There are tons of movies every year that do well or bomb miserably. In most cases these are due to the fact that the movie being good or bad in itself, or word-of-mouth spreads that its either or. What are some movies you’ve enjoyed that you feel that everyone else hated?
I’ll start…
-Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace: When you look at it in retrospect, Episode I is the most original of the Prequels, like seriously; not to mention it had (more than a handful of) actual sets, props, ships, and puppet characters. Compared to Episode’s II and III, which were 97% CGI and borrowed heavilyfrom the OT (and I love Episode III). Sure the plot is kind of boring at times, (I can’t stand the entire Coruscant sequence) but there are plenty of shining moments like the Bongo Sub chase, Podrace, and of course the three-way battle on Naboo with arguably the greatest Lightsaber duel of all six films.
One last thing I have to address is the supposed universal ‘hatred’ for Jar Jar Binks and the Gungans as a whole; if OT purists can find an excuse to like the Ewoks for whatever reason, I don’t see why these “BA” amphibian aliens can’t be treated with respect. They are a far more interesting society than the Ewoks and have a much richer culture. There was even a Gungan Sith at some point in time. As for Jar Jar, I liked him. He was a light-hearted sidekick who cared for his friends, and always did what he knew was right; much like a certain Protocol droid. He’s there to remind adult fans (who won’t “grow up,” so to speak) that SW was and will always be a series primarily aimed to children. I also probably laughed at his antics when I first saw the movie like most kids did (and still do). Plus his involvement in the Galactic Senate throughout II and III, showed that he ‘grew away’ from his comedic side. He also knew what he was doing, and is an intelligent being. (Giving Emergency Powers to Palpatine doesn’t count as stupid, because he doesn’t know what will happen like the audience.) A decade-plus of hating seems a little childish at this point.
-Dragonball Evolution: The most common reason people hated this was that it didn’t stick to the source material… yeah, it would’ve been “way better” if: Bulma’s hair was all blue, Roshi had a long beard and wore sunglasses, Piccolo’s antennas were sticking out, etc. The characters were all fine as they were, and the simplistic plot was quite honestly a breath of fresh air; especially when most films these days have to have a “plot-within-a-plot, with sub-plots.”
-Jurassic Park III: Most agree that the first JP is the best, and it’s always Lost World and JP III that constantly get compared and contrasted. What makes III better to me is that the plot is simple and straightforward, with a lot of fun and exciting dinosaur encounters; kind of like… the first JP. All the main cast members did a great job with what they had to work with, and Sam Neill’s return was a major plus; because he’s awesome. There’s no “dinosaur animal rights” message or severe lack of iconic moments that Lost World didn’t have. Plus how can you go wrong with Sam Neill?
-Speed Racer: This one I can see why it didn’t do so well, its literally live-action anime. With all the exhilarating races complete with flashy colors, it’s a wonder there wasn’t a seizure incident! But beneath its eye candy atmosphere, is a fun story with sincerity from its over-the-top actors; who truly breathed life back into an all-but-forgotten Japanese classic. It unique approach to storytelling simply makes the movie a joy to watch.
