Best 2000's, Best Movies, Best Year-End

The Best Underrated Movies From The 2000s

“What are the best Underrated 2000s Movies?” We looked at 236 of the top Underrated 2000s films, aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!

The top 30 films, all appearing on 2 or more “Best Underrated 2000s” movie lists, are ranked below by how many times they appear. The remaining 200+ movies, as well as the sources we used, are in alphabetical order on the bottom of the page.

Happy Scrolling!



Top 30 Best Underrated 2000s Movies Ever Made



30 .) Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) directed by Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise

Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Den Of Geek
  • The Richest

The world’s most highly qualified crew of archaeologists and explorers is led by historian Milo Thatch as they board the incredible 1,000-foot submarine Ulysses and head deep into the mysteries of the sea. The underwater expedition takes an unexpected turn when the team’s mission must switch from exploring Atlantis to protecting it.



29 .) Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002) directed by George Clooney

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Den Of Geek
  • Watch Mojo

Television made him famous, but his biggest hits happened off screen. Television producer by day, CIA assassin by night, Chuck Barris was recruited by the CIA at the height of his TV career and trained to become a covert operative. Or so Barris said.



28 .) Gone Baby Gone (2007) directed by Ben Affleck

Gone Baby Gone (2007)

Lists It Appears On:

  • IMDB
  • The Richest

When 4 year old Amanda McCready disappears from her home and the police make little headway in solving the case, the girl’s aunt, Beatrice McCready hires two private detectives, Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro. The detectives freely admit that they have little experience with this type of case, but the family wants them for two reasons – they’re not cops and they know the tough neighborhood in which they all live. As the case progresses, Kenzie and Gennaro face drug dealers, gangs and pedophiles. When they are about to solve the case, they are faced with a moral dilemma that tears them apart. ×



27 .) Grandma’s Boy (2006) directed by Nicholaus Goossen

Grandma’s Boy (2006)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Hidden Remote
  • Thought Catalog

Even though he’s 35, Alex acts more like he’s 13, spending his days as the world’s oldest video game tester and his evenings developing the next big Xbox game. But he gets kicked out of his apartment and is forced to move in with his grandmother.



26 .) He’s Just Not That Into You (2009) directed by Ken Kwapis

He's Just Not That Into You (2009)

Lists It Appears On:

  • IMDB
  • List Challenges

Remember that really cute guy who said he’d call – and didn’t? Maybe he lost your number. Maybe he’s in the hospital. Maybe he’s awed by your beauty, brains or success. Or maybe… he’s just not that into you.



25 .) Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) directed by Shane Black

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Den Of Geek
  • Watch Mojo

A petty thief posing as an actor is brought to Los Angeles for an unlikely audition and finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation along with his high school dream girl and a detective who’s been training him for his upcoming role…



24 .) Lemony Snicket: A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) directed by Brad Silberling

Lemony Snicket: A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Den Of Geek
  • Part Time Critic

Three wealthy children’s parents are killed in a fire. When they are sent to a distant relative, they find out that he is plotting to kill them and seize their fortune. This movie is extremely alarming, an expression which here means “a thrilling misadventure involving three ingenious orphans and a villainous actor named Count Olaf (Jim Carrey) who wants their enormous fortune.” It includes a suspicious fire, delicious pasta, Jim Carrey, poorly behaved looches, Billy Connolly, an incredibly deadly viper, Meryl Streep, and the voice of an imposter named Jude Law. ×



23 .) Narc (2002) directed by Joe Carnahan

Narc (2002)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Taste Of Cinema
  • Watch Mojo

An undercover narc dies, the investigation stalls, so the Detroit P.D. brings back Nick Tellis, fired 18-months ago when a stray bullet hits a pregnant woman. Tellis teams with Henry Oak, a friend of the dead narc and an aggressive cop constantly under the scrutiny of internal affairs. They follow leads and informants turn up dead.



