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In my mind there are perhaps two movies that could take the title of "most underrated film of all time": Star Trek The Motion Picture, and Last Action Hero. Both films are far more clever than they're given credit for, but whereas Last Action Hero requires a knowledge of Action Movie tropes to fully appreciate, Star Trek TMP doesn't require a love of Star Trek. It is one of the most visually and audibly impressive sci-fi films ever made. It has a great plot, fantastic music, mind blowing special effects and cinematography, and scope. It in no way tries to imitate the space action of Star Wars, which released only a couple of years prior, instead opting for something more akin to 2001 or Close Encounters. It also has a budget more than three times larger than Star Wars, which really shows (not that Star Wars looks bad in anyway at all, just that it has overshadowed Star Trek, which I think is a shame).

This is a fantastic movie. It's been a long time since I've seen the other Star Trek films, and I'll need a rewatch before I can say so definitively, but off the top of my head I'd say this is the best Star Trek film, and arguably the most underrated movie of all time. Don't dismiss it, unless you're the type who prefers typical space action and generic good vs evil plots, a la Star Wars. If that's the case, you'll probably find it dull. You'd be wrong, though...

I've been working my way through the Zatoichi films and reviewing as I go, and I've noticed I have a habit of claiming many to be the best in the series as soon as I've watched them, knowing full well I'll probably watch one soon I like even more. Having said that, so far this film is far and away my favourite, and I'm only a little over halfway through. Despite the title (fight Zatoichi fight) that would lead you to believe it is more of an action entry, this is the most humanising film for Zatoichi so far.

Zatoichi finds himself responsible for a mothers death, so he takes the woman's baby to deliver it to her husband some 60 miles away. Along the way he grows attached to the child, and turns into a bit of a mother hen, all the while being pursued by a group of hired killers. The bulk of the film (so far) is made up of scenes of Zatoichi with the child - my favourite of which (and possibly my favourite scene in the series so far) has Zatoichi buy the services of a whore to care for the child for a night, so he can finally get some much needed sleep. But he can't stop worrying about the child. Time and time again he rises, irritating the whore to no end, and the scene finally cross fades to the next morning, and the whore is out cold while Ichi nurses the baby. It also has a great gambling scene.

All the films have had something to offer so far. The third (new tale of Zatoichi) was the most visually pleasing; every shot was masterful. The film directly following it topped the third film in most other regards (such a great ending, with Zatoichi dancing off down a road with a grin on his face, which soured as soon as it was out of sight of the people the grin was intended for). But "Fight Zatoichi Fight" is the most satisfying film in the series so far. I love heartfelt sh-t like this.