By any definition, 2024 was a long year. And the extra day from the leap year didn’t help. Thankfully, you can get 2025 started on the right foot by staying home to catch a few films that flew under the radar during their original release and their digital afterlife.
Our picks for the eleven underrated movies to watch on New Year’s Day are admittedly a little action-heavy. But there’s also a superhero spoof, a thrilling crime drama, and a chilling horror title to add a little variety to the following selections.
The Northman – 2022
Since Nosferatu is doing extremely well in theaters, it’s worth revisiting Robert Eggers’ previous film, The Northman. You’ll see a lot of Hamlet in this story, since it’s based upon the legend of Amleth that inspired William Shakespeare’s play. Alexander Skarsgård leads the film as the vengeful Viking prince, Amleth, and he’s more prone to violence than Hamlet ever was.
When Amleth was young, his father, King Aurvandill War-Raven (Ethan Hawke), was murdered by his uncle, Fjölnir the Brotherless (Claes Bang), who then ran off with Amleth’s mother, Queen Gudrún (Nicole Kidman). When Amleth catches up to them, there’s going to be hell to pay. Yet not even a warrior like Amleth can walk down this road without paying a price for his actions.
Watch The Northman on Peacock.
Tucker & Dale vs. Evil – 2010
The title characters of Tucker & Dale vs. Evil don’t realize they’re in a horror comedy, and they’re mystified about why a group of college students is so frightened of them. Dale Dobson (Tyler Labine) and Tucker McGee (Alan Tudyk) just want to go fishing together. But when they save Allison (Katrina Bowden) from drowning, the rest of her friends believe that they’ve kidnapped her.
All attempts to “rescue” Allison go horribly wrong, and the rising body count actually frightens Tucker and Dale because they don’t know what to make of it. Meanwhile, Allison’s friend, Chad (Jesse Moss), becomes obsessed with killing Tucker and Dale for revenge, and he’s got a few dark secrets of his own.
Watch Tucker & Dale vs. Evil on Prime Video.
The Town – 2010
Ben Affleck co-wrote, directed, and starred in The Town, a crime drama about four longtime friends who decide to rob banks together. Doug MacRay (Affleck), James “Jem” Coughlin (The Mayor of Kingstown‘s Jeremy Renner), Albert “Gloansy” MacGloan (Slaine), and Desmond “Dez” Elden (Owen Burke) pull it off, but they also complicate the heist by kidnapping the bank manager, Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall), before later releasing her.
In the name of learning what Claire knows about them, Doug approaches her and strikes up a romance. Because the robbers wore masks, she doesn’t recognize him. However, Claire does remember an identifying detail that could send Doug and his buddies to prison. And if Jem discovers what Doug’s been doing behind his back, prison might be the least of his worries.
Watch The Town on Hulu.
The Addams Family – 1991
Anjelica Huston may get top billing in The Addams Family, but Raul Julia ruled the screen with his fantastic and charismatic performance as Gomez Addams, the husband of Morticia (Huston). Paramount+ is adding this film on January 1, 2025, and it remains the best incarnation of Charles Addams’ famous characters.
The Addams’ crooked accountant, Tully Alford (Dan Hedaya), hatches a scheme to steal their fortune by passing off Gordon Craven (Christopher Lloyd) as Gomez’s long-lost brother, Fester Addams. Much to Gordon’s shock, Gomez and the rest of the Addams welcome him home with open arms.
Christina Ricci has a star-making turn as Wednesday Addams, as she and her brother, Pugsley (Jimmy Workman), get close to Gordon. Although the scheme is working, Gordon actually feels a strong connection with the family, which could turn the entire plan upside down.
Watch The Addams Family on Paramount+.
Colombiana – 2011
If the rights to Leon: The Professional hadn’t been tangled up, Colombiana would have been the sequel to that film. Instead, it became an original story about Cataleya (Emilia Perez’s Zoe Saldaña), a woman who was the daughter of a drug cartel member, Fabio (Jesse Borrego), who tried to leave that life behind for the sake of his family. Consequently, Don Luis (Beto Benites) ordered Fabio and his entire family to be murdered, leaving only Cataleya behind.
