We all come across a few films or so that most people seem to love or enjoy but you have a strong distaste for (or simply can't stand for either the praise or the fact you think the film is so bad). Since one of my favorite internet celebrities, Doug Walker, decided to do two videos about films he likes that many others hate and vice versa, I've decided to look through and provide two of the same lists. I'd like to do these in video format, but writing is more of my strong suit and thus words in ink will have to speak more than words of mouth. And like Mr. Walker, I just want to emphasize that just because I might hate some of the films on this list, doesn't mean I think the people who like them are idiots. I'm expressing distaste towards the film, not the fans. If you like them then that's terrific (no sarcasm), another film for you to enjoy and fall back on when in the mood for something that will do the trick. But these are movies that just didn't click with me for whatever reason. So here's the top 10 films I dislike (or hate), but almost everyone else holds in high or positive regards.
*NOTE: I go into reasons for why I dislike these films more than I might normally do, so there will be SPOILERS aplenty.
10. 25th Hour
Something I want to make clear about myself as an aspiring film critic is that my motto has been "the more I can enjoy or like, the better." Every film I watch I want to have at least some appreciation for. On that note, 25th Hour is a film I really wanted to like since it features Edward Norton and Barry Pepper, two of my favorite actors, along with Rosario Dawson, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Anna Paquin, three performers I have a bit of a soft spot for. Combined with the critical acclaim and promising premise, I thought I'd definitely add this to my personal favorites list. And while I'll admit it has some good moments, such as Norton's vulgar five-minute speech and gets off to a fair enough start, it began to fall apart for me around halfway through. The parts that I think near-ruined the film for me were when we see the people Norton's character has been involved with (along with the person who caused him to be sent to prison) and the ending. Seeing Norton's relations just felt like a disruptive inclusion even though it's clearly part of the plot and his character; I felt it detracted from the film's potential, which was in the impending realization of going to prison. As for the ending, that's what ultimately made me feel so conflicted towards the movie. The hypothetical sequence goes on in a way that makes you think it's actually happened which, with the very last shots of the film, just feels too inconsistent for comfort. I understand the point, but it ultimately left feeling on me that just made the entire film so much more underwhelming. 25th Hour certainly isn't a bad film, but I just felt so disappointed with the overall quality that I couldn't bring myself to say that I enjoyed it even during most of its better moments.
9. Hercules
It's essentially a given that I, like many others my age, enjoyed this film as a kid growing up (then again, we also enjoyed Batman and Robin). But as you get older, shortcomings begin to actually come to mind, and this precursor to the Disney slump is no different. Anyone who knows films knows that Disney have been more concerned with making their tales and adaptations accessible, just look at The Hunchback of Notre Dam and Aladdin. However, unlike the latter, where the jokes and fun felt legitimate and had their place, Hercules' fun-poking moments (and there are several) feel like they're just present for the sake of (social) satire. As a result, the attempts at humor feel out of place/inconsistent with the themes at-hand, which reaches a shameless pinnacle during the opening when the singers come in during the narration. Again, it might be for fun, but it's so spontaneous with regards to the subject matter. Now, like 25th Hour I'll admit that Hercules isn't an awful film per se, there are a few good points to find and Hades is fun, but he's also overrated since there's next to nothing legitimately intimidating about him; which makes for a less interesting villain and a tale that fails to truly engage. If you still enjoy watching the film, then great, more power to you (I'll try to avoid overused phrases like this). But for me, to say it doesn't hold up from my childhood is a real understatement.
8. The Mist
The Mist is a film I've had a more interesting history with than most films, especially given it's still a fairly recent release. Even though it seemed to get nothing but high acclaim, I mostly avoided it at first since an old favorite channel of mine, MRBLACKSREVIEWS, gave it zero stars. But shortly after the film came out on DVD my friend and I decided to give it a shot and while I thought it wasn't too bad, it was definitely the weakest of Frank Darabont's films. As I began to think more about it shortly after, I found myself thinking less and less fond of it to where it actually was more annoying than tense or engaging. The key problem lies with the incredibly heavy emphasis on the arguments amidst the characters, represented even worse by Marcia Gay Harden's overzealous portrayal of an even more overzealous character (and not in a good way). Darabont and King have had characters like this in their previous works, such as Mr. Norton and the guard captain in The Shawshank Redemption, and Percy Wetmore in The Green Mile. However, the difference is that those films didn't overdo the presence and personality of those characters, especially when at their worst. The Mist, on the other hand, just pushes its attempts at the theme of "people are their own worst enemy" in your face so much that it becomes a chore to try and focus on what else is happening. This might have been the point, but if you're constantly hammering what's already an inundation into your audience then the significance of the story or tale becomes lost. And, unfortunately, The Mist suffers this all too much.
