It’s always nice when a movie with no expectations comes out of nowhere to impress audiences.
Whether you’re at the theaters or checking something out on streaming services, you sit down before the movie begins, just hopeful for any type of entertainment. By the time the credits roll, you’ve been blown away.
Sometimes it’s due to poor marketing for a movie, making it feel generic. Other times, you’ve checked out on the lead actor, only to realize they’re capable of delivering a great performance.
There’s certainly a wide variety of reasons these films can impress us from nowhere; let’s give them the flowers they deserve.
Hot Fuzz
Rogue Pictures
Shaun of the Dead is a great British comedy that is far more than a simple parody of the zombie genre, but many people, myself included, expected it to be a flash in the pan.
Director Edgar Wright followed it up with Hot Fuzz, which is a homage to classic action movies. It’s also the perfect comedy and easily his best movie.
We just wanted it to be as good as Shaun of the Dead. Instead, we got an all-time classic.
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil
Here’s an example of a movie poster making a film look worse than it is.
On the surface, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil looks like a generic horror film that seemed better suited for a straight-to-video release.
In reality, it’s an incredibly funny comedy that’s found a devoted following that knows not to take itself too seriously.
Palm Springs
Speaking of straight-to-video, Palm Springs was a straight-to-streaming release on Hulu. As such, expectations were, well, non-existent.
Hulu purchased the distribution rights to the film following its premiere at Sundance. If the COVID-19 pandemic weren’t a thing, I truly believe this would have had a proper theatrical release.
Sure, the streaming wars continue to ramp up, and we’re seeing more services deliver quality movies that skip theaters, but this was five years ago. Most of the direct-to-streaming movies were, well, bad.
Palm Springs is an incredible modern-day Groundhog Day that exceeded every expectation I had.
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Hot Rod
Before Andy Samberg impressed us in Palm Springs, there was Hot Rod.
On the surface, this feels like yet another generic comedy with a Saturday Night Live star making their big-screen debut.
Instead, it’s a surprisingly witty, off-beat comedy that has continued to age like wine.
Zoolander
Speaking of generic comedies, you wouldn’t be the only person who thought that the gimmick of Zoolander (Ben Stiller playing a dumb model) would quickly wear thin.
Instead, this movie is so over-the-top that it just works.
Kudos to David Duchovny for delivering one of the best ad-libs in movie history.
Tropic Thunder
Take everything I just said about Zoolander and ramp it up to 11.
Tropic Thunder‘s marketing did it dirty. This movie looked forgettable, Jack Black wasn’t quite the household name he is now, and Robert Downey Jr.’s resurgence wasn’t in full effect.
The one thing the marketing did well, though, was hiding the fake trailers. Oh, and Tom Cruise’s character was a very pleasant surprise.
The Nice Guys
This movie deserves so much better.
The chemistry between Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe. It’s a truly unique movie, especially during an age when it feels like most films are formulaic and part of a franchise.
Its only issue is failing to deliver any legitimate marketing hype or buzz, and as a result, most people dismiss the movie as disappointing. Don’t be like them; go watch this movie.
Edge of Tomorrow
Tom Cruise’s filmography in the 2010s, outside of the Mission: Impossible franchise, is generally forgettable.
You wouldn’t be the only person who expected the same thing from Edge of Tomorrow, especially since it looked a lot like Oblivion, which came out the year prior.
That couldn’t be further from the truth; Edge of Tomorrow is one of the smartest action movies ever made.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
“Why the heck are they making a sequel to Jumanji?” you probably asked in 2017. You wouldn’t be the only person.
This movie screamed, “We’re out of ideas, so let’s just bring together a bunch of A-list actors and make Jumanji a video game movie.”
It turns out that was a pretty good idea.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Speaking of movies based on a game that were already made, I’m pretty sure nobody was asking for a new Dungeons & Dragons movie after the disaster that was the 2000 adaptation (which somehow saw two sequels?!)
Yet I’m sure the pitch meeting went like this: “Hey, that Jumanji movie did well. What else can we do as a comedy? I hear people like D&D, let’s do that!”
Turns out that was another million-dollar idea; Honor Among Thieves is one of the best movies of the 2020s.
This is why I’m not a producer, folks.
Game Night
For some reason, the stereotypical comedy has not translated well into the modern era of movies.
Maybe it’s because tastes have changed. Whatever the reason is, it’s a shame, but it means that every now and then, a movie comes out of nowhere to surprise us.
In 2018, that movie was the comedy Game Night, which features one of the best questions in movie history:
“How can that be profitable for Frito-Lay?”
Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
The Coen Brothers had seen success by the time Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? was released in 2000, thanks to The Big Lebowski, Fargo, and Raising Arizona, but I wouldn’t have said they were household names.
So when they made a musical taking place in 1930s rural Mississippi, yeah, there were plenty of skeptics out there.
If there’s one thing we learned in 2000, it’s that the Y2K virus was completely overblown.
Oh, and that we should always trust the Coen Brothers.
Guardians of the Galaxy
This seems silly to say, given the star power of its cast and crew, but here’s where things stood in 2014.
Chris Pratt was just “the awkward guy” from Parks and Rec. Dave Bautista was still a WWE wrestler who wasn’t liked by the WWE fanbase. James Gunn’s filmography was fine, nothing more, nothing less.
Oh, and as popular as the Marvel Cinematic Universe was following the success of The Avengers, this was a movie with a talking raccoon and a giant tree that only said “I am Groot.”
It’s also one of the best MCU movies ever made.
Knives Out
Two years before the release of Knives Out, Rian Johnson was best known for writing and directing one of the most controversial Star Wars movies ever made: The Last Jedi.
First and foremost, it’s a great movie, shut up. Secondly, Johnson had flexed his creativity with the slick 2012 action movie Looper.
Still, there was serious doubt about Johnson’s ability, but 2019’s Knives Out, one of the most intelligent, clever, and engaging movies of the 2010s, proved all the doubters wrong.
The Shawshank Redemption
That’s right.
One of the greatest movies ever made had virtually zero expectations upon it.
I mean, honestly, look at the title. What the heck does that even mean? Oh, and Stephen King’s name wasn’t attached to most of the advertising. Why would you see this when you could have seen Forrest Gump or Pulp Fiction?
Thankfully, over time, audiences wisened up to how incredible this movie is.
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