10 Most Overrated Movies Of 2016 (So Far)

The critics went crazy over Embrace of the Serpent, this year's epic, Conradian journey into the jungles of South America - one that has clearly been inspired by the works of Werner Herzog and Apocalypse Now. It chronicles two separate - but heavily-connected - expeditions across two time periods to find a miracle plant, which in itself provides an interesting and ultimately unsubtle meditation on colonialism.

Before I claim that Embrace Of The Serpent is overrated, I'd like to say that I love Joseph Conrad. I love Herzog's early jungle films, like Aguirre: The Wrath of God and Fitzcarraldo. Apocalypse Now is probably my favourite film. All of that essentially marks me as the perfect person to watch this film, which makes it even more surprising that I think it's one of the year's most overvalued pictures.

Don't get me wrong: this is an admirable piece of filmmaking, and there are moments of absolute beauty scattered throughout by way of the lush cinematography and the fantastic performances. But something about the execution results in a picture that feels ultimately lacking; every point or moment is over-explained by the characters and the film can't seem to decide whether it is supposed to be a docu-drama or a rip roaring quest into the heart of darkness.

Based on the events depicted, the film should've feel like an adventure; instead Embrace of the Serpent winds up feeling like an muddled exercise in academia.