Known for his fast-paced action scenes, snappy editing style, and witty comedy, Edgar Wright has been among many cinephiles' favorite directors ever since he took the world by storm with his sophomore film, Shaun of the Dead.
Amusing and always full of rhythmic energy, the director's films are pretty hard to not have a great time with. And since his style is so idiosyncratic, it's not hard to find underrated films out there that are similar to his. From Hunt for the Wilderpeople to Kung Fu Hustle, there are multiple movies that Edgar Wright fans are pretty much guaranteed to love.
1 'Hunt for the Wilderpeople' (2016)
Generally speaking, the filmmaking style of New Zealander director Taika Waititi is fairly similar to Wright's, but nowhere is this more evident than in Hunt for the Wilderpeople (one of Taika Waititi's best movies), about a defiant kid who finds himself on the run alongside his irritable foster uncle in the wild of New Zealand.
For those who enjoy Edgar Wright's colorful characters and clever humor, this dramedy has more than enough of that, along with Waititi's signature blend of laughs and tear-jerking emotional moments.
2 'The Night is Short, Walk on Girl' (2017)
When it comes to fast-paced and highly stylized films, it's impossible to go wrong with the surrealistic genre-hopping anime The Night is Short, Walk on Girl, about a college sophomore on a series of surreal encounters with Kyoto nightlife.
The movie is delightfully ambitious, and a blast of fun in its inventiveness and creativity. It's most definitely not your traditional animated film, but those looking for a Wright-esque escapade with a life-affirming tone and unforgettable colorful and eye-catching visuals will definitely find comfort in this film.
3 'Attack the Block' (2011)
Attack the Block, a fun sci-fi comedy produced by Edgar Wright and directed by his friend Joe Cornish, follows a group of teens from South London as they defend their grim housing estate from a terrifying alien invasion.
The movie's sense of humor is as amusing as that of Wright's alien invasion comedy The World's End, and paired with the breakneck speed at which the story takes place over a single night, it makes Attack the Block as energetic and exciting as the premise would have you expecting it to be. The action is thrilling, and the intimate writing makes it easy to get involved in the characters.
4 'Run Lola Run' (1998)
This German action thriller is the story of Lola, who's tasked with raising 100,000 Deutschmark in 20 minutes after getting a call from her boyfriend about a failed dropoff.
An iconic movie about running, Run Lola Run has a sense of rhythm and speed worthy of the best Wright movies. It uses this pace to tell a story about chance, decisions, and how every second of our lives brings with it a multitude of different possible outcomes. Philosophical movies are rarely so stylish and fun.
5 'Delicatessen' (1991)
Jean-Pierre Jeunet's debut is easily one of his best films. Delicatessen is a sci-fi dark comedy about a bizarre post-apocalyptic town where food is scarce and a butcher uses human flesh to feed his customers.
The characters of Delicatessen are as funny and idiosyncratic as those of Wright's body of work, and the satirical dystopian setting is delightfully reminiscent of that of Shaun of the Dead. Although the English auteur has never gone as surrealistic as Jeunet went for this film, it's definitely something that would be interesting to see.
6 'Kung Fu Hustle' (2004)
If you like the over-the-top action of martial arts movies, the cartoonish humor of Looney Tunes, and the jaw-dropping comedic stunts in Buster Keaton's cinema, there is good news for you! There's a movie that mixes all of that: Kung Fu Hustle, about the battle between a criminal gang and a slum ruled by eccentric landlords.
For those who loved the distinct visual style of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World or the goofiness of something like Hot Fuzz, Kung Fu Hustle is full of delightfully fun slapstick surprises.
7 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang' (2005)
Shane Black tends to be a bit of a divisive director, but it's hard to deny that Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a ton of fun. Snappy and irreverent, it has the kind of crime comedy that's visible in so many Edgar Wright's movies.
Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer are fantastic in their roles, embodying all the qualities that the main characters of a modern comedy noir should have. The unfairly overlooked 2005 movie is brimming with energy and creativity and rule-breaking, three qualities that fans of Wright are sure to appreciate.
8 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' (1986)
When it comes to heartwarming, feel-good comfort films, Ferris Bueller's Day Off is easily one of the most enjoyable. It's the story of the title character, who skips school to go on a series of adventures with his girlfriend and best friend.
It's very easy to see the influences that John Hughes's hangout movie had on Edgar Wright's cinema. It's a film that perfectly captures the joy and spontaneity of being a teenager, and Ferris himself is mirrored in many of Wright's characters who ooze charm and youthful energy.
9 'Project A' (1983)
Edgar Wright has directly cited the movies of Jackie Chan as some of his biggest influences to become a filmmaker, and this can be quite evident to anyone who watches something like Project A, where a Coast Guard officer is determined to prevent pirates from making him and his men look like fools.
Wright commends Chan's unique action style, and it's fun to see how it influenced his own. These influences are perhaps most strongly seen in Project A, which is an absolute blast of fun for those who enjoy martial arts films.
10 'Raising Arizona' (1987)
In the Coen brothers' wacky crime comedy Raising Arizona, which happens to currently be Edgar Wright's favorite film of all time, a couple gets themselves into trouble after they kidnap a baby with the intention of starting a family.
Absurdly comedic, exquisitely dark, and as cleverly written as you can expect any of the Coens' films to be, Raising Arizona is so great that it's hard to believe it was only the directors' second directing effort. Wright's love for this '80s classic can be seen across his whole filmography, resulting in a director whose style is full of iconic pop culture inspirations while remaining most undeniably his own.