As much as I like to think of myself as a very serious, objective reviewer, sometimes it’s difficult to look past films that just give me more fun than most. The following 10 films might not be masterpieces, and in many cases have been rightly slated by everybody else, but to me, these are the best guilty pleasure movies of the decade.
10. Unfriended (2014)
IMDb Rating: 5.5 / My Rating: 7.8
The epitome of modern teen horror, Unfriended is a film that takes place entirely on a teenage girl’s laptop screen, as she battles with a mysterious force which brutally kills each of her friends talking to her on Skype.
Not only does it sound ridiculous from the synopsis, but Unfriended actually is one of the most ludicrous films I’ve ever come across, stretching its modern take on the slasher genre to insane lengths in unconvincing and melodramatic fashion.
And yet, there’s something about the film that I absolutely adore. Its use of the desktop setting is groundbreaking, its story – as ridiculous as it is at times – is thoroughly enjoyable and genuinely unpredictable, and it has a great sense of fun and humour that allows you to laugh along with its most ludicrous twists and turns throughout.
Others derided this film as moronic popcorn horror upon first release, and its viral trailer didn’t do much to distance the film from that perception. However, as silly as it may sound, and as much as I do recognise the film’s faults, I can’t help but shake just how fun a movie Unfriended is, and it’s one that I think more people would really love if they just gave it a chance.
Read a full review here.
9. Murder Mystery (2019)
IMDb Rating: 6.0 / My Rating: 8.1
Adam Sandler has been working hard through the decade, and while most of his recent movies haven’t been all that great (especially the ungodly likes of Jack And Jill and That’s My Boy), he seems to have found a comfortable home with his series of straight-to-Netflix comedies.
Now, while most of those too have been duds, Murder Mystery is an Adam Sandler/Netflix comedy that I can’t help but love to bits. Despite very mediocre reviews across the board, I laughed my socks off right the way through this movie, and even though I recognise it’s not the brainiest film ever made, I can’t quite understandwhy I seem to be alone in my love for it.
A fast-paced romp that features good, simple humour, likable performances and great chemistry from Sandler and co-star Jennifer Aniston, and even an exciting (I might even say unpredictable) whodunnit-type story that features great genre parody and an even better excuse to run across the French Riviera in a manic dash as the authorities close in on a mysterious killer.
As far as Adam Sandler movies go, Murder Mystery might just be my favourite of all, and while it doesn’t differ enormously from what the actor is often derided for, there’s a very pure entertainment value to this film, with fast storytelling and quickfire humour that’s there to make you laugh, and it does the job well.
Read a full review here.
8. The Walk (2015)
IMDb Rating: 7.3 / My Rating: 8.6
The Walk, Robert Zemeckis’ all-star dramatisation of Phillippe Petit’s daring tightrope walk between the Twin Towers, was met with moderately positive reviews from critics, but suffered at the box office as general audiences had a more lukewarm reception.
But with genuinely spectacular visuals (especially in IMAX), fun performances and an inspiring and heartfelt message, I can’t quite get what’s not to like about The Walk. Some found its vertigo-inducing special effects a little over the top, and the odd bit of criticism was aimed at Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s occasionally wobbly French accent, but for the most part, The Walk is a marvellous watch, and just the sort of thing Hollywood is made for.
A delightful tale of dreaming big and pushing the boundaries, The Walk has all the highwire emotion and excitment that its documentary counterpart, Man On Wire, really lacked. It might not be quite as objective an account of the same legendary feat, but where Man On Wire really bored me, I had a whale of a time with The Walk.
On the face of things, it is a little cheesy, and its visuals sometimes overpowering, but with such a relentlessly positive and energetic approach to storytelling, great direction from Zemeckis and a delightful lead turn from Gordon-Levitt, there’s barely a dull moment in The Walk in my book, and it’s a film that I hope doesn’t fade into obscurity too soon.
Read a full review here.
7. Crawl (2019)
IMDb Rating: 6.0 / My Rating: 8.0
One woman trapped in a basement with a group of hungry alligators in the middle of a Category 5 hurricane. Nothing sounds more ridiculous than Crawl, and yet it’s one of the most unashamedly entertaining movies I’ve seen all decade long.