7. The Godfather
I know this might be the mother of all films to put on a list of films if you're one of the scarce minority who dislike this film. And while I don't hold this film in high regards at all, I don't quite hate the film (or so much to where I found it torture outside of the runtime itself). Part of why I look at this film in a less-than enthusiastic light is probably because I've never liked gang/mob/mafia films; they all feel so disconnected and, oftentimes, overdone for the wrong reasons. In fact, the only gang film I've enjoyed for what I've seen is Goodfellas, which was a huge surprise to me. But back to The Godfather. I look upon this film lowly since it's just so uninteresting. While other films oftentimes leave me feeling uninvolved because of annoying characters (Rob Corddry in Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay), The Godfather was completely lacking in anything compelling. In short, I just never felt a reason to care for anyone in the film, even Marlon Brando. I will say that it was very well-directed and it was refreshing to see Al Pacino as a younger actor, but there's not much else I can really lend as actual acclaim.
6. Die Hard 2
This film I almost decided not to include on my list. The only reason I even did decide to ultimately include it is because I've only met one other person who dislikes the film (conveniently enough, the person who got me into the Die Hard films). Die Hard 2 is a clear-cut contender for most disappointing film I've ever seen. After its predecessor, I think it's clear that expecting an at-least decent follow-up was only inevitable. And when I found out that this film took place at an airport, my interest raised even more, since there's so much potential in that setting alone. However, what I got out of the movie was a real drag that lacked compelling action scenes, has unsympathetic characters outside of Willis, was filled with sloppy editing, and had plot twists which abruptly came out of nowhere. There was only one part to the film that I thought was good, and that was the surprise of the terrorists actually destroying an airplane, killing the passengers on-board. Beyond that, this film was just disappointments at every turn and is one that I don't ever plan to revisit.
5. Beowulf
Beowulf is a film that I had similar thoughts about including to Die Hard 2, except that people I've met agree with my disdain towards the film. Yet most critics and other people I know online have given the movie rather high remarks, which is a complete shocker to me. I saw this adaptation not long after reading the poem for my senior year of high school and long before it ended my thoughts were "this film is horrible even on its own merits, but as an adaptation..." While part of the reason for the abundant liberties taken comes from the translations and interpretations that can be inferred, they feel so silly here. For starters, Grendel looks absolutely laughable and having Beowulf fight naked...are we supposed to take this seriously? Even the visuals felt like they were present as a distraction without even being impressive. The inclusion of Beowulf falling for Grendel's mother is also off-putting (some might find it debatable, but this felt like a means of butchering and making Beowulf as a character feel weak and less sympathetic). This on-screen adaptation of Beowulf is a film I'd prefer to just keep out of my mind and never have any intent to revisit.
4. The Matrix Reloaded
I'm still surprised as to why Doug put this film on his list of films he likes but everyone else hates, since the amount of people I've met who even dislike The Matrix Reloaded is scarce compared to those who enjoy it. For me, The Matrix Reloaded is far and away the worst of the Matrix trilogy. There might be good action scenes, but they feel insignificant and are drawn out way too much (both the Smith battle and the highway chase). Part of why The Matrix was easy to take seriously even with its twist on action is that they didn't feel like the center of attention in the film. I'm all for films being about the action, but The Matrix put the story before the action, which felt flipped in Reloaded. Additionally, the characters felt twisted compared to what they were originally like (and this film is part of why people think Reeves can't act--he puts on such a stale performance). Another part that really got under my skin is the fact that the theme(s) and philosophy, namely in regards to Morpheus, were contradicted when put next to the first film. For example, even with the firm belief that Neo was The One, the very idea of being freed from the Matrix made the characters, especially Morpheus, feel that your fate is what you chose. In Reloaded, he essentially says over and over how whatever happens is what has to happen, regardless of the person (like the quote in the elevator, "what happened couldn't have happened any other way...we are still here (alive)."). It's points like these that are such a hard-felt backhand to fans of the first that I simply can't excuse the film.
