Critically Overrated / Critically Underrated

[KillerWolf]

you just cant always trust the critics. sometimes you have to go and see something for yourself, and sometimes you just have to go with your instincts and not go see something.

the purpose for this thread is to expose some critical mis-steps and see how many people feel the same way. here are a couple that have been pissing me off for quite some time:

Critically Overrated: Batman.
personally, i didnt think this movie was all that great back in 1989 when it came out, and in my opinion, no fuckin way this movie still holds up. the whole movie is just fuckin goofy. i tried watching it on HBO yesterday - its just fuckin unwatchable. yet, to this day, critics still talk about that movie like it was the shit, and it still holds up. maybe it's because the next three sequels were so awful that it made the movie seem better than it actually was.

factoid: on the cover (movie case) of "The Crow" it reads: "...the best movie of it's kind since the original Batman." :wtf: The Crow is so much better than "Batman" on every level that a statement like that which is supposed to be a credit is lunacy.

Critically Underrated: The Punisher.
what the fuck are these critics thinking? just what in the fuck are they looking for in a movie based on a comic book. IMO, out of all of the (recent surge) of comic book-based movies, The Punisher is the best movie. it has a very clean style to it and very well done action sequences; and the casting and acting are well above par. and yet, this movie has been lambasted by critics and wanna-be critics. one critic wrote, "The Punisher is a simple revenge movie that pretends to be something more." :nono:

does it?


i just dont see where theyre coming from. i'm not saying that everybody should like this movie, but i really dont see why so many people would claim to hate it - especially when there are movies like "UltraViolet" being made which should be hated.

[Blitz]

I found Sideways to be massively overrated.

[TheNamelessOne]

I reckon the entire Star Wars saga is overrated. I was more annoyed that Episode 3 was wanked over by the critics and fans alike because I thought it was fucking awful.

[Skippord]

The Punisher is my favorite movie of all time

[McDoogle]

BATMAN IS NOT OVERRATED YOU PIECE OF FUCKING SHIT. E.T was overrated.

[McLegend]

Groundhog Day is massively underrated

[94 SVT Cobra]

Office space is pretty under rated, ever notice with the underrated movies, barley any one has seen them, but when they have...their always like "Sucha good movie"?

[el fregadero]

The Crow is overrated.

[What Would Kevin Do?]

Office space is pretty under rated, ever notice with the underrated movies, barley any one has seen them, but when they have...their always like "Sucha good movie"?

Actually, I feel the exact opposite. Everyone loves that movie, and I didn't think it was really that great.

[Sickboy]

Kung Fu Hustle - WAY overrated. This movie just wasn't funny.

Mystic River - Overrated. It's not a bad movie, but it's not a great movie either. I was disappointed after all the praise the movie got.

Mission Impossible 2 - Underrated. Not as a movie, but as a comparison to the first MI movie, I think MI2 is way better.

25th Hour - Overrated. This movie was just dull.

Daredevil - Underrated. This movie definitely had it flaws, but I think it's a 3/5 movie instead a 1,5/5.

Gigli - Underrated. It's not good, but it's DEFINITELY NOT the worst movie ever made. Don't believe me? Watch Coyote Moon, Snowboard Academy, Blueberry or 2001: A Space Travesty and you KNOW what's a truly awful movie.

51st State - Underrated. Very funny movie.

Blade II - Underrated. Best of the three by far, very entertaining movie with good action sequences.

Phone Booth - UNDERRATED! One of my favourite movies ever made. This is a movie that nailed me on my seat, Colin Farrell's best role by far.

[Butch]

Actually, I feel the exact opposite. Everyone loves that movie, and I didn't think it was really that great.

Ditto, didn't think it was bad but it was definately nothing special. Gets way too much hype from people who like it.

[John la Rock]

Sin City is insanely overrated. the story with Marv was the only good part of the movie

[KillerWolf]

BATMAN IS NOT OVERRATED YOU PIECE OF FUCKING SHIT. E.T was overrated.
YES. it IS.
Gaylord.

