10 Most Underrated Movies Of 2017 (So Far)

"Underrated" is a word that gets thrown around a lot these days. Usually, it's at the whim of somebody desperate to let the world know that they thought a particularly hated upon movie was worth a lot more than the critics and general audiences gave it credit for - that they've seen something in it that others supposedly haven't.

In the age of Rotten Tomatoes scores, most people tend to decide on whether to watch something on the basis that it reaches a score of at least 60% or above, after all. Anything less than that appears to suggest a picture that isn't worth your time.

But it is important to remember that critical opinion and audience opinion are two very different beasts and that a solid movie can find itself undervalued if the majority of critics overlooked certain aspects of a film's appeal. Most critics only view a film once, after all, which means that the subtleties of a picture can find themselves lost - especially if the movie in question was never made with the critics in mind.

What follows is a round-up of the most underrated movies of the year (so far), all of which have rotten scores on Rotten Tomatoes. These films are not by any definition masterpieces, and in most cases it's quite clear why mainstream critics didn't like them. That said, these are also pictures with hidden depths, qualities that seem to have gone over the heads of the majority of folk who sat down to watch them.

In other words, if you've avoided these movies for any reason in 2017, reassess your position. They each have a lot to offer the curious movie-goer...

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 45%

It's difficult to argue the case that, for any reason, we needed a Ghost in the Shell remake - especially one helmed by Rupert Sanders, the filmmaker behind Snow White and the Huntsman. The movie, of course, was met with middling to poor reviews across the board - it's sitting with a measly 45% on Rotten Tomatoes.

But surely we should be celebrating the fact that Ghost in the Shell, for all intents and purposes, wasn't a disaster by any means? In fact, it's actually an engaging, visually impressive and - at points - kick-ass blockbuster. One can imagine that, had the movie not been based on any previous material, it might have found itself lauded as something akin to Lucy, another sci-fi action flick starring Scarlett Johansson.

As a remake, after all, Ghost in the Shell leaves a lot to be desired: it can't match the intelligence of the original anime. But separated from its origins, there's so much to like about the movie: there's a real beauty to it, to the world rendered on screen, and to Johansson's enigmatic lead performance - one cannot imagine anyone else managing the difficult task of playing an android in the way that she does.

Strange and sad, Ghost in the Shell emanates an odd power. It's a shame it didn't fare better at the box office, because it plays out like a wonderful, dreamy origin story to what could have become a genuinely great franchise. Now we're over the disappointment, it's time to look at everything that went right with this picture.