It's no secret that Pauline Kael was not a big fan of Hollywood blockbusters - she didn't just mildly dislike them but rather loathed them with a passion, and given the generally poor standard of many big budget spectacles it's easy to sympathise with her views. The problem with holding such a principled view of big budget corporate movies is that from time to time the baby will inevitably get thrown out with the bathwater. Sometimes a blockbuster comes along which is genuinely entertaining as well as a fine example of stylish and accomplished filmmaking. This was certainly the case for Raiders Of The Lost Ark, although Kael emerged from her screening concluding, "theres no exhilaration in this dumb, motor excitement." Kael would have a field day if she were alive today - blockbusters are bigger than ever, their presence towering over everything else. One of the only other reviewers who slated Raiders Of The Lost Ark at the time of its release was - surprise surprise - Dave Kehr of the Chicago Reader, who described it as a "giggly pastiche of a Republican serial." What other classic movies have been unfairly slammed by film critics? Add your own in the comments below.
