overlooked this year. No such movie stars, made as an independant film, not a big-budget drama, many pop culture references – but no hype.
But let’s be real: Ghostlight is not a film that is made for everyone. But we think you should give it a shot.
Stream it on AMC or rent it on Apple TV+.
Another space thriller that can be considered as an underrated movie isI.S.S. FeaturingAriana DeBose, the movie revolves around six astronauts and cosmonauts who are living on the International Space Station: three Americans and three Russians. However, when a war breaks out on Earth, both nations give orders to take over their respective station control by any means.
While it did not receive bad reviews, it didn’t get the attention of fans. And that’s exactly why the movie is on the list.
Rent it on Apple TV+.
One of the most underrated movies ofHenry Cavill‘s career isArgylle. The storyline revolves around Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard), the author of a successful spy novel series that follows Agent Argylle (Cavill). When her novels start to mirror real events, things start to shift quickly. The movie has quite a lot of twists and turns and is an entertaining watch.
It was definitely overlooked by the audience, so we are keeping it on the underrated movies list because not only Howard but Sam Rockwell and John Cena also gave solid performances in the film.
Stream it on Apple TV+.
3The Bikeriders
Written and directed by Jeff Nichols,The Bikeridersis a crime thriller drama. Based on the photo book by Danny Lyon of the same name, the film is set in the 1960s. StarringAustin Butler, the storyline revolves around a Midwestern motorcycle club that went from being just a gathering place for the locals to a hub of the gangsters within a decade. What challenges they face, what happens to the club is all about the drama.
Despite having a stellar star cast, including Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Mike Faist, and Norman Reedus, the film is still one of the underrated movies. Even though it got quite a hype before its theatrical release, post the premiere, it didn’t receive much response from the audience.
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2Joker: Folie à Deux
Many criticizedJoker: Folie à Deuxfor not giving what the audience wanted – a villain in his full vigor. In fact, the sequel to 2019’sJokerfollows Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) who is locked up in the Arkham Asylum. There, he meets the mysterious Lee aka Quin (Lady Gaga), who pulls him into a love affair but wants Arthur only as the ‘Joker’.
The musical drama shows beautiful parallels between Arthur Fleck’s mind and Joker’s mind, and the way Phoenix portrayed the character deserves to be appreciated. This movie should be celebrated but instead it got mixed reviews from the audience and the critics, making it one of the underrated movies of 2024.
1Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Our list of underrated movies ends withFuriosa: A Mad Max Saga, a post-apocalyptic action film. Directed by George Miller, the 2024 movie plays as the prequel to 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road. The storyline follows Furiosa, who after getting taken away from the Green Place of Many Mothers at a very young age, gets caught up in a war between two warlords.
Anya Taylor-Joy headlines this film alongside Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, and Alyla Browne. The project has all the elements, including great dialogues, perfectly choreographed action sequences, and the hype before the theatrical release. But, it somehow got lost among other movies in the market.
As 2024 ends, these are the most underrated movies according to us.
Ankita Mukherjee
Articles Published :61
Ankita Mukherjee is a movie buff and a K-drama lover. After being in the entertainment genre for more than 3 years, her knack for digging up breaking news and writing featurish articles about her favorite celebs have become her most preferred job and now she is working as an author in FandomWire. But, when it comes to MCU, you might find her go a little nuts.
