The Completely Overrated Film Thread

[Adam D]

I might have done this before but its been spawned by a comment made by Serial Dave on another thread.

This thread is dedicated to the films that are seemingly universally loved but you just either don't get or think are just awful.

So my three opening nominations for the most overrated films ever are:

I dont like lamp:

I will vote for someone else:

C'mon Dude:

[Guest]

Adam, the first two are fine but anyone dissing The Big Lebowski goes onto the same list as Big Mary who I'm currently planning to gut like a fish and leave strewn as far and wide as North Yorkshire just to shake things up a bit

[Rowley]

There Will Be Blood. Did not get the fuss. Day Lewis is often a fine actor but he is also prone to chronic over acting, which he is guilty of here. Couple a poor main performance with a tediously slow script and its appeal is lost on me.

[Mr Bounce]

Anchorman - just thought it was a bit rubbish really. I don't really rate Will Ferrell - I find him a bit one-dimensional and stupid.

Birdman. A real waste of my time. This a critics' film and nothing more. One for actors and directors to be smug about how wonderful they all are. Personally I thought it was garbage.

Pirates of the Caribbean movies: They are all essentially the same movie and are simply a vehicle for Johnny Depp to be hilarious playing his interpretation of Keith Richards. Or not. if you want to see Johnny Depp really act, watch him in Black Mass.

[seanmichaels]

All the Bonds with Craig. Rubbish.

[Hero]

ET

Watching it as a kid after seeing the spectacle of Star Wars and being promised another film with aliens in, instead subjected to an hour and a half of sentimental hogwash.

[Rowley]

All the Bonds with Craig. Rubbish.

Idiot.

[seanmichaels]

ET

Watching it as a kid after seeing the spectacle of Star Wars and being promised another film with aliens in, instead subjected to an hour and a half of sentimental hogwash.

Idiot

[superflyweight]

ET

Watching it as a kid after seeing the spectacle of Star Wars and being promised another film with aliens in, instead subjected to an hour and a half of sentimental hogwash.

Idiot

Idiot. ET is rubbish.

[seanmichaels]

ET is brilliant.

[Crimey]

How long has ET vs Napoleon Dynamite being going on for now? I feel like Adam only made this thread to reignite it.

[superflyweight]

How long has ET vs Napoleon Dynamite being going on for now? I feel like Adam only made this thread to reignite it.

Both films are pretty rubbish.

[Hero]

Of course he did, as soon as I saw it I knew Napoleon would be in there. Might stick Princess Bride and Moulin Rouge in mine.

[bhb001]

Brahms Stokers Dracula was truly awful but people say how great it was.

Home Alone as well. I only laughed at the John Candy monologue. Everything else spelt out psychopath in the making

Never made it through ET yet and no intention to do so

[Adam D]

How long has ET vs Napoleon Dynamite being going on for now? I feel like Adam only made this thread to reignite it.

I didnt make this thread for that reason. I truly hated Napoleon Dynamite and yet it gets universal love.

If people want to bring up ET (I didnt) then thats fine, completely their prerogative but I am bored of that conversation and wont be engaging.

I apologise if I was trying to start a film debate about cult films that people think are Poopie.

[guildfordbat]

Righty ho, three films from down the years that are much admired but not really by me.

1. Citizen Kane (1941)
Orson Welles' film is often now cited as a masterpiece and the greatest of all time but less than captivating and a bit pretentious in my book. Lost out at that year's Oscars as best picture to the worthy but never brilliant How Green Was My Valley - think that remains a fair judgment on Citizen Kane although that decision is held in contempt by many film experts.

2. The Shining (1980)
No problem with a film about ghosts and the supernatural leaving you wondering - that should go with the territory - but just too much was unexplained or unclear for me. Didn't get it. I would add that whilst the film has a classic status now, that wasn't so from outset. Don't believe it received any Oscar or other nominations at the time - again feel that was right.

