Last Updated on August 3, 2021
As the UnPopular Opinion Guy, I felt it was only fitting to issue my list of the movies I felt that the masses got wrong. Some of these may shock you and some may just piss you off, but these are my honest to goodness perspective of the movies of 2016. If you disagree with any of the choices, please voice your own opinion in the talkback below. After all, the only opinion that really matters is yours, I am just here to share mine.
#1 – ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY
I enjoyed ROGUE ONE more than all three of George Lucas’ prequels, but having seen it multiple times, I just cannot get over the feeling that something is missing. Technically, it is very impressive. I had no issues with the CGI work done that most people are calling POLAR EXPRESS-esque. But, this movie is lacking the magic that makes STAR WARS what it is. I loved how it ties into the main franchise, but the countless crammed in cameos lessens the impact of the story being told. I wanted so badly to love this movie but I am instead left just liking it. Critics are lauding this film with some claiming it is better than THE FORCE AWAKENS. J.J. Abrams film had heart, ROGUE ONE does not.
#2 – JASON BOURNE
Am I the only one who doesn’t care for Paul Greengrass’ shakycam? I was tired of it after the first BOURNE film he directed and since have not missed it. This movie feels like a very forced attempt to resurrect the franchise after Jeremy Renner’s lackuster performance at the box office with THE BOURNE LEGACY, but that movie did a lot more for me than JASON BOURNE ever did. This movie felt like the most boring MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE film possible and without any of the personality Tom Cruise brings to the table. Matt Damon just looks so uninterested through the whole movie that I couldn’t muster a single f*ck to give.
#3 – DOCTOR STRANGE
Everyone who bows to the altar of Marvel will be pissed that I am even saying this, but Marvel is just not doing it for me anymore. Yeah, I loved CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR but DOCTOR STRANGE just feels like more of the same. Marvel Studios has found a formula that works and when they break from that format, like with GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, it can result in brilliance. But, DOCTOR STRANGE just feels like THOR and ANT-MAN and every other Marvel origin flick that has been released. The stakes never felt tangible despite the stellar special effects. This movie was a neutered take on the The Sorcerer Supreme that could have been so much more.
#4 – THE CONJURING 2
James Wan blew me away with THE CONJURING. It was legitimately scary in a way few films have been in a long time. Clearly, a sequel was coming and compared to most horror sequels, THE CONJURING 2 is heads and tails better than the rest. But, that doesn’t mean it is a worthy follow-up to the original. Mining the same scares as the first movie, THE CONJURING 2 suffers from an unnecessarily cumbersome subplot surrounding the investigations of Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga’s characters. Forcing there to be some sort of supernatural war being waged makes this feel less like a movie and more like a building block for a cinematic universe. Making this film a standalone that happened to showcase the same leads would have worked so much better.
#5 – DEADPOOL
Yes, DEADPOOL was fun. It was also great seeing an R-rated superhero film for a character that deserved it. But, on repeated viewings, DEADPOOL just doesn’t hold up. The budgetary restrictions become more and more visible every time I see it and the generic screenplay is essentially just a bunch of one-liners strung together. DEADPOOL as a character should break the mold and not fit inside it but with a lot more profanity and gore. There is a chance to make a really great movie about Wade Wilson now that the origin is out of the way, I just hope it isn’t saddled with a cliche romantic plot.
Honorable Mentions
There have been a lot of movies that were released this year that everyone said were so good but just didn’t work in the grand scheme of things. Steven Spielberg had the rare misfire with THE BFG. The buzzed about DON’T BREATHE was good but ultimately not a film that will be remembered until you stumble across it on cable. THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN was a fun but very hollow western that had much more potential than what it delivered. JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK was an improvement over the first film but still a very vanilla exercise in Tom Cruise’s self-promotion. Don’t even get me started on SULLY (aka FLIGHT without the alcohol).
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