Looking back over the past 12 months, I can say with all sincerity that 2012 was a great year for movies. But despite each and every excellent film we had the pleasure of enjoying this year, there were still a few disappointments that stood out. Here's a look back at some of 2012's most overrated films.
#5 Prometheus
Many critics and hardcore fans of the Alien franchise battled the course of logic and praised Ridley Scott's return to the universe with Prometheus. The Summer blockbuster managed to gross an astounding $126.5 million in box office revenue, but somehow it still ended up feeling a bit overrated and over-hyped. Scott and writer Damon Lindelof wanted Prometheus to serve as an uninformative platform of discussion for avid fans of the series to try and piece together the puzzle. That's something that I would rather not have a part in.
#4 Hitchcock
Earlier in the year, Fox Searchlight Pictures truly believed they had an Oscar contender with Sacha Gervasi's Hitchcock. So convinced, in fact, that they pushed up its release date months ahead to November in order to maximize the Oscar buzz surrounding the film. Outside of Helen Mirren, who is clearly a legitimate Oscar contender in the Best Actress category, Hitchcock is an oversold and uninspiring piece of work. Nothing more than a drama about a self-conscious genius' struggling marriage, Hitchcock is far from what we had hoped it would be.
#3 Pitch Perfect
Many may be surprised to know that the Glee-style film Pitch Perfect scored an impressive Rotten Tomatoes rating of 80% and tallied $65 million in box office sales. Even some misguided critics are trying to sell the movie as one of the year's best. To be honest, Pitch Perfect is everything you'd expect it to be. The movie does offer the occasional laugh and some rather enjoyable musical sequences but, on the other hand, Pitch Perfect is a paper-thin plot that tries a little too hard.
#2 The Grey
Taking in over $50 million in ticket sales and receiving a 79% approval rate from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, The Grey had moviegoers everywhere very intrigued. The idea of Liam Neeson surviving a plane crash and fighting wolves for two hours seemed like a pretty good time. Truth be told, The Grey is a slow moving drama packed with too much dialogue and not enough wolf punching. To make matters worse, even the movie's finale is anti-climactic. Disappointing and lacking the true action it deserves, The Grey is clearly one of 2012's most overrated features.
#1 Life of Pi
For all of the overrated films of the year, none have the Oscar expectations of Ang Lee's Best Picture contender Life of Pi. Favored by 89% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes and already grossing north of $75 million in box office revenue, Life of Pi seems to have been lauded by just about everyone other than me. However, I found the movie to be an imposing and lifeless tale of survival. Life of Pi's hollow story and over-extended run time can't be salvaged by Ang Lee's amazing visual mastery. But outside of being a spectacular visionary feat, Life of Pi is very mediocre at best. Therefore, this undeserving Oscar contender is 2012's most overrated film.
Although it has its critics, Prometheus' cryptic symbolism and deep character analysis and representation has become my new obsession lately. I'm putting together a high school elective curriculum on film and lit study and the quasi-prequel will be the first film I teach. Once I get everything together I'd love to write a review for you. As far as being overrated, I just don't buy it. Sure it was hyped but critics have been lukewarm over the film. Additionally, who ever said it was the director's job to answer every question for the audience? Tarantino never revealing what was in the brief case was brilliant. Scott will most likely answer your questions in the sequel, but I love the fact that he left a puzzle for the audience. You should really do some research online into some of the theories behind the flick, you'll find yourself glued to the screen. If you wanna talk more about it you know my number.
ReplyDeleteBC
Yo Cawley, I just caught your comment on the blog. I understand that Scott and Lindelof filled the film w/ symbolism and questions (most likely b/c they knew it would have a sequel), but this was complete overload. Tarantino's movie isn't about "what's in the box", and it's really the only unanswered question in the movie. I find that to be an unfair comparison. The entire film of Prometheus poses question after head scratcher after question. To me it wasn't very entertaining and it required me to look too deep into something that I lost interest in very quickly.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I would never criticize Scott for asking hardcore fans on the alien universe (which I am not) to challenge their minds and study the symbolism. I commend him for his creativity.
As for the "overrated label", almost 3 out of 4 critics gave it a positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes (74%) and it grossed north of $125 million in box office revenue. That's a lot of "love" that I just felt was unwarranted. But I can understand why intellectual minds (such as yours) would appreciate the film and its challenge, I just wasn't interested enough to jump through so many hoops in order to find a passion for it.
I just wanted to explain my rationale to you.