Chris Pine’s 6 Most Underrated Movies, Ranked

Chris Pine is a prolific actor who you’re sure to have seen in a number of movies, including Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Into the Woods, and Confession. In the 2012 animated fantasy movie Rise of the Guardians, he also provided the voice of Jack Frost. One of Pine’s newest films, The Contractor, is making waves for its premise, which proves that what you think you know isn’t always accurate.

Updated November 20, 2023 by Yosra Ben lagha: In celebration of Chris Pine’s newest Disney movie Wish, coming this November, we leave you with a list of his best underrated movie gems.

Pine is perhaps most recognized for his part as James T. Kirk in the Star Trek reboot movie series. But, at the time of its writing, he also had three more movies in pre-production: Poolman, Newsflash, and a fourth unnamed Star Trek sequel. The majority of Pine’s prominent jobs have garnered praise, while many of them have gone unnoticed. These are the underrated films he did great in and deserves respect for.

10 The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004)

The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

Release Date

August 6, 2004

Director

Garry Marshall

Cast

Anne Hathaway, Julie Andrews, Hector Elizondo, John Rhys-Davies, Heather Matarazzo, Chris Pine

Rating

G

Main Genre

Comedy

Mia (Anne Hathaway), who is still adjusting to life as a princess, graduates from Princeton in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. Her closest friend, Lilly (Heather Matarazzo), follows her back to Genovia. When they get there, Mia’s grandmother (Julie Andrews) tells them that unless Mia is married within 30 days, she cannot become queen. One of her top suitors is Nicholas Devereaux, played by Pine, although he is more focused on the throne than Mia. However, Nicholas chooses against going after the monarchy after realizing he loves Mia.

What Makes It Underrated

The movie’s simplistic depiction of how kind, generous, and selfless a princess should be is a big point critics focused on when they placed this movie on the dust-collecting shelves. For adults, such a childish perspective on royalty life will certainly not hold, which probably explains the low 26% Rotten Tomatoes score. The movie is, however, commendable on many levels. Pine does a wonderful job of being both comedic and a great love interest for Mia throughout the film. The young star flexes his natural charisma and reflects a bitter-sweet character with an amazing arc.

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9 Unstoppable (2010)

Unstoppable

Release Date

November 4, 2010

Director

Tony Scott

Cast

Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson, Ethan Suplee, Kevin Dunn, Kevin Corrigan

Rating

PG-13

Main Genre

Action

Unstoppable is an action thriller featuring Chris Pine, a new train conductor, and Denzel Washington, a railroad engineer, as they try to monitor an out-of-control train laden with toxic chemicals that can cause an environmental disaster and end many lives.

What Makes It Underrated

Pine perfectly plays the young amateur who was able to prove his potential through managing an atypical, dangerous situation. But despite the actor’s brilliant performance, the movie was not a box office success, as it earned only $81 million domestically, against a budget of $100 million. It was called predictable with its happy Hollywood ending, turning the two main characters into unparalleled heroes after they save the day. It also received a lot of heat from critics, who pointed out that the train in question is, in fact, stoppable.

There are, however, redeeming qualities that make this movie such an underrated gem. Pine’s performance, for one, brings realism to already amazingly directed action scenes. The suspense of whether the deadly train will crash or be stopped on time is felt through Pine’s character’s alternation between self-control and total panic. Everything about the movie is thrill-inducing and totally unexpected. But besides the thrill, the two actors’ undeniable chemistry makes watching them be a team an absolute delight.

Rent on Apple TV

8 Smokin’ Aces (2006)

Smokin’ Aces

Release Date

December 9, 2006

Director

Joe Carnahan

Rating

R

Main Genre

Action

Chris Pine is the kind of actor who can make any role work, from serious to ridiculous, and from shy to absolutely villainous. In Smokin’ Aces, he is an interesting combination of ridiculous and villainous. He plays the role of Darwin Tremor, one of three neo-Nazi brothers, as he races to kill a man with a bounty on his head. In the action-packed and fast-paced movie, Darwin is portrayed as dimwitted, ridiculous, and absolutely laughable, but in a dark kind of humor.

What Makes It Underrated

The movie is sitting at a dramatically low 29% score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the most underrated action thrillers out there. It grossed just $57 million at the box office and did not live up to some critics’ and viewers’ expectations of the script style and directing.

The movie is experimental with its unique dialogue and style of direction, but with a killer cast including Ben Affleck, Ryan Reynolds, Andy Garcia, and Ray Liotta, the movie is definitely worth checking out. Although Pine was at the start of his career, through his unique southern accent, and his full-indulgence in the role, he delivers one of his finest performances and manages to stand out among a group of experts.

