10 Greatest Forgotten Movies of the 2010s, Ranked

While Hollywood produced some incredible films in the 2010s, including hits like Django Unchained and Sicario, many other worthy movies didn’t get the attention they deserved. Studios were increasingly focused on expensive blockbusters, superhero franchises, and a surge in horror films, which meant genres like Westerns suffered. Because of this, there are a lot of excellent, lesser-known films from that decade waiting to be discovered.

I’ve always been fascinated by movies that don’t immediately explode in popularity. Some films make a splash one year and then fade away, while others just never quite get the attention they deserve, even if they’re directed by really talented people. I think if you’re looking for something beyond the big blockbusters, these films offer a chance to discover some truly amazing and often overlooked gems from the 2010s. They really show what that decade had to offer beyond what everyone already knows.

Predestination Is Cerebral Science Fiction At Its Finest

The series Predestination centers around a secret agent who travels back in time to the 1970s with the goal of stopping a bombing. While working undercover as a bartender, he gets caught up in the lives of the people he meets, and a complex mystery unfolds that challenges everything he thought he knew about time travel. As he investigates, he’s increasingly forced to confront the confusing consequences of trying to change the past.

Predestination initially appears to be a typical sci-fi thriller you might find streaming, but it’s actually a surprisingly complex and thought-provoking film. It’s one of the smartest time travel movies ever created, and its layers reveal themselves with each viewing. Though it didn’t immediately find a large audience, it’s slowly gaining recognition as a hidden gem, much like Ethan Hawke’s work in Gattaca.

Dredd Was A Few Years Too Early

For five decades, the adventures of Judge Dredd have been a staple of the 2000 AD comic book, chronicling the cases of a famously tough law enforcer. After a poorly received film adaptation starring Sylvester Stallone in 2012, Dredd returned to the big screen with Karl Urban in the lead role. This new film is set within a massive, self-contained city block and follows Dredd and his new partner as they fight for survival against a dangerous criminal gang led by Ma-Ma.

If Dredd had come out after John Wick proved action movies could still be popular, it likely would have found a much larger audience, similar to how films like Nobody and Sisu did. But it was released during a slump for the action genre, and many people dismissed it as a simple copy of 1980s action films before Keanu Reeves revitalized the style. Though comic book fans appreciated it, it took years for the film to gain the recognition it deserved.

A Walk Among the Tombstones Gave Liam Neeson A Private Detective Thriller

In A Walk Among the Tombstones, Liam Neeson plays Matt Scudder, a former police officer and recovering alcoholic who now works as a private investigator. When two serial killers start targeting the families of drug dealers – believing the crimes won’t be reported to the police – the gangsters hire Scudder to track them down. He accepts the case and teams up with a young homeless boy to hunt the killers.

Murder mysteries experienced a comeback in the 2010s, with popular films like the new Hercule Poirot adaptations, Knives Out, and The Nice Guys. However, a detective thriller starring Liam Neeson, released after the success of Taken, didn’t find a large audience, despite being a strong film. Its dark, 1990s-style tone, while contributing to its lack of mainstream success, makes it a great pick for fans of movies like Se7en.

Enemy Didn’t Have the Staying Power of Other Villeneuve Movies

The 2010s introduced audiences to many gifted filmmakers, including the director of films like Prisoners and Arrival. Perhaps his most talked-about work is Enemy, a movie about a history professor who finds someone who looks exactly like him and becomes fixated on his double life. As the two men interact, their lives begin to fall apart in a tense and unsettling way.

Denis Villeneuve made no attempt to create a typical blockbuster with Enemy, fully leaning into his distinctive and unusual storytelling. The film shifts between feeling like a suspenseful thriller and a thought-provoking social critique, but its strangeness didn’t connect with audiences who had previously praised his other films.

The Artist Was A Genius Examination of Early Cinema

The film The Artist takes viewers back to the early days of Hollywood, when movies were silent. It tells the story of George Valentin, a popular actor struggling to adapt as sound is introduced. He fights to save his career, navigates a romance, and deals with demanding studio executives. As the film industry changes around him, he faces hardship and hopes to find success in this new era of filmmaking.