[What Would Kevin Do?]

25th Hour - Overrated. This movie was just dull.



I agree with nearly everything except that. A. I've never really seen 25th Hour praised enough, or talked about enough to be considered overrated. The people who like it may overhype it, but I don't think it's popularity is big enough to be considered overrated.

Also, 25th Hour is based off the book, and it follows it really well. I wouldn't say the movie is dull, but that's just my opinon. The movie does exactly what it should IMO. It's not suppose to be an "exciting movie" really.

[Savio]

Yeah I thought Punisher was pretty good for what it was, not to bad but not the greatest.

Phone Booth - UNDERRATED! One of my favourite movies ever made. This is a movie that nailed me on my seat, Colin Farrell's best role by far.
The line about picking up a phone even when you don't know who it is really pissed me off in that.

[Disturbed316]

I loved The Punisher, the casting of Thomas Jane as Castle was too perfect to be true.

[Boondock Saint]

American Beauty. UGH.

[Blitz]

I saw Lucky Number Slevin last week, which hasn't been getting much attention, critical or otherwise. I was damn suprised, it was really quite good.

[Boondock Saint]

Yeah that was good times.

[Nowhere Man]

I agree that Burton's Batman was overrated, but that's mainly because I'm a big fan of the comics and I absolutely LOATHE how much Burton fucked around with the characters (especially Joker)

Others:

Blade Runner- Overrated. I liked the special effects, and thought Harrison Ford was really good in the movie, but the story dragged at parts, and it didn't seem like the movie even had a real ending.

The Producers (2005)- Underrated. It got panned by a lot of critics, and I don't understand why. Granted, Matthew Broderick is no Gene Wilder, but the music was great, the jokes were hysterical, and it was just generally a really enjoyable flick.

Brokeback Mountain- Overrated. I know it's important that a movie that emphasizes homosexual relationships can be praised in the mainstream, but I just thought the movie itself was full of corny dialogue and just plain boring.

Monty Python's The Meaning of Life- Underrated. Meaning of Life always gets brushed aside in favor of Holy Grail or Life of Brian, but it was always my personal favorite.

The Fifth Element- Criminally Underrated. How it never became a classic is beyond me.

[The Heat]

Don't really wanna get into specifics, so, I'll shorten thoughts and leave it at this:

Critics are sometimes right, sometimes wrong. I don't really base my decisions to go see a movie from reviews. Sometimes deciding for yourself is truly best.

[Dave Youell]

Mystery Men seems to have gotten shit on alot, I liked it.

I agree with Sideways being overrated, it just wasn't that good

[Disturbed316]

Lucky Number Sleven was great, I love revenge films, and this was a really decent one.

[Savio]

I loved The Punisher, the casting of Thomas Jane as Castle was too perfect to be true.
And Nash as the Russian made the movie a classic :shifty:

[Eunos]

Overated
The Matrix - Doesnt get anymore overated than that.

The Nightmare Before Christmas - I like it but not enough to buy all the shit at Hot topic.

[Cool King]

Kill Bill 1 and 2, The Harry Potter movies and Brokeback Mountain are all overrated.

[Gertner]

American Psycho is VERY under-rated.

as is The Devil's Rejects which was surpringly good considering how bad House of a 1000 Corpses was

[Savio]

If I was the bad guys son in the punisher though I would have just dropped the bomb as soon as he gave it to me killing us both.

[Blitz]

American Psycho was friggin' awesome.

[Skippord]

Wait would Scrubs be Over or Underrated

[Mr. Nerfect]

Wait would Scrubs be Over or Underrated

I'd say underrated. I don't hear enough people talking about it. Anyone with half a brain that watches it usually loves it, though. The way it effortlessly changes from comedy to drama is extremely admirable.

I'd say underrated.

[Skippord]

Scrubs is my favorite show ever.That or Cheap Seats.

