In ten years, which of 2012’s films will you be defending? Some might argue for Prometheus, claiming Ridley Scott's epic ambition overrules his lapses in logic. Others will sing the merits of The Dark Knight Rises, in the face of those calling it the blight on a near-perfect trilogy. Some might say that 48 frames per second was the best thing to happen to modern cinema - but then, in 2022, maybe it will be, so best not to speculate.
Here’s a set of movies that are generally considered failures in one way or another. Some of them famously suffered from production problems, some were over-hyped, some flopped at the box office, some did OK with the critics yet were maligned by fans. All have been unfairly judged.
Even Waterworld.
This article contains mild spoilers for a bunch of movies you've probably all seen.
Waterworld
It cost too much, wore its influences too obviously on its sleeve, and was, for some ungodly reason, stupendously po-faced; no wonder Waterworld suffered a critical pummeling. But ignore its blatant ambition to be ‘Mad Max on water,’ and you’ve got a film which stands up – admittedly on water-logged legs – as dumb, fun escapism today.
Waterworld is peppered with occasionally brilliant ideas. The journey to the lost underwater utopia, for example, remains eerily beautiful, and the obsession with trinkets and resources from 'The Dryland' is an intriguing touch. Director Kevin Reynolds does the best job he can within the limitations of his hugely ambitious set, eking out some arresting skirmishes amidst the endless H20, well-matched by a nonsensical yet unique aesthetic in prop and costume (shouldn't they wear swimming outfits rather than leather straps and Bowie pants?). Ultimately, if you can embrace Kevin Costner’s uber-serious turn as a half-man/half-guppy and a convoluted narrative punctuated by a giant fish-thing cameo that clearly blew half the budget, you’ll have a great time with this one.
Superman Returns
Despite doing well critically, Superman Returns didn’t soar at the box office, and Warner Bros’ subsequent dismissal of a sequel has tarnished its reputation to the point where people will freely call it the worst thing since, well, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. We were, perhaps, too cynical for Superman Returns, a sweetly earnest movie that reflects the sweetly earnest character of Supes himself.
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Superman Returns is a love story first and foremost, driven by emotional conflict rather than the fizzy physical.
More of a spiritual descendent than a reboot, Superman Returns tips its hat to the series’ history in a number of ways, not least the inclusion of John Williams’ majestic score and a touching posthumous appearance from Marlon Brando as Jor-El. Brandon Routh - who shares an uncanny resemblance to Christopher Reeve – injects the film with an ideal blend of charm, bumbling awkwardness and gentle melancholy. It’s the melancholy that stays with us, though, as Superman Returns is a love story first and foremost, driven by emotional conflict rather than the fizzy physical; although there’s plenty of that, too. Perhaps it was this meditative pace that turned those looking for more visceral thrills away, or perhaps Superman was just too wholesome for a modern audience already fattening up on a diet of grizzled antiheroes.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Stephen Spielberg’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence is by no means a bad film, but it's settled into the collective consciousness as a ‘mess,’ or the first sci-fi Spielberg ‘screwed up.’ A.I. Artificial Intelligence is a mess, a sprawling meditation on what it is to be human bound in sickly sweet and sticky honey, and a clash between two distinct sensibilities – Spielberg’s and Stanley Kubrick's, the original driver of the project.
Yet it was also Spielberg’s most ambitious sci-fi to date, a maddening mix of huge ideas and missed opportunities. The highlights outweigh the low, though; Haley Joel Osment treads a delicate line between 'synthetic' and 'real' emotion with remarkable nuance, while the whole film is enveloped in a dizzying fairytale mood that's enough to distract viewers from lulls in the narrative. Worth seeing as a curio, a project built by two great minds that fell short of its extraordinarily lofty ambitions.
Quantum of Solace
Must’ve been a tough gig, making the follow up to Casino Royale. Bond had been rebooted so magnificently with Martin Campbell’s 2006 blockbuster, and we were rabid to see what hijinks 007 would get up to next in Marc Forster’s 2008 sequel. Unfortunately for us, Quantum of Solace turned out to be just like so many other hard-bitten actioners populating our multiplexes – the movie screams "BOURNE!" from the Italian rooftops – and we left disappointed and dejected, ruing the moment ‘gritty’ became the trend du jour.
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We can look back on Quantum as a brief – yet thrilling - dalliance with Bond's broken psyche.
But is Quantum really all that bad? The movie speeds along at breakneck pace, offering up some of the best action sequences the series has yet seen, while Bond himself is humanized beyond even Casino, his grief for Eva Green’s Vesper Lynd written in every line of his scowling face. He has become a Bond we can relate to, a Bond mourning for a Bond Girl, and god forbid if he’s going to let a labyrinthine narrative involving Bolivian oil stand in his way of delivering justice. Let’s just hope that come Skyfall he has recovered from his melancholy, and we can look back on Quantum as a brief – yet thrilling - dalliance with his own broken psyche.
Ghostbusters II
Ivan Reitman’s follow up to the 1984 smash hit original sits at a mediocre 51% on Rotten Tomatoes, and was deemed at the time by prolific critics Siskel and Ebert as one of the “worst movies of 1989.” Critics disliked Ghostbusters II for a variety of reasons, but nearly all deemed it overstuffed and too similar to its predecessor. Bill Murray remains untouchable.
