Vanilla Sky is despised. The prime reason might be that many viewers were taken aback when they first watched the film.

The film was advertised as a romance, although it’s really a science fiction film. Vanilla Sky was inspired by the Spanish film Abre Los Ojos, which translates to “Open Your Eyes”. Let’s take a look at why it’s one of the most underappreciated films of all time:

1. The mysterious narrative of the movie:

Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz.

On the exterior, Vanilla Sky is the tale of David Aames, a magazine magnate and exec battling a nasty board of directors for management of his firm. Whether it’s lovers like Julie Gianni or pals like Brian Shelby, Aames treats everyone with contempt. However, one fateful night, he meets Sofia Serrano, with whom he falls in love. Shortly after this, he is engaged in a catastrophic automobile accident, resulting in his face being damaged and him slowly losing his hold on reality. Ultimately, many of the film’s events are revealed to be the consequence of a sleep-induced parallel world created by the enigmatic business “Life Extension”.

2. Multiple different interpretations of the film:

A scene from the movie, Vanilla Sky.

Vanilla Sky, like several other dream-based films, has multiple possibilities. There are five alternative ways to approach the movie, according to Director Crowe. The first and most straightforward answer is that David is being told the truth by Tech Support. Second, the film may represent David’s fever dream following the vehicle accident. Another possibility is that David’s hallucinations are caused by the medications he was given during his reconstructive surgery. Another hypothesis is that the incidents in the movie are actually those of Brian’s novel, which David commissioned. The fifth and last idea is that the entire film is a dream, as indicated by David’s automobile registration date being completely fictitious in the context of the situation.

Related: Movies With Ambiguous Endings That We Still Think About Today

3. An amazing background soundtrack:

One of Crowe’s hallmarks is his compositions. Vanilla Sky’s music is a blend of the director’s signature 60s folk, rock, and psychedelic. It also includes “alternative” and “zeitgeist” tunes from the early 2000s. The movie’s score adds another degree of reference and context to the story’s themes. “Ladies and Gentlemen, We Are Floating in Space” by Spiritualized includes elements of “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” Meanwhile, the song “Good Vibrations,” which comes in a pivotal sequence, was created using a collage process that combined hundreds of separate recordings into a single tune. A similar method was utilized by Radiohead’s Kid A, whose song “Everything In Its Right Place” starts the picture, as well as Nancy Wilson’s instrumental music.

Related: 5 Other Movies That Became Popular For Their Soundtracks

4. The film poses bigger philosophical questions:

Tom Cruise in the movie, Vanilla Sky.

Vanilla Sky is a tragedy, and not because David’s father did not love him as a youngster or because he does not marry Sofia. It is to the degree that modern life is a catastrophe, in which allusion and sarcasm stand in for romance and emotion, We’ve gotten accustomed to thinking, like David, that we can all be the heroes of our own stories, crafting our own little worlds. Isn’t this the promise of contemporary life? Simply click play and replay our life as a starring vehicle for ourselves. However, with the realization of that promise comes a loss of feeling and connection, as well as the ability to acknowledge that loss.

5. The cameo of Steven Spielberg:

At David’s party, one of the finest filmmakers in the history of the industry pops up. Steven Spielberg had visited the set to discuss with Tom Cruise about their first collaboration, the then-upcoming Minority Report, which is why he’s donning a Pre-Crime cap. Crowe asked Spielberg to “get in there” during the party scene filming. It was a quick moment that Crowe repaid when he showed up in Minority Report.