3. Django Unchained (2012)
I was really looking forward to this film and heard very good things about it but was pretty disappointed. Too formulaic for my liking - Tarantino largely moved Inglorious Bast*rds to a Western setting. Also seemed to lose its way when [Semi SPOILER] one of the main characters was killed off three-quarters of the way through. Didn't win an Oscar for best picture (can't recall what did then) but did get a nomination and was mighty lucky to do so.

[Mad for Chelsea]

Has anyone mentioned Drive yet? Load of pretentious cr@p that took itself wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too seriously.

Also Forest Gump. It's not a bad movie, but I don't honestly get all the fuss about it. How it won an Oscar above Pulp Fiction, well...

Skyfall got rave reviews too, but thought Casion Royale was much better TBH.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkhaban seems to generally be rated as the top HP movie or thereabouts, whereas I thought it was a pile of rubbish: the werewolf had no hair, and that final scene with the Firebolt was cringeworthy in the extreme. Sure, Gary Oldman turns in a fine performance as Sirius Black, but he's only in the film for a few minutes, not enough to save the movie.

[Guest]

INTERSTELLAR - Matthew McConnaughy drawls and slurs his way through seventeen hours of pompous overblown sci-fi nonsense and the film disappears up its own ar$e. Really REALLY don't see what's so tremendous about it.

GRAVITY - Sandra Bullock has a tough day at work. What's the big deal with this film and what's so tremendous about her performance? I preferred the slightly hysterical racist she played in "CRASH"

HUNGER GAMES - Blatant rip off of BATTLE ROYALE that just seems to go on forever...and that's the hour that I managed before cutting my own eyes out of my skull. Jennifer Lawrence makes Gwyneth Paltrow look exciting and energetic. She's the Taylor Swift of film... loads of people like her but f*ck knows why.

[Mind the windows Tino.]

Barton Fink. Utter sh*te. Could only be improved by having H*gh J*ckman in it.

American Sniper. The bloke isn't even a sniper.

[rIck_dAgless]

Any of the Nolan Batman trilogy...

OK, but not jizz over good, and the first 2 Burton ones were better.

[JuliusHMarx]

Prizzi's Honour. I won't bother to explain further because you're all too young to have ever seen it.

[Mad for Chelsea]

I nearly mentioned Gravity. It's visually stunning, but as a film falls rather short with its almost non-existent plot and terrible acting, not to mention some silly science.

On the Dark Knight trilogy, I think the first is decent, the second tremendous, the third a mixed bag with just enough good elements to overcome the not-so-good ones.

[rIck_dAgless]

On the Dark Knight trilogy, I think the first is decent, the second tremendous, the third a mixed bag with just enough good elements to overcome the not-so-good ones.

The first is OK, the second is OK (and gets skewed because of ledger) the third is OK

but just OK, and completely overated overall

[Guest]

Gangs of New York - toss of the highest order that goes on far too long

[Hibbz]

Any of the Star Wars - People trying to out nerd each other with their obsessiveness irk me.
Any of the Godfathers - Couldn't understand what was being said half the time.
Taxi Driver - If I wanted to watch at a bloke staring into a mirror I'd stare into a mirror.

[Guest]

SCARFACE - goes on forever and any film that encourages young Bradford lads to think that selling a pinch of weed makes them a drug dealer should be wiped from existence

[Galted]

Barton Fink.  Utter sh*te.  Could only be improved by having H*gh J*ckman in it.

Idiot.

[Galted]

Righty ho, three films from down the years that are much admired but not really by me.

1. Citizen Kane (1941)
Orson Welles' film is often now cited as a masterpiece and the greatest of all time but less than captivating and a bit pretentious in my book. Lost out at that year's Oscars as best picture to the worthy but never brilliant How Green Was My Valley - think that remains a fair judgment on Citizen Kane although that decision is held in contempt by many film experts.

2. The Shining (1980)
No problem with a film about ghosts and the supernatural leaving you wondering - that should go with the territory - but just too much was unexplained or unclear for me. Didn't get it. I would add that whilst the film has a classic status now, that wasn't so from outset. Don't believe it received any Oscar or other nominations at the time - again feel that was right.