[KillerWolf]

im not sure, but i think some of you might be missing the point. i meant films that were wrongfully praised or lambasted by film critics. not movies and TV shows that dont get enough recognition.

[Mr. Nerfect]

im not sure, but i think some of you might be missing the point. i meant films that were wrongfully praised or lambasted by film critics. not movies and TV shows that dont get enough recognition.

Oh no, I got the point, it's just someone mentioned Scrubs and didn't no whether or not it qualifies as overrated or underrated. Sorry to go off topic there.

[Skippord]

I mentioned it

[KillerWolf]

no worries.

Crash is emensely over-rated.

oh, and rich, African American movie director has to stand there with a tear in his eye while LAPD gropes his wife. was the movie supposed to have taken place in 1960. if not, that just aint gonna fuckin happen.

[owenbrown]

The Fifth Element- Criminally Underrated. How it never became a classic is beyond me.
:y: great movie.:yes:

[Bad Company]

I think the big lebowski is overrated, I just haven't been entertained by it every time I've seen it. Which sucks because everyone sucks it's cock.

[KillerWolf]

^^The Big Lebowski is great. and i usually am very critical of comedies because most lose their funny about 20 minutes in and become sappy and predictable.

not terribly, but somewhat over-rated on the other hand is the 40 Year Old Virgin. i thought that the first hour was hilarious, but the second hour was predictable and distincly not as raw as the first half.

once again, i'm talking about the reviews by critics. i was not aware of a great deal of critical aclaim for The Big Lebowski, but it definitely has a strong following.

[Downunder]

I think the big lebowski is overrated, I just haven't been entertained by it every time I've seen it. Which sucks because everyone sucks it's cock.

true dat

[Xero]

Mystery Men seems to have gotten shit on alot, I liked it.
:y:

[KillerWolf]

if it ever recieved one positive review, then The Wedding Singer is over-rated.

[KillerWolf]

Critically Under-rated: Fire in the Sky. One critic wrote that he did not like any of the characters, basically because there was no babyface hero.

Well excuse the writters for trying to make an honest portrayal of the people involved in this true story.

another wrote that only the last 15 minutes of the movie were any good. (that happens to be the climax). i cant believe a fucking moron like that could be a film crittic. he probably gave S.W.A.T. excellent reviews.

[Aussie Skier]

I think Boondock Saints is incredibly over rated. It's so damn predictable and, just, a crap movie.

I also think that whilst its good, I think fight club is also overrated.

Another overrated film is Mystic River. I considered walking out of that film halfway through...it was crap!


American physco is very underrated...I think that film is awesome. Christian Bale's narration at the start is awesome, and the way he describes music is brilliant!
I can't say enough about how good batman begins was. Granted, it is praised alot, but why the hell was that not nominated for an oscar for best movie of the year. Its the best action flick (if not better) than Terminator 2.

[KillerWolf]

over-rated: Dazed and Confused.

The Stoned Age is a lesser known, yet better and funnier movie.

[Boondock Saint]

No way. Dazed and Confused is brilliant.

Over-rated would be Garden State and Wedding Crashers.

[Blitz]

Naw, just saw Boondock Saints. Fuckin' awesome.

Willem Dafoe 4 God.

[St. Jimmy]

Johnny Depp. Over-rated.

[BigDaddyCool]

Punisher had Kevin Nash in it. That makes the movie a classic.

Also, Grandma's Boy has Kevin Nash in it instead of Adam Sandler thus making the movie awesome.

[Gertner]

adam sandler is general is over-rated

[PapaGeorgio]

Overrated:
Crash - Agree with whoever else brought it up, just overly corny.

The following two are from college student perspective:
Boondock Saints: Everyone in college seems to rank this as one of their favorite films, which is fine I suppose as you can like what you want but just annoys me. I have also made a "Tool Test" based off of this. If the following three things are your favorite Movie, Tv Show and Stand Up Comic you are most likely a tool. The test being for Boondock Saints, Family Guy and Dane Cook.

