10 Most Underrated Movies Of 2016 (So Far)

It's hard to escape the feeling that - so far - 2016 has emerged as a particularly cruel year with regards to film reviews; more than ever, the negative notices are piling up, many of them coated with a distain for the state of cinema itself. It almost feels like big films are being automatically shunned on the basis of their size.

We've reached a point where many movie fans have no choice but to ask themselves... are the critics being way too harsh? What is it about 2016's releases that has them so irked, exactly? And most importantly... are they wrong?

Critical aggregator sites like Rotten Tomatoes or Metacritic have become somewhat indispensable to movie-goers in their attempts to decide what to see, but these sites don't always take into account the difference between critical taste and audience taste; a very watchable film can very easily find itself written off completely because the critical body failed to realise some of its more subtle qualities, or they simply weren't the target audience in the first place.

Don't get me wrong: the following films aren't "classics" and, in some cases, the mixed response is understandable (each to their own, right?). The single trait that these 10 pictures share, however, is that - in one way or another - they were undervalued while in cinemas. If the critical opinion caused you to avoid any of these flicks in 2016, reconsider your position: they all have something to offer curious movie fans...

Anyone who hasn't seen How To Be Single probably assumes that it's the same old tepid rom-com schlock; the kind of film that disgruntled boyfriends the world over ended up being dragged to against their wishes.

And that's not really a fair summary - it's a somewhat formulaic and yet impressively progressive picture that doesn't exactly break the mould, but offers up a unique perspective on a well-worn subject. Here's a rom-com in which the message isn't "You need to be a boyfriend to be happy," but the very opposite; the characters are given free reign to enjoy their singledom and relationships are painted as an option, not the judge of a woman's merit.

True, much of How to Be Single is by-the-numbers stuff, but it's also rather entertaining by-the-numbers stuff fronted by two likeable main characters, played by Dakota Johnson and Rebel Wilson, who are both incredibly easy to root for.

If you decided to write this film it off on the basis of its plot alone, you might be surprised that so many of the critics missed the inherently refreshing nature of this rom-com - one that walks its own alternate path. No, it won't change your life, but it'll keep you interested and entertained for all 110 of its breezy minutes.