Underrated Movies We Recommend

Below is a list of Now Playing Podcast Approved movies (unanimous recommends) that are underseen, underrated (by fans or critics), or simply overlooked. These are not the top-grossing films of all time, and the Metacritic score is 35 or less.

We disagree.

Find a hidden gem below!

Sort by: Alphabetical Movie Release Date, Newest First Movie Release Date, Oldest First Podcast Review Date, Newest First Podcast Review Date, Oldest First

Brown Arrow

Cats

Memories… all alone at the movies…

Reviewed Dec 24, 2021

A tribe of cats called the Jellicles must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new Jellicle life. Genres: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

Brown Arrow

Catwoman

Once you push play you won't want to push paws.

Reviewed Jul 31, 2012

Liquidated after discovering a corporate conspiracy, mild-mannered graphic artist Patience Phillips washes up on an island, where she's resurrected and endowed with the prowess of a cat — and she's eager to use her new skills... as a vigilante. Before you can say "cat and mouse", handsome gumshoe Tom Lone is on her tail, fascinated by both of her personas. Genres: Action, Crime, Fantasy

Brown Arrow

Chopping Mall

Support our show. It won't cost you an arm and a leg!

Reviewed Oct 14, 2016

High-tech robots equipped with state-of-the-art security devices have been recruited as the new mechanical "night watchmen" for the Park Plaza Mall. When a jolting bolt of lightning short-circuits the main computer control, the robots turn into "killbots" on the loose after unsuspecting shoppers! Genres: Horror, Science Fiction

Brown Arrow

Death Wish 3

This time Kersey tries the subtle approach--with a rocket...

Reviewed Oct 17, 2017

Architect/vigilante Paul Kersey arrives back in New York City and is forcibly recruited by a crooked police chief to fight street crime caused by a large gang terrorizing the neighborhoods. Genres: Action, Crime, Thriller

The Expendables 3

Stop Or My Gramps Will Shoot

Reviewed Sep 22, 2023

Barney, Christmas and the rest of the team comes face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks, who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill… or so he thought. Stonebanks, who eluded death once before, now is making it his mission to end The Expendables -- but Barney has other plans. Barney decides that he has to fight old blood with new blood, and brings in a new era of Expendables team members, recruiting individuals who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy. The latest mission becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise in the Expendables’ most personal battle yet. Genres: Action, Adventure, Thriller

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter

Where's Corey Haim when you need him?

Reviewed Jan 21, 2009

After his revival in a hospital morgue, Jason fixes his vengeful attention on the Jarvis family and a group of hitherto carefree teenagers. Genres: Horror

Brown Arrow

The Garbage Pail Kids Movie

Where a kid can be a bomb

Reviewed Apr 19, 2012

Crude, grotesque, pint-sized aliens known as the Garbage Pail Kids® help a young boy exact revenge on his bullies and win the girl of his dreams. Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Family, Science Fiction

Hellboy

Crimson Prick

Reviewed Apr 23, 2019

Hellboy comes to England, where he must defeat Nimue, Merlin's consort and the Blood Queen. But their battle will bring about the end of the world, a fate he desperately tries to turn away. Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Horror

Hellraiser: Bloodline

In space no one can hear you skinned.

Reviewed Nov 24, 2017

Three generations of the same family deal with the consequences of unleashing the forces of hell. Genres: Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller

Brown Arrow

The Hitcher

If you wanna hear this podcast you gotta donate gas, gras...

Reviewed Sep 30, 2016

On a stormy night, young Jim, who transports a luxury car from Chicago to California to deliver it to its owner, feeling tired and sleepy, picks up a mysterious hitchhiker, who has appeared out of nowhere, thinking that a good conversation will help him not to fall asleep. He will have enough time to deeply regret such an unmeditated decision. Genres: Action, Horror, Thriller

The Human Centipede (First Sequence)

I doubt this is actually 100% Medically Accurate, but I c...

Reviewed May 19, 2010

During a stopover in Germany in the middle of a carefree road trip through Europe, two American girls find themselves alone at night when their car breaks down in the woods. Searching for help at a nearby villa, they are wooed into the clutches of a deranged retired surgeon, who has a very disturbed vision. Genres: Horror

The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence)

You Six Bastard

Reviewed Oct 20, 2011

Inspired by the fictional Dr. Heiter, disturbed loner Martin dreams of creating a 12-person centipede and sets out to realize his sick fantasy. Genres: Crime, Drama, Horror

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday

Hell looks an awful lot like Connecticut

Reviewed Feb 6, 2009

Jason Voorhees is tracked down and blown to bits by a special FBI task force, reborn with the bone-chilling ability to assume the identity of anyone he touches. Genres: Horror, Thriller

Jason Lives – Friday the 13th Part VI

Hey Jason - up your nose with a rubber hose!

Reviewed Jan 28, 2009

Tommy Jarvis, tormented by the fear that maybe Jason isn't really dead, unwittingly resurrects the mass murderer for another bloody rampage. Genres: Horror, Thriller

Brown Arrow

Madame Web

Insects & The City

Reviewed Feb 20, 2024

Forced to confront revelations about her past, paramedic Cassandra Webb forges a relationship with three young women destined for powerful futures...if they can all survive a deadly present. Genres: Action, Fantasy

Maniac

He's a Maniac, Maniac that's for sure! And he'll kill you...

Reviewed Dec 2, 2014

A psychotic man, troubled by his childhood abuse, kills and mutilates young women and local models on the streets of New York City. Genres: Horror

Resident Evil

And you thought YOUR office management policies were harsh..

Reviewed Dec 27, 2016

When a virus leaks from a top-secret facility, turning all resident researchers into ravenous zombies and their lab animals into mutated hounds from hell, the government sends in an elite military task force to contain the outbreak. Genres: Action, Horror, Science Fiction

Brown Arrow

The Room

We got the results of the test back. We definitely have a...

Reviewed Dec 26, 2017

Johnny is a successful banker with great respect for and dedication to the people in his life, especially his future wife Lisa. The happy-go-lucky guy sees his world being torn apart when his friends begin to betray him one-by-one. Genres: Drama, Romance

Brown Arrow

Showgirls

Saved By The Pole

Reviewed Mar 14, 2025

Fresh to Las Vegas with no connections, Nomi Malone takes a job as an exotic dancer. Her talents are quickly noticed by Cristal, a headlining dancer who senses an opportunity to bolster her own act. But Nomi won’t play second fiddle and soon begins her venomous path to the top, ruthlessly backstabbing anyone who gets in her way. Genres: Drama

Brown Arrow

Troll

The REAL origin of Harry Potter!

Reviewed Aug 20, 2014

When a family moves into a San Francisco apartment, an opportunistic troll decides to make his move and take possession of little Wendy, thereby paving the way for new troll recruits, the first in his army that will take eventual control of the planet. We soon discover Torok is the ex-husband of Eunice St. Clair, a resident in the building who was married to Torok. Genres: Fantasy, Horror

Brown Arrow

Vampire’s Kiss

The “Lost It” Boy

Reviewed Apr 14, 2023

A publishing executive is visited and bitten by a vampire and starts exhibiting erratic behavior. He pushes his secretary to extremes as he tries to come to terms with his affliction. Genres: Comedy, Fantasy, Horror

Want to find 125 more movies you probably haven’t seen, but you should?

Now Playing Podcast’s book, Underrated Movies We Recommend, has 375 reviews of 125 movies! (Like our show, each movie has 3 reviews). These movies are picks from our hosts that are underseen, underrated, or forgotten gems. From After Hours to Zero Effect, get this hardcover, fully illustrated book now!