But Ghostbusters II is a fun, at times hilarious, comedy, self-assured and unapologetically for the fans. The movie doesn’t even announce itself with a title; just its iconic logo, that ubiquitous eighties ghost flipping us two fingers. And while Ghostbusters II’s narrative meanders along, it still delivers a pleasurable mishmash of the original’s weirdest elements, reveling in its own crapness and centered by a well-established repartee between its dry central cast. Indeed, caustic-edged humor is what Ghostbusters II is all about; how else can a movie get away with a final battle between a guy who could pass for an aging Finnish rocker, and what ultimately translates into ‘positively-charged mood slime?’ Peter Venkman, so droll it hurts, saves the day in more ways than one.
Alien 3
The negative response to Alien 3 – both critically and within the Hollywood community – must have felt like a slap in the face to first-time director David Fincher after a lengthy and extremely troubled production period. The combination of notoriety and critical backlash subsequently pegged his threequel as the ‘black sheep’ of the franchise (although Alien: Resurrection and Prometheus have since muddied the canon further).
It wasn’t Fincher’s fault, of course. Alien 3 was a case of ‘too many cooks,' Fincher’s original vision relentlessly compromised by studio execs distrustful of the fledgling director. But look closer and there are still some sparks of magic in here – particularly if you ignore the theatrical release and focus instead on the 2003 work print version, a ‘spiritual’ addition of sorts which adheres far closer to Fincher’s original vision. Here we are presented with a much tighter production with stripped back ‘cat n’ mouse’ horror, where characters are given room to breathe and a nihilistic mood pervades throughout. It’s a longer cut, but the conclusion is much more satisfying.
The Village
Fantasy/thriller The Village was another in a series of M. Night Shyamalan passion projects where you wonder if anyone, at any point, had stepped in and said to the director – “Really, man? Really?” Laughable ending notwithstanding, The Village is an elegant thriller, for the most part sustaining integrity thanks to beautiful cinematography, an excellent performance from Bryce Dallas Howard in the central role, and well-executed suspense. Shyamalan should be particularly commended for the latter; The Village’s thrills are delivered gore-free, reliant instead on atmosphere and an escalating sense of dread. Go into this without a snarky attitude, and you’ll have a good time.
Hulk
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Hulk's a contemplative film, directing its attention to heavy, adult themes and ecological issues.
Has there been a gloomier comic book movie than Ang Lee’s Hulk? This was a movie where the Hulk rarely smashed, and when he did he was really smashing at his crippling internal angst. But Hulk’s more thoughtful than its critics – who understandably went in expecting action bombast - give it credit for. It’s a contemplative film, directing its attention to heavy, adult themes and ecological issues. It’s also a morality tale; look what happens if you try to mess with the natural order by attempting to create regenerating super soldiers!
But above all, Hulk concerns itself with the emotional journey of Bruce Banner, a man whose emotional repression manifests itself in hugely destructive physical release. Viewed this way, it needn’t have been about a giant green monster at all; so sadly human are its core issues. Gloomy indeed, but meditative. Pity about the crappy CGI.
Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Indy 4 was doomed to fail. It was released to an audience hungry for nostalgic release, an audience who had forgiven or forgotten the plot-holes and questionable characterizations of previous Indiana sequels. Kingdom gave us an older Dr. Jones, a decidedly haggard Harrison Ford lurching round elaborate sets and a plot-hole-laden narrative. Like us, Indy had grown old, and we didn’t like it.
But Kingdom is still an Indiana Jones movie through and through. Silly, stupendous, escapist entertainment, with brilliantly executed action sequences lead by a charismatic and affable central character. Sure, some of Kingdom’s logic is dubious, but the franchise has always concerned itself with flights of fancy; these are family films, after all. And while Ford doesn’t always hit all the right comedic notes, when he gives his trademark smirk and that John Williams theme tune starts up, it’s difficult to deny the magic at work.
Terminator Salvation
Sitting at a woeful 33% on Rotten Tomatoes, Joseph 'McG' Nichol’s Terminator Salvation did just about as badly as it was expected to. Today, the film might be better remembered for star Christian Bale’s notorious rant at its director of photography over any kind of creative merit (although one could argue Bale’s tirade was pretty creative.)
Let’s be honest – Terminator Salvation isn’t a patch on Cameron’s films. It was directed by McG! It is, however, a propulsive action flick that should be commended for moving the series forward with new ideas, refusing to fall back on tired tropes, and being generally better than Terminator 3.This is a darker, grimier Terminator, and while some may find it lacking in charisma, others might find the absence of Cameron’s cuteness – or indeed, poor Kristanna Loken - refreshing.
What would you add to this list? Which inclusion are you outraged about? Let us know in the comments.
Lucy O'Brien is Assistant Editor at IGN AU. You should talk to her about games, horror movies and the TV show Freaks & Geeks on IGN here or find her and the rest of the Australian team by joining the IGN Australia Facebook community.
Source : ign[dot]com
