15 Films Audiences Got Right (But Critics Got Wrong)
1. Moonlight
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
IMDb: 7.4
Is Moonlight a good film? Absolutely. Is it a five-star, Best Picture-worthy masterpiece? Hmm...
Many will be very taken aback that Moonlight, probably the most acclaimed Best Picture winner of the decade is the tied lowest-rated on IMDb (with Shape of Water), but this rating of 7.4 is actually quite fair. It reflects that Moonlight is a good film without going overly gaga, which is what critics arguably did to some extent. A film is not automatically a masterpiece purely because it's artistic and defies all the cliches.
There are great things in Moonlight; the acting, directing and certain scenes are great, but the film is overall uneven. The slow pace often frustrates, while it is generally pretentious, portentous and doesn't really let us get to know the main character enough or tell us anything new. As well as this, the final third of the film is absolutely awful and makes for a painfully anticlimactic ending.
Other nominated indie movies such as Boyhood and Lady Bird are far better and when Arrival and La La Land were up for Best Picture too, this win feels wrong.
Should Be Rated: 70%-75%