The vastly overrated, and the criminally underrated.

List films that you feel are overrated or underrated, and state why.

For me, I'd say...

Overrated: Psycho...

I'll spause at this point, because you probably think I am some sort of cinematic philistine with no appreciation of classical film. This could not be further from the truth. I absolutely adore Lawrence of Arabia, Judgement at Nuremberg and North by Northwest, amongst other films from the period.

But back to the topic at hand, overrated films.

Psycho, I feel, was gripping and interesting until the shower scene. From then on, the plot took a turn for the worse, with stupid characters and one of the worst infodump endings I've seen.

Killing the lead halfway through the film was inventive and interesting from a purely cinematographical point of view, but it totally ruined the movie's plot.

LOTR is vastly, horrifically overrated. So madly are the people of the world in love with the glitz and special effects of the LOTR trilogy, the three films occupy spaces on the top 10 spots of the IMDb Top 250. Society is clearly on an inexorable spiral to collapse when Two Towers beats Das Boot on a "greatest movies list".

I just felt that the trilogy had no soul. The character development was lacking, and they seemed to me to be more resting periods between the swordfighting mêleés involving nations and races with very similar-sounding names.

Though the Battle of Helm's Deep was pretty damned impressive, it didn't save the rest of the trilogy.

Shrek is not funny. Not at all. Definitely the most overrated "comedy" film of all time. I laughed perhaps once.

Underrated: Frenzy. I love this movie, but everyone else seems to think of it as mediocre, one of Hitchcock's low points. My feelings are totally to the contrary. It is suspenseful and exciting, and with a brilliant ending.

One of my favourite scenes in when Rusk is in the potato truck. I felt so...complicit with him during the whole scene. And the ending? I've seen few others before or since that top it.

Kundun. Forget Raging Bull, this is Scorsese at his finest. I was enraptured throughout.

 

..well, i definitely agree with you on "Frenzy"..Watched it for the first time about a year or so back.. Really enjoyed it (especially that potato sack scene!)..I could see why some people don't like it, though.. Can't quite nail down WHAT it is, but there is something about that film that's a bit....different..


And i mean it's hard to argue that the overrated movies on your list are, well, overrated..However, i don't think it's too the extreme that you list it at..

"Shrek" IS overrated, but it definitely still has it's moments where it's pretty darned funny..

I think you're wrong about there not being any character development in LOTR..It's just that not ALL of the characters ARE developed fully (due to the sheer astronomical number of characters).. Guys like Sam, Frodo and Aragorn get a decent amount of characterization, imo..

And on the imdb thing: well, you should think of it as more of a 'people's choice' awards ranking rather then a 'quality of film' ranking...


It's tough to call a genre-defining film like "PSYCHO" OVERRATED(even if it is the grandaddy of a genre as filled with shlock as the SLASHER)

 

I agree with LOTR. I love the films, but I think their greatest problems come with CGI and the direction. Why Peter Jackson is being treated as some sort of directorial genius is beyond me, his angles and editing were quite poor.

However, I think the reason people love the movies is because the story is so strong, not necessarily the presentation on film.

They may be a little overrated, but I still love them.

 

'2001: A Space Oddyssey' is the most mind-blowingly over-rated movie of all time, in my opinion.
I've seen it four times now, and I've hated it every time. I think it's stupidly boring, convoluted, and foolishly long, chock-full of stuff that makes no sense. The Arthur C. Clarke book rules, as do its sequels, but the movie is utter trash. It's THE only movie I've ever watched where I literally had to fast-forward through parts because they were too slow and boring.

 

I don't really know any overrated but for underrated

Unbreakable. This movie is perhaps the greatest comic book movie. Not because it is based on any comic, but because it captures the spirit and meaning of comics so perfectly.

Hook. Speilburgs worst? I think not. A great mix of a little kids story and adult problems.

 

I happen to agree with 2001 as overrated. The monkeys banging at the beginning goes on way too long and isn't particularly interesting, and that goes for the long psychadelic end, too. The middle is better, bet I much prefer the book.

