There's an argument to be made that it's too early to make any kind of end-of-year list before the year's over. And to be perfectly fair, it's a good argument. You don't want to declare a certain group of films are the best or the worst before you have all the potential candidates to select from. If anything, you might want to wait a few months after a year's end before compiling a proper "best of" or "worst of" the year list.

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However, when it comes to underrated, under-seen, or underappreciated movies, it's a different story. These are films that have already come and gone, yet didn't manage to garner the level of love and support they deserved. If anything, they deserve to have a few more eyeballs on them as soon as possible, so that they can generate a little more buzz before the year's over. Given there are still 2022 releases left to come, these can only be considered among the most underrated films of 2022 so far. Yet when the dust settles, and the true best of 2022 lists start coming out, these 10 movies are likely to be some of the most unfairly unrepresented.

'Fire of Love'

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Easily one of the best (and most moving) documentaries of 2022, Fire of Love centers on a married couple who devoted their lives to studying volcanoes, recording hours upon hours of audio and video from their various expeditions. It's these recordings that make up most of the visuals in Fire of Love, and the sights on display are frequently awe-inspiring.

Anyone who's enjoyed Werner Herzog's nature-themed documentaries from the past will likely enjoy this. It doesn't feel derivative of the German filmmaker's works, but has some similarities when it comes to visuals, the pitting of humanity against nature, and a strong emotional core. Fire of Love is bittersweet but ultimately beautiful and even poetic, and is required viewing for documentary fans who may have missed its initial 2022 release.

'Hustle'

Adam Sandler makes an inspiring speech in Hustle
Image via Netflix

Adam Sandler has been in some good stuff lately. Perhaps what's needed to best utilize the actor is to put him in a mostly serious film (with a few funny moments) that have plots which at least partially revolve around basketball.

That's on way to vaguely describe the 2019 masterpiece he gave a career-best performance in, Uncut Gems, and it's a description that could also apply to 2022's Hustle. Granted, they're tonally different, belong to different genres, and Hustle also isn't quite as good. But Sandler excels in the film the same way he excelled in Uncut Gems, and Hustle is overall also a very easy-to-watch, enjoyable sports movie. Clichés in its story abound, but it's just nice to see Sandler give another great performance in a (mostly) dramatic movie.

'Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood'

A film that got dropped onto Netflix around the mid-point of 2022 with very little fanfare, Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood seems unfairly overlooked as a result. This is despite it coming from an acclaimed filmmaker - Richard Linklater - and getting overall good reviews, including a 91% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

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It combines unique, visually striking animation with a coming-of-age movie with a nice hangout vibe (as Linklater had previously done with 1993's Dazed & Confused, for example), and adds to it a fantastical, dreamlike additional narrative about a child being trained to be an astronaut. Its mix of the real with the dreamy is a little strange, but it makes the overall film stand out. It's hard to imagine many disliking it, but unfortunately, most haven't seemed willing to even give it a chance.

'Fall'

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Admittedly, Fall has some big problems. The dialogue is quite poorly written, there are some things in the script that don't quite add up or feel properly introduced, and the premise itself - featuring two young women climbing a 2000-foot tall tower, only to become trapped at the very top when part of a ladder collapses - might require you to take your own leap of faith to accept.

However, digging through the film's problems will expose a stretch of the movie that's honestly pretty great. Separate from the clunky set-up and some of the over-the-top elements of the ending, the core survival portion of Fall is very good. You believe the two characters are really stuck up there, thanks to the technical aspects - and stuntwork - being so strong, and it's truly suspenseful. Overlook or forgive the bad, and there's a lot here to like.

'Blonde'

Blonde - ending

A controversial movie before it was even released, there's been a great deal of backlash against Blonde since it became available on Netflix. Its fictional take on Marilyn Monroe, its condemnation of the movie industry (with such criticism even extending to the audience), and countless disturbing scenes have made it a film that's getting a real love/hate response from the movie-watching public.

To some extent, it's justified. However, at the same time, there's a range of things the movie does exceptionally well, with many overlooking its best qualities to instead focus on what they perceive as its worst qualities. It's not a film that everyone needs to like, but the fact that the criticism has been so unrelenting makes Blonde if not underrated, then at least over-hated.

'Fresh'

Steve and Noa dancing in Fresh

If you haven't seen Fresh, you shouldn't want to know what it's really about. Posters and marketing may give away too much, but the film on its own doesn't establish what genre it is until about half an hour into its runtime. This is a movie where the title pops up at about the one-third mark of the film, after all.

For that reason, it's best to be vague. Fresh is a very good movie that hopes to surprise its audience with a reveal that comes late enough in the film to perhaps be a spoiler, but not so late that all people who talk about it will feel that way. It's best to read nothing and go in knowing almost nothing, so you can best experience one of the year's most interesting movies.

'Three Thousand Years of Longing'

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George Miller clearly put a great deal of love and effort into his latest film, Three Thousand Years of Longing. It's an ambitious romantic fantasy about a woman and a genie that also serves as a tribute to the art of storytelling, and its importance throughout the ages.

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There's nothing else remotely like it that's come out this year, and it's also one of the best-looking (and most colorful) movies of the year. Seeing it under-perform has been hard to watch, as adventurous yet easy-to-enjoy movies like this are what we need more of in today's film industry.

'The Northman'

The Northman

A critical success that word of mouth may be supporting after its theatrical run, The Northman was still, however, a movie that didn't do very well while in cinemas. It had an acclaimed director - Robert Eggers - behind it, a talented cast, the promise of epic action and adventure elements, and a strong revenge storyline... but the ingredients weren't enough to get people watching.

Anyone who missed it while it was in theaters ought to catch up as soon as they can. Once you can get over how close Nicole Kidman and Alexander Skarsgård are in age, despite playing parent + sibling, you'll find it was one of the best movies of the year.

'Jackass 4.5'

Jackass 4.5 - 2022

Jackass Forever was a decently-sized hit, and gave Jackass fans what may or may not be the final outing with those who are left of the original crew. Jackass 4.5, on the other hand, got quietly dropped on Netflix, and hasn't had that much of an impact.

Sure, it's mostly made up of alternate takes and a few stunts left out of the main film, but quality-wise, it's almost on the same level as Forever. It's required viewing for Jackass fans, and the .5 half-sequels (midquels?) of the series have always been good stuff, and 4.5 is no exception.

'Clerks III'

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Image via Lionsgate

A relatively new release at the time of writing, Clerks III may ultimately prove to become a little "better rated" in time. But for now, surprisingly few seem to be talking about it, despite being the conclusion of a story that began way back in 1994, and also despite it being Kevin Smith's best movie in years.

It's flawed and messy, but packs a surprisingly powerful punch emotionally. The characters may not be as funny or sharp-witted as they used to be, but they have their moments. As such, Clerks III is a fairly good dramedy, and anyone who's given up on Smith recently ought to give him one more chance by watching Clerks III.

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