It’s not a Sharknado-esque so-bad-it’s-good job, but rather (at least in my view) a genuinely exciting, engaging and even intelligent horror-thriller. Its premise may seem a little ludicrous, and some of its more outlandish twists admittedly are ridiculous, but Crawl is a film that blends properly exciting thrills with good storytelling, and most importantly a self-aware sense of humour that lets you know how silly it’s trying to be.
The good thing about Crawl is that it never tries to be an overly serious affair, but nor does it sit back and just let moronic horror take over. Most people who saw the film think it does one or the other, but for me, it finds a near-impossible balance between the two that sees it thrill with engaging horror and intelligent storytelling, and provide the same entertainment value that such a preposterous creature feature should do. If you get the chance to see Crawl, don’t let its silly premise scare you off, because it really is a great deal of fun.
Read a full review here.
6. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015)
IMDb Rating: 6.5 / My Rating: 9.0
Back in the first half of the decade, when YA cinema was dominating screens around the world, I was absolutely loving The Hunger Games franchise, and couldn’t wait for its epic conclusion: Mockingjay – Part 2.
The problem is, although the first two films in the series had been generally well-received, reviews really slipped as it built towards the finale, while I contrastingly became more and more engrossed in the story, and to this day, I still rave about how exciting the whole quadrilogy is.
The final film received criticism for splitting the final book into two parts, as well as lacking the pace and action of the best-reviewed entry in the series: Catching Fire. But for me, while Mockingjay – Part 2 certainly didn’t have the pace and action of the earlier films, it had such a vivid, engrossing story that had evolved so much from the humble beginnings of the first film, bringing riveting stakes and devastating drama to the table as the series came to a staggering conclusion.
I was totally captivated by The Hunger Games series, and with director Francis Lawrence taking the franchise in an ever darker, more dystopian direction as things became more serious, the finale to the quadrilogy was more than exhilarating to watch for me: maybe my favourite franchise finale of the entire decade – although I may be very alone in that sentiment.
Read a full review here.
5. Man Up (2015)
IMDb Rating: 6.8 / My Rating: 8.6
More than just another one of the million rom-coms that came out this decade, I adored every minute of Man Up, the film that might just stand as my favourite romantic comedy of the decade.
Taking every dull, generic and predictable trope in the genre and making it work like clockwork, Man Up is a deliriously entertaining watch that combines gut-bustingly funny humour with great characterisation, rapid-fire dialogue and sweet romance throughout. It isn’t anything groundbreaking when it comes to the rom-com formula, but it’s the only film I saw this decade that really made that formula work so well.
Others didn’t quite seem to love the film as much as me, but with such great humour, two delightful performances from Simon Pegg and Lake Bell (as well as a flawless West London accent from Bell), and surprisingly rapid pacing from beginning to end, I found Man Up an utter joy, proving that even the oldest, most predictable story can still have fresh life breathed into it, but only if it’s done just right.
Read a full review here.
4. Non-Stop (2014)
IMDb Rating: 7.0 / My Rating: 8.4
Liam Neeson continued in fine form through the decade with his endless stream of action thrillers, and while none quite stand up to 2008’s Taken, he did come close in my book with the brilliantly entertaining Non-Stop.
The story of an air marshal aboard a transatlantic flight who is forced into action when someone threatens to kill a passenger every 20 minutes, Non-Stop is your typical Liam Neeson action fare, albeit taking place about 30,000ft above normal. Saying that, Non-Stop impresses by combining Neeson’s relentless action credentials with a gripping and unpredictable story, all set in a powerfully claustrophobic environment.
By far the best action movie set in the skies (Snakes On A Plane doesn’t come anywhere close), Non-Stop is quite literally a non-stop thrill ride, featuring high stakes, genuine peril and real grit from Neeson throughout. Some may see it as just another throwaway action movie, and if you sit and turn your brain off to enjoy it, you might just think the same. But look a little deeper, and you’ll discover that alongside being a brilliantly entertaining watch, Non-Stop is a genuinely great movie.
Read a full review here.
