Reply to Topic
You ever see a movie where you think, “What do people see in this?” It’s usually a popular movie that everybody seems to love, yet you find so many flaws with it yourself that it’s impossible for you to like it. Well, I have quite a few of those movies, and I’m counting down the top ten of them here. This is my most overrated movies list.
#10. Saving Private Ryan – many of the people I know like this movie on account of the realistic battles and the great acting all around. While I do agree with all of that, I have to give a thumbs-down to the way the story is managed. The dialogue is clichéd, the scenario isn’t exactly new, and the way the shots are set up are also nothing special. Even Tom Hanks’s incredible acting ability falls into the trap of typical war soldier stereotypes, which doesn’t help the film at all. I’m not partial to war movies unless their accurate in both the history and the writing. This one had only one thing right for the most part, and that makes me feel weighed down watching it.
#9. Titanic – No matter how many times people (mainly women) tell me this is a great love story, it’s not just that. And even so, the subjects it does handle aren’t handled that well. The romance is cheesy above all things. I simply don’t believe that real people can fall in love so quickly (only Disney can pull it off well, in my opinion). The acting is great, but again the people are so unrealistic. Another thing is that the disaster aspect of the film isn’t entirely accurate, though I do give it credit for trying. The ship did take its sweet time to sink, but the film made even that seem a bit rushed. However many times I’m forced to watch it, I always have to keep my mouth shut so that I don’t make fun of it with the risk of being slapped.
#8. Twister – My God, why do people love this movie so much? I realize that the visuals are impressive, but nothing else fascinates me. The plot has holes the size of Texas, for one. They claim to know nothing about tornadoes, yet one of the scientists knows exactly where one tornado is headed? I don’t buy that. Also, the sound mixing is just awful (does a movie need to be that loud?), and I could honestly care less whether or not the characters make it out okay. The romance between Bill Paxton’s and Helen Hunt’s characters is especially awkward, with both of them acknowledging all the time that they love each other, but don’t at the same time. However many times this movie is shown, I can’t help but point out every flaw, much to the annoyance of the film’s fans nearby.
#7. Independence Day – Okay, first off, Will Smith’s character does save this movie from time to time, as he is the most interesting man in the mix. However, it’s every other character that annoys me. Each member of the supporting cast is portrayed as a stereotype rather than a serious and complex character (Jeff Goldblum especially, since he’s his own stereotype). While the visuals do impress at times, the aliens are also unconvincing in both motive and appearance. It’s just a rehashed alien invasion plot with no reasoning behind it other than the Earth needs to die. The shark is also jumped a few times, which really gets me angry. With massive plot holes and annoying actors, it’s hard to grasp how entertaining this film is supposed to be when the visuals are cast aside.
#6. Raising Arizona – Considered a classic comedy, I don’t really find too many things funny about this movie, apart from the side-splittingly hilarious chase scene. Aside from that, this movie seems a bit confused in what it’s supposed to be. Dramatic parts are the ones I chuckle at, and the comedic parts sound too serious to have a joke. Nicholas Cage delivers a pretty decent performance, even if it can be a little too over-the-top at times. However, the rest of the cast seemed to forget that they were supposed to in a comedy the majority of the time, so again, it becomes confusing. I do admit that I play this movie a lot because of the chase scene. Everything else I just try to ignore. It’s not a bad film, but it is a confusing one in that I have no idea if the idea was it to be a comedic drama or a serious comedy.
#6. The Little Mermaid – Yeah, I know Disney fans will hate me for thinking the start of the Disney Renaissance is overrated, but I have my reasons for it. It started off a series of romance movie clichés that honestly don’t help those movies at all, such as the falling in love in five seconds, the male lead being oblivious to every bit of flirting, and the over-the-top dramatic rescue at the end. Disney’s brilliant animators make these things work, but since this is the start of such things, I have to say it’s a bit overrated. I will admit that Ariel is a great character, but she’s the most entertaining out of all the cast (yes, I think Sebastian’s a bit boring) with the exception of Ursula. I know Disney is meant to be silly, but this just takes the cake a little too well. With clichés as obvious as the sexual innuendo within the film, this is a flawed film that can be anybody’s guilty pleasure.