3. The Departed
Like I said with regards to The Godfather, I've only enjoyed one gang/mob/mafia film which I can recall (unless you also count Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction), and The Departed is a film that embodies what I hate about its genre. Despite a (mostly) talented cast, no one felt developed nearly enough in a way that I could connect or care. Even DiCaprio and Nicholson felt incredibly dull in this film which is really saying something since they're almost always guaranteed for good performances. The only character who didn't bore me in this film was Wahlberg, whose only real purpose was to play captain insult, which only tested my tolerances (and actually pushed me to stop watching the first time I saw the film). I'm fine with characters insulting as long as there's a point (Full Metal Jacket and both Clerks films did this well), but Wahlberg's character just did what I'd call "empty insulting," or demeaning characters without reason or significance other than to be a turd. Even worse was the ending to the film, which was essentially like the end of a Shakespeare play: everyone dies. The key difference is that Shakespeare's characters typically die for a reason. With The Departed, we literally get this: *Drop guy off roof, he's dead. Open elevator door, that guy's dead. Introduce random character with equally spontaneous and insignificance, kill him immediately after his two or three lines. Show brief funeral and kill the boring double agent. Begin credits. What's more bewildering to me is that people actually think the ending is spectacular and often cite DiCaprio's character's death as great because they were so surprised. Here's my quirk with that: just because something (especially a death) is surprising, doesn't mean it's good. Need I go any further than the character who's sniped in a cutscene midway through Halo: Reach? How about if, at the end of The Lion King, Simba suddenly got killed by a hunter? Surprising, but does that mean it would be a good end for our protagonist? Anyway, I'm ranting on. But I obviously hold this film with much disdain, definitely don't think it deserved its Best Picture award but, like most people, I'm not one to agree with the Academy.
2. Scarface
Again, Scarface is another film where my issues are likely a given since two of the other inclusions on my list fall into a similar category, so I won't delve too in-depth here. The main problem I have with Scarface is that Tony Montana, like other characters in similar films, just isn't sympathetic. He longs to become something great, like most anyone, but almost as soon as he (abruptly) becomes big he's already hitting the drugs. Sorry, but I can't get behind or feel understanding towards a character who so quickly makes thoughtless decisions. This leads to how predictable the film is. Since Montana hits the cocaine shots quickly and becomes a jerk very quickly, we can see what happens coming even before the first hour. And since Tony is barely relatable the events don't just become predictable, but they're devoid of empathy towards the characters subjected to what unfolds. Long, tiring and uninteresting in nearly every aspect, Scarface does almost nothing that can make me hold even decent regards towards it.
1. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Few films have truly infuriated and made me feel betrayed quite like Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Before this film, I was actually one to defend Matthew Broderick since he never struck me as that bad of an actor. But then I saw this film and was left saying "now I can see why people would hate him," except even if people hate him, they seem to like this film and his performance. Yet this happens to be the main reason I despise the film so much: Broderick as Bueller is such a despicable character. Coming in, I was expecting him to be a fun character who just wanted to have a good time. What I got was this except someone who was also an illogical, word-twisted jerk who tries to bring another person down with him. He did nothing but push his "friend" around, trying to take advantage of him. What got me even more is that the fun never even began; what Bueller tries to do is so mundane and unremarkable (stuff that could easily be done on any weekend). There was one chance the film had at redemption that it almost took, which is when the car the trio take is accidentally driven out of the house. In response, Bueller is ready to take the blame, but does he ultimately? Nope. His buddy essentially says "nah, I'll take the heat again, keep kissing your behind. You can keep living a free-loathing life." If we were given the theme(s) that Bueller was only shaping up to be a lazy, washed up adult then there'd be some legitimate potential for heart to the film, yet this is either disregarded or dismissed. I'm probably ranting again, but like I've expressed in some of the other inclusions, this movie just really got me aggravated and cringing. If you're among the several fans of the film then hey, it's one more film that you can enjoy and like, which is completely fine with me.
As I've tried to say, I don't mean to come off like my descriptions of the characters in many of these films or like I'm trying to tell people to suddenly not like their favorite films. Plenty of people don't like some of my favorite films and I might feel uneasy about it, but everyone's entitled to their own opinion. And remember: I'll be posting a list of ten films I like or love, but almost everyone else seems to hate or regard with displeasure. So you'll have your revenge before long.
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