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| Bane from "The Dark Knight Rises" |
And so 2015 is nearing to an end. How time flies, ey? It's crazy to think that we're actually right in the middle of the 2011 - 2020 decade and so to celebrate this milestone, I've compiled an overrated and underrated film for each of the years so far that have past by within this decade. Some you may not agree on and others you will probably say, "Yes! That's a great shout!"
Overrated (2011)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (remake)
Dir: David Fincher
David Fincher has directed some magnificent pieces of art over the years such as "Se7en" (1995) and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (2008), but on this occasion, his directorial prowess bombed. Apart from a stellar performance by Rooney Mara as Lisbeth, the film just isn't as good as the Swedish version (2009). The film is poorly edited because it constantly and abruptly goes between the parallel stories of Lisbeth and Mikael (Daniel Craig) in a fashion that I felt cuts out needed information within the scene! I did like how the film adapts its own perspective on the dark themes within the Stieg Larsson franchise, but again it is done in a way that is too westernised and forced, which is probably the reason they're yet still to remake the following two films in the Dragon Tattoo series.
Underrated (2011)
Perfect Sense
Dir: David Mackenzie
The first film on this list to unfairly fall under the proverbial film radar is "Perfect Sense". This plot is a far-fetched, but non-the-less unique. Ewan McGregor plays a Glaswegian chef who develops a budding romance with scientist, Eva Green. However, reports develop that people are inexplicably loosing their senses one by one, which in turn creates a pure relationship between the inescapably doomed couple. With each sense being lost, the victim succumbs to a different emotion, which is a clever ploy by director Mackenzie, because it concentrates on the personal rather than the worldwide pandemic.
Overrated (2012)
The Dark Knight Rises
Dir: Christopher Nolan
One of the most controversial picks of overrated films on this list, but one I firmly stand by. With the undeniable success of 2008's "The Dark Knight" (the second film from Nolan's Batman series), there was a great expectancy from the third installment, but even after some amazing scenes involving incredibly timed explosions and special effects, "The Dark Knight Rises" just didn't have the cutting edge brilliance that everyone was expecting. Maybe it's because of how incredibly high the expectations actually were, or maybe it's because of the disappointing death of Tom Hardy's Bane after being such a commanding force for Bruce Wayne to deal for two and half hours. However, the ending felt incredibly rushed to the point that the audience went from the the main fight scene between the 'goodies' and the 'baddies', to the lights coming on in the cinema within a matter of a few jumbled minutes. I'm not saying "The Dark Knight Rises" sucked, because it firmly deserves it rating as No.61 in IMDB's top 250, I just think that after all the hype, it was a massive let down.
Underrated (2012)
Dredd
Dir: Pete Travis
2012 brought a second attempt at bringing 2000 AD's most iconic character to the big screen with "Dredd". This attempt however was significantly more successful than the cringe worthy, one-liner filled first attempt "Judge Dredd" (1995), starring the mumbling Sylvester Stallone. Probably the reasoning behind Dredd's (2012) lack of success was because of the lack of marketing and people probably stigmatised it with the woeful 1995 version (me admittedly being a guilty party for doing so). However, Karl Urban gives an awesome, ego-free performance through a commanding and intimating presence and thankfully keeps to the comics and only reveals the bottom half of his face throughout with the above half completely covered with his visor helmet. Dredd is a full blown slick, compact and at times, beautifully made thrill ride which grips the audience from the word go. It's brilliantly cast with Urban teaming up with rookie Judge Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) who both have to power through one of Mega City's mile-high tower blocks to bring justice to the always impressive Lena Headey, who plays the film's main antagonist, Ma-Ma.