#5. Transformers – Obviously, the sequels to this film sucked big time. However, the first film especially isn’t that entertaining to begin with. Visually, it’s impressive. Story-wise, it’s pretty close to the Transformers mythos. The characters, however, are where this film falls short. Shia LeBouf is more awkward than Michael Cera is in anything he’s made, and Megan Fox is not very convincing either. I do not care how stunningly beautiful she is, I can’t stand her acting; her beauty isn’t a mask for her talent, no matter who say otherwise. The robots also have little personality, unsurprisingly. As visually arresting as this film is, I can’t stand the way it’s presented. That it started a bad string of sequels is also a reason why I don’t like this film. The story’s poor, the acting’s poor, and the subsequent franchise is bound to make Michael Bay poor sooner or later.
#4. Friday the 13th – Horror movies have to be subtle in their introduction of terror, like with Jaws and how you never saw the shark till halfway into the film. Friday the 13th, to me, has none of that. The killer is introduced too early, killing any terror we could have had while watching. Also, the main characters—a group of teenagers and camp counselors—are just despicable human beings all around. I’m sorry, but when you have a killer that’s more sympathetic than the “heroes”, something’s wrong. This film is said to be a classic in the slasher-horror genre, yet I don’t see how much horror there really is with this film. There’s no real suspense, no sympathy for the main cast, and a villain we’re all rooting for unintentionally. What a combination for a stupid movie, even though I adored Jason when I was a child (proof right there).
#3. Casablanca – Where do I begin with this film? Casablanca is said to be a classic love story with witty dialogue and an overall intriguing story. These things I agree with one-hundred percent. However, I’m not impressed with how much the movie drags on. The script, while impressive, is slow-going in a time where everything was go-go-go. The visual effects, even for the time, seemed a little too cheesy and underdeveloped. Ingrid Berman is tremendous here, but Humphrey Bogart is boring beyond reason. Maybe it’s due to my disdain of his acting choices (he’s a terrific actor, don’t get me wrong), but whenever he chooses the cynical man with the heart of gold, I immediately want to fall sleep. As great as the script and the leading lady are, nothing excuses slow stories and boring leading men.
#2. Forrest Gump – I’ll have legions of people down my throat for this one, but hear me out, even if you disagree. First, let me say that Tom Hanks was terrific in his role, hands down. It’s every other character that annoys me. Jenny’s too one-dimensional, even though she suffers through a lot, Bubba’s charming, but not on-screen long enough, and Gary Sinise as Lieutenant Dan…okay, honestly, he was pretty damn cool, so I won’t rag on him. The situations Forrest goes through, however, are just too overdone and too over-the-top. Does the audience really expect to believe that one single man can go through every one of those events and not wind up in an asylum afterwards, even a man as charmingly simple as Forrest? Suspension of disbelief aside, I do admit that this film is my favorite guilty pleasure to watch, even if I disagree with the story and how it’s handled.
#1. Moulin Rouge! – This film is an annoying piece of pretentious garbage. There, I said it. There’s nothing more to it. The editing’s obnoxious and in need of Ritalin, the characters are hammy, and the use of love is merely a plot device, not something to be analyzed like this film wants us to believe. Though the use of modern music in the Bohemian era is incorporated well, and the set designs are surprisingly more subtle than the camerawork, it’s the clumsy plotting that annoys me so. The motives behind each character’s actions are also poorly handled, with Ewan McGregor’s character turning from lover-boy to total dick back to lover-boy, and Nicole Kidman’s character wanting to be an actress even though she’s already on top of the world really annoys and confuses me. That this film was nominated for several Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Film Editing, and Best Actress (unoriginal, too obnoxious, too hammy, respectively) really astounds me. It’s annoying, pretentious, and supposedly artsy, and I want to bring a hammer to the DVD box of anybody who owns it and loves it.
