My 5 Most Overrated Films of All-Time

The 5 Most Overrated Films of All-Time

By: Brian Cotnoir

     It’s common knowledge that there are a ton of overrated films released every year.  Every year film studios invest a lot of time and money, not only in just making the film, but also a lot goes into advertising & promoting the film, and trying to convince people that they want to see it when it gets released in theatres, and every year those same studios trick us into spending our money to see an over-hyped and overrated movie.  Now let me be clear about what I mean by “overrated”.  I’m not talking about a film that was hated by critics and audiences that still made a ton of money at the Box Office, because let’s be realistic: nobody thinks that “Twilight” or Michael Bay’s “Transformers” films are cinematic masterpieces; they just got lucky and made a ton of money.  No, I am talking about the films that are regarded as “Landmark films” and “works of art” and are still beloved and praised by critics and audiences despite having almost no redeeming qualities.  These are my Top 5 Most Overrated Films of All-Time.

5.) The Matrix

I saw this film for the first time when I was 11 or 12-years-old at a friend house.  I remember thinking the groundbreaking effects were really good, and I also remember not having a clue as what the story was about.  I watched the film again as an adult and I’m still confused as to what “The Matrix” is about.  This has been a film I’ve never been able to get excited about or into.  I don’t care for it at all, or any of its sequels (though I will admit that I do think “The Animatrix” is a nice Anthology/Sci-Fi/Action film).  As for the live action “Matrix” movies...well, I can appreciate them for their groundbreaking CGI work, but that’s about it.  For me the story is too nonsensical: seriously, why the hell do they need the Matrix?  What is the point of the Matrix?  If a film leaves you with more questions than answers, then you have a serious problem.

4.)  Alice in Wonderland (1951)

I know a lot of people who love this film, but hey even a great studio like Disney has its misses.  Now true, there are worst films that have been put out by Disney, but their 1951 animated adaptation of Lewis Caroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is still overrated.  The film for one thing has a short run-time for an animated film (only 75 minutes). The songs from the film are also mediocre and forgettable...wow, that’s bad, when a Disney film has songs that nobody remembers.  Then you look at the title character of the film, Alice. Alice is one of the weaker Disney Heroine’s in my opinion.  At the beginning of the film she tells her sister how she wishes the world to be weird and different, and then she follows the White Rabbit down the hole into Wonderland—a world where everything whacky and bizarre happens—and what does she do?  Complain about how weird and bizarre everything is, and tries to make sense of a world where there is none!  You know what; screw you Alice!  You got EXACTLY what you wished for, and then you have the audacity to complain about it!  I’m sorry you are not a great character!  Oh, and the 2010 remake of “Alice in Wonderland” that Tim Burton did for Disney didn’t do this film any favors.  Maybe someday a film studio will make a decent film adaptation of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, but until then we’ll just have to put up with this mediocrity.

3.) E.T.

A Timeless Classic enjoyed by Audiences of All Ages?  I don’t think so.  Sure Stephen Spielberg may be the Greatest Film Director of All-Time, but that doesn’t mean everything he does is fantastic.  Even his worst film is still good at best, but when you really look at his works, and compare “E.T” to his works like “Jaws”, “Jurassic Park”, and “Schindler’s List”, yeah “E.T.” just doesn’t look that good.  I thought this film was okay, when I was a kid, but as an adult I see it as a boring kid’s story.  I find the character E.T. to be more annoying than fun, interesting, or charming.  What you think just because Elliot and E.T. had a magical bond, where they could feel each other’s joy, pain, and other emotions makes it a heartfelt classic?  You do realize that E.T. and Elliot’s bond is pretty much the same thing as “The Care Bears”, right?  Yeah, that little spark of wonder and awe this film once gave you, just burnt out now didn’t it?

2.) Vertigo

A few years back, I read an article saying that the American Film Institute was considering updating it’s 100 Greatest Films List, and that Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” was rumored to replace Orson Welles “Citizen Kane” in the number one spot.  Upon hearing this news I, along with a group of friends, sought out a copy of “Vertigo” to watch because none of us had ever seen it before.  After watching it, we all stared at one another with looks of confusion.  How the hell could this film possibly be considered the Greatest Film Ever Made?  I’m not saying, “Vertigo” was a bad film, but I think it’s a far cry from being the “Best Film Ever Made”.  I am a huge fan of Hitchcock, but he’s made better films than “Vertigo”.

1.) Free Willy

Every kid in the 1990’s has seen this film at least once, and everybody still remembers that iconic scene from the film of the whale jumping over the main character Jesse (I mean it’s on the G.D. Movie Poster for crying out loud), and of course everybody remembers the song “Will You Be There” that was performed by the Late & Great Michael Jackson...and that’s about it.  Other than that nobody remembers anything about the movie “Free Willy”.  It’s fairly amusing to look back at this film: it was made during a simpler time—in Pre-9/11 America—when the World’s Biggest Problems were totally mundane (I.E. Save the Whales).  Even when I was a kid, I didn’t like “Free Willy”.  There is nothing redeeming about “Free Willy”.  If your kids want to see whales perform, then you should take them to see the whales at Sea World or an Aquarium!  How they managed to make films based on this story is beyond me, because it is a dumb idea for a film, and it’s just a dumb film!