22 .) Open Water (2003) directed by Chris Kentis

Open Water (2003)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Den Of Geek
  • IMDB

Two divers are left out at sea without a boat. There’s nothing but water for miles, unless they look at what’s underneath them…



21 .) Punch-Drunk Love (2002) directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Den Of Geek
  • Thought Catalog

A beleaguered small-business owner gets a harmonium and embarks on a romantic journey with a mysterious woman.



20 .) Running Scared (2006) directed by Wayne Kramer

Running Scared (2006)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Hidden Remote
  • Part Time Critic

After a drug-op gone bad, Joey Gazelle is put in charge of disposing the gun that shot a dirty cop. But things goes wrong for Joey after the neighbor kid stole the gun and used it to shoot his abusive father. Now Joey has to find the kid and the gun before the police and the mob find them first.



19 .) Shattered Glass (2003) directed by Billy Ray

Shattered Glass (2003)

Lists It Appears On:

  • IMDB
  • List Challenges

The true story of fraudulent Washington, D.C. journalist Stephen Glass, who rose to meteoric heights as a young writer in his 20s, becoming a staff writer at The New Republic for three years. Looking for a short cut to fame, Glass concocted sources, quotes and even entire stories, but his deception did not go unnoticed forever, and eventually, his world came crumbling down.



18 .) Stranger Than Fiction (2006) directed by Marc Forster

Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Den Of Geek
  • The Richest

Harold Crick is a lonely IRS agent whose mundane existence is transformed when he hears a mysterious voice narrating his life.



17 .) Sunshine (2007) directed by Danny Boyle

Sunshine (2007)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Den Of Geek
  • Hidden Remote

Fifty years into the future, the sun is dying, and Earth is threatened by arctic temperatures. A team of astronauts is sent to revive the Sun — but the mission fails. Seven years later, a new team is sent to finish the mission as mankind’s last hope.



16 .) Surrogates (2009) directed by Jonathan Mostow

Surrogates (2009)

Lists It Appears On:

  • IMDB
  • List Challenges

Set in a futuristic world where humans live in isolation and interact through surrogate robots, a cop is forced to leave his home for the first time in years in order to investigate the murders of others’ surrogates.



15 .) The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) directed by Mark Dindal

The Emperor's New Groove (2000)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Part Time Critic
  • The Richest

Kuzco is a self-centered emperor who summons Pacha from a village and to tell him that his home will be destroyed to make room for Kuzco’s new summer home. Kuzco’s advisor, Yzma, tries to poison Kuzco and accidentally turns him into a llama, who accidentally ends up in Pacha’s village. Pacha offers to help Kuzco if he doesn’t destroy his house, and so they form an unlikely partnership.



14 .) The Fountain (2006) directed by Darren Aronofsky

The Fountain (2006)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Den Of Geek
  • IMDB

Spanning over one thousand years, and three parallel stories, The Fountain is a story of love, death, spirituality, and the fragility of our existence in this world.



13 .) The Hoax (2006) directed by Lasse Hallström

The Hoax (2006)

Lists It Appears On:

  • IMDB
  • List Challenges

In what would cause a fantastic media frenzy, Clifford Irving sells his bogus biography of Howard Hughes to a premiere publishing house in the early 1970s.



12 .) The Informant! (2009) directed by Steven Soderbergh

The Informant! (2009)

Lists It Appears On:

  • List Challenges
  • Thought Catalog

A rising star at agri-industry giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Mark Whitacre suddenly turns whistleblower. Even as he exposes his company’s multi-national price-fixing conspiracy to the FBI, Whitacre envisions himself being hailed as a hero of the common man and handed a promotion.



11 .) The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001) directed by Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Den Of Geek
  • Hidden Remote

A tale of murder, crime and punishment set in the summer of 1949. Ed Crane, a barber in a small California town, is dissatisfied with his life, but his wife Doris’ infidelity and a mysterious opportunity presents him with a chance to change it.