Donnie Darko: A movie I really enjoyed, but again just ranked to high by some folks.

[jindrak]

Underrated-

Rocky V
Waiting...

[O.G Loc]

Underrated - Almost Famous

[Juan]

How about movies that got all the hype and then actually delivered?

[Jeritron]

I find a lot of horror movies to be underrated as actual films.

The Thing and The Mist were both great paranoia films, as was 30 Days of Night this year as well. I enjoyed the shit out of them.
The Descent as well
28 Weeks Later is way underrated, since I feel it is close to if not on par with the original.
Sunshine is excellent and way underrated
Cronenberg's The Fly
They work as films and are actually quite well developed and character based, as well as dealing with issues and having depth. Rare for the genre.

Lucky Number Slevin is way underrated, as is American Psycho.
The Prestige doesn't seem to get enough credit, nor does Thank You For Smoking or History of Violence
Most old time Westerns don't get much love and the genre is full of amazing movies.

Groundhog Day was a great call. Dirty Work is an underrated comedy.
One of the more underrated comedies ever is The Burbs. Amazing comedy, amazing work by Hanks and the rest of the cast. Really when Hanks was coming into his own as an actor but still in his comedic phase, like in Big and Turner and Hooch.
This movie is also one of the first ever dark comedies. I love it.

Some action movies are underrated, like Robocop, where others are overrated, like Bourne Ultimatum. I thought Bourne Ultimatum was so outrageously overrated. It was praised as something amazing, and it was essentially the same thing again for the 3rd time.

Out of all of Tarontino's films, it seems that the only one that doesn't get any credit is Jackie Brown. It gets no love. I think it's amazing. It's on par with the others to me. It may not be as good as Pulp Fiction, but it's so underappreciated and underexposed that it becomes dearer to me.
It's also llinear, and not a flashback or stylistic movie like his other 3 that show off trickery and all kinds of gags.
This is just linear storytelling at it's best, and it's him showing that he can tell a story through without doing gags.
I also love the story, the dialouge and the characters. Robert Forrestor and Pam Grier are genius in this.
Tarontino doesn't get enough credit for this, where some of his other films perhaps get too much credit, as amazing as they are.

Can't think of any more off the top of my head right now, but I could go on all day for underrated movies out there.

[Jeritron]

Oh btw KillerWolf, the first Batman is still a masterpeice

[Renaissance man]

Tarantino is the personification of overrated. All his movies are crap bar none.

[thedamndest]

I think Tarantino films are good because they do a great job telling a story with characters like you've never seen, as well as paying homage to past cinema. That said, I think QT himself is way overrated, and there should be mandatory editing on his stuff not done by him.

[Jeritron]

Yea he's overrated, but he's rated incredibly high. That said, I think he's still amazing.

I felt Planet Terror was superior to Death Proof in Grindhouse. The second half of Death Proof killed it

[Jeritron]

Robert Rodriguez is underrated

[ct2k]

Tarantino is the personification of overrated. All his movies are crap bar none.


So you're one of those "I'll make a ridiculously cuntish sweeping statement to make friends and influence people" kinda guys eh, twatburger

[Renaissance man]

So you're one of those "I'll make a ridiculously cuntish sweeping statement to make friends and influence people" kinda guys eh, twatburger


Say what homo?

[ct2k]

Weren't you banned?

[Renaissance man]

and your dilusional.

[thedamndest]

How do I find out what has been critically overrated/underrated? I will be honest I have only seen the 40 Year Old Virgin as far as Judd Apatow flicks go. Are they really all that different from one another?

[BigDaddyCool]

Overrated:
Crash - Agree with whoever else brought it up, just overly corny.

The following two are from college student perspective:
Boondock Saints: Everyone in college seems to rank this as one of their favorite films, which is fine I suppose as you can like what you want but just annoys me. I have also made a "Tool Test" based off of this. If the following three things are your favorite Movie, Tv Show and Stand Up Comic you are most likely a tool. The test being for Boondock Saints, Family Guy and Dane Cook.

