Movies Everybody Likes that I Dislike

See Also: Movies I Like that Everybody Else Hates

Now there are plenty of popular movies I hate that won’t be on this list.  I mean we all have these lists in our heads.  In order to avoid defeating the purpose by making the same “Popular Movies I Hate” list that everyone else makes, I’ll take a minute to point out what type of movies I will not include on this list even if I don’t like them:

1.       Commercially successful and somehow critically-acclaimed mainstream blockbusters that already have vocal backlashes that are well deserved.  (300, Transformers, Avatar, Titanic)

2.       Edgy movies that due to their excessive raunchiness, wrongheaded/immature politics or ill-advised use of violence are naturally divisive. (Clockwork Orange, Ralph Bakshi, American Beauty, Shoot’em Up, Kick-Ass)

3.        Arthouse movies with little mainstream appeal.

I tend to focus on the movies that fanboy/geek culture has embraced, since that is actually my demographic.  I may get some nastygrams for this.  In fact, I may risk being excommunicated from the Church and rejected by Heaven for the #1 entry on the list, doomed to wander the world as a ghost for all time since not even Hell will take me.

Oh well, at least Citizen Kane and Shawshank Redemption aren't on this list.

17. Bolt

2008

D: Chris Williams, Byron Howard

This movie does have its strengths.  It was a step in the right direction for Non-Pixar 3D Disney films.  I liked Mittens (Susie Essman) and the movie had a lot of good poignant and heartwarming moments.  Let’s not forget the oddly autobiographical nature of Miley Cyrus’ character.  Still, the movie was mostly a rehash of Buzz Lightyear’s arc from Toy Story.  It gets worse when you find out the much better idea Disney scrapped in favor of this.

16. Superman, Superman II

1978, 1980

D: Richard Donner

I would probably like these movies if not for the world-turning scenes, which I have mentioned numerous times before.  I don’t really actively hate these movies so much, it’s just frustrating that they messed themselves up like that with just one scene.

15. The Fifth Element

1997

D: Luc Besson

I think this movie was just another example of the Sci-fi Slump of the 90’s.  They wasted Gary Oldman on a villain who was annoying and had baffling motivation, and I found the visual style tacky.  I see the appeal, though.  It’s got some funny moments, but it’s a style-over-substance movie whose style I don’t like.  

 

14.  They Live

1988

D: John Carpenter

There’s a healthy questioning of reality, and then there’s a movie that panders to the delusions of the type of schizophrenics who cause mass shootings.  I can’t exactly get behind a movie whose “hero” slaughters any member of a race he sees as an oppressor.  This movie has almost all the disturbing implications of The Matrix without any of the style or fun.  Also, depicting movie critics who didn’t like your previous movies as evil aliens isn’t exactly professional writing.  The one thing this movie has going for it is the iconic fight scene between Rowdy Roddy Piper and Keith David.

13. A Nightmare on Elm Street

1984

D: Wes Craven

I’m willing to bet that most of the people from my generation venerate this movie because they saw it when they were four, and it scared the crap out of them.  I saw it in my early 20’s and I wasn’t too impressed.

12. Scanners

1981

D: David Cronenberg

The head-exploding scene is indeed thrilling, but part of me doubts that most people have even bothered trying to sit through the rest of the movie. 

 

11. Spaceballs

1987

D: Mel Brooks

Many movies that we think of as classics had lukewarm critical reception upon their release.  This is a rare instance where I actually side with movie critics’ assessment of the movie over its cult status.  The jokes are mostly lame puns, double-entendres and painfully obviousl pop-cultural references (Get it?  They’re making fun of how much merchandising Star Wars has!)  The only parts of the movie I found consistently funny were Rick Moranis and John Candy, just because were naturally funny actors

10. Hot Tub Time Machine

2010

D: Steve Pink

I didn’t find this movie funny.  The only part I remember laughing at was when Craig Robinson’s character drunkenly called his future wife when she was a small girl to tell her off for cheating on him, and that was already in the trailer.  I thought John Cusack’s character was unlikable and shallow (he rejects a girl just for liking Poison?), and not in a funny way.  I’m glad Rob Corddry’s character’s no longer suicidal, but his “happy” ending involved staying in the past so he get rich by stealing every idea that would be had in the then-future.  I also don’t like how the movie treats the 80’s with little respect, because it's not like that decade gave us a truly classic time-travel comedy. 