10 .) The Matrix Reloaded (2003) directed by Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski

The Matrix Reloaded (2003)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Den Of Geek
  • Part Time Critic

Six months after the events depicted in The Matrix, Neo has proved to be a good omen for the free humans, as more and more humans are being freed from the matrix and brought to Zion, the one and only stronghold of the Resistance. Neo himself has discovered his superpowers including super speed, ability to see the codes of the things inside the matrix and a certain degree of pre-cognition. But a nasty piece of news hits the human resistance: 250,000 machine sentinels are digging to Zion and would reach them in 72 hours. As Zion prepares for the ultimate war, Neo, Morpheus and Trinity are advised by the Oracle to find the Keymaker who would help them reach the Source. Meanwhile Neo’s recurrent dreams depicting Trinity’s death have got him worried and as if it was not enough, Agent Smith has somehow escaped deletion, has become more powerful than before and has fixed Neo as his next target. ×



9 .) The Pledge (2001) directed by Sean Penn

The Pledge (2001)

Lists It Appears On:

  • IMDB
  • Taste Of Cinema

A police chief about to retire pledges to help a woman find her daughter’s killer. Based on a story by Swiss writer Friedrich Dürrenmatt.



8 .) The Ruins (2008) directed by Carter Smith

The Ruins (2008)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Game Spot
  • Horror Media

A group of friends whose leisurely Mexican holiday takes a turn for the worse when they, along with a fellow tourist embark on a remote archaeological dig in the jungle, where something evil lives among the ruins



7 .) Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007) directed by Jake Kasdan

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Den Of Geek
  • The Richest

Following a childhood tragedy, Dewey Cox follows a long and winding road to music stardom. Dewey perseveres through changing musical styles, an addiction to nearly every drug known and bouts of uncontrollable rage.



6 .) The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) directed by Andrew Dominik

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Den Of Geek
  • Hidden Remote
  • Watch Mojo

Outlaw Jesse James is rumored to be the ‘fastest gun in the West’. An eager recruit into James’ notorious gang, Robert Ford eventually grows jealous of the famed outlaw and, when Robert and his brother sense an opportunity to kill James, their murderous action elevates their target to near mythical status.



5 .) Treasure Planet (2002) directed by Ron Clements, John Musker

Treasure Planet (2002)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Den Of Geek
  • The Richest
  • Watch Mojo

When space galleon cabin boy Jim Hawkins discovers a map to an intergalactic “loot of a thousand worlds,” a cyborg cook named John Silver teaches him to battle supernovas and space storms. But, soon, Jim realizes Silver is a pirate intent on mutiny!



4 .) Watchmen (2009) directed by Zack Snyder

Watchmen (2009)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Den Of Geek
  • The Richest
  • Watch Mojo

In a gritty and alternate 1985 the glory days of costumed vigilantes have been brought to a close by a government crackdown, but after one of the masked veterans is brutally murdered, an investigation into the killer is initiated. The reunited heroes set out to prevent their own destruction, but in doing so uncover a sinister plot that puts all of humanity in grave danger.



3 .) Frailty (2001) directed by Bill Paxton

Frailty (2001)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Hidden Remote
  • IMDB
  • List Challenges
  • Taste Of Cinema

A man confesses to an FBI agent his family’s story of how his religious fanatic father’s visions lead to a series of murders to destroy supposed ‘demons’.



2 .) Hot Rod (2007) directed by Akiva Schaffer

Hot Rod (2007)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Hidden Remote
  • Kati Rose
  • Part Time Critic
  • The Richest

For Rod Kimball, performing stunts is a way of life, even though he is rather accident-prone. Poor Rod cannot even get any respect from his stepfather, Frank, who beats him up in weekly sparring matches. When Frank falls ill, Rod devises his most outrageous stunt yet to raise money for Frank’s operation – and then Rod will kick Frank’s butt.