Stream on Prime Video

7 Outlaw King (2018)

Outlaw King

Release Date

September 6, 2018

Director

David Mackenzie

Cast

Chris Pine, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Florence Pugh, Callan Mulvey, Steven Cree, Billy Howle

Rating

R

Main Genre

Drama

In Outlaw King, Pine plays the role of Robert the Bruce, a 14th-century Scottish nobleman, who was initially dethroned and forced out of his country by England, but who led a band of outlaws to bring Scotland its stolen independence. What’s brilliantly portrayed is this character’s phoenix-like cycles of ups and downs while he grapples with a ruthless conqueror.

What Makes It Underrated

Outlaw King is overlooked because of its mediocre costumes, period sets, clumsy cinematography, and its too realistic fight scenes. Its 62% Rotten Tomatoes score indicates conflicted opinions over its value. The movie is also regrettably a huge box office bomb from which a sequel can never grow.

Related: Best Chris Pine Movies, Ranked

Pine, however, loses himself entirely in the role, delivering a chillingly believable performance of a tragic hero who rises from his own ashes. Through his beautifully written lines and the way he delivers them, he gives an edge to his character arc, taking him from defeat, loss, and surrender to resistance and victory. The battle scenes equally pay tribute to Pine’s amazing acting skills when he delivers one of the best, hard-to-forget war speeches. He brings to life an incredibly beautiful historical story that has long been overlooked.

Stream on Netflix

6 Don’t Worry Darling (2022)

Don’t Worry Darling

Release Date

September 22, 2022

Director

Olivia Wilde

Cast

Florence Pugh, Olivia Wilde, Chris Pine, Gemma Chan, Nick Kroll, Harry Styles

Rating

R

Genres

Crime, Drama, Horror

Frustrated by his wife’s busy professional life, Jack (played by Harry Styles) decides, unbeknownst to his wife Alice (Florence Pugh), to become part of an experimental company town in which men work on a mysterious top-secret project, and women assume their traditional role of playing house. But the perfect paradise bubble soon disappears when Alice meets Frank (Chris Pine) the manager and creator of the experiment. Pine brilliantly portrays the heartless, sociopathic manager of a game of deception played against women’s will.

What Makes It Underrated

The movie’s pacing, plot twists, and even narrative style were labeled disappointing by critics, whose focus was probably pulled away from the movie’s amazingly shot scenes, its interesting premise, and the cast’s top-notch performances. But in the midst of plenty of negative reviews and a 38% Rotten Tomatoes score, the movie was still a box office hit.

The interesting, antagonistic relationship that’s born between Frank and Alice, who is able to sense his deceptiveness and who is not afraid to rise to a challenge, is definitely entertaining. The movie brilliantly creates a nerve-wracking experience for the viewer, who in no way can expect Frank’s next move. Pine delivers a captivating performance in a movie that tells an unusual and compelling story.

Stream on Netflix

5 Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

Wonder Woman 1984

Release Date

December 16, 2020

Director

Patty Jenkins

Cast

Chris Pine, Gal Gadot, Robin Wright, Kristen Wiig, Connie Nielsen, Pedro Pascal

Rating

PG-13

Main Genre

Superhero

Pine plays Steve Trevor, the love interest of Princess Diana a.k.a. Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), in Wonder Woman 1984. In this movie, Pine’s character comes back to life and discovers himself in the 1980s. His resurrection is the direct result of Diana’s wish to reunite with her long-lost lover using the Dreamstone. Steve helps her put the past behind her and win her fight against an evil businessman with a dark, world-threatening agenda.

What Makes It Underrated

Wonder Woman 1984 failed to make back its $200 million budget and scored just 58% on Rotten Tomatoes. It was criticized for being too long, having an underdeveloped villain, and having an inconsistent, hole-filled plot. The villain’s motivations were not clear, and his final redemption seemed forced. But faults will always be there when you look for them.

In fact, there are a few good moments that make the movie truly worthy of the viewers’ attention. Pine’s character, for example, clumsily adjusts to an era different from his own, giving the audience a much-needed comedic relief within all that seriousness. Eventually, Steve is forced to return to the afterlife in order to save the world. This led fans to wonder if Pine would be appearing in the upcoming Wonder Woman 3 film, which is currently in development.

Stream on Prime Video

4 A Wrinkle in Time (2018)

A Wrinkle In Time

Release Date

March 8, 2018

Director

Ava DuVernay

Cast

Storm Reid, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Chris Pine, Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Rating

PG

Genres

Family, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

The fantasy adventure movie A Wrinkle in Time, released in 2018, is based on Madeleine L’Engle’s 1962 book of the same name. The plot centers on a young girl who embarks on a search for her absent father, a physicist who experiments with time travel, with the aid of three astral travelers.