As I'm only 20, though, it may be that the special effects have just lost their edge after seeing the modern stuff.

Now, as for LOTR, I'm a big, big of those books, and I could probably go on all day nitpicking. And I really like those movies too, especially the extended editions! But as for the big gripes, I personally would have preferred less action and less Arwen. Catering to the appetites of teenage boys does not a well-balanced movie make!

 

Spiderman One and Two. I almost fell asleep during them.

 

Stalker, one of the greatest sci-fi movies ever (by one of the most underrated directors ever) Heard of it? Didn't think so.

 

I do not agree that Psycho is overrated, but I do agree that the ending nearly kills this (as I see it) almost perfect film.

The Lord of the Rings films are very good movies in my view, but not nearly as good as many fans would have you believe.

Shrek and especially Shrek 2 are definitely overrated. Five year old jokes that weren't even funny to begin with are no reason to make films like these.

And considering 2001: A Space Odyssey is one of my favorite films, I feel the need to defend its status as a classic. I could watch this film over and over and never be bored with it, but I can totally understand those who disagree. The first time I saw it I hated it, too. Oh, and I still the think the 1968 special effects are far more effective than most of those seen in any modern film.

 

For underrated I would go with Sling Blade, an oddly endearing film about friendship, longing, and living in a southern rural town where all too often the grimmer aspects of life take center stage. In terms of dialogue, few other films match this one when it comes to honesty and realism. Whenever I talk about this film, it always surprises me how so few have seen it.

I would agree that Spider-Man is a prime choice for an overrated film. For me, the movie was filled with horrendous pacing, as well as action scenes that hardly held my interest.

 

Kill Bill Volume I for most overated. I just heard all of this hype and then when I watched it. It just didn't deliver.

 

I totally agree. "Unbreakable" is very underrated and it's sad. It didn't make as big of buck as "The Sixth Sense" simply because it was different. There's a lot of genious in the cinematography. For instance in almost every new scene that you see Mr. Glass, you first see him through a reflection, or a window, or just something class. For instance, when it cuts to a flashback, we first see him in the reflection of the TV screen. When Bruce Willis first meets him, we see him in through a window. When he's born, he's born in front of a mirror. Outside of the stadium, we see him through the rearview mirror. Very symbolic and I've noticed that a lot of people didn't catch on to it.

"Hook" was a childhood favorite of mine and I never knew that there was any disdain for until recently.


As for overrated, I totally agree about "Lord of the Rings." Certainly not "Psycho" though. That's one of the few absolutely perfect movies out there, IMO. I'd say the first "Spider-Man" movie is overrated. It's a mediocre film at best. It's corny, the special effects suck, and the pacing is bad. The sequel is a thousand times better--perhaps the best superhero ever made next to the original "Superman."

 

LOTR is certainly over-rated.


For one thing, in between the battle scenes that were much raved about, there wasn't much going on. For instance, attempts at "epic" dialogue often came of as obvious and/or stupid. Ex:

"We need something to distract them. . ."
"A diversion!"<---Obviously.

And when a large army of Orcs comes charging at them "Evil stirs from the [whatever direction the orcs were coming from" <--Thank you, because we didn't see the thousand bad guys chargign at you two seconds ago, and needed you to point that out.

 

LotR had me at tars so I'm going with not underrated.

 

And considering 2001: A Space Odyssey is one of my favorite films, I feel the need to defend its status as a classic. I could watch this film over and over and never be bored with it, but I can totally understand those who disagree. The first time I saw it I hated it, too. Oh, and I still the think the 1968 special effects are far more effective than most of those seen in any modern film.

I totally disagree.
You see, I've seen it four times, and I've intentionally spaced out my viewings by, like, 5 years apiece between viewings, in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, my appreciation of the movie would change, or I'd see something redeeming in it, or with multiple viewings it would grow on me.
This is yet to happen. I still think the movie blows, hard. Of course, just to keep up my current pattern, I'll watch it again when I turn 25.

