One of the greatest things about movies is that they always have the potential to surprise. Hundreds of movies are released every year, each garnering different levels of excitement among filmgoers. High expectations, however, can lead to greater disappointment. On the flip side of that coin, few viewing experiences are as rewarding as low expectations being shattered by a surprising and above-average product.
It’s one of the few cases where it feels good to be wrong—going into a movie expecting to be underwhelmed yet leaving pleasantly surprised and satisfied. Whether it be poor marketing or general wariness surrounding a remake or sequel, this list will cover a selection of movies that turned out to be better than anybody could have expected. They might not be perfect, although some come quite close, but they were far superior than anyone could’ve dared guess.
10 ’10 Cloverfield Lane’ (2016)
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg
After a car accident that left her unconscious, Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) wakes up in an underground bunker. Her savior, Howard (John Goodman), insists that the world outside as they know it has ended and the bunker is the safest place to be. Michelle is naturally skeptical, but questions concerning both Howard and the state of the outside world reveal harrowing truths.
10 Cloverfield Lane is a tight, brilliantly acted, and visceral genre blend that is patient to show its hand. What on the surface seemed to be an uninspired spin-off of Matt Reeve‘s modern monster classic Cloverfield revealed itself to be not only one of the biggest surprises of the year but one of 2016’s best thrillers. 10 Cloverfield Lane keeps palms sweating, pulses pounding, and minds racing as it weaves a clever web of mystery in engaging ways.
- Release Date
- March 10, 2016
- Runtime
- 103 Minutes
- Writers
- Josh Campbell , Matthew Stuecken , Damien Chazelle
9 ‘John Wick’ (2014)
Directed by Chad Stahelski
Retired assassin John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is grieving the tragic loss of his wife. Just when he thought he had lost everything he cared about, Russian goons break into his house, steal his prized Mustang, and kill the puppy left by Wick’s wife as a dying gift. Unbeknownst to the mob-affiliated miscreants, Wick is a force of nature not so easily stopped when he has absolutely nothing to lose.
A modern classic that’s more influential than most give it credit for, John Wick is a masterwork of stylish action filmmaking and possibly the definitive entry into the one-man-army subgenre that’s now more popular than ever. Based only on its promotional materials, not many could have imagined a simplistic action movie launching such a massive franchise. Nowadays, John Wick is regarded as a benchmark genre flick, establishing Reeves’ titular character as a modern pop culture icon.
- Release Date
- October 24, 2014
- Runtime
- 101 Minutes
- Writers
- Derek Kolstad
8 ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ (2022)
Directed by Joseph Kosinski
In this follow-up to Top Gun, Capt. Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell (Tom Cruise), an ace pilot and hotshot personality, is tasked with training a young class of elite fighter pilots for a top-secret operation. Maverick proves to be a far more capable pilot than a teacher; his situation is made all the more complicated when the son of his deceased best friend (Miles Teller) is eager to fly in the squadron.
Top Gun: Maverick is the very definition of a crowdpleaser. While the original is a suitably stylish and fun slice of ’80s cheese, this sequel far exceeded expectations and delivered one of the most entertaining and commercially successful blockbusters ever made. Cruise continued to prove that he is Hollywood’s leading man — his strict insistence on practical effects for the flight sequences made the sense of danger palpable and further elevated the fantastic action. Not only was Top Gun: Maverick a wholly satisfying thrill ride, but it also reinvigorated the theatergoing experience and proved that people are still willing to show up to the movies when they’re this good.
- Release Date
- May 27, 2022
- Cast
- Tom Cruise , Miles Teller , Jennifer Connelly , Val Kilmer , Jay Ellis , Jon Hamm , Bashir Salahuddin , Charles Parnell , Lewis Pullman , Glen Powell , Monica Barbaro , Ed Harris
- Runtime
- 130 Minutes
- Writers
- Ashley Miller , Justin Marks , Peter Craig , Zack Stentz
7 ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ (2022)
Directed by Joel Crawford & Januel Mercado
Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) has lived a long life filled with adventure and heroism. Unfortunately for him, however, he can only continue to defy death for so long before the last of his nine lives is spent. Pursued by a ruthless wolf (Wagner Moura), Puss in Boots sets off on a quest to find a means to restore his eight lost lives.
As a follow-up to the rather forgettable Puss in Boots, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is not only a vast improvement over its predecessor but an incredible achievement in animation. Exciting, clever and visually inspired, this is a sequel that takes imaginative risks, providing one of the finest animated movies of the decade in the process. Nobody could have ever predicted that Puss in Boots: The Last Wish would be as good as it was—now, cinemagoers are eager to see where they take this story from here.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
- Release Date
- December 21, 2022
- Runtime
- 102 minutes
- Writers
- Paul Fisher
6 ‘The Cabin in the Woods’ (2011)
Directed by Drew Goddard
Five young adult friends head to a remote cabin for a weekend of partying and general teenage debauchery. Soon enough, they discover that the cabin has a basement cellar containing bizarre artifacts and relics. Little do they know, they are awakening evil forces that won’t be so easily vanquished.
The Cabin in the Woods is a movie best experienced with as little context as possible—this is an ode to horror cinema full of brilliant and absurdly entertaining twists and turns. The Cabin in the Woods reveals a bittersweet truth: it’s nearly impossible for a movie to maintain an aura of mystery in this age of social media and discourse. That, of course, made it feel all the more special, and for those who somehow haven’t gotten around to giving this movie a watch, it’s a delectable, blood-soaked treat.