1 .) Speed Racer (2008) directed by Lana Wachowski

Speed Racer (2008)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Den Of Geek
  • Hidden Remote
  • IMDB
  • Part Time Critic

Speed Racer is the tale of a young and brilliant racing driver. When corruption in the racing leagues costs his brother his life, he must team up with the police and the mysterious Racer X to bring an end to the corruption and criminal activities. Inspired by the cartoon series.



 


The 200+ Additional Best Underrated 2000s Films



 

# Movies Directors Lists
31 100 Girls (2000)   List Challenges
32 13 Going on 30 (2004)   Den Of Geek
33 17 Again (2009)   Kati Rose
34 25th Hour (2002)   Den Of Geek
35 8 Women (2002)   List Challenges
36 A History of Violence (2005)   Den Of Geek
37 A Scanner Darkly (2006)   Den Of Geek
38 A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)   Game Spot
39 A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) Steven Spielberg IMDB
40 About Schmidt (2002) Alexander Payne IMDB
41 Alexander (2004)   Part Time Critic
42 All the Pretty Horses (2000)   Hidden Remote
43 Alpha Dog (2007)   Part Time Critic
44 Appaloosa (2008)   Hidden Remote
45 Australia (2008)   Den Of Geek
46 Bad Boys II (2003)   The Richest
47 Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009)   Hidden Remote
48 Bad Santa (2003)   Kati Rose
49 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007) Sidney Lumet IMDB
50 Being Julia (2004) István Szabó IMDB
51 Below (2002) David Twohy IMDB
52 Beowulf (2007)   List Challenges
53 Big Nothing (2006)   List Challenges
54 Black Dynamite (2009)   Hidden Remote
55 Blades of Glory (2007)   Den Of Geek
56 Blindness   List Challenges
57 Brick (2005)   Watch Mojo
58 Brothers Grimm   List Challenges
59 Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)   Den Of Geek
60 Cars (2006)   The Richest
61 Catch Me If You Can (2002)   The Richest
62 Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003)   Part Time Critic
63 Children of Men (2006) Alfonso Cuarón IMDB
64 Chloe (2009) Atom Egoyan IMDB
65 Chuck & Buck (2000)   Taste Of Cinema
66 Cold Prey (2006)   Game Spot
67 Creep (2004)   Game Spot
68 Croupier (1998) Mike Hodges IMDB
69 Darkness Falls   Horror Media
70 Death Sentence (2007)   Taste Of Cinema
71 Eagle vs. Shark (2007)   Den Of Geek
72 Evolution (2001)   List Challenges
73 Feast (2005)   List Challenges
74 Femme Fatale (2002)   List Challenges
75 Final Destination (2000)   The Richest
76 Finding Forrester   Thought Catalog
77 Four Brothers (2005)   Part Time Critic
78 Friday Night Lights (2004)   Den Of Geek
79 Funny People (2009)   The Richest
80 Ghost Ship   Horror Media
81 Ghost World (2001)   Den Of Geek
82 Ginger Snaps (2000)   Game Spot
83 Grindhouse (2007)   Den Of Geek
84 Halloween II (2009)   Hidden Remote
85 High Fidelity (2000)   Thought Catalog
86 High Tension   Horror Media
87 Hot Fuzz (2007)   Kati Rose
88 House of the Devil (2009)   Game Spot
89 House of Wax   Horror Media
90 Hulk (2003)   List Challenges
91 I Heart Huckabees (2004)   Hidden Remote
92 I’m Not There (2007)   Watch Mojo
93 Idiocracy (2006)   Hidden Remote
94 Ink (2009)   Taste Of Cinema
95 Inland Empire (2006)   Den Of Geek
96 Insomnia (2002) Christopher Nolan IMDB
97 Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)   Kati Rose
98 John Q (2002)   Thought Catalog
99 Julia (2008) Erick Zonca IMDB
100 Jumper (2008)   Part Time Critic