What Makes It Underrated

With an all-star cast consisting of big names, such as Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Michael Peña, and Zach Galifianakis, most would assume success, but on a $103 million budget, the movie only grossed $33.3 million. It’s possible that the film’s poor box office performance is related to issues with its marketing and challenges with fantasy films getting traction.

RELATED: Exclusive: Chris Pine Talks Playing a Disney Villain in Wish and Breaking Out His Singing Voice

The film’s standout is Pine’s brief appearance as Dr. Alexander Murry. He is the theoretical physicist who brought to life the idea of the power of love in making time and space travel a reality and the long-lost father who learns the value of family. He breathes much-needed new life into the otherwise plodding narrative and his onscreen appearances, although brief, are outstandingly real and heartfelt.

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3 Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey (2012)

Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey

Release Date

December 2, 2012

Director

Harry Kloor, Dan St. Pierre

Cast

Chris Pine, Amanda Peet, Samuel L. Jackson, Hayden Christensen, James Earl Jones, Sandra Oh

Rating

NONE

Main Genre

Animation

The 2010 animated science fiction adventure film Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey, created by Harry “Doc” Kloor and directed by Kloor and Dan St. Pierre, takes the audience on an atomic journey across space. The multinational Cassini-Huygens expedition to Saturn was the inspiration for the movie, which was developed by NASA with funding from Jet Propulsion Lab and voiced by a cast of well-known performers.

What Makes It Underrated

Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey simply did not receive enough attention from critics and fans; it was not well advertised before its release and passed unnoticed after. Its Rotten Tomatoes score is 71%, which means that it was appreciated by those who actually saw the movie.

Quantum Quest had some interesting filming and animation techniques and was very educational for people who didn’t know much about space. The main character, David, who should have started his journey to the surface a million years ago, is voiced by Pine, and he does a fantastic job. The Core (William Shatner) attempts to encourage David to begin his adventure, but he is afraid. Pine brilliantly voices out his character’s complex feelings of confusion, fear, and later, determination to save his people from the dark forces of the void.

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2 Small Town Saturday Night (2009)

Just days before Rhett (Pine) departs for Nashville to pursue his long-held ambition of becoming a singer/songwriter, his girlfriend Samantha (Bre Blair) learns that his future might not be their future in the 2009 film Small Town Saturday Night. Rhett is shocked by this information and is forced to decide between pursuing his passion and choosing to stay in his hometown to be with the lady he loves.

What Makes It Underrated

Small Town Saturday Night earned a 25% Rotten Tomatoes score, which reflects a general underappreciation of the film. It was called plain and cheesy, and its “sleepy small town” location certainly didn’t help. The story is repetitive and predictable, and the plot is in desperate need of innovation.

But this cheesy and predictable film is one of the best things to watch when you need to unwind. Pine’s unmatched performance of a man caught between two passions makes viewers especially empathetic about his ordeal. But although he makes life in the country seem easy, the choice between chasing his big dreams, and remaining a small-town family man, is always a hard one. What makes this movie stand out is its relatability to many young adults who face the same timeless dilemma.

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1 Just My Luck (2006)

Just My Luck

Release Date

February 28, 2006

Director

Donald Petrie

Cast

Lindsay Lohan, Chris Pine, Samaire Armstrong, Bree Turner, Faizon Love, Missi Pyle

Rating

PG-13

Main Genre

Comedy

The 2006 romantic comedy Just My Luck centers on Ashley Albright (Lindsay Lohan), a publicist who is the luckiest person in Manhattan, and Jake Hardin (Pine), a janitor and aspiring music producer, who appears to have terrible luck. However, their good and bad luck are switched when they kiss at a masquerade ball, which transforms both of their lives and brings them back together.

What Makes It the Most Underrated

The movie was ceaselessly scorned by pretentious critics and fans alike, resulting in a low 14% Rotten Tomatoes rating. However, that is precisely what makes the movie entertaining. It’s easy to temporarily escape reality because of the corny adolescent aspect and the knowledge of what will happen next. In any case, nobody really watches a rom-com to be bitterly serious and overly realistic. Pine also does a fantastic job of portraying the character accurately while demonstrating his sharp acting abilities. His role is charming, entertaining, and offers a lot of quality screen time when paired with the irresistible Lindsay Lohan, and their natural chemistry as actors is absolutely commendable.

Stream on Fubo TV