Fifteen years later, Cataleya is a fully trained assassin, and she’s out for payback against Don Luis and the man who pulled the trigger on her family, Marco (Jordi Mollà). In the intervening years, Don Luis struck a deal with the CIA, and he may be more protected than ever. But that’s not going to stop Cataleya from chasing after her revenge, even if it winds up getting her killed.
Watch Colombiana on Netflix.
Notting Hill – 1999
In 1999, Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts were at their peak rom-com powers when they starred in Notting Hill. It wasn’t a stretch for Roberts to play Anna Scott as one of the most famous actresses in the world, since she still ranks among them. But Will Thacker (Grant) is just an ordinary guy in London who runs a travel book store.
Anna and Will meet without him realizing who she is, and they instantly hit it off. Their chemistry is off the charts, but Anna’s fame is a serious road block in their relationship. Will really wants to be with Anna, but he’s intimidated by the enormous challenges that represents, and he’s not sure he can find a place for himself in her life when she’s constantly under the microscope of the press.
Watch Noting Hill on Peacock.
Rush Hour – 1998
On January 1, Netflix will be streaming one of the all-time great action comedies: Rush Hour. Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan struck buddy comedy gold together as Detective James Carter and Chief Inspector Lee, respectively.
Carter is a renegade among the LAPD, and not very popular among his colleagues. That’s why he gets the short end of the straw when it comes to watching Lee during his stay in Los Angeles.Lee’s legal authority ended the moment he left Hong Kong, but he’s on a personal mission to save Soo-Yung Han (Julia Hsu), the daughter of a diplomat who has been kidnapped by a secretive drug lord called Juntao.
Carter and Lee initially get on each others’ nerves, but they also find qualities in each other that make them willing to join forces. Once that happens, this unlikely team is nearly unbeatable.
Watch Rush Hour on Netflix.
Mystery Men – 1999
Mystery Men unleashed Smash Mouth’s All Star on the world two years before Shrek did, and it also got a head start on the superhero cinema that’s dominated the 21st century. This film is based upon Bob Burden’s superhero spoof Flaming Carrot Comics, minus The Flaming Carrot himself.
The characters who are featured Mr. Furious (Ben Stiller), Blue Raja (Hank Azaria), The Shoveler (William H. Macy), The Bowler (Janeane Garofalo), Spleen (Paul Rubens), and Invisible Boy (Kel Mitchell) – aren’t exactly super. But they’re the best heroes that Champion City has to offer. The reason Champion City is so hard up for champions is because its previous hero, Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear), got too arrogant and unleashed his old nemesis, Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush), just to give himself someone to fight.
Casanova turned the tables on Captain Amazing, and now a bunch of grade Z superheroes are all that stand between him and total victory.
Watch Mystery Men on Prime Video.
O Brother, Where Art Thou – 2000
Christopher Nolan may be directing The Odyssey, but Joel and Ethan Coen beat him to the punch by about 25 years. O Brother, Where Art Thou? is absolutely one of the best Coen brothers movies, and it takes elements and characters from The Odyssey and re-envisions them during the Great Depression. George Clooney plays Ulysses Everett McGill, a recently escaped prisoner who convinced Pete (John Turturro) and Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson) to break out with him in order to recover a hidden treasure before it’s lost to a newly created lake.
Ulysses may have stretched the truth a bit, but there is a treasure at the end of their journey. It’s just not the one they expected, and they’ll have to get past “sirens,” the KKK, and even a cyclops before it can be theirs. It’s a good thing these boys can sing, because the folk music in this film is wonderful and inspiring.
Watch O Brother Where Art Thou? on Hulu.
Final Destination – 2000
Final Destination: Bloodlines is heading to theaters later this year, and it will once again feature the late Tony Todd as William Bludworth, the coroner who has a unique insight into death’s plan. But the original Final Destination is a horror classic that doesn’t get its due.
This is a slasher film where there is no killer and the villain is death itself. And through the lens of the camera, we see how fate conspires against the hapless teens in its wake.
In a way, this is all the fault of Alex Browning (Devon Sawa). He had a premonition of his plane exploding, and some of his classmates, including Clear Rivers (Ali Larter), Carter Horton (Kerr Smith), and Billy Hitchcock (Seann William Scott), were escorted off the plane with him.
Once the plane really does explode, death takes steps to reclaim those who dared to avoid their fate. And there may not be anything Alex and his friends can do to stop it.
Watch Final Destination on Paramount+.
