BY BLUE KAUFMAN
Naturally, everyone has their favorite movies, and, as expected, many people share preferences on these famous films. However, while many of these movies are indeed good, do they actually merit the “classic” title they’ve attained? Do they warrant a spot on top 50 movie lists? Do they deserve the lofty pedestal in which so many have hastily placed them upon? I think not. In fact many of your favorite films aren’t that wonderful, you just think they are because you’ve been praising them for so long. Still, this list is bound to be controversial. It will irritate dedicated fans and no doubt cause an abundance of complaining. But then again, I can live with that. Behold: the most overrated movies.
Forest Gump
When it comes to finding approval for Forest Gump, there’s never a shortage of admirers willing to offer up an adjective. However, in the midst of all this praise, its genuine value is debatable. The thing about Robert Zemeckis “masterpiece” is that it takes themes like war, disability, tolerance, and acceptance and manipulates them into making you think the movie is important. In spite of all the sentimental topics, Forest Gump is still unable to mask the overwhelming awkwardness and feeble attemps at humor that continually plague this overly sappy film. Still, as fans continue to hail it as a form of personal inspiration, it’s popularity endures. In fact, it even managed to scrape the win for the best picture award during the 1994 Oscars, robbing the title from both Pulp Fiction AND Shawshank Redemption.(!!!!). Well, If life really is a box of chocolates then Forest Gump is the one with the gross raspberry filling. The one that everyone classically spits out into their napkins.
Saving Private Ryan
Despite the five Oscar awards, It pains me to say that Saving Private Ryan has deservingly earned a spot on this list simply because it is over-hyped . Actually most Tom Hanks movies are (See Forest Gump above). After the gripping opening scene, the adrenaline quickly ebbs and spirals into a tedious runtime with an exceptionally weak narrative. While the film is no doubt oozing with brutal carnage, bloodshed, and violence, it will never be remembered for its plot, characters, or premise. In fact, when yearning a war movie, I’d rather watch The Bridge on River Kwai or Apocalypse Now. Truth be told, Saving Private Ryan is just another run of the mill army film. Big deal.
Titanic
For all you girls currently calling for my blood, first let me explain. While i know this movie currently holds a special place in the hearts of so many (too many i might add), i cant truthfully say it has done the same for me. The characters are paper thin and lacked moral complexity in a way that made their actions horribly predictable. Granted, I feel this way about most romance flicks, so what I don’t understand is why people are shamefully devoted to this particular melodrama. Biggest money making movie of all time??? You’ve got to be kidding me. I know I’m bound to receive a lot of controversy over this one, but I’m just not able to get behind it. And hope that it never gets behind me.
Avatar
Alas, the big one. While the Pandora- set world is no doubt dazzling, vivid, and extraordinary I feel as if the film is lacking in core purpose and character development, making Avatar, well, dreary. Perhaps it was just too long, or just too overstuffed with CGI. Either way, Avatar is the prime example of the drawbacks that come with putting style over substance. And the plot, is supposedly drenched with themes of militarism, political significance, and property rights? Puh-leeze.
Napoleon Dynamite
How America is still able to put up with this movie is beyond me. For most of the film, there’s nothing but foul characters making bizarre jokes to each other in weird monotone voices that are supposed to be comical, but fail miserably. The only prism of light you could view Napoleon Dynamite through is a mockery of exaggerated high school stereotypes seen from the perspective of a misunderstood nerd. However even this angle quickly becomes ineffective due to the fact that the films so- called- hero is arguably the most repulsive and sleazy thing to ever walk the planet. Napoleon Dynamite is just a strange jumble of distorted adolescence, dry humor, and deadpanned acting blended into a horrible 82-minute runtime. So for the sake of all that is still good and pure in this world, please refrain from making Liger jokes and wearing “Vote for Pedro” T-shirts. It’s just not funny anymore.
127 Hours
I know…I know. How could I possibly put this movie on this list! It accurately captures the essence of a genuinely inspirational story and James Franco unwaveringly holds the audience’s attention on his own for the duration of the movie in a way that few films can. However, while 127 hours is all of this and more, I can’t truthfully say I enjoyed watching it. Apart from the legendary amputation, the rest of the movie is blurred together in a series of easily forgettable sequences that left me with only a vague memory of the general plot (arm, rock, knife etc.). Director Danny Boyle also proceeds to use every possible camera shot known to mankind in an attempt to stimulate desperation from the viewers; a feeling I just never felt. Still, there is no doubt in my mind that 127 hours is a cinematographic masterpiece. In a way, it’s kind of like Bob Dylan— I can recognize its significance, without actually liking it.