3. Django Unchained (2012)
I was really looking forward to this film and heard very good things about it but was pretty disappointed. Too formulaic for my liking - Tarantino largely moved Inglorious Bast*rds to a Western setting. Also seemed to lose its way when [Semi SPOILER] one of the main characters was killed off three-quarters of the way through. Didn't win an Oscar for best picture (can't recall what did then) but did get a nomination and was mighty lucky to do so.

Hard to disagree though you're probably selling Citizen Kane a bit short.  The cinematography was way ahead of its time, my favourite film from the 40s is Grapes of Wrath but it's technically far behind CK.  I do think that any film student pretending that CK is their favourite film is a bit of a bell-end though.

The Shining is an immense shower of sh1te.  Everything of Kubrick's bar Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon and the first half of Full Metal Jacket stinks of pretentiousness.

Most of Tarantino's films are overrated, he seems too obsessed with filling each one with whatever flaws are rife in the genre.  Not impressed with much he's been involved in bar Pulp Fiction, True Romance and Reservoir Dogs.

[guildfordbat]

Righty ho, three films from down the years that are much admired but not really by me.

1. Citizen Kane (1941)
Orson Welles' film is often now cited as a masterpiece and the greatest of all time but less than captivating and a bit pretentious in my book. Lost out at that year's Oscars as best picture to the worthy but never brilliant How Green Was My Valley - think that remains a fair judgment on Citizen Kane although that decision is held in contempt by many film experts.

2. The Shining (1980)
No problem with a film about ghosts and the supernatural leaving you wondering - that should go with the territory - but just too much was unexplained or unclear for me. Didn't get it. I would add that whilst the film has a classic status now, that wasn't so from outset. Don't believe it received any Oscar or other nominations at the time - again feel that was right.

3. Django Unchained (2012)
I was really looking forward to this film and heard very good things about it but was pretty disappointed. Too formulaic for my liking - Tarantino largely moved Inglorious Bast*rds to a Western setting. Also seemed to lose its way when [Semi SPOILER] one of the main characters was killed off three-quarters of the way through. Didn't win an Oscar for best picture (can't recall what did then) but did get a nomination and was mighty lucky to do so.

Hard to disagree though you're probably selling Citizen Kane a bit short.  The cinematography was way ahead of its time, my favourite film from the 40s is Grapes of Wrath but it's technically far behind CK.  I do think that any film student pretending that CK is their favourite film is a bit of a bell-end though.

The Shining is an immense shower of sh1te.  Everything of Kubrick's bar Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon and the first half of Full Metal Jacket stinks of pretentiousness.

Most of Tarantino's films are overrated, he seems too obsessed with filling each one with whatever flaws are rife in the genre.  Not impressed with much he's been involved in bar Pulp Fiction, True Romance and Reservoir Dogs.

Galted - I probably should give Citizen Kane another go some time. I accept it's more likely I'm wrong than a load of 'experts'. However, summoning up the motivation for something I found a letdown before isn't that easy.

Haven't watched Grapes of Wrath for many years but it was certainly a very fine film. Excellent performance from Fonda I recall. Just looked up to check and see it lost out to Rebecca for Best Picture in the Oscars. I like that film as well although it's aged badly compared to Grapes.

Two other favourites of mine from the 40s are the eternal It's a Wonderful Life - schmaltzy but always adorable - and the gripping The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. A lesser known gem from that decade is the horror / ghost story anthology Dead of Night.

[TRUSSMAN66]

SCARFACE - goes on forever and any film that encourages young Bradford lads to think that selling a pinch of weed makes them a drug dealer should be wiped from existence

I think Scorcese's movies are more impressionable to kids than anything like Scarface..

Goodfellas probably did more for organised recruitment than any other movie..

The way he glamorised mafiosi.. The man is a menace..

[The Beast]

The Avengers;

Not a terrible film but for me totally predictable and dull. I cannot see the big deal, 2 hours of CGI, can't think of a single moment when I thought the "heroes" would not win.

Guardians of the Galaxy - as above, rinse and repeat film, the last Marvel film I will bother with they seem more interesting in setting up sequels than telling an interesting story.

