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5 of the most underrated Chris Evans movies for your streaming list
These Chris Evans movies might have bombed with critics and viewers, but they're still worth the watch.
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I’ve been hard on Chris Evans recently, and for good reason.
After he put down the Captain America shield for a final time (or maybe not!), the Sudbury native finally had “the very, very fortunate luxury” of taking any role he wanted, as he told Esquire.
But until this year, his post-Marvel roles have underwhelmed, including mega-budget misfires like “The Gray Man,” “Red One,” and “Ghosted.”
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Thankfully, 2025 has put Evans back on the map. He was the best part of the thought-provoking (if not totally successful) Celine Song romantic drama “Materialists,” and this weekend he plays a lecherous preacher in Ethan Coen’s underdeveloped dark comedy “Honey Don’t!”. (You can read my full review.)
To celebrate Evans’ return to adventurous fare, here are five underrated Chris Evans movies that either bombed with critics (<60% on Rotten Tomatoes) or with audiences (lost money at the box office) but are worth a watch.
5 underrated Chris Evans movies
“Sunshine” (2007): In the future, the Sun has faded, turning Earth into an almost inhospitable ice planet. Humanity’s last hope is a ship and its crew traveling across the solar system to drop the world’s largest nuclear bomb into the Sun in the hopes of restarting it. Danny Boyle’s visually dazzling dystopian sci-fi film is one of my favorite movies of the 2000s, thanks in part to a strong ensemble cast that includes Evans in the role of Mace, the ship’s engineer. (Hulu)
“Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” (2010): Though it initially flopped at the box office, this faithful adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novel has become a cult hit in recent years. Scott (Michael Cera) must defeat Ramona’s (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) seven evil exes in order to win her heart, including Evans as a comically cruel and vain bad boy actor/skateboarder named Lucas Lee. (HBO Max)
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“Not Another Teen Movie” (2001): A full decade before he was Captain America, Evans played another all-American caricature in 2001’s “Not Another Teen Movie,” a parody film that spoofs two decades’ worth of coming-of-age films. Evans plays self-absorbed jock Jake Wyler, while Chyler Leigh plays Janie, the quirky klutz whose entire high school is blind to the fact that she’s gorgeous thanks to her Clark Kent glasses. (Available to rent)
“Puncture” (2011): Based on a true story, Evans plays Mike Weiss, a lawyer and drug addict who helps a nurse who contracted AIDS from an accidental needle prick at a hospital sue the healthcare industry for attempting to stymie a safer needle alternative due to higher costs. Evans also made a friend for life in “Puncture” director Mark Kassen, later founding the civic engagement project A Starting Point with him. (Tubi, Pluto TV, Peacock, The Roku Channel, Hulu, Prime Video)
“Cellular” (2004): Bask in the retro tech of this 2004 action-thriller, about a kidnapped woman (Kim Basinger) who manages to call the cell phone of a random guy (Evans) in search of help. The late Roger Ebert called Evans’ work as Luke “a star-making role,” though it took several more years for Marvel to catch on. (Howdy by Roku)
Play or Skip
Have a show you can’t stop watching? Email me about it at [email protected], and your recommendation may appear in a future edition of The Queue.
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Press play on these movies and shows:
“Butterfly” (Season 1): Thanks to the Jacks (Reacher and Ryan), Prime Video has become the go-to streamer for spy thrillers that are better than they should be. Add “Butterfly” to that list, which stars Daniel Dae Kim (“Lost”) as an ex-agent fighting his way through South Korea in order to save his daughter (Reina Hardesty) and stay one step ahead of his former colleague (Piper Perabo). (Prime Video)
“Peacemaker” (Season 2): The second season of James Gunn’s superhero series has an added gravitas, thanks to the creator’s decision to directly tie it to the plot of 2025’s “Superman” and the burgeoning DC universe. Nevertheless, the show doesn’t get too bogged down in complex plotting, preferring to let Peacemaker (John Cena) and his former Project Butterfly pals just hang out and enjoy each other’s company. (HBO Max)
“The Hudsucker Proxy” (1994): Since splitting up as creative partners, the films of now-separated sibling directors Joel and Ethan Coen (“Fargo,” “The Big Lebowski”) suggest that Joel favors the serious (“The Tragedy of Macbeth”) while Ethan prefers the silly and surreal (“Drive Away Dolls,” “Honey Don’t!”). For an underrated Coen Brothers film that falls strongly in the latter camp, check out Tim Robbins, Paul Newman and Jennifer Jason Leigh in this zany farce about a small-town bumpkin who becomes president of a multinational company. (Tubi)
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But go ahead and skip these:
“The Pickup” (2025): An action-comedy starring Eddie Murphy, Keke Palmer, and Pete Davidson has no business being this dull and unfunny. (Prime Video)
End Credits
That’s a wrap on this edition of The Queue. If you’re a fan, please consider recommending this newsletter to your friends.
Until next time, good stream hunting, everyone!
— Kevin
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