Reply With QuoteOverrated: Hacksaw Ridge. Rubbish.
Underrated: Arlington Road. Seems to have sunk without a trace but it's one of the few films where I left the cinema with a big smile on my face.
The most overrated and underrated films you've seen...
Obviously this is going to be a very subjective topic, but I'll start with:
Overrated - 'Bladerunner'. I saw the Director's cut again this week and despite always liking the film in the past, this time I thought it had more style than substance and the plot wasn't really logical or coherent in all parts. 7/10 (as opposed to 9/10).
Overrated: Hacksaw Ridge. Rubbish.
Underrated: Arlington Road. Seems to have sunk without a trace but it's one of the few films where I left the cinema with a big smile on my face.
It pops up on here from time to time due to the Amphibian content but I think that The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is a seriously underrated film. It has a beautiful aesthetic to it and humour on a number of different levels.
Over rated - The Hateful Eight
Underrated - Euro Trip
I'll have to agree on Bladerunner being overrated.
It's not a bad film, but it's not as good as people make out, imo.
I've seen it a few times and always feel a bit underwhelmed.
I'll also offer up The Shawshank Redemption - It's not the 'best film ever'. Again, it's not a bad film, but it's just a prison drama, like lots of others.
Underrated? I really liked The Prestige, not sure why, but it appealed to me.
Possibly my favourite film is Point Break (The Reeves/Swayze one) - It's not a great film, but it does what it does to near perfection for me and I can watch it repeatedly, which I usually can't with a film. It's exciting, Reeves slightly wooden acting is perfect for his role, Swayze is great for his role and Garry Busey is also excellent in the film. There's excitement, tension, comedy, a bit of romance (with a quirky love interest) and (as you might have guessed) I think it's almost perfectly cast.
Much better film than the one she won an Oscar for, imo.
M
Last edited by snowman; 22nd September 2017 at 09:15.
Overrated - The Matrix
Underrated- Hell Drivers
I realise that I will be in the minority here but I think that Tobe Hooper's Life Force has been very much underrated for the past 30 years. Viewed as a comedy its superb. Hans Fallada is one of my all time favourite film characters. Frank Finlay's at time languid and detached performance makes the film for me. On a more superficial note he has the best hairstyle ever, something I have endeavoured to emulate since my mid twenties.
Mathilda May was pretty outstanding in it too!Originally Posted by Velorum
Good or bad (I guess it was made with a tongue in the cheek), it certainly remained memorable for all these years!
M.
I think with Bladerunner, you have to look at the context of the age of the film.. it pretty much defined the 'look' of future cities which has inspired so many other films. You don't look at it and think of it 35 year old film (certainly in style and design.. pace maybe). So for that reason I think it deserves it's status.
Underrated? Not particularly high brow or intelligent, but I always thought Last Action Hero was an inspired movie. It always got panned but I think people just missed the point of it.
Agree with you on The Prestige.. it's one of my favourite movies tbh. Love it.
But it owes so much to film noir that even that dystopian view of the future is really just a view back with flying cars...
I agree it set the grim norm for 'future earth' visions in cinema, but that was, to a degree, accidental...
It's an iconic movie, I'd agree, I just don't think it deserves the unalloyed adoration many lavish upon it.
M.
I agree with you on this ones. Prestige is one of the best movies IMO.
Personally, I thought Gravity was very much overrated.
Its a Chris Nolan Film, you know it will be good
Most overrated: The Blues Brothers, I really don't get it and cant understand the fascination, the music is great but thats it IMO
Most underrated: Chef, pet project by Jon Favreau (Swingers also crept under the radar and worth a watch)
Overrated - Star Wars: A New Hope. Loved it when I was a kid, but as an adult, it’s really only nostalgia. The acting is diabolical (especially Mark Hamil and Carrie Fisher), the dialogue stilted, and the storyline poor. It’s a kids’ film. Lucas’s genius was in the creation of his “world” - the attention to detail and general production design is superb, but there’s no way it should be considered “great” imo. Empire isn’t much better tbh, but I think the acting is marginally better.
Prometheus - utter disjointed badly scripted incomprehensible tripe.
The Natural and Field Of Dreams - 2 fantastic feel good movies which are also exceptionally well shot and scripted that deserve to be higher rated.
Jean de florette and Manon de sources - for two fantastic stories that have never got the acclaim they deserve I think because they are sub-titled.