[kingraf]

Napoleon Dynamite is an excellent film. Irritated me to no end on first watch but the second time round I really thought it was hilarious. Probably need a very specific sense of humour it though.

Caught The Revenant not so long ago. Yawn. "Leo acts with his eyes!!" whatever. If I wanted slow and moving I'll watch grass grow.

[Atila]

All the Bonds with Craig. Rubbish.

Craig himself is not bad, but the films have been crap.

[Rowanbi]

Revenant - just another cowboy film. Indians firing bows and arrows from horseback? Not the way it was. Indians mostly fled from the white man and did so on foot, using their horses as pack animals. They didn't even know what horses were before the white man brought them across the Atlantic. Not sure why we're always confronted with this image of fearsome hordes galloping into battle on their finely-chiselled steeds. I guess it makes Americans feel less guilty to think their forbears were battling a formidable enemy rather than just carrying out merciless genocide. Also, the ending was horribly cliche and cheesy.

[Guest]

Spectre - absolute drivel. Didn't give a shiny sh!te about anyone or anything during that film. One funny moment, just ONE, when, after being told M stands for "moronic" he replies, "Well we know what C stands for don't we?"

Total waste of Christopher Waltz, may as well have had Christopher Biggins for all the menace he exuded. The main Bond girl was dreadful and the point of Monica Belluci was what exactly?

[compelling and rich]

inception is one that springs to mind straight away, not even half as complex as some make out. just a film for simpletons who get easily confused

could proabably throw interstellar in the same category, didnt mind both films but nowhere near as good as people make out. 14 and 31 on imdb as the greatest films of all time?!

few ones that the "critics" laud but are a pile of sh!te -birdman, lost in translation, no country for old men

[Galted]

Righty ho, three films from down the years that are much admired but not really by me.

1. Citizen Kane (1941)
Orson Welles' film is often now cited as a masterpiece and the greatest of all time but less than captivating and a bit pretentious in my book. Lost out at that year's Oscars as best picture to the worthy but never brilliant How Green Was My Valley - think that remains a fair judgment on Citizen Kane although that decision is held in contempt by many film experts.

2. The Shining (1980)
No problem with a film about ghosts and the supernatural leaving you wondering - that should go with the territory - but just too much was unexplained or unclear for me. Didn't get it. I would add that whilst the film has a classic status now, that wasn't so from outset. Don't believe it received any Oscar or other nominations at the time - again feel that was right.

3. Django Unchained (2012)
I was really looking forward to this film and heard very good things about it but was pretty disappointed. Too formulaic for my liking - Tarantino largely moved Inglorious Bast*rds to a Western setting. Also seemed to lose its way when [Semi SPOILER] one of the main characters was killed off three-quarters of the way through. Didn't win an Oscar for best picture (can't recall what did then) but did get a nomination and was mighty lucky to do so.

Hard to disagree though you're probably selling Citizen Kane a bit short.  The cinematography was way ahead of its time, my favourite film from the 40s is Grapes of Wrath but it's technically far behind CK.  I do think that any film student pretending that CK is their favourite film is a bit of a bell-end though.

The Shining is an immense shower of sh1te.  Everything of Kubrick's bar Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon and the first half of Full Metal Jacket stinks of pretentiousness.

Most of Tarantino's films are overrated, he seems too obsessed with filling each one with whatever flaws are rife in the genre.  Not impressed with much he's been involved in bar Pulp Fiction, True Romance and Reservoir Dogs.

Galted - I probably should give Citizen Kane another go some time. I accept it's more likely I'm wrong than a load of 'experts'. However, summoning up the motivation for something I found a letdown before isn't that easy.

Haven't watched Grapes of Wrath for many years but it was certainly a very fine film. Excellent performance from Fonda I recall. Just looked up to check and see it lost out to Rebecca for Best Picture in the Oscars. I like that film as well although it's aged badly compared to Grapes.

Two other favourites of mine from the 40s are the eternal It's a Wonderful Life - schmaltzy but always adorable - and the gripping The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. A lesser known gem from that decade is the horror / ghost story anthology Dead of Night.