- Release Date
- April 13, 2012
- Runtime
- 95 minutes
- Writers
- Drew Goddard , Joss Whedon
5 ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ (2014)
Directed by Doug Liman
An advanced and incredibly hostile alien race has waged war with Earth. With their technology being far superior, humankind is all but hopeless in the fight against them. When desk officer Major William Cage (Tom Cruise) is thrown into combat against his will, he makes a discovery that will change the course of the war: the alien invaders possess the ability to manipulate time to their will. With this discovery, Cage reinvigorates an all-but-defeated military effort against a relentless enemy.
Few sci-fi action movies are more entertaining than Edge of Tomorrow. Immaculately paced, imaginative and chock-full of thrills, every element of Edge of Tomorrow comes together to form a near-perfect crowdpleaser that is sure to satisfy. While Cruise is an actor whose name is often associated with quality movies, this remarkable sci-fi offering is especially absorbing entertainment that seemingly came out of nowhere. Luckily, Edge of Tomorrow is apparently returning for a sequel, meaning there’s much more here to explore.
- Release Date
- June 6, 2014
- Cast
- Tom Cruise , Emily Blunt , Bill Paxton , Brendan Gleeson , Noah Taylor , Kick Gurry , Dragomir Mrsic , Charlotte Riley , Jonas Armstrong , Franz Drameh , Masayoshi Haneda , Tony Way
- Runtime
- 1h 53m
4 ‘Saw’ (2004)
Directed by James Wan
Adam (Leigh Whannell) and Dr. Gordon (Cary Elwes) awake in a dilapidated bathroom with no recollection of how they ended up there. A dead body lays between them, and even worse, they’re both chained by the ankle. Unbeknownst to them, they are the latest contestants in a game of life or death constructed by a mastermind killer known as Jigsaw.
With a production budget just north of a million USD and novice director James Wan at the helm, it’s safe to say that little was expected from Saw. Thankfully for horror fans everywhere, Saw is a masterful genre movie that greatly helped to establish independent horror efforts as real competitors. The influence of Saw cannot be understated, and while it has since spawned a plethora of sequels, none can hold a candle to the quality or atmosphere of the original.
- Release Date
- October 1, 2004
- Runtime
- 103 Minutes
- Writers
- Leigh Whannell
3 ‘The Lego Movie’ (2014)
Directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller
Set in a world of LEGO, happy-go-lucky construction worker Emmett (Chris Pratt) leads a completely normal existence. Behind the scenes, President Business (Will Ferrell) hatches an evil scheme in his pursuit of ruling the LEGO universe. It’s up to Emmett, the unlikely master builder, to assemble a force of allies and embark on a perilous journey.
Leading up to its release, it was hard to imagine The Lego Movie being anything other than an advertisement aimed at children. Thankfully, to just about everybody’s surprise, The Lego Movie is one of the most charming and inventive works of animation in recent memory. A vibrant and expressive family affair, directors Lord and Miller captured lightning in a bottle with The Lego Movie, a stroke of creative genius that’s truly special and unlikely to ever be replicated to the same effect.
- Release Date
- February 7, 2014
- Cast
- Chris Pratt , Alison Brie , Channing Tatum , Nick Offerman , Liam Neeson , Will Ferrell , Cobie Smulders , Elizabeth Banks , Will Arnett , Charlie Day , Jonah Hill
- Runtime
- 100 Minutes
- Writers
- Dan Hageman , Kevin Hageman , Phil Lord , Chris Miller
2 ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl’ (2003)
Directed by Gore Verbinski
Set in a period when pirates scoured the seas of the tropics in search of treasures, blacksmith Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and unconventional pirate Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) team up to rescue the Governor’s daughter, Elizabeth Swan (Keira Knightley), from the clutches of feared pirate Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush). Victim of a curse that renders him a walking corpse, Barbossa seeks lost Aztec gold as a means to lift the spell, with Turner and Sparrow in pursuit.
Adapted from a script developed for a Disney theme park ride, the inspiration behind The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is certainly one of cinema’s strangest. Regardless, this first entry to the now massively successful franchise is a rollicking, expertly crafted adventure that stands as one of the best of the 21st century. The humor, action and atmosphere all come together to form a supremely satisfying and entertaining hole, bolstered by spectacular performances from everyone involved.
- Release Date
- July 9, 2003
- Runtime
- 143 Minutes
- Writers
- Ted Elliott , Terry Rossio , Stuart Beattie , Jay Wolpert
1 ‘Dredd’ (2012)
Directed by Pete Travis
Grossly overpopulated and teeming with violence, Mega-City One is an East Coast population center and criminal playground where savagery is a common occurrence. Left to clean up the mess are elite law enforcement officers known as Judges. When veteran Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) aims his sights on the notoriously ruthless drug kingpin Ma-Ma (Lena Headey), she traps both Dredd and his recruit Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) in a 200-floor highrise overrun with armed offenders.
Before Dredd, the last audiences saw the titular crime-fighting officer was in 1995, with Sylvester Stallone donning the iconic helmet. While 1995’s Judge Dredd is far from the worst action movie of the ’90s, there was always the potential for Dredd to be truly great. Enter Dredd: an uncompromised blending of cyberpunk esthetics and fierce violence that skimps on the fat and serves grit in bulk. It’s truly a shame that Dredd‘s considerable legacy lives in the shadow of its financial failure, but for action buffs, it is one of last decade’s must-watch efforts.
- Release Date
- September 21, 2012
- Cast
- Karl Urban , Rachel Wood , Andile Mngadi , Porteus Xandau Steenkamp , Jason Cope , Emma Breschi
- Runtime
- 95 minutes
- Writers
- Alex Garland