#10. Saving Private Ryan – many of the people I know like this movie on account of the realistic battles and the great acting all around. While I do agree with all of that, I have to give a thumbs-down to the way the story is managed. The dialogue is clichéd, the scenario isn’t exactly new, and the way the shots are set up are also nothing special. Even Tom Hanks’s incredible acting ability falls into the trap of typical war soldier stereotypes, which doesn’t help the film at all. I’m not partial to war movies unless their accurate in both the history and the writing. This one had only one thing right for the most part, and that makes me feel weighed down watching it.
#9. Titanic – No matter how many times people (mainly women) tell me this is a great love story, it’s not just that. And even so, the subjects it does handle aren’t handled that well. The romance is cheesy above all things. I simply don’t believe that real people can fall in love so quickly (only Disney can pull it off well, in my opinion). The acting is great, but again the people are so unrealistic. Another thing is that the disaster aspect of the film isn’t entirely accurate, though I do give it credit for trying. The ship did take its sweet time to sink, but the film made even that seem a bit rushed. However many times I’m forced to watch it, I always have to keep my mouth shut so that I don’t make fun of it with the risk of being slapped.
#8. Twister – My God, why do people love this movie so much? I realize that the visuals are impressive, but nothing else fascinates me. The plot has holes the size of Texas, for one. They claim to know nothing about tornadoes, yet one of the scientists knows exactly where one tornado is headed? I don’t buy that. Also, the sound mixing is just awful (does a movie need to be that loud?), and I could honestly care less whether or not the characters make it out okay. The romance between Bill Paxton’s and Helen Hunt’s characters is especially awkward, with both of them acknowledging all the time that they love each other, but don’t at the same time. However many times this movie is shown, I can’t help but point out every flaw, much to the annoyance of the film’s fans nearby.
#7. Independence Day – Okay, first off, Will Smith’s character does save this movie from time to time, as he is the most interesting man in the mix. However, it’s every other character that annoys me. Each member of the supporting cast is portrayed as a stereotype rather than a serious and complex character (Jeff Goldblum especially, since he’s his own stereotype). While the visuals do impress at times, the aliens are also unconvincing in both motive and appearance. It’s just a rehashed alien invasion plot with no reasoning behind it other than the Earth needs to die. The shark is also jumped a few times, which really gets me angry. With massive plot holes and annoying actors, it’s hard to grasp how entertaining this film is supposed to be when the visuals are cast aside.
#6. Raising Arizona – Considered a classic comedy, I don’t really find too many things funny about this movie, apart from the side-splittingly hilarious chase scene. Aside from that, this movie seems a bit confused in what it’s supposed to be. Dramatic parts are the ones I chuckle at, and the comedic parts sound too serious to have a joke. Nicholas Cage delivers a pretty decent performance, even if it can be a little too over-the-top at times. However, the rest of the cast seemed to forget that they were supposed to in a comedy the majority of the time, so again, it becomes confusing. I do admit that I play this movie a lot because of the chase scene. Everything else I just try to ignore. It’s not a bad film, but it is a confusing one in that I have no idea if the idea was it to be a comedic drama or a serious comedy.
#6. The Little Mermaid – Yeah, I know Disney fans will hate me for thinking the start of the Disney Renaissance is overrated, but I have my reasons for it. It started off a series of romance movie clichés that honestly don’t help those movies at all, such as the falling in love in five seconds, the male lead being oblivious to every bit of flirting, and the over-the-top dramatic rescue at the end. Disney’s brilliant animators make these things work, but since this is the start of such things, I have to say it’s a bit overrated. I will admit that Ariel is a great character, but she’s the most entertaining out of all the cast (yes, I think Sebastian’s a bit boring) with the exception of Ursula. I know Disney is meant to be silly, but this just takes the cake a little too well. With clichés as obvious as the sexual innuendo within the film, this is a flawed film that can be anybody’s guilty pleasure.
