10 Most Polarising Films Of The Decade (So Far)
Celluloid's answer to Marmite.
Some films are destined to be undisputed classics that wow fans, clean up at the Oscars and attract a metric tonne of fresh ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. You know, the holy trinity of success.
Inevitably there are other movies that exist at the other end of the toxicity scale, but perhaps the most fun are those that divide the audience straight down the middle. Because everyone loves an argument.
These celluloid equivalents of Marmite usually usher fans into two separate, yet equally passionate camps, and have them spitting venom back and forth, unable and unwilling to compromise on their extreme judgements either way. There can be no middle ground, you're either right or you're wrong. Naturally, battle lines are drawn, flame wars ensue and the films take on exalted Polarising status - removed from either tradition Good or Bad classification.
Although Hollywood has been pumping out divisive fare since the dawn of the film industry, the debates that little quality sub-genre sparks have taken on a new level of acidic prevalence during the last decade, with the battlelines cutting across Twitter, Reddit, Facebook and countless other digital platforms.
10. Star Trek Into Darkness
All three post-reboot Star Trek movies tend to divide fans and critics, but when it comes to Into Darkness, they're like the Red Sea during the Exodus.
While most would agree that JJ Abrams's second Enterprise effort is an improvement on its predecessor, with a tighter script and plot, nobody seems to be able to decide whether it's an apt homage to The Wrath of Khan or a mere rehash.
Those in Abrams's corner cite Benedict Cumberbatch’s memorable performance as Khaaaan! and the fact it nails every key scene from its classic forebear as its greatest strengths, but his opponents reference the same points while hitting him with phaser fire.
They argue the movie simply retreads old ground and accuse it of white-washing with the casting of Cumberbatch as Indian villain Khan.
There might be a point in there somewhere, but it's important to remember that the bad guy was originally played by a Mexican, Ricardo Montalban, so neither film is ethnically accurate, so to speak.