 

Underrated: The Pokemon movies. They may not be the greatest movies ever but they certainly aren't the worst movies of all time (the last time I was looking at IMDB's list of best/worst movies they had ALL of them on the worst animated list).

 

I think The Exorcist is a highly overrated movie. I wasn't around when it came out back in the day, but when they re-released it my friend and I went to see it in a packed theater, and the entire audience was laughing themselves silly during the thing, especially when she came crawling down the stairs backwards. The only part that made me tense was when it was dark and that white face flashed on the screen.

I can't think of an absolute underrated movie, but I think that alot of people don't give The Phantom Menace the respect it deserves. I think a lot of people didn't like it and Attack of the Clones because it wasn't the story they had thought up for themselves and when it wasn't on par with that, they hated it and found reasons to criticize it because it wasn't what they thought it was going to be.

 

I'm trying to figure out how anyone could think LotR had flat characters . . . Frodo just stands for us all, for God's sake, the classic unwilling hero . . . Sam is just brilliant, characterwise . . . and if Gollum's schizophrenic episodes didn't move you, I just wonder if you know what compassion means.

Boromir, Faramir, Aragon . . . all compelling characters, I think, with believable conflicts and great emotional impact and relativity to humanity as a whole . . .

But, whatever.

Shrek is overrated. It wasn't the first genuinely funny animated film, though everyone tried to act like it was. It was funny and snarky, an interesting tone for an animated film, and one I liked, but it was a bit overrated. Finding Nemo is a far superior film, much funnier and much more emotionally resonant.

2001 may not be a great story . . . but it's one of the great experiences of all time. I think your passion for 2001 is reflective of your passion for music and museum arts. The docking sequence, for instance, is slow, meandering, ponderous, etc, but Strauss makes the stars sing, so frankly, it just freezes me in my tracks every time. My God, that's beautiful.

And the "acid trip" (yeah, yeah, beyond infinity or whatever . . . I like my title better) is just still amazing too me. I've seen it four times too and I still love it. Why, by the way, did you watch a movie you hated four times? I'll give a movie two tries, but four is just masochistic, isn't it?

A few pics of my own:

Underrated:

A Midnight Clear--about ten people all total saw this one. And, strangely, it's probably the most effectively tragic and heartbreaking war film since All Quiet on the Western Front.

Manhunter--Every bit as good as Silence of the Lambs, just in a different way. And far superior to Red Dragon. PEterson's performance as Will Graham is just amazing and the score alone makes it worth watching. And who can forget that moment when Graham goes back to the Leed's house and literally walks into the crime scene . . . before the crime happened?!?!

Overrated:

Citizen Kane--yeah, Welles' performance is darn good, Cotten is excellent as always and the Love on your own terms scene alone is worth the price of admission. But the best film ever made? Please. Not even in the top ten, if you ask me, though it keeps cropping up in the top ten just about every time anyone does a list. Great film, dark and cynical, but probably top one or two hundred is as good as I go.

Doctor Zhivago--featuring a typically fine performance from Alec Guinness and a fine, if somewhat too catchy, score by Maurice Jarre, this film is also hamstrung by a wishy washy performance by Sharif (watch LAwrence of ARabia to see Sharif at his best) and a Lara who never seems to justify Yuri's obsession. At best, she's a bit prettier than average, never charming, never interesting. And Steiger as the villain? Um, got a piece of scenery stuck in your teeth, pal.

There are plenty more of both, but that's enough for now. I have, interestingly, more films that I think are underrated than films I think are overrated. Perhaps because films are more easily underrated.

The critics agree that Keaton was a genius, but how many of you have seen Steamboat Bill, Jr? So, he's underrated.

On the other hand, Minority Report did great box office, but it took home none of the OScars it deserved. So, it's underrated.

On the other hand, The Mummy did great box office too, but try to find a critic who liked it. So, it's underrated . . .

