While the most well-known Top 250 movie list generated by regular movie fans is the one found on IMDb,Letterboxdhas a similar list that’s also worth exploring. There are a decent number of acclaimed movies found on both theIMDb Top 250and theLetterboxd Top 250, but also some surprising differences, with these variations ultimately showing how the tastes of an average IMDb user and an average Letterboxd user differ.
The Letterboxd Top 250 is particularly diverse, and has a few more hidden gems on it than IMDb’s comparable list. For those who’ve exhausted the Top 250 on IMDb, moving on and watching titles in the Letterboxd Top 250 that aren’t in the IMDb Top 250 might be worth doing. The following movies are some of the most surprising and underrated on the Letterboxd list in question, and all are more than worthy of a film buff’s time and attention.
10’Marcel the Shell with Shoes On' (2021)
Make no mistake: the 2020s have so far been a good decade for animation, and the films nominated for the 2023 Oscars demonstrated this well.Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchiowon, but had stiff competition from nominees likePuss in Boots: The Last Wish,Turning Red, andMarcel the Shell with Shoes On, with the last of those competing with films released in 2022 due to it getting a wide release that year (even though its first screening was in 2021).
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Even though it combines animation with live-action, there’s a strong argument to be made forMarcel the Shell with Shoes Onbeing the best animated movie among the 2023 Oscar nominees. It’s charming, funny, heartwarming, and surprisingly emotional, and tells a simple story about instantly endearing characters, more than earning a spot in Letterboxd’s Top 250 in the process.
9’To Live' (1994)
To Livedepicts a Chinese family living through dramatic events in the country’s history, with the story predominantly taking place in the 1940s. It’s a sad and difficult film, following the family as a variety of factors place them in financial strife, eventually needing to do whatever they can simply to live (as the title emphasizes).
It was directed byZhang Yimou, who’s perhaps best known to Western audiences for his martial arts films, most notablyHero(2002) andHouse of Flying Daggers(2004).To Liveis one of many films where he collaborated with acclaimed actressGong Li, with both delivering some of their best work with this visually striking and emotionally devastating film.
8’Eureka' (2000)
An extremely challenging film by design,Eurekais highly acclaimed on Letterboxd, but doesn’t have a huge number of total viewers (less than 10,000). That probably speaks to the intensity and length of the film, seeing as it follows three characters all dealing with the aftermath of a violent crime, and does so over about 3.5 hours.
Calling it a tricky movie to watch might be an understatement, but it rewards patient viewers, thanks to the quality of its visuals and the naturalistic performances. Its use of sepia visuals throughout also makes it distinctive visually, and as far as intimate, personal character studies that have the length of an epic movie go, it’s a quality film.
7’Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 2' (2012)
ThoughGangs of Wasseypurwasfilmed as one movie, it was ultimately released in two parts, both in 2012. This is likely because of the length, more than anything else, as the epic crime/thriller runs for over five hours in total, with that runtime split pretty evenly down the middle, leading to two movies that are both a little over 2.5 hours in length.
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BothPart 1andPart 2have high ratings on Letterboxd, though it’s onlyPart 2that manages to sneak into the Top 250, where it currently sits just outside the top 200. Both are compelling halves of one great story, butPart 2does benefit from featuring the story’s climax, and many of its most outrageous scenes, which might explain why it has a slightly higher rating.
6’Time of the Gypsies' (1988)
A Yugoslavian film that mixes up various genres - including comedy, romance, crime, and fantasy -Time of the Gypsiesis strange and hard to describe, but equally hard to forget. The story follows a young man who comes of age while dealing with his telekinetic powers and the temptations of living a life of crime.
It runs for almost 2.5 hours, and given its ambitious premise and combination of genres, it manages to go to various strange places throughout that relatively lengthy runtime. It might be too out there to be for everyone, but it’s certainly found an audience on Letterboxd, with the site’s users giving it anaverage rating of 4.2/5.
5’The Best of Youth' (2003)
One way to tell a story that spans a great deal of time is to have a huge runtime that takes a great deal of time to get through. This is what the six-hour Italian filmThe Best of Youthdoes, following two brothers over about 40 years during its runtime, depicting their various ups and downs throughout the final decades of the 20th century.
It thankfully earns its considerable runtime, as it’s a very well-made movie that’s successful in getting viewers invested with the characters and their journeys. Of course, not everyone has six hours lying around to devote to a movie likeThe Best of Youth, but those on Letterboxd who found time for it have generally come away satisfied, seeing as the film sits just outside the site’s Top 100 highest-rated movies.
4’War and Peace' (1965)
The novelWar and Peaceis famously very long, and so too is its most acclaimed feature film adaptation. The novel spans over 1200 pages, and the four-part Russian adaptation from the mid-1960s runs for about seven hours. It won’t take you as long to watch as it’d take to read the novel, but it’s still a considerable commitment.
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A seven-hour movie that doesn’t earn its length would not be treated favorably by those on Letterboxd, and as such,War and Peace’splacement in the site’s Top 100 speaks to its quality. Its production spared no expense in making this epic movie one of the most epic of all time, with huge battle sequences and setpieces that have scarcely been equaled or surpassed in the decades sinceWar and Peace’srelease.
3’Il Sorpasso' (1962)
Il Sorpassois onemovie that’s acclaimed on both IMDband Letterboxd, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s a road movie/dramedy that’s aged very well in the 60 years since it first came out, following two men who drastically change each other’s lives when they meet by chance and go on a misadventure-filled road trip together.
It all sounds like it would be relatively simple and maybe not all that special, but it’s the execution here that counts, becauseIl Sorpassohas excellent performances and sharp writing that make it far more memorable than its straightforward premise might imply. Its average 4.2/5 rating and placement in the Letterboxd Top 250 are undoubtedly both well-deserved.
2’Underground' (1995)
A comedic, tragic, dramatic, and slightly fantastical war movie with an almost three-hour runtime, it’s safe to say that there isn’t much else likeUndergroundout there. It takes place in the country once known as Yugoslavia, and follows several characters navigating the various wars that ravaged the country throughout the 20th century, before its status as a country came to an end in 1992.
Despite its decades-spanning narrative and the ambitious assortment of genres tackled, it all remains surprisingly consistent and even coherent, in its own strange way. It’s hard not to admire a film likeUnderground, and admiringUndergroundis indeed what the users of Letterboxd have done, with it sitting just inside the site’s Top 200.
1’Napoleon' (1927)
Napoleonmight well be the most ambitious (and longest) film to depict the life of its famed title character, and it’s also one of the best. This 5.5-hour silent French film focuses on the military commander and political leader’s early years, and was originally conceived as part 1 of 6 movies that would exploreNapoleon Bonaparte’sentire dramatic life.
The full project didn’t come to fruition, but 5.5 hours is still a long time, and most would feel that alone is suitably epic. It’s one of the highest-rated silent films on Letterboxd, and has a spot within the site’s top 200, making it an essential watch both for those interested in Napoleon as a historical figure, and those interested in the history/artform of silent cinema.