Never really warmed to It's a Wonderful Life but agree with you about Treasure of the Sierra Madre.  I get sick of hearing about modern day westerns  like (the albeit good) Brokeback Mountain and the politically correct w*nk-fest Dances with Wolves breaking the western myth when it never really existed (apart from on TV) - films like TofSM & Ox-Bow Incident were avoiding contrived endings and predictability in the 40s and held their own as films and not just as westerns.

[TRUSSMAN66]

Platoon won 4 oscars and got 4 nominations.......I wouldn't watch it again...

The less succesful Full metal jacket was far superior in my opinion..

[Mind the windows Tino.]

Platoon won 4 oscars and got 4 nominations.......I wouldn't watch it again...

The less succesful Full metal jacket was far superior in my opinion..

Wash your mouth out, Beefcake.

Platoon is a wonderful film. As is FMJ (most of it anyway) but Platoon is in no way overrated.

Sheen is great, Berenger is outstanding (steals the film) and even Defoe isn't that bad. Brilliant cameos from Francesco Quinn and Keith David.

Final battle is brilliant. "Somewhere out there, was the entire 141st North Vietnamese Army".

Great stuff.

[Stella]

I liked both. Going against the thread, but Casualties Of War is underrated and is their equal.

[Galted]

I liked both. Going against the thread, but Casualties Of War is underrated and is their equal.

Casualties Of War is way better than the other two. Followed by the first half of FMJ. Platoon is sh1t, if only because of the drawn out and completely contrived scene where Berenger kills Dafoe. I would normally type "IMHO" after stating that but I'm sure I can scientifically prove it.

[Guest]

I liked both. Going against the thread, but Casualties Of War is underrated and is their equal.

Casualties Of War is way better than the other two.  Followed by the first half of FMJ.  Platoon is sh1t, if only because of the drawn out and completely contrived scene where Berenger kills Dafoe.  I would normally type "IMHO" after stating that but I'm sure I can scientifically prove it.

Having watched it a couple of days ago I cannot find ways in which to disagree more. It's drivel of the highest order. Penn makes Pacino at his most hyper look positively restrained in comparison and there are no circumstances where I can imagine Michael J Fox in Vietnam having completed basic training without being r*ped, shot, strangled or made to cry so much by his drill Sergeant that he begged to be sent home. The scene in the hospital tent with the soldiers with limbs blown off and Fox with just a teeny cut on the back of his head was ridiculous. The scene where they all decided to kill the girl and didn't hit each other in the crossfire ...equally ridiculous. Dreadful film, dreadful casting, clichéd horsesh!t

[superflyweight]

I liked both. Going against the thread, but Casualties Of War is underrated and is their equal.

Casualties Of War is way better than the other two.  Followed by the first half of FMJ.  Platoon is sh1t, if only because of the drawn out and completely contrived scene where Berenger kills Dafoe.  I would normally type "IMHO" after stating that but I'm sure I can scientifically prove it.

Having watched it a couple of days ago I cannot find ways in which to disagree more. It's drivel of the highest order. Penn makes Pacino at his most hyper look positively restrained in comparison and there are no circumstances where I can imagine Michael J Fox in Vietnam having completed basic training without being r*ped, shot, strangled or made to cry so much by his drill Sergeant that he begged to be sent home. The scene in the hospital tent with the soldiers with limbs blown off and Fox with just a teeny cut on the back of his head was ridiculous. The scene where they all decided to kill the girl and didn't hit each other in the crossfire ...equally ridiculous. Dreadful film, dreadful casting, clichéd horsesh!t

Am glad I'm not the only one that thought Casualties of War was rubbish. Michael J Fox hasn't been in many bad films but that was one of them. Always thought that Casualties of War was a bit "MTV does Vietnam".

Platoon is only ok and definitely overrated and Full Metal Jacket is brilliant.

[jbeadlesbigrighthand]

Some really good shouts on here.

Napoleon Dynamite has one good scene - the dance scene. Other than that, it's terrible.

Citizen Kane is absolutely pretentious. Pretty boring film all round.