Anyway, just a few random thoughts.

 

Re: The Lord of the Rings pictures --

Nice? Sure.

Visually sumptuous? Why not. I'll give.

Fair-to-adequate adaptational efforts of Tolkien's original text? Subjective, but the geist of it is there most times.

The genre Second Coming of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, as many of the folks in these forums seem to think?

Not by a Santa Fe mile.

The Return of the King was, for my money, the redemption of the bloated and overlong theatrical cut(!) of The Two Towers, but when my wife turns to me during the Isengard-flooding sequence and growls sotto voce, "That looks *sooooo* fake," something's rotten in the state of Texas. According to Newsweek, New Line fought Jackson up to the eleventh hour over his overgrown forest of a release-cut, and ended up relenting.

One of the very few instances in modern cinematic history where the studio hedgeclippers would've been exuberantly welcomed in limning the directorial hedge.

King is grander and more third-actish in a gathering-forces, sturm-und-drang sense, but we all know the tone and the textures. The reverent aura, the portentous dialogue, the richly rendered effects, the self-perpetuating solemnity, the muted colors and pasty complexions, and the standard-issue tunics, beards, beard stubble and elf ears.

But the emotions are all worn right on the sleeve, with little to no subtlety in the characterizational moments...particularly Sam's mega-schmaltzy ending monologue in T2T, which had me looking to see if I'd somehow wound up in Wisconsin due to the flowing cheese. To wit -- Jackson's primary directorial flaw, according to one film critic?

Here's what's wrong with these hires, in my view. Jackson's fatal flaw as a director (not in HEAVENLY CREATURES but certainly in the RINGS trilogy) is to urge his actors to underline and over-emphasize -- he wants every last moron in the last row of every last movie theatre to get exactly what's going on emotionally in each scene. And using [Jack] Black and [Andy] Serkis fits right into this.

If you hire Jack Black you're not looking for subtlety. You're looking for manic, over-the-top behavior with a comic thrust. And Serkis (to judge by his performance in THE TWO TOWERS and RETURN OF THE KING....he over-acted when he was putting a worm on a fish hook, for Chrissake) providing facial expressions for Kong, or even just doing some big-ape body acting...? The mind reels.

I hope Jackson has changed his mind and won't be giving us a Gollum Kong. Gorillas and other simians convey emotions, of course, and quite touchingly at times (if you've ever stared for any length of time at a gorilla inside a cage in a zoo you know what I'm talking about), but they don't tend to do this Smeagol style.

Enough said right there.

Yes, we own the three films, but Jackson's better work came during his microbudget, Bad Taste/Brain Dead/Forgotten Silver/Meet the Feebles years, back when he was a lean, hungry filmmaker...which is why those older laserdiscs of those flicks are still treasured.

My respect is sincere for Jackson, particularly his third act of that trifecta (the only one I actually deigned to view twice theatrically), but all the folks out there who've proclaimed Jackson to be this brand-new wunderkind voice in genre cinema missed *that* boat by about 12 or 15 years, to say nothing of all the non-readers hereabouts who still somwhow think that Jackson -- not Ron Tolkien -- created/wrote The Lord of the Rings, similar to the "Saddam/9-11" believers and "Flat Earth Society" members.

 

Jack Black was in LOTR???

As for my list: Radioland Murders is extremely underrated. Indeed, many Lucas fans don't even know of it's existense. If you have the attention-span, it has wonderful character development and some great humor. One of my personal top-rated films for a bored afternoon.

There are so many ovverrated films I can't think of a specific one. I'll back up what's been said here and go with Shrek and the first Spider-Man for now...

 

If that was Jack Black, I'm George Lucas.

I don't much like it when someone says: Oh this movie is overrated, but this movie is totally underrated. It's all a matter of opinion, and just because a movie was popular and you don't like it doesn't mean it's overrated; it just means you didn't like it.

