15 Critically Mauled Movies (That Aren't Actually That Bad)
Give 'em a break.
It does happen an awful lot: you watch a critically panned movie and think "That wasn't so bad!"
There are masses of films each year which are unfairly written-off by reviewers. Reviewers often seem to forget that most films will not be five star masterpieces and many films are simply designed to be light and entertaining, which is, after all, the original purpose of cinema. In some cases, particularly with big-budget Hollywood blockbusters, reviewers made up their minds early and turned on the film before it was even released.
These following movies have all been punching bags for critics - and in some cases general audiences too - over the years, with many of them doing very well at the Razzies, but the truth is that they're perfectly decent movies and will definitely provide entertainment to viewers with the right expectations.
As many reviewers continue to write off seemingly every commercial film released that goes down the 'style-over-substance' route of film-making, the unfair scores of these movies show that it might be better not to use reviews at all when deciding what to watch.
15. Gods Of Eygpt
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 15%
Consensus: "Look on Gods of Egypt, ye filmgoers, and despair! Nothing beside remains. Round the decay of this colossal wreck, boundless and bare. The lone and level sands stretch far away. (Apologies to Shelley.)"
With its controversial whitewashing and underwhelming marketing, as well as being part of the historical epic genre which no-one cares about (Gladiator was nearly 20 years ago now, Hollywood), everyone knew this would be a box-office bomb and everyone was also certain it would suck. Unsurprisingly, Razzie nods and terrible reviews followed. Here's the thing: it's actually OK.
It is dumb and messy, but there's also a certain energetic charm to the whole thing and some bits of it, such as the central romance, are surprisingly endearing.
It's fully aware that it's a silly B-Movie and it mostly gets the tone right. If you go in aware that this is just going to be a bit of over-the-top fun and maybe bring some booze in with you, you'll probably have a decent time.
Comparing it to other fantasy bombs such as the Clash of the Titans films, The Legend of Hercules and I, Frankenstein, this really isn't all that bad.