Many movies that wereconsidered masterpieces are nowdismissed by critics and audiences on release.Blade RunnerandThe Wizard of Ozare prime examples. However, the reverse also happens. Some films are celebrated in their day but viewed far more negatively by subsequent generations.
Redditors recently got together onr/movies, the largest film subreddit, to discuss which movies were feted on release but lost respect as the years went by. Their picks include several Best Picture winners, a musical, one of the highest-grossing movies ever, and a Bond film.
10’Crash' (2004)
Paul Haggis’sCrashweaves together multiple storylines, from a racist police officer grappling with his own biases to an immigrant struggling to protect his family’s store. Through these characters, the film examines prejudice in society. It won that year’s Best Picture Oscar, but many contemporary critics dismiss it. WriterTa-Nehisi Coates, for example, called itthe worst movieof the 2000s.
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“It is corny, manipulative, reductive and engages in the very same stereotypes it pooh-poohs even if some of it is undeniably effective cinema andMatt Dillonis really good in it,” saiduser haddonfield89.
9’A Star is Born' (2018)
A Star is Born, the fourth film version of the story, was a smash hit in 2018, grossing over $400 million, producing several hit songs, and receiving eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. However, it remains to be seen whether it has staying power. Some Redditors suggested that its appeal may already be waning.
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“Not necessarily lost respect, but no one really talks aboutA Star is Bornafter the Oscars that year. ‘Shallow’ was EVERYWHERE and seemed like it disappeared overnight,” saidRedditor joker_75. “B/c it’s an overrated movie w/ an overrated song,” replieduser sum_dude44.
8’The Greatest Show on Earth' (1952)
The Greatest Show on Earthmight be the prime example of a movie acclaimed in its day but no longer rated highly by critics. Directed by the legendaryCecil B. DeMille, it takes place within a traveling circus and revolves around the intertwining lives of various characters, including circus manager Brad Braden (Charlton Heston), trapeze artist Holly (Betty Hutton), and the mysterious Sebastian (Cornel Wilde). They attempt to manage all kinds of financial challenges, internal conflicts, and romantic entanglements.
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“The Greatest Show on Earth, which according to that website, was the fourth most acclaimed film of 1952. It was on 203 critics' top ten lists. It would end up winning the Oscar for Best Picture. Nowadays, it is looked down upon as one of the worst best picture winners,” saiduser greatopinionator1.
7’Star Wars: The Force Awakens' (2015)
Perhaps no film was more hyped thanThe Force Awakens, the long-awaited return to a beloved galaxy far, far away. It was undoubtedlya box office triumph, quickly becoming the third-highest-grossing movie ever, but it eventually generated a backlash among some fans. In particular, some criticized it for rehashing plot elements fromA New Hope.
“By the time of its release, the movie received critical acclaim, with many reviewers/influencers calling it the third-bestStar Warsmovie. After the whole controversy withEpisodes 8and9, people are much more harsh towardsTFAtoo,” saidRedditor Mango424. “My coworker once said that all three of them together are like one giant, very well-funded fan fiction project. Not sure they were necessary, to be honest,” saiduser Poultrygeist74.
6’The Bourne Identity' (2002)
TheBournemovies were among the leading action franchises of the early aughts, for a while displacing James Bond as the go-to espionage thriller. It introduced the iconic protagonist (Matt Damon), a man found adrift in the Mediterranean Sea with no memory of his identity but possessing extraordinary skills. As Bourne begins to piece together his past, he discovers that he is a highly trained assassin and becomes the target of a relentless pursuit by the CIA.
“I still love theBournetrilogy, but I see this negative sentiment towards it many times in Reddit, youtube, and other movie discourse. Reviews from the past few years generally made claims along the line of ‘Bournetrilogy ruined modern Hollywood action movies untilJohn Wickgave it a revival shot,'” saiduser tsundere-man.
5’The Artist’ (2011)
The Artistis a modern silent film that pays homage to Hollywood’s golden era. Set in the late 1920s and early 1930s, it revolves around George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), a charismatic silent film star whose career begins to decline with the advent of “talkies.” At the same time, he crosses paths with Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), an aspiring actress whose star is on the rise. It’s a delightful movie, but several Redditors felt it was overpraised when it came out.
“No one talks about that silent black and white film that friggin’ won BP in 2012,” saidRedditor presidentkangaroo. “Yeah, a pleasant little black and white film. That’s it, that’s all it was. Now it gently drifts away into the ether, never to be thought of again, a wisp of pleasantness,” saiduser tonyedit.
4’Green Book' (2018)
Set in the 1960s,Green Bookchronicles the unlikely friendship betweenTony Vallelonga(Viggo Mortensen), an Italian-American bouncer from the Bronx, andDr. Don Shirley(Mahershala Ali), a highly accomplished African-American classical pianist. Tony is hired as Dr. Shirley’s chauffeur and bodyguard for a concert tour through the racially segregated Deep South.
It’s by no means a bad movie, but many were surprised that it won Best Picture over amazing projects likeThe FavouriteandRoma. “Stumbled across that a couple of years ago, pleasant little film, looked it up afterwards… It won WHAT???” saiduser tonyedit.
3’JFK' (1991)
JFK, directed byOliver Stone, delves into the assassination ofPresident John F. Kennedy.Kevin Costnerstars asJim Garrison, a New Orleans district attorney who looks into the case and uncovers a web of conspiracy and government cover-ups. The movie challenges the official explanation of the killing, drawing praise from some while others accused it of indulging conspiracy theories.
“With the exception ofWall Street, no one talks about Oliver Stone much anymore. Too many of his films give you the sense somebody is staring at you daring you not to like it,” saidRedditor Expensive-Sentence66. “I remember really likingSalvador,Platoon,JFK,Wall Street,The Doors, etc. But don’t see them discussed all that much these days and haven’t revisited any of them myself,” agreeduser double_shadow.
2’Die Another Day' (2002)
Pierce Brosnan’sfinal outing as James Bondsees 007 teaming up with Jinx Johnson (Halle Berry), an American intelligence agent, to clear his name and bring down the villains who framed him. The mission takes him everywhere, from an ice palace in Iceland to the tropical island of Cuba.
“Not critically acclaimed, butDie Another Daywas a big box office hit on release (the highest-grossing Bond movie to date in dollar terms) and was generally viewed fairly positively by audiences. Popular opinions started to decline in the years after, especially once the franchise embraced a ‘dark and gritty’ tone with the Craig era, and it’s become popular to say thatDie Another Dayis one of the worst Bond movies ever,” saidRedditor Vanquisher1000.
1’Rain Man' (1988)
Rain Manis another Best Picture winner that some Redditors now consider to be overrated. It centers on Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise), a selfish and ambitious car dealer who discovers upon his father’s death that he has an older brother named Raymond (Dustin Hoffman), who is an autistic savant. Seeking to gain control of his father’s inheritance, Charlie takes Raymond on an impromptu cross-country road trip, initially viewing him as a burden, but their journey changes both men.
“Rain Mandidn‘t age well, I find,” saiduser noizoo. “I rewatched it with my son. It was so slow, the depiction of Raymond’s autism was so cliché, Tom Cruise plays such a totally unlikeable character, and there is not a lot happening in that movie. Also, I used to loveHans Zimmer’s soundtrack when it came out, but it sounds a bit cheesy these days. There are [two-three] funny scenes, and the casino bit is cool, and “Iko Iko” slaps though.”
