15 Great 2020s Movies You Probably Haven't Seen

Even though the decade is only halfway complete, the 2020s have already proven to be a decade filled to the brim with high-quality achievements in filmmaking. Ranging from massive blockbuster successes like Barbie and Avatar: The Way of Water to critically acclaimed darlings like Everything Everywhere All at Once and Anora, the decade has no shortage of exceptional films. The rise of streaming services and digital storefronts has made it so that more movies are being released now than ever before, which, while it certainly has its benefits, means that it's impossible for audiences to watch every great new movie being released.

Many great films are overlooked for a variety of reasons, whether it be a lack of marketing, having to compete with a more prominent release, or simply not garnering interest from wider audiences. However, while many audiences didn't flock to these films in the same way that they did major blockbusters or critically acclaimed masterpieces, the 2020s are still home to many great movies that are simply waiting to be discovered.

15 'Universal Language' (2024)

One of the most often overlooked and underappreciated venues of film creation and experimentation is that of French Canadian filmmaking, often featuring a distinct flair and charm that gives them an edge over traditional Canadian films. This distinct allure and energy are prominently shown off in Universal Language, a surrealist comedy that excels through its notions of disorientation and catching the audience off-guard, both in terms of comedy and emotion.

The film follows the quaint, ordinary lives of an array of different people living in a small town whose culture is a blend of Winnipeg and Tehran. It blends an array of seemingly unrelated stories together, including a young girl attempting to retrieve a dollar bill frozen in a block of ice and a Winnipeg tour guide leading a confused and disoriented group. These stories each find a way to connect with each other by the end, yet it's the overarching charm and quaintness that help make it one of the 2020s' most underrated comedies.

14 'Breaking' (2022)

A high-stakes crime thriller based on a painful true story, Breaking sees John Boyega in one of his most gripping and underrated roles to date, playing a desperate former veteran deciding to hold a bank hostage as he's run out of options for money. The single-location thriller makes great use of the emotional pain and desperation of its premise, with a pain and fear being felt by every member of the cast in this uncomfortable yet inevitable situation.

Boyega especially shines in the leading role, giving weight and emotional depth to the real-life veteran, not shying away from the likability and regret that he had even while committing such a shocking robbery. Especially in an era where many people are still financially struggling, and veterans aren't given the support they deserve, Breaking deserved the world and more, as opposed to being massively overshadowed and overlooked.

13 'Brian and Charles' (2022)

A comedy that finds great success through its usage of blunt and dry humor, Brian and Charles tells a simple yet hilarious story of a blossoming friendship between an awkward, lonesome man and the robot he created. Charles proves to be one of the zaniest and goofiest robotic companions imaginable, though, as being 7 ft tall, made from a washing machine, and using a hilarious text-to-speech voice makes him a joy to watch on-screen.

Brian and Charles finds great success despite its minuscule budget thanks to the great comedic chemistry between its titular duo, playing up the chaotic antics of its characters and the wild fun of companionship. David Earl's performance as Brian especially finds the perfect mixture of social awkwardness and gleeful joy towards the world that it's difficult not to fall in love with the character's signature charms. While its style of humor may not be for everyone, it's certain to be a great time for people on the same comedic wavelength.

12 'Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.' (2022)

Taking a darkly comedic twist to the rise of megachurches and their massive scandals, Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. is one of the most distinct and original dramedies of the decade so far. The mockumentary follows Trinitie Childs (Regina Hall) and her dedicated pastor husband, Lee-Curtis Childs (Sterling K. Brown), fighting to rebuild their church's congregation in the aftermath of a massive scandal. However, as the date of their grand reopening looms closer and closer, Trinitie begins to reevaluate her life and connection with her husband.

Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. brings a distinctly different allure to the mockumentary genre that helps set itself apart as one of the best mockumentaries out there. It has a lot of the same wild humor and exceptionally entertaining caricatures that help make the genre so successful, yet it is able to delve into deeper, more dramatic material that complements the comedy and provides a compelling and emotional message by the end. Regina Hall especially gives an exceptional performance, balancing comedy and emotional pain perfectly to make for one of her best cinematic outings to date.

11 'Swan Song' (2021)

A dynamic and brilliant sci-fi drama that utilizes the concept of clones to tell a thought-provoking exploration of love and sacrifice for maintaining said love in the face of death, Swan Song takes a much more somber, insightful approach to sci-fi filmmaking. The film sees Mahershala Ali as a man diagnosed with a terminal illness, being given an experimental solution to shield his wife and son from a life without him by creating a perfect clone to take his place. As the process begins, he contemplates the decision and grapples with the inevitability of his own death.