There Will Be Blood - Rowley is right. It's horribly slow, and DDL is an appalling ham. He may have some great moments, but the whole method thing seems to fall down whenever he has to play anyone from a different time/ country. He turns into a cross between Keanu Reeves and Brian Blessed.

I'd throw No Country for Old Men into the pile. Spectacularly average film.

I'll have to pick up on bhb001's mention of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Surely no one has ever said it's any good.

[Galted]

I liked both. Going against the thread, but Casualties Of War is underrated and is their equal.

Casualties Of War is way better than the other two.  Followed by the first half of FMJ.  Platoon is sh1t, if only because of the drawn out and completely contrived scene where Berenger kills Dafoe.  I would normally type "IMHO" after stating that but I'm sure I can scientifically prove it.

Having watched it a couple of days ago I cannot find ways in which to disagree more. It's drivel of the highest order. Penn makes Pacino at his most hyper look positively restrained in comparison and there are no circumstances where I can imagine Michael J Fox in Vietnam having completed basic training without being r*ped, shot, strangled or made to cry so much by his drill Sergeant that he begged to be sent home. The scene in the hospital tent with the soldiers with limbs blown off and Fox with just a teeny cut on the back of his head was ridiculous. The scene where they all decided to kill the girl and didn't hit each other in the crossfire ...equally ridiculous. Dreadful film, dreadful casting, clichéd horsesh!t

Your review could pretty much be substituted for Charlie & Platoon and for the second half of FMJ (apart from the casting).

[Guest]

I liked both. Going against the thread, but Casualties Of War is underrated and is their equal.

Casualties Of War is way better than the other two.  Followed by the first half of FMJ.  Platoon is sh1t, if only because of the drawn out and completely contrived scene where Berenger kills Dafoe.  I would normally type "IMHO" after stating that but I'm sure I can scientifically prove it.

Having watched it a couple of days ago I cannot find ways in which to disagree more. It's drivel of the highest order. Penn makes Pacino at his most hyper look positively restrained in comparison and there are no circumstances where I can imagine Michael J Fox in Vietnam having completed basic training without being r*ped, shot, strangled or made to cry so much by his drill Sergeant that he begged to be sent home. The scene in the hospital tent with the soldiers with limbs blown off and Fox with just a teeny cut on the back of his head was ridiculous. The scene where they all decided to kill the girl and didn't hit each other in the crossfire ...equally ridiculous. Dreadful film, dreadful casting, clichéd horsesh!t

Your review could pretty much be substituted for Charlie & Platoon and for the second half of FMJ (apart from the casting).

It could...if you'd been on drugs when you were watching it and got things horribly muddled. Yes Charlie Sheen is a pretty boy in an ugly war but there's still a world of difference between him and Michael J Fox who should have stuck to wearing pink cowboy outfits and doing the moonwalk in western saloons in "back to the future"

Would rather sit through "Hamburger Hill" than watch "Casualties..." again

[Mochyn du]

Forrest Gump.

Complete tosh. Sentimental garbage. Plot holes as large as sinkholes and a vastly overrated and annoying actor in it's lead role.

Bridget Jones the Edge of Reason.

The very worst film ever made. It's utter annoying, tedious, racist and patronising chick flick drivel! It was also ridiculously long for a shallow piece of gibberish and I was begging for it to end and would have walked out of the cinema but was on a date with a nice girl at the time. Damn her she never wanted to see me again either!

[Mind the windows Tino.]

would have walked out of the cinema but was on a date with a nice girl at the time.  Damn her she never wanted to see me again either!

Did you at least get a handjob before she dumped you?

[Guest]

Who the F*CK is rating "Bridget Jones - Edge of Reason" as a great film for it to be over-rated?

Bridge of Spies is good but not great. Certainly not completely over-rated but it's not something I'd watched again.

[bumble]

Forrest Gump.  

Complete tosh.  Sentimental garbage.  Plot holes as large as sinkholes and a vastly overrated and annoying actor in it's lead role.

I'm not having that! It's a great film. It's not supposed to be a watertight research led biography!

[Sponsored content]