From The Shining to It's a Wonderful Life, many of the most influential films in history were savaged by critics upon their release. These films prove that bad reviews alone don't mean a movie is destined for doom. In fact, sometimes critics can entirely miss the point of a film or overlook its most charming aspects.

In the early 2000s, franchise films had yet to establish their stranglehold on Hollywood, and theaters were filled with countless original and unusual movies. Whether it was rom-coms or action blockbusters, the aughts had a fun and light style that was often overlooked by the critics. And many films that were not exactly Oscar-worthy, nonetheless helped define the era, being fondly remembered by their fans decades later.

The comedy-horror film Jennifer's Body sees popular high school girl Jennifer (Megan Fox) become possessed by a demon and transform into a cannibalistic succubus. Jennifer's childhood friend, Anita 'Needy' Lesnicki (Amanda Seyfried), sees the change in Jennifer and desperately attempts to save her friend. It becomes apparent that Jennifer not only doesn't want to be 'saved,' she savors her new dark existence.

Jennifer's Body was widely panned by critics who didn't know how to process its brilliant blend of horror and comedy. In recent years, there have been calls to reevaluate the film. Fox perfectly plays Jennifer, a literal monster who manages to be unquestionably dangerous and yet somehow enthralling to powerless nerdy Needy.

Cult classic The Room is a barely comprehensible comedy that aims to be a thriller. Helmed by writer, director, and star Tommy Wiseau, the movie follows Johnny (Wiseau), a banker who is engaged to Lisa (Juliette Danielle), a manipulative seductress. Lisa is carrying on a torrid affair with Johnny's best friend Mark (Greg Sestero).

Critics rightfully pointed out that virtually every aspect of The Room falls well below the standard of even an amateur filmmaker. They failed to account for the fact that the audience would absolutely love it. Viewers came in droves to cackle at midnight screens of the cult classic for years after its initial release. It even became so infamous that it led to The Disaster Artist, an Oscar-nominated film focusing on the behind-the-scenes drama associated with the making of The Room.

Adapted from the hit Broadway musical of the same name, Mamma Mia! celebrates the music of famed Swedish pop band ABBA. Sophie Sheridan (Amanda Seyfried) wants her father to be at her wedding, which is complicated by the fact she doesn't know who her father is. Sophie takes the extreme step of secretly inviting three of her mother's exes, Sam Carmichael (Pierce Brosnan), Harry Bright (Colin Firth), and Bill Anderson (Stellan Skarsgård), any of whom could conceivably be her father. This puts her mom, Donna (Meryl Streep), in a particularly uncomfortable position.

Mamma Mia! was dismissed as meaningless fluff, but it turns out that audiences love a bit of light enjoyment. The film's 2018 sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, even earned over 400 million at the Box Office.

Socially awkward teenager Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway) is shocked to learn that she is actually the heir to the throne of Genovia, a fictitious European country, in Disney's The Princess Diaries. Mia's estranged grandmother Clarisse (Julie Andrews) gives the unwitting and utterly unprepared girl a crash course in royal etiquette. Much of the film's comedy is derived from the odd couple dynamic of stuffy Clarisse and shy Mia.

Critics ridiculed The Princess Diaries for its outlandish premise, labeling it as a forgettable children's movie. Yet the film left an indelible mark on many of the kids who watched it and launched Hathaway to superstardom. In the years since, it's been cited as one of the best children's films of its era.

Sandra Bullock stars in Miss Congeniality, a 2000 rom-com that centers on Gracie Hart (Bullock), a gruff FBI agent who goes undercover at a national beauty pageant. While training for the pageant, tomboy Gracie is forced to get in touch with her feminine side. She also forms bonds with the other contestants and, in the process, realizes that girly-girls aren't all the vacuous ditzes she'd wrongfully assumed they'd be.

Regardless, the film was a box office hit, counted by some as one of the best undercover cop films out there. Proving that it's got staying power, Miss Congeniality made a splash on streaming when it debuted on Netflix earlier this month.

The Fast and the Furious revolves around a group of street racers and petty criminals led by Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel). LAPD officer Brian O'Conner manages to infiltrate the gang, but complications arise when he strikes up a romance with Dom's sister Mia (Jordana Brewster). When Brian's bonds with the group strengthen, he has to decide where his loyalties lie.

While the critics may have turned their noses up at the film, it's clear that fans can't get enough. It's established a long list of characters, including some of the biggest modern action stars. Another entry in the saga is set to hit theaters in 2026, and there's every indication it'll be a blockbuster.

Teen romantic drama Step Up focuses on Tyler Gage (Channing Tatum), a handsome boy from the wrong side of the tracks, and Nora Clark (Jenna Dewan), a trained dancer from an upper-middle-class background. Their paths cross when juvenile delinquent Tyler is sentenced to do community service at Nora's school. They strike up a star-crossed romance when Tyler reluctantly becomes her dance partner.

Critics thoroughly drubbed the flick, labeling it a half-baked rehash of a story that has been told a million times over. All in all, over the past two decades, the franchise has raked in hundreds of millions and developed a voracious fanbase.

Based on the 80s cartoon of the same name, Transformers sees Earth become the battleground for two different factions of aliens, the heroic Autobots and the villainous Decepticons. Both groups are capable of camouflaging themselves as motorized vehicles and of taking on anthropomorphized forms. The Autobots find themselves with an unlikely ally when a young boy named Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBeouf) discovers their existence.

Critics were unimpressed with Transformers, mostly finding it to be a soulless mishmash of explosions and CGI. Jam-packed with iconic characters, the action keeps the audience on its toes.

Based on Nicholas Sparks' novel of the same name, The Notebook chronicles the story of a couple, Noah (Ryan Gosling when young and James Garner in old age) and Allison (Rachel McAdams when young and Gena Rowlands in old age). An elderly Allison suffers from dementia, and Noah recounts their whirlwind romance to her.

The Notebook was labeled as trite and melodramatic by critics, who found it too candidly emotionally manipulative to garner much real investment. However, theater-goers fell in love with the tear-jerker. Considered one of the most iconic romances in all cinema history, The Notebook holds a special place in the hearts of its fans.

Irreverent comedy Super Troopers follows a group of Vermont state troopers whose station is under threat of being closed down. The bumbling and inexperienced troopers unexpectedly find themselves on the trail of a murderer but are not taken seriously by other law enforcement.

Critics seemed to loath Super Troopers, showing disdain towards its juvenile humor and unserious tone. Audiences, however, found the film to be hilarious, giving it a whopping 90% feedback score on Rotten Tomatoes. Predictably, critics also reviled the sequel, but that didn't stop the film from opening above expectations in a highly competitive marketplace.