As the 1980s transitioned into the 1990s, cinema attempted to break free from the rigid rules and structures that defined the decade of slasher horror, MTV, and blockbuster films.

As maligned as the 1990s are sometimes seen in terms of movies, this is when some filmmakers decided they were tired of storytelling standards and decided they would do things differently. Tarantino changed the narrative landscape with Pulp Fiction, Lynch changed TV with Twin Peaks, and The Silence of the Lambs gave horror a valuable spot at the Oscars. Things changed, and as they should every now and then, these changes were positive.

Fortunately, the dynamics of the industry also welcomed these experiments. Producers understood home video and cable could save a film from oblivion, and other formats and mediums became more powerful in the mechanism of movies. However, there were some that didn't exactly make it. Movies that came and went, though they could be well-received by critics, became box office flops that home video couldn't save.

What follows is a list of those movies. The underrated box office flops from the 1990s that deserve a rewatch and, in some cases, a reconsideration that could take them out of the bin their poor box office returns condemned them to. Whether they are cult classics today or personal favorites that you often rewatch, they deserve the recognition that they couldn't get in the shifting cinema industry of the 1990s.

Some films listed appear to have broken even at the box office. It doesn't actually work like that; for a film to be considered successful, the box-office return needs to be very high. "Budget" often relates to production costs, but marketing and distribution are not part of this, and in the case of big studio films, this is where the films could end up losing money, even if the box-office result appears to be decent. Check out what happened with The Fall Guy for a clear recent example.

13 Hero (1992)

Budget: $42 Million - Box Office: $67 Million

In this comedy drama directed by Stephen Frears, a low-life criminal and loser by the name of Bernie LaPlante becomes a hero. The problem is that only he knows it. After finding himself witnessing an airplane crash, LaPlante enters the site and rescues a lot of people. He also takes the opportunity to steal some credit cards from the victims and the purse of a TV personality. When John Bubber, a homeless veteran, takes credit for the rescue, LaPlante can't find a way to let people know he was actually responsible, because the citizens will know just what kind of a hero he is (one that steals from victims).

While the film had a good reception by the public and critics (it holds a score of 67% on Rotten Tomatoes), it was a massive failure for Columbia Pictures. It did well in international markets, but the star-studded film didn't exactly connect with audiences, who felt the humor didn't exactly click with the story. Regardless, it's a strong comedy approach that stars people like Dustin Hoffman, Geena Davis, Andy Garcia, and Joan Cusack. It's not exactly the film's selling point, but the set piece of the plane crash is impressive. You can stream Hero on Hulu.

12 Ravenous (1999)

Budget: $12 Million - Box Office: $2 Million

Directed by Antonia Bird in 1999, Ravenous is the best film you've yet to see. It tells the story of a Second Lieutenant during the Mexican-American War who gets exiled after his superiors learn he had to play dead and let his partners get killed in order to combat the enemy. Boyd gets assigned to stay at a military outpost, where he and others witness the arrival of a strange individual who turns out to have survived by resorting to cannibalism.

Ravenous was a massive failure for American markets and only grossed a little more than $2 million at the box office. The reception by critics was also lukewarm, and it has stayed like that since its release: a 52% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Nevertheless, the blend of Western with horror is very effective (the script by Ted Griffin, inspired by the Donner Party, is very good), and Ravenous has since become a cult classic with an admirable cast that consists of Guy Pearce, Robert Carlyle, Neal McDonough, Jeremy Davies, and David Arquette, among others.

11 The Rocketeer (1991)

Budget: $40 Million - Box Office: $46.7 Million

Joe Johnston's superhero film The Rocketeer is based on the comic book of the same name, and it tells the story of a stunt pilot in the late 1930s in Hollywood who finds a very strange device: a rocket pack that he can use to fly. Cliff Secord quickly becomes a vigilante sought by the Nazis, the FBI, and the Howard Hughes, who actually owns the device. But saving the world is just more important than anything else.

Featuring state-of-the-art special effects by Industrial Light & Magic, The Rocketeer was a huge film in 1991. The problem is that the budget was simply too high, and Disney failed to see a decent return at the box office. The film didn't exactly connect with younger viewers, who felt the period aspect of the film wasn't truly relevant. By today's standards, it's a pretty weird superhero approach, but The Rocketeer is a thrilling ride with a solid score on Rotten Tomatoes (67%) and the potential to be entirely different from the rest of its peers. It's simply an interesting type of superhero film.