3. Girl Walk // All Day (2011)
IMDb Rating: 7.9 / My Rating: 8.6
Perhaps the most out-there pick on this list, I cannot contain my love for the gorgeously weird, beautifully imaginative and unstoppably optimistic Girl Walk // All Day.
Billed as a 75-minute dance/music video, the film plays out almost entirely without dialogue, instead telling its story through the medium of dance, song and – you guessed it – walking. In that, it’s a bizarre bit of cinema that goes down as one of the most abstract, arty things I’ve come across all decade long, but rather than the pretentious, showy spectacle it could have been, Girl Walk // All Day is beyond lovable, and one of the most enjoyable films I’ve seen in years.
With a simple story of boy meets girl, the film doesn’t get bogged down in silly narrative issues, but instead tries to spread joy with its message of positivity and togetherness. It seems painfully cheesy on the outside, and some might have found it a bit too much, but as it powers along with brilliant energy and a pitch-perfect jukebox soundtrack, it wraps you up into a whir of magical optimism, letting you soar in heights that few other films would ever dare to allow.
Girl Walk // All Day is so blissfully simple, yet so stunningly effective. I expected nothing from what seemed like an abstract student project, but I got one of the most delightful films not only of the decade, but that I’ve ever seen.
Read a full review here.
2. Local Bus Connection Trip The Movie (2016)
IMDb Rating: N/A / My Rating: 8.8
I said Girl Walk // All Day was the most out-there pick on this list, but Local Bus Connection Trip: The Movie could just as well take that crown, because nobody else seems to have seen it.
And if there’s anything that makes my heart sink, it’s that, because although the film is entirely unknown outside its native Japan, it has to be one of the funniest two hours I’ve had at any point this decade, an insanely hilarious feature-length episode of a popular Japanese reality TV show.
Following a trio of enthusiastic but often scatterbrained adventurers who attempt to travel from the north of Taiwan to the south using only local buses, the film is a delightful trip into the unknown, traversing beautiful landscapes and discovering hidden treasures through the island. It’s a heartfelt and wonderfully earnest bit of travel cinema that will make you want to venture out and see what treasures await you at the end of your own bus route.
But above all, the film is side-splittingly funny. The chemistry between the three lead adventurers is second to none, and the many mishaps they encounter along the way, whether in the form of the language barrier, the weather or just plain confusion, had me wetting myself with laughter. It’s almost certain that you haven’t seen this film, and the lack of other opinions are why I call it a guilty pleasure, but if you ever find Local Bus Connection Trip The Movie, watch it. It’s an absolute treasure.
Read a full review here.
1. Pride And Prejudice And Zombies (2016)
IMDb Rating: 5.8 / My Rating: 8.1
If there were ever a film that could sum up what a ‘guilty pleasure’ is for me, then it would be Pride And Prejudice And Zombies: a film I adored from through and through, yet seem to be totally alone with that view.
An amazing combination of hilarious parody and properly exciting thrills, few films have given me as much endless fun as this, and while it follows Jane Austen’s original story as closely as it can, the bizarre arrival of the undead on the scene sends things into total chaos.
Pride And Prejudice And Zombies is so ridiculous, so stupid and so pointless at times that I can’t even understand why I love it so much. Its full of laugh-out-loud humour from beginning to end, and yet that clashes with its weirdly gritty, dark zombie action. Its story is a brilliant parody on both Austen and zombies, and yet the two don’t gel at all well, as the story jumps back and forth between the genres right the way through.
And yet, the sheer energy and determination of the film for one of the most ridiculous premises you’ll ever come across is undeniable, and in doing so, it pulls you into its bizarre, topsy-turvy world like no other. On top of that, its action is great, and its screenplay surprisingly engrossing, and despite a slight dip in excitement in its final act, PPZ is a thoroughly entertaining watch, not to mention the fact it was another springboard on now A-lister Lily James’ rise to stardom.
It is a weird film, and my love for it is absolutely a minority view, but I urge you to give it a go, sit back and watch the fireworks. Pride And Prejudice And Zombies is such a fun movie, and such a memorable watch that you’ll glady go back to again and again and again.
Read a full review here.