101 Jungle   List Challenges
102 Kicking And Screaming (2005)   Thought Catalog
103 Kill Theory   Horror Media
104 Kingdom of Heaven (2005)   Den Of Geek
105 Lake Mungo (2008)   Game Spot
106 Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou   The Richest
107 Lilo & Stitch   The Richest
108 MacGruber (2010)   Hidden Remote
109 Manic (2001)   Den Of Geek
110 Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World   Den Of Geek
111 May (2002)   Game Spot
112 Me Without You (2001)   Den Of Geek
113 Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)   Part Time Critic
114 Men in Black II (2002)   Part Time Critic
115 Moksha: Salvation   List Challenges
116 Morvern Callar (2002)   Den Of Geek
117 Munich (2005)   The Richest
118 Murderball (2005)   Den Of Geek
119 My Blueberry Nights (2007)   Den Of Geek
120 No Smoking (2007)   List Challenges
121 Noroi: The Curse (2005)   Game Spot
122 Nothing But the Truth (I) (2008) Rod Lurie IMDB
123 Numb (2007)   Taste Of Cinema
124 Nurse Betty (2000) Neil LaBute IMDB
125 Observe and Report (2009)   Hidden Remote
126 Oliver Twist   List Challenges
127 One Night at McCool’s (2001)   Den Of Geek
128 Open Range (2002)   Den Of Geek
129 Open Season   List Challenges
130 Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006) Tom Tykwer IMDB
131 Pontypool (2009)   Game Spot
132 Poseidon (2006)   Part Time Critic
133 Primer (2004) Shane Carruth IMDB
134 Pulse (I) (2006) Jim Sonzero IMDB
135 Push (2009) Paul McGuigan IMDB
136 Quantum of Solace (2008)   Den Of Geek
137 Reeker   Horror Media
138 Reign of Fire (2002)   Den Of Geek
139 Repli-Kate (2002)   List Challenges
140 Repo Men (2010)   Taste Of Cinema
141 Rescue Dawn (2006) Werner Herzog IMDB
142 Revolver (2005)   List Challenges
143 Role Models (2008)   Kati Rose
144 Savage Grace (2007) Tom Kalin IMDB
145 Saved (2004)   Kati Rose
146 Saw   The Richest
147 School for Scoundrels (2006)   List Challenges
148 School of Rock (2003)   Kati Rose
149 See No Evil   Horror Media
150 Session 9 (2001)   Game Spot
151 Sex & Death 101 (2007)   Taste Of Cinema
152 Shadow of the Vampire (2000)   List Challenges
153 Shrek the Third (2007)   Part Time Critic
154 Silent Hill (2006)   Part Time Critic
155 Sinbad: The Legend of the Seven Seas (2003)   Part Time Critic
156 Snow Angels (2007)   Taste Of Cinema
157 Solaris (2002)   Den Of Geek
158 Solitary Man (2009)   Taste Of Cinema
159 Son of Rambow (2007)   Den Of Geek
160 Southland Tales (2006)   Taste Of Cinema
161 Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)   Part Time Critic
162 Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) George Lucas IMDB
163 Stardust (2007)   Den Of Geek
164 Step Brothers (2008)   Kati Rose
165 Stuck On You (2003)   Part Time Critic
166 Super Troopers (2001)   Kati Rose
167 Surveillance (2008)   Taste Of Cinema
168 Synecdoche, NY (2008)   Taste Of Cinema
169 Taking Woodstock (2009)   List Challenges
170 Tears of the Sun (2003)   Hidden Remote
171 Teeth (2007)   Game Spot
172 Thank You For Smoking (2005)   Thought Catalog
173 The Alphabet Killer   Horror Media
174 The Amateurs (2005)   Taste Of Cinema
175 The Assassination of Richard Nixon (2004) Niels Mueller IMDB
176 The Astronaut Farmer (2006)   List Challenges
177 The Beach (2000)   List Challenges
178 The Black Dahlia (2006)   List Challenges
179 The Dead Girl (2006)   Taste Of Cinema