Overrated (2013)
Man of Steel
Dir: Zack Snyder
This film is similar to "The Dark Knight Rises" for two reasons, 1) it's a DC superhero film and 2) it is a prime example of when a film is hyped up so much, it actually hurts a little inside when it fails so badly. The only good thing about "Man of Steel" is the epic opening sequence. Superman's native planet, Krypton is about to explode due to the planet's unstable radioactive core and at the same time a coup d'état led by General Zod (Michael Shannon) occurs. A baby by the name of Kal-El, the first naturally born Kryptonian in centuries, is infused with a codex and propelled towards Earth, to safety. Eventually General Zod is captured and a monumentally-high-raising scene begins where the General and his followers are exiled to The Phantom Zone of which they are indirectly freed after Krypton's eventual explosion. Unfortunately, that's about it! Nothing really happens after that except a standard fight between good verses evil, which coincidentally results in an entire city to be flattened. Henry Cavill's portrayal of the famous caped crusader is apathetic and annoying, whilst not enough back story is given to General Zod who in my opinion carried the film with his fierce attitude and his need for revenge (albeit his views were similar to one of a Nazi). In short "Man of Steel" started off magnificently, but eventually bombed because it was too slow throughout and was way too predictable.
Underrated (2013)
Oblivion
Dir: Joseph Kosinski
On first examination of Oblivion's trailer, the audience would believe this is another film filled with to rafters with explosions, of which you would assume is probably carried by its choice of cast in Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman, but "Oblivion" is more than that. It is truly sci-fi film with a heart and Cruise's character, Jack is at the centre. Throughout the film, the audience is constantly trying to guess the end result, full well knowing that everything is not what it seems and Oblivion's well-woven plot does not disappoint. Cruise is present throughout this original philosophical journey, whilst Freeman and other supporting actors are given limited screen time, but done so in a way which is done effectively and memorable. The soundtrack is sublimely supplied by French electronic band M83, which really gives the film that extra sci-fi feel. "Oblivion" really was one of few great films in a year that held a lot of abysmal offerings. If you have not seen it yet, I implore you to do so. Plus, I'm just going to say, Tom Cruise is awesome.
Overrated (2014)
Foxcatcher
Dir: Bennett Miller
Indian film director Raja Sen described "Foxcatcher" as 'Deathly dull and far too graceless' and I couldn't agree more. Steve Carell has been lauded by critics for his portrayal of John du Mont, of which I just can't seem to fathom why, because personally it seems that Carell is just performing a really long Saturday Night Live sketch. I felt Carell overacted in a sense his potrayal was 'too alien' and actually made me emotionally heave whenever he was on screen. The plot of "Foxcatcher" is of an unusual millionaire who confines himself with an up-and-coming Olympic wrestler, Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum). Eventually after some extremely odd behaviour from Carell's du Mont, Mark finds himself in a whirlwind of drugs and depression and is the recipient of more emotional abuse and some awkward wrestling scenes from du Mont. Not taking anything away from Tatum who is excellent, but Mark Ruffalo, who plays his caring, older brother, Dave Schultz gives a standout performance. Ruffulo's Dave Schultz guides Mark when he really needs it and makes "Foxcatcher" almost worth watching. Almost.
Underrated (2014)
It Follows
Dir: David Robert Mitchell
"It Follows" owes so much of its cinematography to 1970's and 80's classic horror films, because nods to these retro bygone eras are littered throughout from its Halloween-esque/ synth sound provided by Disaterpiece, to its suspense of unpredictability, which is driven by its ominous tone. The story is of a girl named Jay who becomes the recipient of a mysterious curse of which a wraith literally doesn't stop following her and may take the form of a stranger or even people she knows. The film revels in teen horror because any parental figures are a complete absence, which gives the film a sense of openness and isolation through a lack of protection for the main characters. The films main theme is paranoia because Jay being the current host of the curse, is constantly on edge because at any moment this entity might come up behind her, an aspect that keeps the audience on the edge of their seat. "It Follows" could arguably described as a metaphorical film because it seems that the wraith may represent an attachment of regret, self condemnation or even guilt that will be forever now latched onto us for the rest of our lives. We all done stupid things, right?
