The modern day movie marketing machine has done nothing but set us up for disappointment. There are some exceptions, but for the most part, it feels like nothing can match the hype and expectations from the films of our past.
Imagine our surprise, then, when a movie comes along that blows us away despite having a complete lack of expectations. These are the films that surprised us, but in a good way.
Galaxy Quest
By the late 1990s, the Star Trek movie franchise had become a shadow of its former self. Enter 1999’s Galaxy Quest, which isn’t an official Star Trek movie, per se, but shares a lot of the same DNA as the iconic sci-fi franchise.
What felt like a cheap cash-in on nostalgia turned out to be an excellent comedy adventure that’s well worth the price of admission.
The Matrix
It’s probably for the best that The Matrix was released before the dawn of social media. Having a subtle, simple marketing campaign centered around “What is the Matrix?” versus an endless onslaught of clips helped pique our curiosity for the film.
It was still a gamble, given the fact that Keanu Reeves hadn’t established himself as a genuine lead actor at the time, but it’s one that paid off.
Iron Man
In hindsight, this seems incredibly silly. Iron Man launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe and helped it become the behemoth that it is today.
Back in the 2000s, though, there weren’t that many good comic book movies. Plus, Robert Downey Jr. was still viewed as a relapsed actor, and the Iron Man character was nowhere near as popular as some of Marvel’s other properties.
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Guardians of the Galaxy
By the time we reached the mid-2010s, Marvel had indeed established themselves as a movie juggernaut, but 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy was still a huge risk.
Not only were we diving deep into Marvel’s library of relatively unknown heroes, but the weird guy from Parks and Recreation was starring, alongside a WWE wrestler. Ironically, Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is one of, if not the, best MCU movie of the past few years.
Pirates of the Caribbean
Okay, so maybe the people at Walt Disney have an idea of what they’re doing.
Having said that, the company isn’t perfect. Following the Disney renaissance of the 1990s, people wondered if the magic was wearing off in the early 2000s. One notable example was Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, a movie based on a Magic Kingdom ride. Surely, that’s a dumb idea, right? Oh, how wrong we were.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Having just praised Disney, their track record with the Star Wars franchise has been less than stellar. The sequel trilogy is hit or miss, though the third movie is generally regarded as a disaster, and the same can be said for the Disney+ shows.
One good thing to come from the Disney Star Wars universe, though, was Rogue One. Yes, everyone remembers the iconic Darth Vader showdown, but the entire movie does an excellent job combining Star Wars magic with excellent storytelling. Plus, it helped to give us Andor.
Bullet Train
You’d be surprised by the number of films that are let down by their marketing campaigns. Bullet Train is a perfect example, featuring a generic poster and a lackluster hype cycle.
In reality, the movie, featuring an ensemble cast led by Brad Pitt, feels like a hybrid between Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie. It’s stylish, well-written, action-packed, and an absolute blast from start to finish.
Titanic
James Cameron’s Titanic wasn’t the first film made about the iconic ship. It’s not the last, either. However, it’s certainly the best.
The winner of an impressive 11 Academy Awards, Titanic was able to overcome an endless number of production issues. All we heard about leading up to release was how expensive the movie had become. Don’t worry, producers; you made your money back and then some.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
If there’s one thing to take away from the late 2010s era of movie making, it’s that this was when it felt like people were running out of ideas.
You’re telling me that we’re doing a sequel to Jumanji, which came out in the ’90s, by the way, with The Rock, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillian? There’s no chance I’d ever guess that it would come anywhere close to making a billion dollars at the box office.
The Cabin in the Woods
Say what you want about Joss Whedon, but he knew what he was doing with The Cabin in the Woods.
The film does an excellent job playing on our expectations of being a ho-hum, run-of-the-mill horror movie before turning itself on its head and delivering an iconic twist.
Happy Death Day
Speaking of horror movies, Happy Death Day is an excellent guilty pleasure of mine.
The “Groundhog Day” effect isn’t new, and it could have easily been a lazy plot device here, but the writing does a lot of work to stand out from other slasher movies of the modern era. It’s some of the most fun I’ve had with the genre since the original Scream.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
There was once a time when Shrek ruled the animated world. That time was back in the early 2000s, though.
We already got a middling stand-alone Puss in Boots movie in 2011, so it’s safe to say that no one was clamoring for a sequel a decade later. Imagine our shock when The Last Wish is filled with so much humor and creativity that it made us remember why we fell in love with Shrek 20 years ago.
Taken
The Liam Neeson action thriller was dumped in the graveyard of movie releases, with the only advertising I remember being the iconic speech.
I didn’t expect much of anything other than some mindless fun. What I got was an incredible thrill ride from start to finish that helped spawn an entire franchise, as well as arguably inspiring John Wick.
22 Jump Street
Honestly, you could put either one of the Jump Street movies in this spot. The original, 21 Jump Street, does a great job of being in on the joke.
Nobody asked for a sequel, though. There’s no way they could capture lightning in a bottle twice, right? Well, they certainly did, and now I’m sitting here waiting for them to make 23 Jump Street.
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