180 The Devil’s Rejects (2005)   Hidden Remote
181 The Escapist (2008)   Den Of Geek
182 The Fall (2006)   Den Of Geek
183 The Fourth Kind   Horror Media
184 The Good Girl (2002)   Taste Of Cinema
185 The Happening (2008) M. Night Shyamalan IMDB
186 The Holiday (2006)   List Challenges
187 The House Bunny (2008)   Kati Rose
188 The House of Mirth (2000) Terence Davies IMDB
189 The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)   List Challenges
190 The International (2009)   Part Time Critic
191 The Libertine (2004) Laurence Dunmore IMDB
192 The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)   Watch Mojo
193 The Lovely Bones (2009)   List Challenges
194 The Machinist (2004)   Hidden Remote
195 The Merchant of Venice (2004) Michael Radford IMDB
196 The Million Dollar Hotel (2000)   Taste Of Cinema
197 The Mist (2007)   Den Of Geek
198 The Mother (2003) Roger Michell IMDB
199 The New World (2005)   List Challenges
200 The Number 23 (2007)   Den Of Geek
201 The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004) Makoto Shinkai IMDB
202 The Polar Express (2004)   List Challenges
203 The Prestige (2006)   Den Of Geek
204 The Road to El Dorado (2000)   List Challenges
205 The Rules of Attraction (2002)   Den Of Geek
206 The Singing Detective (2003)   Taste Of Cinema
207 The Specials (2000)   Taste Of Cinema
208 The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)   Part Time Critic
209 The Squid And The Whale (2005)   Thought Catalog
210 The Sum of All Fears (2002)   Part Time Critic
211 The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)   Hidden Remote
212 The TV Set (2006)   Taste Of Cinema
213 The Wackness (2008)   Den Of Geek
214 The Weather Man (2005)   List Challenges
215 The Woodsman (2005)   Taste Of Cinema
216 The Wrestler (2008)   Thought Catalog
217 Them (2006)   Game Spot
218 Traitor (2008)   Part Time Critic
219 Transsiberian (2008)   List Challenges
220 Two Lovers (2008)   Taste Of Cinema
221 United 93 (2006) Paul Greengrass IMDB
222 Unleashed (2005)   Part Time Critic
223 Vacancy (2007)   List Challenges
224 War of the Worlds (2005) Steven Spielberg IMDB
225 We Don’t Live Here Anymore (2004) John Curran IMDB
226 Where the Wild Things Are (2009)   List Challenges
227 Whip It (2009)   Den Of Geek
228 White Chicks (2004)   Kati Rose
229 Wind Chill (2007)   List Challenges
230 Wolf Creek (2008)   Den Of Geek
231 X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)   Part Time Critic
232 X2: X-Men United (2003)   The Richest
233 XX/XY (2002) Austin Chick IMDB
234 Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)   Den Of Geek
235 Zodiac (2007)   Den Of Geek
236 Zombieland (2009)   Kati Rose

 


 


12 Best Underrated 2000s Film Sources/Lists



Source Article
Den Of Geek The Underrated Movies of the 2000s
Game Spot 14 Underrated Horror Movies From The 2000s That Every Fan Should
Hidden Remote The 25 most underrated/underseen movies since 2000
Horror Media Most Underrated Horror Films from the 2000s
IMDB Criminally Underrated Movies 2000-2009
Kati Rose 13 Underrated Comedies of the 2000s
List Challenges 50 Underrated Movies of Past Decade
Part Time Critic Most Underrated Films of the 2000’s
Taste Of Cinema The 30 Most Underappreciated American Movies of The 21st Century
The Richest Top 15 Underrated Movies Of The 2000s
Thought Catalog 10 Highly Underrated Movies From The 2000s
Watch Mojo Top 10 Underrated Films of the 2000s