15 Dumb Movies Which Are Secretly Smart
Cinematic "stupidity" at its most intelligent.
First impressions count for a lot, and it's easy to take one look at a movie poster and dismiss the entire film as fundamentally stupid.
Plus, we've all been guilty of watching a movie and only engaging with it on a most basic, superficial level, only to realise years later that it actually boasted a subtle layer of thematic and narrative smarts.
These 15 films, each of them routinely dismissed as stupid, brainless genre films aiming to appeal to the most casual, easily amused audiences, in fact conceal richly subversive qualities just beneath the surface.
From sneaky genre satires dressed up as unpretentious action flicks, to silly comedies that actually have something to say about society at large and even horror films that dare to elevate schlock with socially conscious themes, these movies all defy those damning first impressions.
If you've written any of these movies off, whether from the premise alone or a single viewing, it might be with giving them a revisit with a fresh pair of eyes.
And if nothing else, these films are all proof perfect that no matter how stupid a movie might look, there's always the potential to be pleasantly surprised...