Batman & Robin (1997)

Batman and Robin try to keep their relationship together even as they must stop Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy from freezing Gotham City. (IMDb)

So, opening scene, Batman & Robin engage the ice skates built into their suits and start playing hockey with a diamond puck against a blue-faced Arnold and his robot army and I’m thinking, “This is almost ridiculous enough to be good.” Alas, it was not to be: cheesiness aside, there’s too much going on in the script (for the second time Schumacher, two villains is too many), the action scenes are awkwardly staged (very stage-y), and the performances are poor (Thurman’s overacting in particular).

5/10 (Poor)

 

Batman Forever (1995)

Batman must battle former district attorney Harvey Dent, who is now Two-Face and Edward Nygma, The Riddler with help from an amorous psychologist and a young circus acrobat who becomes his sidekick, Robin. (IMDb)

The dialogue is bad, and aside from Carrey’s typically enjoyable schtick, everything about the baddies is really bad too: the two-villain dynamic is awkward AF (I read afterwards that TLJ hated Carrey on set and you can totally tell), the brain-sucking thing is dumb, and the “useless henchmen” syndrome here is the worst I’ve ever seen. Kilmer’s brooding Batman is good though and the campy action-based plot is fun enough, featuring some cool cinematography (loved those zooms and skewed shots).

6/10 (Mediocre)

 

Batman: The Movie (1966)

The Dynamic Duo faces four supervillains who plan to hold the world for ransom with the help of a secret invention that instantly dehydrates people. (IMDb)

Brilliant camp-comedy, with hammy exposition-soaked dialogue (fully embraced in West’s melodramatic lead turn–“their minimum objective must be… the entire world!”), absurd props (bat shark repellent, human dehydrator); hilarious slapstick (see the bomb scene); outrageous plot-points (see the porpoise martyr), terrible fight choreography (see the final boat bash), and too many memorable one-liners to mention (though Robin’s increasingly creative “Holy-!” exclamations deserve a shout-out).

8.5/10 (Amazing)

TOP 10: Most Overrated Films

Films here are ranked based upon the difference between my personal 100-point score and the higher 100-point score on IMDb. From what I’ve experienced, a film’s rating on IMDb more or less seems to reflect the popular opinion held by both the casual and the serious film critics that I’ve read or listened to. The criteria:

1. Must be rated lower than 7.5 by me. 7.5 is the minimum score that earns a “Great” designation from me. If I consider a film “great”, I could hardly deem it overrated!
2. Must be rated higher than 7.5 on IMDb. Conversely, anything rated less than 7.5 on IMDb isn’t rated high enough for me to consider it overrated.

Without further ado, my Top 10 Overrated Films:

10. Blazing Saddles (1974)

IMDb rating: 7.8
My rating: 6.5
Rating difference: 1.3 (review here)

The mix of racial, Western, and Hollywood satire is appreciably biting and bold, and Little and Wilder are both excellent, but too many jokes fall flat or feel cheap for this to be considered a great instead of just good comedy.

9. Predator (1987)

IMDb rating: 7.8
My rating: 6.4 (review here)
Rating difference: 1.4

If the whole movie had been Arnold alone in his battle of wits with the Predator, I would have rated this movie higher. Unfortunately, the first half or so is riddled with eye-rolling dialogue and features one particularly brain-numbing shoot-em-up. Good popcorn flick, but nothing more.

8. The Untouchables (1987)

IMDb rating: 7.9
My rating: 6.3 (review here)
Rating difference: 1.6

A gangster/cop flick with Robert De Niro? That usually works out, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, though De Niro was decent, I was majorly disappointed by this one. The writing was awfully messy and the acting leagues below what you would expect from the rest of the seasoned cast. A nice score and set and a few good scenes saved this one from being just plain bad.

7. Big Hero 6 (2014)

IMDb rating: 7.9
My rating: 6.1 (review here)
Rating difference: 1.8

I was expecting big things from this animated flick, but a good chunk of it sorely let me down. Baymax the robot was a fun and unique character, and the tragic child prodigy Hiro had potential-but the latter’s development was cheap and rushed, and the supporting cast of characters was largely unfunny and lazily written. The story, meanwhile, was predictable and rushed. A nice-looking film with some cool surface elements but a forgettable story.

6. Forbidden Planet (1956)

IMDb rating: 7.7
My rating: 5.9 (review here)
Rating difference: 1.8

Not sure why this gets elevated above other campy 50s sci-fi flicks. There’s an intriguing psychology-related thesis at the end, but it betrays the rest of the movie that either preoccupies itself with dumb romance or goes on and on about the future technology it invented.

5. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back

IMDb rating: 8.8
My rating: 7.0 (review here)
Rating difference: 1.8

Gonna get a lot of flack for this choice, I’m sure… I thoroughly enjoyed the first one (that is, the fourth one… well, you know what I mean), in large part due to the memorable batch of characters that played off each other so well. In this one, most of them started to feel a little “been there, done that” in the way that often happens in sequels. None of them were really developed any further, aside from Luke and his father, of course! All in all, it was still a good film (good action, an exciting climax and twist, and a cliff-hanger ending), but in my humble opinion, not the masterpiece so many people seem to classify it as.

4. Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)

IMDb rating: 8.4
My rating: 6.4 (review here)
Rating difference: 2.0

Oops, another Star Wars film! It starts off well as the ol’ gang gets back together, but the campyness really takes off from there as they team up with the jabbering fuzz-ball Ewoks against the Dark Side. And the big confrontation between Luke and Vader/the Emperor that had been built up so much by Yoda’s warnings against the lure of the Dark Side and the big twist from the last episode was a huge letdown that had little impact on me. The Emperor taunts Luke to get him angry. Vader says it’s useless to resist. Luke screams that he won’t fight Vader, but then occasionally fights Vader. Annnnd repeat.

3. The Sweet Hereafter (1997)

IMDb rating: 7.7
My rating: 5.7 (review here)
Rating difference: 2.0

Maybe I just didn’t get it. The build-up to the school bus crash you know is going to happen is certainly torturous and well-done. The snowy scenery is nice. Everything else? Didn’t know what to make of it. Confusing characters and bewildering happenings made this ultimately a chore to get through.

2. Dazed and Confused (1993)

IMDb rating: 7.7
My rating: 5.6 (review here)
Rating difference: 2.1

Good music, fun 70s setting… but mostly just boring, quite frankly. It’s not that I’m against Linklater’s meandering, plot-less style, because I quite enjoyed his later Boyhood. But there are very few engaging characters to really latch onto here, and even less engaging events. A disappointingly dull offering. Don’t think I’ll be rushing to see Everybody Wants Some!!

1. Batman (1989)

IMDb rating: 7.6
My rating: 5.3 (review here)
Rating difference: 2.3

Maybe it was just because I watched it right after I finished Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy (which I thoroughly enjoyed), but I found this installment to be laughably bad. Campy, cartoony, and awkwardly scripted. I’ve heard people say they thought Keaton was excellent here, but I found him to be about as engaging as a board of wood. Nicholson was the opposite in his over-the-top performance that was more annoying than terrifying or funny.

 

Have at it in the comments–have you now completely written me off as a trustworthy film reviewer? Where have I gone wrong? Do you agree with any of these choices? Thanks for reading!

Batman (1989)

The Dark Knight of Gotham City begins his war on crime with his first major enemy being the clownishly homicidal Joker. (IMDb)

This take on Batman is less than mediocre, with a thin plot (barely boosted by a couple funny lines) and uninspired main characters (Keaton’s Batman is dry and Nicholson’s Joker feels more silly and contrived than evil) thrown into a childish, ill-paced, and painfully awkward script (see the awful scene with Wayne and the Joker). The quasi-campy vibe just doesn’t work here–it’s not written and directed seriously enough to be compelling, and it’s not intentionally goofy enough to be funny.

5.5/10 (Poor)

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Eight years after the Joker’s reign of anarchy, the Dark Knight is forced to return from his imposed exile to save Gotham City from the brutal guerrilla terrorist Bane with the help of the enigmatic Catwoman. (IMDb)

The entertainment value here is again sky high, with nary a dull moment; the narrative is wonderfully layered with constant twists and turns at each level. It doesn’t feel quite as deep or dark as its predecessor, and Hardy’s Bane isn’t quite as interesting as Ledger’s Joker (although that was a tough act to follow), but the plot’s new lows of despair for Batman and Gotham, along with the cast additions of Hathaway and Gordon-Levitt, add freshness and help craft for it its own positive identity.

9/10 (Amazing)

 

Batman Begins (2005)

After training with his mentor, Batman begins his war on crime to free the crime-ridden Gotham City from corruption that the Scarecrow and the League of Shadows have cast upon it. (IMDb)

There is the exciting action and fun one-liners common to most superhero movies here, but it is the gritty human feel of the movie that gives it a depth uncommon amongst its genre peers. Intriguing dialogue about justice and morality is weaved throughout an excellent story that does well at balancing a good guy vs. bad guy plot with the fascinating tale of Batman’s “beginning”. The acting and music are also top notch and complete a great film that makes you so excited for the next one.

8.5/10 (Amazing)