I think Gravity only worked if you went for the visual spectacle, at the cinema, in 3D - because it was pretty impressive. The story itself was... garbage :)
I agree, I have it on DVD and on occasion skip through it just to see the special effects sequences.
The sentimental story line and scientifically inaccurate events irritate me intensely. What a wasted opportunity, which the production values and spectacle that they could employ just imagine if they had aimed for a more realistic storyline. The very idea of highly trained professionals behaving in the way shown is laughable.
(underrated) Silent Running over (overrated) 2001: A Space Odyssey - any day
Oh and I like Blade Runner, it is flawed yes, but it's kind of an immersive film experience.
Underrated. Lucy, with our Scarlett. For some reason the plot - and her lips of course - just appeal to me. I've seen it three times now.
Overrated - almost any film the critics like.
Theres a good write up hereMathilda May was pretty outstanding in it too!
Good or bad (I guess it was made with a tongue in the cheek), it certainly remained memorable for all these years!
M.
https://www.tor.com/2017/08/31/naked...omment-page-1/
Going with fairly mainstream movies - underrated - True Lies. Just huge fun on every level, and now largely forgotten. Cameron set out to out-Bond Bond, and I really think he managed it in this one-off non-stop huge budget joyous piece of nonsense. It really does have everything and I think it is Arnie's best movie.
Overrated - I am tempted to go with Bladerunner as others have. I am a huge fan of sci-fi, and like hard sci-fi too. I think Bladerunner is visionary, and immensely influential stylistically, but I always found it rather cold and lacking in "human" interest (pun intended).
I'll also go with the more recent "Interstellar" - an arsenumbing three hours of ludicrous tedium, barely audible dialogue, and planets so dull that by the end of it I was itching to get home and watch the truly wonderful "Contact", whose story it had stolen in entirety and ballsed up on every level.
So clever my foot fell off.
Overrated- Titanic , don't get me wrong it's an ok film, but essentially is a love story set on the worst maiden voyage ever, but if you want a love story, it's hard to beat the classics, Like ....
Underrated- Dr Zhivago , ok it's about a young doctor who has trouble choosing between his wife and his mistress, but set during the Russian revolution , the film for me truely captures the period and the hardships which this love story has to endure . Something perhaps David Lean the director does better than most and the cinematography is just stunning in all his films, Lawerence of Arabia, Bridge on the River Kwai, Ryan's Daughter , Great Expectations etc etc
Overrated- pretty much any car racing film, the modern take on things these days just doesn't work for me and the actors just don't have skills to lift these films , older films of this genre can work even if the plots are pants.....
Underrated - Grand Prix with James Garner, film plot is ok, but again the filming is fabulous, and the actors lift the film to produce a great film. Le Mans with Steve McQueen, the film was a flop at the box office, and the plot was complete pants really with the underlying love interest between McQueen and Elga Anderson being the only real side story in the race, but it's McQueens delivery of lines and again the cinematography somehow elevate the film to another level. Perhaps to understand this film fully you need to read " the French kiss of death " about the film, but what McQueen achieved was firstly bankruptcy, the film wiped him out financially yet still after 3 directors quit on him the film still stand today as one of the best car racing films .
Underrated - When Harry Met Sally , love Billy Crystals one liners in this, lots said as comedy that is actually true !
Underrated - Big Wednesday, surfing film about growing up young california teenagers, film has great presence in my opinion .
Underrated- The Right Stuff , pre Apollo space race film, with some great young actors , ed Harris, Scott Glenn, Denis quiad etc
Last edited by BryanEbru1512; 22nd September 2017 at 11:20.
Spot on Alex ^^^
The last 2 BadgerUK i salute you both stunning Films
Underrated:
The Game. Granted once you've seen it once and know the ending it's doesn't have much replay value, but a great Fincher film with good actors enjoying themselves.
Last edited by Scepticalist; 22nd September 2017 at 11:32.
Tremendous film. Totally knocked my socks off the first time I saw it.
Overrated - Avatar
Underrated - Ice Cold in Alex... & Zelig
... but I would say that
z
I rather like Interstellar, it is over long for sure but the organ score is really unsettling and seems to fit the dystopian future thing. Minus the score I would like it a lot less.
Have you seen Contact? Or if you have, watched it since seeing Interstellar?