Related: 15 Underrated '90s Slashers Worth Revisiting

10 Chaplin (1992)

Budget: $31 Million - Box Office: $12 Million (Domestic and UK)

Richard Attenborough's biographical drama Chaplin is, of course, the story of the English comic Charlie Chaplin. The film, written by the trifecta of playwrights, William Boyd, Bryan Forbes, and William Goldman, is based on Chaplin's own autobiography. It navigates the life of the actor as he was a poor kid living in London when he was forced to help his mother survive by performing onstage, up until he was finally recognized by Hollywood during the longest standing ovation ever recorded at the Academy Awards.

Chaplin, starring Robert Downey Jr. in one of his most important roles, was critically acclaimed back in 1992. Today, it sits at 59% on Rotten Tomatoes, but back then, it was important enough to get nominated for three Academy Awards. Sadly, audiences didn't quite connect with the biography, as they perhaps expected a reenactment of Chaplin's abilities and not a very dramatic film. Sure, this is Downey Jr. at his best, but Chaplin is actually more than just a performance. It's a gut-wrenching depiction of the mind of one of the most important performers of all time and also a great portrayal of human creativity.

9 The Insider (1999)

Budget: $90 Million - Box Office: $60.3 Million

The Insider is a fictionalized account of what happened when Jeffrey Wigand, a chemist with just the right amount of knowledge, decides to listen to Lowell Bergman, a producer at CBS, and together they plan an exposé on the tobacco industry. However, as they plan for the segment to run on 60 Minutes, Bergman and his employers begin to show his true nature to Wigand, who begins receiving... notices about his participation in the revelation about the dynamics of Big Tobacco.

Directed by Michael Mann and based on the screenplay by Mann and Eric Roth, The Insider is a heart-wrenching biographical drama that discards accuracy in favor of a much more effective narrative.

The result is a fascinating film that failed to gather a decent box office return but was actually acclaimed by critics. It still sits at a solid 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, and in 2000 it was mentioned in seven categories at the Academy Awards, albeit winning none. It's one of the best whistleblowing dramas ever made.

8 The Frighteners (1996)

Budget: $26 Million - Box Office: $29.3 Million

Made by Peter Jackson in 1996 and featuring extraordinary visual effects created by Weta Digital, The Frighteners is a horror comedy that tells the story of Frank Bannister, a man who uses his psychic abilities to scam people: He becomes friends with ghosts, who return the favor by spooking people Bannister helps right after. The problem is that the Grim Reaper himself shows up one day, and Bannister's business becomes serious when the entity shows the skill to spook and kill ghosts.

One of Jackson's obscure films, The Frighteners, is a very entertaining horror comedy starring Michael J. Fox. Originally set to be a Tales from the Crypt spin-off feature film, the film failed to meet box office expectations despite Universal Pictures being certain of the concept.

The failure was probably due to Independence Day being released at the same time and the Atlanta Summer Olympics getting all the attention. Regardless, it sits at 67% on Rotten Tomatoes, and it's one of the most original supernatural horror films ever made.

7 The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)

Budget: $25 Million - Box Office: $11 Million

The Hudsucker Proxy tells the story of Norville Barnes, a naive man from Indiana who arrives in New York City, looking to expand his business knowledge.

The problem is that no one hires him in a decent position, and he can only work as a clerk for a large corporation. But the president of Hudsucker Industries dies by suicide, and executive Sidney Mussburger sees an opportunity: He will promote Barnes to company president, get the stock price down because of Barnes' lack of experience and trust, and buy everything.

One of the last screwball comedies ever made, the Coen Bros. epic is one of the team's most underrated features. The film had strong selling points: it was the first time the Coens worked with film stars, the cinematography was by Roger Deakins, and the visual effects were thoroughly planned by Michael J. McAlister and Mark Stetson. However, it failed to impress even in test screenings.

Reception by critics wasn't overwhelming (it still sits at 63% on Rotten Tomatoes), and the film was mostly forgotten very quickly. Nevertheless, it's a very interesting execution of the Coens' particular style of comedy, and it's one of Paul Newman's last performances. That should be enough to make you want to revisit it.

6 Event Horizon (1997)

Budget: $60 Million - Box Office: $42 Million