Movie critics can be helpful. They can steer audiences toward great films, warn us away from disasters, and offer thoughtful insight into performances, direction, pacing, and storytelling.
But they are not always right.
Some movies get dismissed too quickly. Others are criticized for being too loud, too silly, too sentimental, or too strange, only to build loyal fanbases years later. In some cases, the very things critics complained about are exactly what made audiences fall in love with them.
This list is for those movies.
These are not all perfect films. Some are messy. Some are over-the-top. Some make choices that are easy to pick apart. But they are also memorable, entertaining, and incredibly rewatchable. They may not have received the critical respect they deserved at the time, but fans have kept them alive.
Rotten Tomatoes critic scores are current as of this writing and may change over time.
Here are 10 movies critics underrated that deserve way more love.
10. Con Air
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 59%
Con Air is ridiculous, but that is also the entire appeal.
This is a movie built around Nicolas Cage with long hair and a Southern accent, John Malkovich as a criminal mastermind named Cyrus “The Virus,” Steve Buscemi delivering one of the strangest supporting performances in a 90s action movie, and a prison transport plane full of dangerous criminals. It is loud, excessive, and completely committed to its own brand of chaos.
The movie is not trying to be grounded or subtle. It is designed as pure action spectacle, and on that level, it absolutely delivers. The set pieces are big, the characters are memorable, and the whole thing has the kind of over-the-top energy that defined a very specific era of blockbuster filmmaking.
Critics may have seen it as too much, but that excess is what makes it so entertaining. Con Air knows exactly what kind of movie it wants to be, and it never apologizes for it.
Verdict: A wildly entertaining action movie that deserves more respect as a 90s popcorn classic.
9. A Knight’s Tale
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 59%
A Knight’s Tale is one of those movies that should not work nearly as well as it does.
A medieval jousting movie with modern rock music could have easily become a gimmick. Instead, it gives the film its identity. The soundtrack, the tournament atmosphere, and the sports-movie structure make the whole thing feel fresh, energetic, and completely unique.
Heath Ledger brings an easy charm to the lead role, and the supporting cast gives the movie a lot of personality. Paul Bettany is especially memorable as Geoffrey Chaucer, turning what could have been a minor comic-relief role into one of the film’s biggest highlights.
What makes A Knight’s Tale so rewatchable is how confidently it blends genres. It is part sports movie, part romance, part comedy, and part medieval adventure. Rather than feeling confused, it feels alive. It takes a strange idea and fully commits to it.
Critics may have been mixed on the approach, but time has been very kind to this one.
Verdict: A charming, creative, and endlessly rewatchable early-2000s favorite.
8. The Butterfly Effect
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 34%
The Butterfly Effect is not a perfect movie, but it is far more memorable than its reputation suggests.
The concept is strong: a man discovers he can revisit moments from his past and alter the course of his life. But instead of treating that idea like wish fulfillment, the movie turns it into a nightmare. Every attempt to fix one problem creates another, often with devastating consequences.
That is what makes the film effective. It understands that changing the past would not be clean or simple. It would be messy, painful, and unpredictable. The movie leans into that darkness, creating a story that is bleak, unsettling, and hard to shake.
Ashton Kutcher also deserves more credit than he often receives here. At the time, it was easy for people to see him as the wrong fit for a serious psychological thriller, but he brings real desperation to the role. His character feels trapped by the knowledge that he can change things, even though every change seems to make something worse.
The film is heavy-handed at times, and some of its choices are clearly designed for maximum shock value. Still, it has a bold premise and a lasting impact. Plenty of cleaner thrillers from that era have been forgotten. The Butterfly Effect has not.
Verdict: Flawed, dark, and uneven, but far more compelling than critics gave it credit for.
7. Angels in the Outfield
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 31%
Angels in the Outfield is sentimental, corny, and completely sincere.
That may be exactly why it works.
The premise is simple family-movie fantasy: a struggling baseball team receives help from actual angels. It is not subtle, and it is not trying to be. This is a 90s family sports movie built around belief, hope, second chances, and the kind of emotional sincerity that many modern films would probably be too self-conscious to attempt.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt gives the movie its heart, while Danny Glover grounds the story as the frustrated manager of a losing team. Christopher Lloyd brings warmth and humor to the angelic side of the story, and the baseball setting gives the movie an easy underdog structure.
Yes, it is sweet. Yes, it is predictable. But those things are part of its appeal. Angels in the Outfield is not trying to be a gritty sports drama. It is trying to be a feel-good story about a kid who needs something to believe in.
For the audience it was made for, that is more than enough.