The film The Artist was a heartfelt tribute to the early days of silent movies, but its unique style wasn’t for everyone. While deeply appreciated by serious film lovers, it remained a bit obscure and didn’t reach a wider audience. Though praised by critics when it came out, it was quickly overshadowed by blockbuster superhero films and faded from public memory, becoming a beloved but niche film from that era. Despite this, it remains a beautifully told story and a true cinematic achievement.

Super 8 Set the Stage For Stranger Things

JJ Abrams’ 2011 film, Super 8, captured the adventurous spirit of classics like The Goonies and E.T.. Set in 1978 in the small town of Lillian, Ohio, the story centers around an alien escaping from a government facility and causing trouble. A group of young, outsider friends, who are also making their own horror movie, must find a way to save their town.

With the popularity of shows like Stranger Things, the movie Super 8 can seem a bit unnecessary, and it quickly faded from view. While it did okay when it came out, it didn’t have the same lasting impact as the classic adventure films it was inspired by. It’s still a great movie that sci-fi fans should check out, and with so many people watching Stranger Things on Netflix, now would be a perfect time for it to be rediscovered.

Hostiles Is the Grittiest Western Since Unforgiven

Westerns haven’t always fared well with audiences this century, and some truly great films have been missed, like Scott Cooper’s Hostiles. The movie takes place near the end of the Wild West era and stars Christian Bale as Captain Joseph Blocker, a hardened army veteran haunted by his experiences in the American-Indian Wars. Struggling with PTSD and depression, Blocker’s life changes when he’s tasked with a difficult mission: escorting a dying Native American chief, Yellow Hawk, back to his ancestral lands in Wyoming.

Even though Quentin Tarantino’s Westerns did well, the genre generally struggled to find an audience throughout the 2010s. Most movies set in the Old West didn’t succeed in theaters, and only a few gained popularity later through streaming services. For example, Christian Bale’s excellent performance in Hostiles, where he plays a man confronting his own biases, deserves more attention, particularly given the film’s complex and

Bad Times At the El Royale Feels Like a Love Letter to Tarantino

The 1960s thriller, Bad Times at the El Royale, brings together a diverse group of strangers at a rundown hotel. Among them are a priest struggling with memory loss, a struggling singer, an FBI agent working for J. Edgar Hoover, a woman and her sister fleeing from something, and a suspicious hotel manager. Their lives unexpectedly intersect when a dangerous cult leader arrives, turning one day into a chaotic showdown.

Drew Goddard’s Bad Times at the El Royale feels very much in the style of Quentin Tarantino, and works well alongside films like Once Upon a Time In Hollywood. The movie perfectly captures the vibe of the 1960s, and feels like it could have been made either just before or after its time. Ultimately, it’s a charming and unusual mystery with a cast of quirky characters that viewers will quickly adore.

Cold Pursuit Is the Best Liam Neeson Revenge Flick Since Taken

In the film Cold Pursuit, Liam Neeson plays a snowplow driver whose son dies under suspicious circumstances. Initially believed to be a drug overdose, the father quickly suspects foul play, and his investigation confirms his fears. Driven by grief, he begins a quest for revenge, eliminating members of a local gang, which unexpectedly sparks a full-blown war between two rival criminal organizations.

While many of Liam Neeson’s 2010s action thrillers felt similar to Taken, Cold Pursuit stands out. It’s more of a darkly comedic homage to the Coen brothers’ film Fargo, and has become a cult favorite that only gets better with time. If you were tired of the decade’s endless superhero movies and big-budget spectacles, this revenge story offers something different – a focus on compelling characters instead of just action.

Margin Call Is A Brilliant Workplace Drama

Following the 2008 financial crisis, several movies explored the world of high finance. One of the first was a film about a financial analyst who predicts a major housing market crash that threatens his company. He alerts his bosses, and the company’s top executives gather to understand the situation and try to prevent a complete collapse, ultimately detailing how the economic downturn occurred.

This movie isn’t well-known, but it features incredibly strong performances, especially from Jeremy Irons, that truly captivate you. It’s a shame more people haven’t seen it, because it’s a 21st-century masterpiece – beautifully written, acted, and directed.

While films like The Big Short are excellent, Margin Call impressively transforms a potentially boring subject into a tense thriller. It differs from those other movies by not over-explaining the complexities of the recession and financial risk, making it a more sophisticated take on the topic. Unfortunately, the film’s release shortly after the financial crash meant it struggled at the box office, even with its talented cast.

2026-06-09 06:11