# Hated movies or flops that were not BAD films **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 21, 2017, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943 "2017-04-21T20:35:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/101 "2017-04-26T18:08:12Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Plus, John Lithgow as an interplanetary Hitler… I thought of him more as an interplanetary Mussolini. Might’ve been the accent. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2017, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/102 "2017-04-27T19:01:58Z")
Catwoman, the 2004 film with Halle Barry, isn’t great, but it is not that terrible. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2017, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/103 "2017-04-27T19:18:04Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > Catwoman, the 2004 film with Halle Barry, isn’t great, but it is not that terrible. I never saw it, but it spawned a great quote: “First of all, I want to thank Warner Brothers. Thank you for putting me in a piece of shit, god-awful movie… It was just what my career needed.” -Halle Berry, 2005 Golden Raspberry Awards ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2017, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/104 "2017-04-27T20:31:54Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I LOVED this film. > > As a big fan of _Beowulf_\* I’ve taken note of the fact that there was a boom in Beowulf-based films starting just before 2000. I’ve been collecting them on DVD. Aside from the Robert Zemeckis Uncanny Valley version, I think this overall one of the best variations on the story. exactly why it did so badly, I don’t know. Michael Crichton (who had written the novel it’s based on, _Eater of the Dead_ (and which was a publishing success), decades earlier) actually took over as director to bring it successfully to the screen. It’s not a bad adaptation of the book. Antonio Banderas does a great job. So does Omar Sharif. Exactly why Sharif quit in disgust afterwards puzzles me – his role isn’t awful, isn’t terribly written, and the Arabs are presented as the Good Guys – the intellectual bringers of light in a crude world. Maybe he thought the movie was pretty good and was angry at all the bad press? \ ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2017, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/105 "2017-04-28T16:32:28Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Sadly, someone already used that title for a much-inferior adaptation of Burroughs’ books. That one starred one-time underage porn star Traci Lords as Dejah Thoris, so I suspect Disney wouldn’t want to get tied into that. > > [Princess of Mars (Video 2009) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1531911/) Oddly, they had their chance to go for the costumes as in the books, but didnt. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2017, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/106 "2017-04-28T22:19:44Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Sadly, someone already used that title for a much-inferior adaptation of Burroughs’ books. That one starred one-time underage porn star Traci Lords as Dejah Thoris, so I suspect Disney wouldn’t want to get tied into that. > > [Princess of Mars (Video 2009) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1531911/) Well hell, they don’t want to get tied to “Song of the South” either, but they’ve still got three log flumes, character merch, and the theme song dedicated to it and running strong. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2017, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/107 "2017-04-28T23:10:13Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Let’s look at a specific group of “bad” movies: > > 1. Which Golden Raspberry winner(s) do you like? Well, “like” is a bit strong, but COCKTAIL didn’t deserve the Razzie for Worst Picture. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2017, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/108 "2017-04-29T02:29:35Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > **ZipperJJ** is a hot babe with Golden Retrievers and you are not worthy. Hoping for the former and understanding of the latter. > [@CalMeacham](#): > > So does Omar Sharif. Exactly why Sharif quit in disgust afterwards puzzles me – his role isn’t awful, isn’t terribly written, and the Arabs are presented as the Good Guys – the intellectual bringers of light in a crude world. Um, Sharif is Egyptian. For millennia Arabs were trash from the hinterlands, cadging for scraps. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2017, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/109 "2017-04-30T03:35:54Z")
Definitely agree with Last Action Hero and Dark City. It does seem like LAH has finally started to get some of the appreciation it deserves. I think it’s a fantastic parody of action movies that clearly teases with love, not scorn. One I enjoyed was Stir of Echoes with Kevin Bacon. IIRC, it came out right when the Sixth Sense did, too. I think it would’ve been a lot bigger if it hadn’t had such unfortunate timing. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2017, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/110 "2017-04-30T06:25:10Z")
Not all of these were flops, just generally disliked or heavily criticised. I liked the sequels to _Pirates of the Caribbean_ that Gore Verbinski made. I also liked his _Lone Ranger_ movie. I liked the _Hobbit_ movies PJ made, and his _King Kong_. I guess he and I are on a similar wavelength maybe. I didn’t like the first two _Jurassic Park_ movies, I only like _JPIII_. That seems to be the opposite of most other people. I liked _John Carter_. I wish it had been marketed a bit better, and didn’t resemble so many other movies out at the same time. Such as another one I liked, _Prince of Persia_. I like _Cars_ and _Cars 2_, and _The Good Dinosaur_. However I didn’t like _Inside Out_. _Paul Blart Mall Cop_ is better than anyone gives it credit for. I quite liked _Mortdecai_, though I understand why it didn’t do well. And an overlooked and generally disliked Spielberg movie, _The Terminal_, is quite sweet. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2017, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/111 "2017-04-30T06:32:34Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I liked the _Hobbit_ movies PJ made, and his _King Kong_. I guess he and I are on a similar wavelength maybe. Have you seen any of Peter Jackson’s early films? _Meet the Feebles_, for example, is interesting; it’s like if _The Muppet Show_ was subject to the two-click rule. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2017, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/112 "2017-04-30T06:49:09Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Have you seen any of Peter Jackson’s early films? _Meet the Feebles_, for example, is interesting; it’s like if _The Muppet Show_ was subject to the two-click rule. Oh yes, I’m from New Zealand. I saw _Bad Taste_ back when nobody knew who he was. The only PJ film I haven’t watched is _The Lovely Bones_. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2017, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/113 "2017-04-30T08:35:20Z")
