Well I’ve done the ‘good’ list for movies this year so it seems only natural and fair to draw up the naughty list of movies before the year completely comes to an end.
This is potentially a much harder list as I generally don’t like to hate on too many films but there were at least a couple of films this year that deserve to get lumps of coal in their stockings or at the very least a good frowning. I’m sure there are some worse films too but I had to limit it to what I’ve actually seen and not just assumed!
- X-Men Origins: Wolverine – This is a really bad-ass character, everyone generally loves him, he’s on nearly every cover for Marvel, so why then did we get a weak ineffectual version of the character? I mean it’s not the actor who has already shown he can play the character? The writers just seem to soften the character so he was all bark and no brain popping claws through the jaw. And then the film degenerates into a who’s who of mutant appearances including a very young Cyclops who later on doesn’t recognise Wolverine because he had his eyes closed. So I guess no one liked Cyclops back then enough to describe the guy who saved them?? Oh yeah and if there was an Academy Award for worst way to handle the character Deadpool then this film would have it in the bag!
- Watchmen - Great comic book translation onto the big screen for Watchmen fans, horrible film for everyone else. I don’t mind Watchmen as a film, I’ve revisited it and grown to appreciate it as a literal translation onto screen. For anyone else though it is confusing, awkward and hard to get into. I completely get that. Maybe Alan Moore was right, it was never intended for any medium outside of comics.
- Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian – The first one was generally funny, not the greatest comedy in the world but certainly enjoyable. I have no idea why this one apart from financial concerns would ever even considered being made. It doesn’t add anything to the storyline and you know what Hank Azaria, you do voices, fine we get it, we got it, practise some restraint now.
- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – The absolute best bit of the film: giant robot balls. The worst part? The fact that the best part was giant robot balls.
- Terminator Salvation – I feel bad putting this on the list now because I bought this today on Blu-ray, but only because I have the others including T3 and I think it’ll look pretty on the big telly. Other than that to me this film shows why Bill Murray might have head butted McG. There are a lot of dumb ideas in this film designed to look good only so that idiots will buy it on Blu-ray because it looks pretty… hang on… doh.
And there you have it. So any films that should be here that I’ve missed? Any films that shouldn’t be here? Let me know your biggest let downs when it came to film in 2009!
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13 Responses to “2009 in film – the naughty list”
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Watchmen was indeed a bit of a disappointment, especially coz the publicity was all over the place – greatest Graphic Novel… made by the guy who made 300… and I spent 10 pounds for the IMAX ticket and 5 pounds for the train to get there.. and all it turned out was actually quite confusing.. I tried really hard to get it..and like it..and maybe after my third viewing on the DVD.. I have given up..
Wolverine was completely silly Hollywood studio going bonkers over a prospective franchise..
Transformers didn't disappoint me at all.. I knew what was in for me..
Didn't watch Night at Museum
And Salvation was actually fun to watch on the big screen with so much destruction going on… although I think they should officially keep this in a parallel universe, locked inside a black hole… far away from the story when T3 ends.. [John Connor as a naughty podcaster ROFL]
I'd say Harry Potter disappointed me, especially with the Ron Weasley's love plot…just felt odd in an overall dark tale.. but I am so looking fwd to the remaining 2..
Hmm, see I went into Watchmen knowing very little about it's background, but loved it so much that I went on to research it further and develop a bit of a love for it as a whole. I loved the symbolism and themes the kept popping up, but that might be the movie geek in me.
I liked the first three on your list. Not so much to call them great, but enjoyable. I have to say though, I had no knowledge of Watchmen other than it was a graphic novel by Alan Moore before seeing the movie, and I still loved it.
Since christmas is over..a naughty film list sounds kinda …naughty. Keep an eye on traffic I bet you'll get people looking for a completely different set of naughty films.
I'll have to think about big let downs..transformers is definitely on the list though. Terminator Salvation: what can I say..it looked good on the big screen, not a good movie though. Haven't watched Wolverine yet and I think I can join your view on watchmen, it's not meant for a big audience.
I've only seen Watchmen out of those movies, and I agree with your analysis. the whole film was just dull really.
I maintain that you're more typically going to enjoy Watchmen if you were a fan of the graphic novel and can bring some background knowledge to the film. The multi-generational storyline is confusing enough without knowing about the Minutemen etc.
I didn't have so much trouble with Harry Potter except I don't feel like all that much happened apart from Dumbledore's death and even that felt like an afterthought – but then I thought that about the book too.
I don't think it's impossible to love without having a background in the book, I do think it is harder for the general movie going public to embrace it though.
It's great that it caused you to dig deeper, I assuming you read the book now? What did you think compared to the film?
It's not like Watchmen is a badly made film, it looks fantastic and there are some very powerful sequences in there, I personally are of the opinion though that it is best as a companion piece to the novel compared to a standalone film with no supporting material.
There are subtle changes that are for the worse in the film and large changes that are honestly much stronger for the film but probably not so good for the book, there's a reason I guess why it's considered the greatest graphic novel of all time.
I think we're all saying now that T4 looks great but isn't a great story so it can be enjoyed for what it is.
I wouldn't suggest missing any of the films except maybe for Night at the Museum – most of them are spectacles and you'll probably find at least something in there to enjoy.
Tracey really disliked the film and she had some really good points regarding the likeability of pretty much of all of the characters or rather the complete lack of likeability, I think the film was unable to get you across why you should care as opposed to the comic book.
Yeah I can agree that all of those are not what I would call strong films. All extremely well made, from a technical perspective, but all fail in various ways. Like Sujoy, I might put Potter's latest on that list. It was the first I saw in the theater, and I think it was one of the weakest of the series. Made me wish I waited for the DVD.
Still, I think all of these are watchable and enjoyable, with the possible exception of Transformers, which hurts my head to contemplate the fact that it came out as is. I just can't believe that they achieved the mammoth feat of making me wish that a massive robot battle would just end already.
I feel like I should take a shot at Watchmen, too, but I think I did that enough back when it came out. I wouldn't begrudge anyone watching it, but it definitely belongs on this list.
If there's another 2009 movie that belongs here, I must have forgotten it (which might be just as well).
See that's the thing I don't begrudge anyone enjoying any of these films I think the only anger I feel is that it was really hard for people to find a cinema to watch Moon but impossible to find one not playing 100 sessions of Transformers 2. I know that's all supply and demand stuff but I know people who didn't see Moon only because they couldn't and that makes me annoyed.
Yeah I certainly fit in that category for Moon. If it played locally, I wasn't aware of it.