Verdict: A sincere family sports movie with more heart than its critical reputation suggests.
6. The Mummy
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 64%
The Mummy has aged into one of the most beloved adventure movies of its era.
That should not be surprising. It has nearly everything you could want from a big, crowd-pleasing adventure film: action, comedy, romance, ancient curses, treasure hunting, horror-lite scares, and a cast that understands the assignment perfectly.
Brendan Fraser is the biggest reason the movie works. His performance as Rick O’Connell has the right mix of toughness, humor, and old-school movie-star charm. Rachel Weisz is just as important, giving Evelyn intelligence, warmth, and comedic timing that makes her far more than a standard love interest. Together, they give the film a romantic-adventure energy that is hard to fake.
The movie also benefits from its tone. It never seems embarrassed to be fun. It embraces the monsters, the jokes, the action, and the pulpy adventure spirit without trying to make everything darker or more serious than it needs to be.
Critics were not universally against The Mummy, but the movie’s reputation among fans has grown far beyond its original critical reception. At this point, it feels less like a guilty pleasure and more like a genuine classic of late-90s adventure filmmaking.
Verdict: One of the most entertaining adventure movies of the 1990s.
5. The Replacements
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 41%
The Replacements is a comfort-food sports movie in the best possible way.
It follows a familiar formula: a group of overlooked misfits gets a second chance, learns to come together, and proves they are capable of more than people expected. There are no major surprises here, but that does not make the movie ineffective. In fact, the familiarity is part of the appeal.
Keanu Reeves brings quiet likability to Shane Falco, a quarterback haunted by past failure. Gene Hackman gives the movie instant credibility as the coach trying to turn a replacement team into something functional. The supporting players add plenty of comedy and personality, making the team feel like a collection of oddballs worth rooting for.
The film works because it understands what audiences want from this kind of story. It is light, funny, uplifting, and easy to watch. It does not reinvent the sports movie, but it uses the formula well.
Critics may have dismissed it as predictable, but predictability is not always a weakness. Sometimes a movie earns its familiar beats by delivering them with charm.
Verdict: A highly rewatchable sports comedy that knows exactly what it is.
4. National Treasure
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 47%
National Treasure is adventure-movie comfort food.
The premise alone is enough to make the movie memorable: Nicolas Cage plays a historian and treasure hunter who decides he has to steal the Declaration of Independence to protect a hidden clue. It is absurd in exactly the right way.
The movie works because it treats its ridiculous concept with just enough seriousness. The clues are fun, the pacing is strong, and the historical mystery gives the story a playful sense of momentum. It feels like a puzzle-box adventure built for audiences who want secret maps, hidden rooms, old documents, and just enough conspiracy to keep things interesting.
Nicolas Cage is also perfectly cast. He brings the right balance of intelligence, intensity, and eccentricity to Benjamin Franklin Gates. Diane Kruger and Justin Bartha help keep the movie light, while Sean Bean provides exactly the kind of polished villain presence the story needs.
National Treasure was never going to be treated like a serious historical thriller, but that was never the point. It is a fun, family-friendly adventure movie with a great hook and a lot of replay value.
Verdict: A smartly packaged adventure film that remains far more entertaining than its reviews suggested.
3. The Cable Guy
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 57%
The Cable Guy may have suffered because audiences expected a very different Jim Carrey movie.
By the mid-90s, Carrey was known for broad, high-energy comedy. Viewers who went into The Cable Guy expecting another purely goofy comedy instead got something darker, stranger, and more uncomfortable. That disconnect likely played a major role in how the movie was received.
Seen now, the film feels ahead of its time.
Carrey’s performance as Chip Douglas is funny, but it is also unsettling. The character is lonely, obsessive, and shaped by a lifetime of television and pop culture. Matthew Broderick works well as the ordinary guy trapped in Chip’s increasingly invasive orbit, and Ben Stiller’s direction gives the movie a darker edge than people may have expected at the time.
What makes The Cable Guy interesting is that it is not just trying to get laughs. It is also about loneliness, media obsession, and the strange ways people try to force connection. That may have felt too uncomfortable for a mainstream comedy in 1996, but it gives the film more staying power today.
It is not Carrey’s most crowd-pleasing movie, but it may be one of his most interesting.
Verdict: A dark comedy that was misunderstood at the time and has aged better than expected.
2. Hook
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 37%
Hook is one of the clearest examples of a movie critics judged harshly while audiences embraced it emotionally.
The film is not flawless. It is long, sentimental, and sometimes uneven in tone. But it also has a sense of wonder that has kept it alive for decades.