#5. Transformers – Obviously, the sequels to this film sucked big time. However, the first film especially isn’t that entertaining to begin with. Visually, it’s impressive. Story-wise, it’s pretty close to the Transformers mythos. The characters, however, are where this film falls short. Shia LeBouf is more awkward than Michael Cera is in anything he’s made, and Megan Fox is not very convincing either. I do not care how stunningly beautiful she is, I can’t stand her acting; her beauty isn’t a mask for her talent, no matter who say otherwise. The robots also have little personality, unsurprisingly. As visually arresting as this film is, I can’t stand the way it’s presented. That it started a bad string of sequels is also a reason why I don’t like this film. The story’s poor, the acting’s poor, and the subsequent franchise is bound to make Michael Bay poor sooner or later.
#4. Friday the 13th – Horror movies have to be subtle in their introduction of terror, like with Jaws and how you never saw the shark till halfway into the film. Friday the 13th, to me, has none of that. The killer is introduced too early, killing any terror we could have had while watching. Also, the main characters—a group of teenagers and camp counselors—are just despicable human beings all around. I’m sorry, but when you have a killer that’s more sympathetic than the “heroes”, something’s wrong. This film is said to be a classic in the slasher-horror genre, yet I don’t see how much horror there really is with this film. There’s no real suspense, no sympathy for the main cast, and a villain we’re all rooting for unintentionally. What a combination for a stupid movie, even though I adored Jason when I was a child (proof right there).
#3. Casablanca – Where do I begin with this film? Casablanca is said to be a classic love story with witty dialogue and an overall intriguing story. These things I agree with one-hundred percent. However, I’m not impressed with how much the movie drags on. The script, while impressive, is slow-going in a time where everything was go-go-go. The visual effects, even for the time, seemed a little too cheesy and underdeveloped. Ingrid Berman is tremendous here, but Humphrey Bogart is boring beyond reason. Maybe it’s due to my disdain of his acting choices (he’s a terrific actor, don’t get me wrong), but whenever he chooses the cynical man with the heart of gold, I immediately want to fall sleep. As great as the script and the leading lady are, nothing excuses slow stories and boring leading men.
#2. Forrest Gump – I’ll have legions of people down my throat for this one, but hear me out, even if you disagree. First, let me say that Tom Hanks was terrific in his role, hands down. It’s every other character that annoys me. Jenny’s too one-dimensional, even though she suffers through a lot, Bubba’s charming, but not on-screen long enough, and Gary Sinise as Lieutenant Dan…okay, honestly, he was pretty damn cool, so I won’t rag on him. The situations Forrest goes through, however, are just too overdone and too over-the-top. Does the audience really expect to believe that one single man can go through every one of those events and not wind up in an asylum afterwards, even a man as charmingly simple as Forrest? Suspension of disbelief aside, I do admit that this film is my favorite guilty pleasure to watch, even if I disagree with the story and how it’s handled.
#1. Moulin Rouge! – This film is an annoying piece of pretentious garbage. There, I said it. There’s nothing more to it. The editing’s obnoxious and in need of Ritalin, the characters are hammy, and the use of love is merely a plot device, not something to be analyzed like this film wants us to believe. Though the use of modern music in the Bohemian era is incorporated well, and the set designs are surprisingly more subtle than the camerawork, it’s the clumsy plotting that annoys me so. The motives behind each character’s actions are also poorly handled, with Ewan McGregor’s character turning from lover-boy to total dick back to lover-boy, and Nicole Kidman’s character wanting to be an actress even though she’s already on top of the world really annoys and confuses me. That this film was nominated for several Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Film Editing, and Best Actress (unoriginal, too obnoxious, too hammy, respectively) really astounds me. It’s annoying, pretentious, and supposedly artsy, and I want to bring a hammer to the DVD box of anybody who owns it and loves it.
great post!
