10 Oscar Winning Films That Are Actually Bad

The worst part of Babel being such a colossal mess is how much of an established and appreciated name director Alejandro G. Iñárritu has now become. The director of Birdman, The Revenant, 21 Grams, and Biutiful earned his first Oscar nomination for Babel; a Pulp Fiction-esque narrative that shows a tragedy and the dozens of individuals affected by it.

The film seemed brilliant on paper as the consequences of an accident effects everyone from rich Americans to poverty-ridden middle easterners. It’s just too bad the film’s scope was far larger than the audience’s emotional stake in it. The movie had too many characters and it failed to allow viewers to grow attached too. When a character we’ve seen on screen for less than five minutes dies or is in peril, it’s pretty hard to have a visceral reaction to it.

The filmmaking was stellar and it solidified Iñárritu’s future to have free reign to create the movies he has as of late, but there was zero need for the Academy to honor the film with seven nominations, including Best Picture and bafflingly Best Original Screenplay. Not even the great Brad Pitt or Cate Blanchett could save this film.