Upon the completion of this article, there will be four months left of 2015 still to go. So it may seem a little harsh to give my opinion on what I believe to be 2015's top overrated and underrated films, but I'm going to give my opinion anyway. So to take a short break from this list, I decided to give my opinion on a film that is neither, but is in fact a remake of a franchise that should have been well left alone.
Remake dud (2015)
Poltergeist
Dir: Gil Kenan
This remake of the 1982 supernatural horror classic had all the ingredients for success; plenty of marketing, a trailer involving a deranged clown and the addition of an A-list actor in Sam Rockwell (Moon, 2009). The story (in case you don't already know) is about a family that move into a suburban house that unbeknownst to them is beset by an ancient curse and the youngest child is sucked into the television of which she is brought into the eather. However, its failure stems from the fact Hollywood have tried to remake a film which was successful because of the time in which it was made, the 1980's. Television was seen in that era as a dangerous medium and families moving into suburbia was all the rage because of the political noise at that time. Now, this remake doesn't exactly desecrate the original, but the film's plot and ideas just aren't current like they once were. It's not a terrible film, but there just wasn't enough evidence to raise the Poltergeist franchise from the dead, if you'll pardon the pun.
Now back to the list...
Overrated (2015)
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Dir: Josh Whedon
Is it me, or are all these superhero films beginning to get really irritating? "Avengers: Age of Ultron" did, as predicted by smashing the box office, but my guess is it only did well because it is the second installment of the first Avengers film, which in comparison to the first one, ended up being a major disappointment. Age of Ultron has some great comic book characters, which are portrayed by great actors and actresses, but because there are too many of them, there's no time to go into character development. The reason for this is because the film had too many characters on screen at one time, for example Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury and Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye weren't entirely needed. It just seemed some characters were there for the sake of being there, it just didn't resonate with me. This problem of not enough backstory clashed with the main theme of the film, which concentrated on everyone's deepest fear and psychological worries, which in turn creates a confusion because these characters haven't been explored enough. Another problem with this film is there are too many hints that there is going to be another chapter for our heroes and with confirmed rumours that "Avengers: Civil War" is on its way, the audience don't get a sense of fear for the characters because they didn't seem to be in any real danger. The main problem with "Avengers: Age of Ultron" was there wasn't anything that was going to happen in this film that would devastate the Marvel Universe.
Underrated (2015)
Ex-Machina
Dir: Alex Garland
Ex-Machina asks the most important computer aged question, "What happens when we go too far?" The story starts with Caleb (Donald Gleeson), a young and talented, yet nerdy techie who works for the 'Google-esque' Blue Book search engine. Caleb then wins a competition and is invited to his boss' (Oscar Isaac) custom-built underground research facility where he then meets Ava (Alicia Vikander), which possesses a human face, but a robotic body. Throughout the film you wonder how the story will unfold between these three characters, who cleverly do not share a single scene together, which is arguably done to help the audience feel the different feelings of each character through separation; feelings such as trust, objection and jealousy. All three characters go through captivating transformations from start to finish in particularly Caleb who starts as an excited, but obviously friendless IT stray. However, it soon becomes clear that he is engrossed by Ava and through this engrossment comes out his shell through developing an infatuation, which leads to him to question the ethical dilemma as he no longer sees Ava as a robot, but a captive. The main catalyst that drives Ex Machina is whether a singularity is present and whether affection and attraction can be present between man and machine and finally if a machine can or cannot feel love. There is a section which is a new perspective on robotics that all other films that are similar to Ex Machina have either not answered or not tackled yet. It is the question asked by Caleb to Nathan, “Why sexualise her?” Nathan states a need for a natural connection between a man and a machine and that physical similarity is crucial for this to occur. But the main agenda behind Nathan’s choice to make Ava a woman is, “Because it’s fun”. Ex Machina is an exceptional film that is a story of a metaphorical ballet between man and machine to which the motives of each character is continually guessable.
And there you have it! If you've got an underrated favourite or want to speak your mind of a film that you've deemed overrated, then comment below and give me your thoughts.
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