It’s a popular opinion that most Oscar-winning movies are a little too highbrow for mainstream audiences.

Commonly referred to as “Oscar bait,” these types of movies are made for one specific audience: Academy Award voters. Birdman and Dances with Wolves are excellent modern examples of movies that won big on Hollywood’s biggest night, but have fallen out of popular culture, making us wonder if they were any good to begin with.

Having said that, not every Oscar-winning film falls into this category. You might be surprised at how many of these award-winning movies are actually worth watching.

The Departed

Awards won: 4, including Best Picture.

It’s a testament to The Departed‘s legacy that the movie holds up well today.

There’s so much glitz and glamour in the cast, along with quick and sharp editing, that I was concerned it would feel outdated by today’s standards. Thankfully, it’s still an incredible film that finally helped Scorsese win his Oscar.

Jurassic Park

Awards won: 3, including Best Visual Effects.

At first, I was surprised that Jurassic Park didn’t see a single nomination for the big Academy Awards. Then I realized another Steven Spielberg film had a big night: Schindler’s List, winner of seven Academy Awards.

I still maintain that Jurassic Park was the best movie of 1993. It’s certainly the most iconic and the one that is still talked about the most today.

The Lord of the Rings

Awards won: 17 across all three films.

I’m throwing all three Lord of the Rings movies on here because, let’s be honest, why would you only watch one of them?

It’s an annual rewatch for myself and many fans; these movies are as good as advertised and seem to get better every year. The gold standard of fantasy.

Follow us on MSN for more of the content you love.

L.A. Confidential

Awards won: 2, including Best Supporting Actress.

In any other year, L.A. Confidential would have won big at the Academy Awards. Unfortunately, it was going up against a little known James Cameron movie called Titanic.

L.A. Confidential is everything you want from a modern way noir-thriller, leaning in big to the Golden Age of Hollywood but still focusing on an engaging narrative with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing.

Network

Awards won: 4, including Best Actor.

Network nearly swept all of the acting Oscars at the 49th Academy Awards, winning all but Best Supporting Actor (Ned Beatty lost to Jason Robards in All the President’s Men).

To give you the idea of the competition it was up against, Peter Finch beat out Sylvester Stallone (Rocky) and Robert De Niro (Taxi Driver) for Best Actor.

Wall Street

Awards won: 2, including Best Actor.

Say what you want about the 2010 sequel nobody asked for, the original 1987 Wall Street is one of Oliver Stone’s best.

Michael Douglas deserved every single award he won that season, and boy, he sure won a lot.

Pulp Fiction

Awards won: 1, Best Original Screenplay.

I love Forrest Gump, and I’ll be talking about it later on, but who are we kidding, this was one of 1994’s best films (though Shawkshank Redemption would like a word), as well as some of the best directing and acting you’ll ever see.

I’m not sure how this won a measly one Oscar, and I’ll never be happy about it.

The Silence of the Lambs

Awards won: 5, including Best Picture.

The Silence of the Lambs won all of the “big” awards (Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Screenplay), and it’s all deserved.

It’s as chilling today as it was thirty years ago, backed by powerhouse performances by its two leads, Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster.

The Godfather Part II

Awards won: 6, including Best Picture.

The first sequel to win Best Picture was well deserved.

It may not receive the nod over the original Godfather movie in the eyes of many, but there’s no denying that The Godfather Part II remains a masterpiece today.

Forrest Gump

Awards won: 4, including Best Picture.

Did Forrest Gump deserve to win its Academy Awards? Probably not, as I already mentioned, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad movie.

Films like this have a tendency to age poorly, but there’s something endearing about Forrest Gump that has helped make it a timeless classic I still love to watch today.

No Country for Old Men

Awards won: 4, including Best Picture.

The Academy got this one right: No Country for Old Men remains the best Coen Brothers movie to date. Yes, better than The Big Lebowski.

Javier Bardem’s screen presence as Anton Chigurh is one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen in movie history.

Unforgiven

Awards won: 4, including Best Picture.

It’s only fitting that Clint Eastwood of all people would be responsible for the Western revival in the early 1990s.

Say what you want about Dances with Wolves, this is a far better movie that, like Tombstone, still holds up exceptionally well.

Spotlight

Awards won: 2, including Best Picture.

There’s just something about movies based on a true story. Yes, Hollywood has a tendency to fluff them up a little for the viewer (which does happen here, mind you), but the core narrative of Spotlight remains unchanged.

Yes, the ensemble cast does an excellent job of selling the urgency of the Boston Globe’s story about abuse in the Catholic Church, but it’s also so well written and edited that you’re on the edge of your seat the entire time.

Almost Famous

Awards won: 1, Best Original Screenplay.

As much as I enjoyed Gladiator and Roman History in general, I have a bone to pick with the 73rd Academy Awards. Was it the best movie of the year? No, but it seemed to hit all the right notes with Academy voters.

Meanwhile, at home, there’s still a lot to love about Cameron Crowe’s semi-autobiographical comedy drama. It may have bombed at the box office, but it’s rightfully become a cult classic over the years.

The Dark Knight

Awards won: 2, including Best Supporting Actor.

Heath Ledger’s Oscar was the lock of the century, not due to his unfortunate and tragic death, but his unforgettable performance. What’s even more impressive is that Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed comic book movie transcends the genre, rivaling that of the best crime movie in history.

I was scared it wouldn’t hold up well today, but thankfully, it does, especially in a world of MCU fatigue.

Little Miss Sunshine

Awards won: 2, including Best Supporting Actor.

Don’t let the impressive cast fool you; Little Miss Sunshine is the indie film that helped make indie films mainstream.

Writer Michael Arndt used his success to write some of the biggest movies in the 2010s, including Toy Story 3 and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Awards won: 5, including Best Art Direction.

Quick, name the movie that won the most Academy Awards in 1982. That’s right, it’s Raiders of the Lost Ark. Now name that year’s Best Picture. Not so easy now, is it?

Yes, technically Raiders won quite a bunch of “technical” awards, but come on, this movie is magic.

Follow us on MSN for more of the content you love.