While many of Ali's performances that he's been a part of after his two Oscar wins have been much more simplistic and blockbuster-oriented, Swan Song provides the type of insightful, layered premise that truly allows him to shine as a dramatic powerhouse. The dual role of both a man at the end of his life and a clone at the beginning of his life makes for one of the most intrinsically captivating dynamics that only sci-fi can provide.

10 'Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey' (2020)

Holiday movies are such an ingrained and long-lasting genre of filmmaking that it can be difficult to strike new ground and find an original story that still manages to be compelling and full of holiday spirit. Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey proves to be one of the most original and refreshing holiday experiences in years, blending together catchy musical numbers with top-of-the-line production design and a steampunk aesthetic to make for a charmingly sweet time.

The film follows a once-legendary toymaker known as Jeronicus Jangle (Forest Whitaker) going on a journey with his granddaughter to help make use of an invention that he attempted to create decades ago. Nearly every aspect of the film comes together to create a joyous and high-flying festive experience, from the top-of-the-line visuals to the highly creative interpretation of the original world that it creates. Especially compared to the wide array of other Christmas movies that Netflix has released, Jingle Jangle stands high above them as one of the best holiday movies of recent memory.

9 'The Colors Within' (2024)

A deeply wholesome and feel-good anime movie directed by Naoko Yamada, the director of A Silent Voice and K-On!, The Colors Within tells a simple yet deeply effective story of friendship and the ability of music to bring people together. The film follows high school student Totsuko, who has the ability to see the 'colors' of the people around her, seeing them for their truest and brightest selves. In order to get closer to a girl who gives off a deeply beautiful color, she begins to form a band with her and another quiet music enthusiast, despite Totsuko not playing an instrument herself.

The G-rated anime film doesn't hold back when it comes to telling a warm and soothing story of friendship and connection, with its deeply likable characters elevating its simple and low-stakes story. Director Naoko Yamada has always been effective at bringing to life emotional coming-of-age stories, with The Colors Within fully amplifying the director's strengths in both coming-of-age anime and music-driven anime. Much like A Silent Voice before it, the film will slowly but surely gather its audience as one of the most underrated anime movies.

8 'Emergency' (2022)

Initially setting itself up to be a classic college-age coming-of-age story before delving into some deeply traumatic yet painfully relevant material and concepts, Emergency seamlessly makes the best out of both its comedy and thriller attributes. The film follows a trio of college students who have their planned night of partying put to a sudden halt when they end up discovering an unconscious teen girl in their living room. They find themselves weighing the pros and cons of calling the police while the girl's sister and her friends are searching for her.

While the film initially starts with the setup and styling of a classic college comedy, it slowly but surely delves into highly relevant social commentary, made all the more effective by the likable characters and goofy antics up until this point. Nearly all the performances are spot on in making its dramatic shifts work so well, where the true gravitas and weight of what was previously a comedic tone turn the entire film into one of tension and dread.

7 'I'm Your Man' (2021)

Especially as artificial intelligence and robotic companions that people talk to and rely on for emotional companionship become a dystopian norm in everyday society, the messaging and fears of seeming perfect robotic partners in I'm Your Man gets more and more effective with each passing day. The German film sees scientist Alma (Maren Eggert) coerced into participating in a research study where she lives alongside a humanoid robot (Dan Stevens) tailored to her character and needs, designed to be the perfect life partner for her.

There's a variation of layers to the storytelling and execution that makes I'm Your Man work so well as both a romantic comedy and a cautionary tale for the future. There's a great deal of fun to be had following this robot's frequent failed attempts to appeal to someone who is jaded and detached from the world, allowing the audience to root for his success like a classic rom-com plot. However, the film is intelligent enough to understand the ramifications of commercialized perfect partners and the ethical nature of their very existence.

6 'The Last Stop in Yuma County' (2024)

The Last Stop in Yuma County is a brilliantly well-made black comedy chamber piece that evokes the same manic mixture of chaos and awkward humor as a Coen Brothers film. The film follows an array of various quirky characters, including a traveling knife salesman and a kindhearted waitress, all in the center of a high-stakes hostage situation while stranded at a gas station in the middle of Yuma County. It becomes a tension-filled waiting game as they await a gas truck to replenish the station with gas, as more and more people flood into the diner, unaware of the hostage situation taking place.

The Last Stop in Yuma County plays out like a dangerously cathartic snowball effect, with the ongoing situation growing more and more nerve-wracking and comedic until it reaches an uncontainable boiling point. Even when it appears as if the film has released all its energy and the chaos is over, it finds new ways to implement painfully hilarious black comedy into the mix. It makes for what was easily one of the best crime movies of 2024, but was overall severely underwatched compared to other crime movies of the entire decade.