Example:

Star Wars is overrated. How many people here would be offended by that? I think if someone doesn't like a movie, they should say so and leave it like that. And I'll respect their opinion. But if someone says it's overrated, then I just don't listen.

 

Stalker, one of the greatest sci-fi movies ever (by one of the most underrated directors ever) Heard of it? Didn't think so.

I have. Tarkovsky's a great director.

Overrated: Easy Rider. I guess it meant something when it came out, but nowadays it just comes across an aimless, pointless, amateurish first feature done by some guys who just decided to shoot some stuff and slap together a movie out of the footage. The acid sequence is probably my favorite movie drug scene ever, though.

One woefully underrated film is Menace II Society. On paper it probably sounds like just another "hood" movie but it's brutally realistic and non-judgmental. It doesn't glorify life in South Central LA, but it also doesn't condemn it. It's almost documentary-like at times, especially in the first scene. All the performances are excellent, and the filmmaking is top-notch (there's a one-shot entrance to a party which equals the Goodfellas scene it references.) Boyz N the Hood, which is a more Hollywood treatment of the same material, seems to be better remembered these days.

JFK is also extremely underrated. Whether you buy into the conspiracy theory or not it's a tremendous piece of filmmaking, and one of the great benchmarks in the history of film editing.

 

Now, even though the LOTR trilogy and SM2 are among my all-time favorites, I don't mind people trashing them as overrated... hell, it's actually quite refreshing

Overrated:

The Matrix Trilogy - Symbolic underlyings? Pffft, whatever. The Star Wars prequels are also overflowing with such symbolism, but there's one major difference--I actually care for the characters populating Lucas' space saga, but I simply can't say the same for the ultra-boring Neo.

Batman Returns - I loved the first(And actually enjoyed Schumacher's Forever somewhat), but Burton's follow-up just didn't captivate me(With the exception of the ending). Not only is Batman reduced to an afterthought, but the whole production is WAY TOO dark and mean-spirited--which is what probably led to Mr. Neon taking over the franchise. I hope Nolan's Batman next summer IS dark and grim, but without overdoing it.

Underrated:

Titan AE(And probably just about any other movie the woefully neglected Don Bluth has ever made) - I am still saddened that Dinosaur actually made more money than this. Quite edgy and entertaining.

The Saint of Fort Washington - I saw this movie on Starz! a few months back, and I found it to be a gripping and harrowing look at poverty.

Mr. Bean(The 1997 movie) - I know many people understandably hate this for being "Americanized", but had I not watched this, I would've never bothered to watch the brutally funny British TV show in which this movie was based on. I especially love the middle-finger gag at the end.

Good Burger - Probably the best feature-lenght movie Nickelodeon has ever made(At least until SpongeBob SquarePants comes out later this month... )

Hook - It wasn't until recently that I learned Hook was considered by a fair amount of people as Steven Spielberg's worst. Pfffft, whatever. I thought it was a very wonderful and enchanting take on the Peter Pan fable--as a child, it was right up there with E.T. and the original Star Wars trilogy. Now, I wouldn't go as far as to call it as one of Spielberg's BEST(Especially with Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan on his filmography), but it is one of my personal favorites and one of the most underrated movies ever. The moral of the film was primarily about not losing touch with the inner child within you... so I find it quite ironic and fitting that these same cold grinches are among the main detractors for this film.

Last Action Hero - A brilliant parody of action films--I was shocked to learn that this bombed.

 

Peter Jackson's forthcoming King Kong remake. Shooting now.

Jack Black (Carl Denham), Andy Serkis (Kong), Naomi Watts (Ann Darrow), Adrien Brody (Jack Driscoll). And apparently that dessicated vampire-guy from Blade II in there somewheres.

Due out in 2005. The article cited:

http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/elsewhere/167.html

 

Overrated: Harry Potter. Enjoy the books, but they have way too much hype.

Underrated: Wizard of Earthsea and His Dark Materials. I tell people about these and they're like "what is that?"