 

9. All Dogs Go to Heaven

1989

D: Don Bluth

Don’t get me wrong, I love Don Bluth when he’s at the top of his game.  He was a huge influence on my tastes.  Secret of NIMH and Land Before Time,two of my favorite animated movies, were criminally underrated and they’re a standard by which others should be judged.  ADGtH is to Don Bluth what Signs was to M. Night Shyamalan; it had the director’s stylistic strengths, but it’s where things started to get stupid.  It boasted excellent animation, Don Bluth nightmare fuel, a likable protagonist and a good premise.  I won’t deny the movie’s strengths as a potential masterpiece (Nostalgia Chick does a great positive review of it)  Unfortunately, its tone was ruined by idiotic scenes like the laser attack, the Big-Lipped Alligator Moment and some terrible songs (and yet Don Bluth fans think Titan AE is a terrible movie for some reason).  I don’t know what extent to which this was forced on Bluth, but it wrecks the film for me.  I’m also not a fan of An American Tail for similar reasons.  

 

8. Enchanted

2007

D: Kevin Lima

Everyone else seems to like this movie for reasons completely unknown to me.  I thought it was just another one of those stupid cartoon-characters-in-the-real-world movies, nothing more, nothing less.

 

7. The Forty-Year-Old Virgin

2005

D: Judd Apatow

Although the characterization in this movie was better than that of most comedies it had one fatal flaw: it wasn’t funny.  I didn’t like the banally crude humor of this movie.  I remember being in the theater with everyone laughing their butts off and I was thinking, "Wait, was that supposed to be funny?" the whole time.  Oddly enough, I did enjoy Knocked Up.  I guess I have a fickle sense of humor.

6. Antz

1998

D: Eric Darnell, Tim Johnson

This movie is every weak point in CGI cartoons in one place.  Attention-starved casting of celebrities in voice roles, lazy metahumor and off-putting character designs.  I guess this type of movie was a novelty back then, but I thought everyone would eventually realize the movie was stupid with time.

5. Drag Me to Hell

2009

D: Sam Raimi

While I expect a Sam Raimi movie to be fun and campy, I found this to be depressing and sadistic.  This probably has to do with my religious beliefs.  As someone who believes in Heaven and Hell, I also believe that the judgment of where people go has to some logic and fairness.  The idea that there is no mercy or logic in something that is far more serious than any earthly issue is offensive and disgusting to me.

  

4. Juno

2007

D: Jason Reitman

With lines like “I’m the cautionary whale,” most of the jokes in this movie seemed so lame they were intentional anti-humor, and not even good anti-humor.  It also seems to trivialize teen pregnancy and, as I pointed out before, treats the issue of abortion immaturely.  This would've broken this list's "no politics" rule if not for its Misaimed Fandom among pro-lifers.

3. Dawn of the Dead

1978

D: George A. Romero

I’m probably a contrarian when it comes to zombie movies.  I have some respect for Night of the Living Dead for its originality and influence, but it’s not my thing.  I’ve never found the subgenre particularly appealing, and the only serious example of it I like is 28 Days Later.  I didn’t understand why people treat this as a seminal horror movie when I find the serious aspects underwhelming.  There are so many moments of seemingly intentional camp in it.  I also dislike the Zack Snyder remake, although I imagine I would hate it even more if I liked the original.  

2. From Russia with Love

1963

D: Terence Young

I know this is a classic Bond movie that introduced some of the iconic elements from the franchise, but I found it boring.  I seem to have this problem with most 60’s action movies.  Despite assertions to the contrary, they generally have terrible pacing.  I’m not one of those people who automatically assumes that slow pacing is bad, but action movies that lack cerebral or dramatic tone should move fast.  Also, action scenes back then were extremely underwhelming, and this movie is no exception.  I will point out that the novel focuses more on character development, which the movie sorely lacks.

1. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

2004

D: Adam McKay

Man, everybody likes this movie.  Hipsters, Jocks, Goths, my brothers.  Everyone except me.  I like absurd humor when it’s done well, but I find this movie’s humor to be a really forced version of that.  I’ll make a review in which I elaborate on my feelings. 

   

  See Also: Movies I Like that Everybody Else Hates