When the odds are stacked against a motion picture - both creatively and commercially - there's nothing quite as brilliant as when said motion picture defies all expectations and somehow, manages to hit a home run. It rarely happens, of course, because most people tend to guess exactly how good a movie is going to be before it hits the theatres based on the associated trailers and marketing materials. But they don't always get it right. Sometimes a movie that people have been long betting against will emerge victorious - a movie that nobody thought could or would deliver the goods, that somehow ends up being worth both your time and money. And people might have bet against said movie for a whole number of reasons: the fact that it's a sequel, or a remake, or a prequel, because the trailer or advertising campaign wasn't very good, or because it features an unbearable actor. Which brings us to this list. What follows are 10 movies that - to most people's surprise - actually turned out to be a lot better than anybody could have anticipated. Not all of these films are masterpieces, mind, but they all managed to defy expectations in their own ways - enough to earn the right to end up branded under the term "unexpectedly awesome..."
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