I rather enjoyed _Cutthroat Island_, for all that the narrative was a bit of a mess. I mean, when you’ve got Frank Langella riding a cannonball through the side of a ship what’s not to love? ---
**Author:** ![stanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@stanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stanger)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2017, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/114 "2017-04-30T12:53:17Z")
I also thought that _Hudson Hawk_ was a great movie. I think it caught a lot of flack because people expected it to be more of a typical Bruce Willis action movie, or more traditional scifi. But if you realized it was a little of both, but done with a lot of campiness, it was a fun movie. My personal pick based on the OP’s premise is _Sucker Punch_. God, I love this movie. I guess if the longer directors cut had been shown originally, more people would have understood the layers of what was going on, but the movie had a unique twisted plot, great visuals and CGI, all the girls were freaking gorgeous, and there was a lot of action to go along with a kickass soundtrack. I mean, come on – a mentor, a quest, a fight with gigantic Japanese feudal warriors equipped with mini-guns – a fight through WW1 trench battlefields filled with mechanical steam-powered Nazis – a castle filled with orcs featuring a battle scene between a fire-breathing dragon and a B-25 with one prop and one jet engine. And this is just a few highlights. A lot of little details and symbolism throughout. It ain’t Citizen Kane, but for a ‘temporarily suspend reality’ kind of movie, this is my favorite of all time. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2017, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/115 "2017-04-30T14:04:22Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Have you seen any of Peter Jackson’s early films? _Meet the Feebles_, for example, is interesting; it’s like if _The Muppet Show_ was subject to the two-click rule. _The Muppet Show_ on acid. It’s hilarious. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2017, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/116 "2017-04-30T14:21:31Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I LOVED this film. > > As a big fan of _Beowulf_\* I’ve taken note of the fact that there was a boom in Beowulf-based films starting just before 2000. I’ve been collecting them on DVD. Aside from the Robert Zemeckis Uncanny Valley version, I think this overall one of the best variations on the story. exactly why it did so badly, I don’t know. Michael Crichton (who had written the novel it’s based on, _Eater of the Dead_ (and which was a publishing success), decades earlier) actually took over as director to bring it successfully to the screen. It’s not a bad adaptation of the book. Antonio Banderas does a great job. So does Omar Sharif. Exactly why Sharif quit in disgust afterwards puzzles me – his role isn’t awful, isn’t terribly written, and the Arabs are presented as the Good Guys – the intellectual bringers of light in a crude world. What’s you opinion of the Christoper Lambert version? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2017, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/117 "2017-04-30T14:52:02Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > The only PJ film I haven’t watched is _The Lovely Bones_. My first PJ film was _Meet The Feebles_. My second was _Dead Alive_ (aka _Braindead_). And I’ve seen the Hobbit/LOTR films. I’ve only seen parts of _The Frighteners_. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/118 "2017-05-03T19:09:53Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > What’s you opinion of the Christoper Lambert version? There was a wonderful Bad Movie Review of it that I am unable to find, although this one will do in a pinch: > **[Beowulf B-Movie Review](http://www.badmovies.org/movies/beowulf/index.html?start=8)** This is the first of the New Film Versions of Beowulf, so it gets some credit for that, despite its re-imagining the story as set in a (post-apocalyptic?) futuristic industrial wasteland. Besides reviving the Beowulf-as-film thing, it also introduced two innovations that showed up later in the Zemeckis version. I suspect the filks associated with that CGI version probably watched this one because: [spoiler] 1.) This is the first adaptation of the story I’m aware of where _Hrothgar_ is Grendel’s father, as in the Zemeckis film 2.) In this film, as in the later Zemeckis version, Grendel’s mother can take the form of a beautiful, sexy woman, rather than the Hag or Monster she’s usually portrayed as. 3.) Also, in both of those versions, Grendel’s mom is depicted using CGI imagery in all her forms. [/spoiler] So I think it was an influential film, and “historically” interesting. But it’s not my favorite version to watch (although I own a copy). Not unless the only other thing on is _Say Yes to the Dress_. ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/119 "2017-05-03T20:51:14Z")
John Carter of Mars Shame too, i would have liked to see the entire series in movie form ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2017, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/120 "2017-05-04T00:50:20Z")
> [@Weisshund](#): > > John Carter of Mars > > Shame too, i would have liked to see the entire series in movie form So would I, as I’ve said. When I was on a panel discussing the film (and how it had been mishandled by the Powers-That-Be at Disney), I wore a T-shirt on which I’d transferred a copy of this fan-made poster for the follow-up movie (that never was), **John Carter and the Gods of Mars** : > **[JOHN CARTER AND THE GODS OF MARS fan poster by SWFan1977 on DeviantArt](https://www.deviantart.com/swfan1977/art/JOHN-CARTER-AND-THE-GODS-OF-MARS-fan-poster-294773283)** [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943.md?page=7)