Donnie Darko: A movie I really enjoyed, but again just ranked to high by some folks.

Fight Club is just as bad as Boondock Saints...I just think Boondock Saints replaced Fight Club.

[Shaggy]

The Movie I consider the most overated movie of all time------

Scarface

[Jeritron]

agreed. Good, but overrated as fuck

[Mr. Nerfect]

Overrated:
Crash - Agree with whoever else brought it up, just overly corny.

The following two are from college student perspective:
Boondock Saints: Everyone in college seems to rank this as one of their favorite films, which is fine I suppose as you can like what you want but just annoys me. I have also made a "Tool Test" based off of this. If the following three things are your favorite Movie, Tv Show and Stand Up Comic you are most likely a tool. The test being for Boondock Saints, Family Guy and Dane Cook.

Donnie Darko: A movie I really enjoyed, but again just ranked to high by some folks.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, as overrated as Boondock Saints may or may not be, let's not group it with Dane Cook.

I agree with Jeritron. I'm going to go with one overrated and one underrated from Quentin Tarantino. Jackie Brown was an absolutely great movie. I don't know how it is not more known than it is. Until I actually researched the movie, I had no clue it even existed.

Reservoir Dogs is terribly overrated, in my opinion. Maybe I got myself too worked up with the hype, but aside from a few humerous moments, and the like, it's just not a great movie. It seems that everything happens out of time. I'm not talking about the non-linear storytelling, but rather just how things seem to happen without significant dramatic impact. There are some shades of greatness, though, such as Steve Buschemi and the opening scene in the diner, but that's about it. The ending also irks me, too.

The Usual Suspects is way overrated, in my opinion.

Napoleon Dynamite was a movie I absolutely hated. It's just not funny. "Gosh!" My God, I'm in stitches. I'll give it some credit for some amusing scenes. I loved the way Napoleon acted when he was on the phone, and Rex Kwon Do might be the best modern martial art ever. People quoting Napoleon Dynamite just got so annoying. "Tina, come get some ham!" is not a funny line. I'm so glad that movie has disappeared into nothingness. Realistic awkwardness can be funny, but these characters were just mechanically awkward to the point where it was unrealistic.

A comedy I feel is underrated, is National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1. It was just sitting in my video collection one day (I think an uncle gave it to me as a present), and I thought it looked like a stupid buddy-cop movie. I then actually looked at the cover, was pleasantly amused, and then popped it in, and watched with my friend. We were laughing like crazy. Some of the jokes are so corny and predictable, and the movie suffers from the occasional bout of "Scary Movie" syndrome (where a movie thinks lifting a scene from a movie and copying it exactly makes it funny if the scene appears in a comedy), but there are moments that are genuinely funny.

I have a sentimental attachment to it, seeing as it felt like a personal discovery at the time, however. I mean, it's way funnier than any Adam Sandler movie I have ever seen. Then again, Schindler's List was funnier than any Adam Sandler movie I've ever seen.

[Mr. Nerfect]

There are a lot of overrated movies, or alleged "classics" that have let me down. I think it's important to get to a movie before the hype sets in.

[Bad Company]

Grandma's Boy is Mad underrated

[PapaGeorgio]

Fight Club is just as bad as Boondock Saints...I just think Boondock Saints replaced Fight Club.


Good point, still true for some cases. Surprised I didn't mention Fight Club, just never overly enjoyed the movie, but everyone else watches it like its porn cause they jizz all over it so much.

[Chuck Jones]

I found Juno to be VERY overrated.

[BigDaddyCool]

I found Juno to be VERY overrated.

Juno is a feel good movie for suburban white kids. You know the people in this world that literally have everything they need and most of what they want yet still think they are being mistreated, ignored, and misunderstood. Yeah, they need cheering up.