March 26, 2008
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Reviewing the Reviewers...
After seeing 10,000 B.C. a few weeks ago and actually enjoying it quite a bit I was disappointed to discover that it is getting horrible reviews. In fact after reading several negative reviews I felt a little weird for enjoying the movie so much. But then I started thinking and realized that there are several movies that have gotten bad reviews that I’ve really enjoyed. Here’s a short list of movies that I liked even though most reviewers didn’t…
Ace Ventura – When Nature Calls
Both Ace Ventura movies got pretty bad reviews when they came out even though they made a lot of money and helped make Jim Carrey the star he is today. I liked both of these movies but I especially liked When Nature Calls. (When Nature Calls got 33% positive reviews according to Rotten Tomatoes).
Evan Almighty
Steve Oedekerk directed When Nature Calls and was also the screenwriter for another comedy that got horrible reviews: Evan Almighty. This movie was a sequel to the popular Jim Carrey movie Bruce Almighty, though Steve Carell (The Office) replaced Jim Carrey as the main protagonist. For me Carell made this movie hilarious. (Evan Almighty got 24% positive reviews according to Rotten Tomatoes).
Nacho Libre
This movie was directed by Jared Hess, the guy who also directed Napoleon Dynamite. In many ways Nacho Libre is admittedly ridiculous, but I also found Jack Black and his luchador friend pretty darn funny. (Nacho Libre got 37% positive reviews according to Rotten Tomatoes).
Waterworld
Costing nearly $200 million this movie generated a ton of hype, which was probably why it was such a big letdown for many. And it didn’t help that it was almost two and a half hours. Though I can agree that the budget was unnecessary, I really loved the science-fiction plot of Waterworld. What would the world look like if all of its polar ice and glaciers somehow melted? How would people survive without direct access to mundane things like fresh water and dirt? (Waterworld got 38% positive reviews according to Rotten Tomatoes).
Lady in the Water
Another “water movie”, this one was written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, and was considered by many to be a huge letdown after the success of his previous hits Signs and the Sixth Sense. It’s true that the plot in this movie was far fetched - it was based on a traditional children’s story that Shyamalan heard growing up in India. However I really liked that Shyamalan was willing to try something completely different and even portray a small part of his culture in doing so. I loved this movie’s soundtrack and I also appreciated some of the themes Lady in the Water portrayed such as unity and finding strength in weakness. (Lady in the Water got 24% positive reviews according to Rotten Tomatoes).
Do you read movie reviews? If so, do you find that you usually agree or disagree with them?
Comments (17)
I don't completely believe movie reviews... I liked Shyamalan's movie.
I often disagree with movie reviews.
I really really enjoyed
Evan Almighty
and find myself quoting it a lot.
I enjoy reading the high-end reviews. Sometimes I completely disagree, but usually it helps me pick out the better movies to spend my money on. IMDB and Rotten are more user-oriented and fun, but Roger and Ebert are better at analyzing themes.
i enjoyed 10,000 BC and evans almighty was also a good one. I also discovered these reviews are people's opinions and i have to make up my mind to watch no not and make my own opinion.
When Nature Calls was awesome. I find that I disagree with critics a lot. If they praise a movie, I'll probably enjoy it but not praise it as much as them. If they truely dislike a movie... most of the time I'll really love it.
I'm with you Waterworld - I totally liked that movie
@sean -
It was a good movie indeed! And thanks for the recommendation. It's my first one.
@pedrothepoet - yah seriously! It was totally The Road Warrior, minus the roads, plus some fins and gills!
I read them
I usually look for the readings why they liked or disliked the movies so much. The critics opinion is important for me before or after I watch the movie. IMBD (user reviews) are a lot better than critics but they help a lot
i read lots of movie reviews. soem i agree with, but most i disagree.
for instance, i think august rush is one of the best movies i've seen in a long time, and the reviewers thought it stunk.
ryc: you've hit the nail on the head...dictatorship....on a country that prides itself on democracy. we value it in our government, but don't recognise it in civil organizations, religious circles, etc. i think that's odd, don't you?
i miss-worded that, but i think you know what i mean. in case you don't, i'll clear it up.
we value DEMOCRACY in our government, but don't recognise DICTATORSHIP in our organizations, etc.
ok, with that cleared up, you can carry on.
just needed to dictate something, there. now it's outta my system.
I understand that IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, starring James Stewart, was initially panned by the critics and movie reviewers. But later on, the public liked it so well that it has become one of the most popular movies of all time.
Also the comedy series, FAWLTY TOWERS, starring John Cleese and Prunella Scales, suffered the same initial treatment by the reviewers but went on to be hugely successful!
@Grampa_David -
Those are some great examples indeed! Thanks for stopping by. How was your Easter? Pete
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