So clever my foot fell off.
Overrated - The Terminator. I saw it at the cinema when it first came out and have seen it a couple of times since, but I just can't see what all the fuss is about. Plus, I find the Linda Hamilton character really annoying.
Overrated - Aliens. After the magnificent Alien, this sequel just felt a bit dim witted.
Underrated - Leon. The two leads were amazing.
Underrated - The Exorcist. Too often dismissed as a horror film (which it is), but it was so well made (script, cinematography, sound design) and so well paced, it stands alongside the other 'classics' from the period.
Underrated - The Abyss (just to be fair to James Cameron).
Good choice.
Apparently there is a True Lies TV show in development, not sure about that though (https://www.geektown.co.uk/2017/09/1...velopment-fox/).
Underrated: Låt den Rätta komma in. (Let the right one in). A Swedish vampire movie. The only film in that genre that I like.
Overrated: nearly everything else... e.g. Black Tower with Idris Elba. Another 2 hrs of my life I won't get back...
M
I agree with a lot of the overrated/underrated suggestions so far (but not Blade Runner....).
I was going to say Leon was underrated but I see it has already been mentioned. I would also chuck into the pot another Luc Besson film,The Big Blue. Another film I would suggest is Highlander.
Overrated?....Forrest Gump,Skyfall,American Beauty
Saw it years ago, I must rewatch it then since I didn't see any close parallels from my limited recall but my memory is hazy on it.
It even out-Bonded Bond when it came to misogyny.
I think most of Wes Anderson’s films are underrated. The Darjeeling Ltd and Grand Budapest Hotel are two of my all time favourites.
Interesting; I absolutely HATED this film. Just about everything annoyed, but especially the cheesy samba Bowie covers ("Look, we're so clever! It's in Portuguese!") and the oh-so-whimsical (aka really f**king annoying) 'humour.'
Great call with True Lies.
I'll be on Amazon tonight looking for that.
Another underrated movie is Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter... and Spring
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374546/
Very little dialogue, but totally captivating
z
Nit quite in the same league as those above, but two that slipped under the radar for me were
The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!
and
Arthur Christmas.
Great for adults and kids.
I think that Children Of Men might be a little underrated.
“We’ll get him when he comes back in......”
“He’s not coming back in.......!”
Have to disagree, Terminator is my favourite film. All atmosphere very little dialogue.
Overrated: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - how is that in the IMDB Top 100?
Underrated: Duel (early Spielberg film, Terminator-esq in style IMHO)
Underrated: Inception - gets better with each watch as you get your head around dream within a dream within a dream etc.
I also have to disagree with Interstellar being overrated. Seen it several times now and I think it gets better the more you watch it as you get your head around the time and space aspect. Like Inception.
The Clive Owen film? Worth a watch then I take it?
Over rated = 'The Royal Tenanbaums'.
A self important, meandering bore of the highest order, a movie made for actors to admire themselves in and for critics to appear intelligent as they discuss it as a work of art.
Yes, but not as good as Shoot 'em up :)
M
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Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
Agree on all of those. Terminator is a bit dull, especially in comparison to the excellent Terminator 2.
I've never watched Aliens all the way through, it just seemed so superficial in comparison to Alien which is a stunning and massively underrated film.
Another film I'd say is underrated is Unbreakable. Not an all time classic but for me it has a great atmosphere and ending.
My favourite car film is Rush and I don't think it's had the credit it deserves. Yes some of the dialogue is cheesy but the driving scenes are immense and it does great justice to one of the most heroic sporting stories of all time.
Overated- Manchester by the Sea. This is another one I didn't get to the end of as I found it a really hard watch. Also - Solaris, I was expecting an epic sci-fi and It's anything but that.
Well worth it I think.
An excellent cameo from Michael Cain and the scene where the camera pans across a number of streets capturing simultaneous gun battles all in one take is very impressive.
I quite liked the original Russian version from 1972, more of a psychological study than hard sci-fi though.
I fell asleep during the 2002 remake.
Overrated: Although it's been a long time since I watched it, I must say I was quite underwhelmed with "Citizen Kane." Much ado about nothing comes to mind.
Underrated: I'm a pretty 'stoic' type of guy, but I'm quite sentimental when it comes to films. I've watched "Heaven Can Wait" with Warren Beatty and Julie Christie about two dozen times!
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