Robin Williams plays Peter Banning, a grown-up Peter Pan who has forgotten Neverland, forgotten how to fly, and forgotten the imagination that once defined him. That idea gives the movie a strong emotional foundation. It is not just about returning to a fantasy world. It is about rediscovering joy, reconnecting with family, and remembering who you used to be before adulthood buried it.
Dustin Hoffman’s Captain Hook is theatrical and memorable, while Bob Hoskins makes Smee warm and funny. The Lost Boys give the movie energy, Rufio became iconic for an entire generation, and John Williams’ score adds a sweeping emotional pull.
For many viewers, Hook is not just another Peter Pan adaptation. It is the Peter Pan movie they grew up with. That nostalgia matters, but the movie earns much of it through its themes of imagination, regret, and second chances.
Critics may have focused on the film’s excesses, but audiences connected with its heart.
Verdict: Sentimental, imperfect, and still magical.
1. Armageddon
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 42%
Armageddon is the ultimate example of a movie that critics could easily pick apart but audiences could not stop watching.
It is loud, dramatic, scientifically questionable, emotionally manipulative, and completely excessive. It is also one of the most entertaining disaster movies of its era.
Michael Bay directs the film with maximum intensity. Every speech is bigger than it needs to be. Every explosion is massive. Every emotional beat is pushed as far as possible. The movie combines disaster spectacle, action, romance, comedy, patriotism, and father-daughter drama into one enormous blockbuster package.
On paper, the plot is easy to criticize. A group of oil drillers being trained to go into space and save the world is not exactly grounded realism. But Armageddon is not built on realism. It is built on emotion, spectacle, and momentum.
Bruce Willis gives the movie its emotional center as Harry Stamper, while Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Billy Bob Thornton, Steve Buscemi, and the rest of the ensemble help turn the film into something much more memorable than a standard disaster movie. The cast gives the chaos personality.
The ending is shamelessly sentimental, but it works. The film goes big because that is the only mode it knows, and by the finale, that commitment pays off.
Armageddon may never win over everyone, but as pure popcorn cinema, it is hard to deny its impact.
Verdict: A massive, emotional, ridiculous blockbuster that remains elite entertainment.
Honorable Mentions
These did not make the top 10, but they absolutely belong in the conversation.
Saving Silverman
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 18%
A very specific kind of early-2000s comedy chaos. It is silly, uneven, and not exactly critic-friendly, but Jack Black and Steve Zahn make it much more memorable than it probably should be.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 50%
Jim Carrey’s performance carries the entire movie. It is strange, loud, visually busy, and occasionally unsettling, but it has become a holiday staple for a reason.
Joe Dirt
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 9%
A comedy that works because it fully embraces its ridiculous main character while still giving him a surprising amount of heart.
Event Horizon
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 36%
A grimy, disturbing sci-fi horror movie that has built a much stronger reputation over time. It was not fully appreciated on release, but its cult status makes complete sense now.
Sahara
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 37%
This should have launched a bigger adventure franchise. Matthew McConaughey and Steve Zahn make a strong duo, and the movie has the kind of breezy treasure-hunting energy that is harder to find now.
Not Another Teen Movie
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 32%
A sharper parody than it often gets credit for. It understands teen movie clichés well enough to mock them effectively.
White Chicks
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 15%
Critics were never going to embrace it, but audiences turned it into a heavily quoted comedy favorite.
The Wedding Ringer
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 29%
A solid buddy comedy with better chemistry between Kevin Hart and Josh Gad than many probably expected.
Get Smart
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 51%
A light, enjoyable reboot that deserved more attention. Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway made a surprisingly strong pairing.
Little Nicky
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 21%
One of Adam Sandler’s strangest comedies. It is not for everyone, but its weirdness is exactly why some fans still defend it.
Final Take
Critics are not useless. A good review can add context, highlight flaws, and help audiences discover movies they might have missed.
But critics are not the final word.
Some movies are built for awards. Some are built for technical analysis. Some are built to be studied, debated, and dissected. Others are built to be watched again and again because they are fun, memorable, emotional, strange, quotable,
That is where these movies live. They may be imperfect. They may be excessive. They may not satisfy every critic’s checklist. But they have stayed with audiences, and that matters.
Sometimes a movie does not need to be perfect to be worth defending. Sometimes it just needs to be unforgettable.
Biggest critic miss: Armageddon
Most nostalgic: Hook
Most rewatchable: National Treasure
Best comfort sports movie: The Replacements
Most ahead of its time: The Cable Guy
Movie that deserves even more love: A Knight’s Tale
Now it’s your turn: what movie do you think critics underrated the most?