Well Schmoes, as 2021 finally draws to a close we reflect on a year unlike any other in our lifetimes. Thanks to COVID-19, a limited number of movies made it to the big screen. With films debuting everywhere from drive-ins to streaming services, cinema still found a way to entertain us from the comfort of our homes. It remains to be seen what 2021 will bring but, if there is one thing for certain, there are always movies that are highly overrated and underrated by critics and fans alike. 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 (3 out of the 5 Alex chose showed up in our Best Movies of the Year list). 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 2021. 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.
5. Venom: Let There Be Carnage
The hype surrounding this sequel should have been tempered by the fact that the first one wasn’t very good. But, I had faith when Andy Serkis came on board to helm the follow-up to Tom Hardy’s surprise hit. Clocking in at a lean 90 minutes, Venom never manages to make you care enough about the story to invest in it. The special effects are fine, but it just feels like it is treading water until the inevitable third movie. Everyone here is wasted and even the credit sequences feel tacked on. A wasted opportunity to actually make something good.
4. The Last Duel
Ridley Scott has always been hit or miss as a director but this may be his biggest miss since The Counsellor. Based on the fascinating true story of the last trial by duel in history, this movie has such a good cast who are all wasted in a meandering story that looks good but that is about it. Production values here rival Scott’s own Kingdom of Heaven, but the weak script by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Nicole Holofcener just never musters any energy. Jodie Comer did such excellent work in Free Guy that you would have expected her to shine here. Instead, this movie misses the mark by a wide margin.
3. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
I was hopeful for Shang-Chi despite the early trailers making it look like just another generic action flick. The movie has moments where it seems like it is going to differentiate itself from everything else in the MCU, but then it turns into another CGI-fest full of indistinguishable characters and creatures. Disney+ has spoiled me as the Marvel offerings on the small screen have taken risks. This movie just ends up feeling like a comic book version of the live-action Mulan crossed with Black Panther. I love the cast and I love the character but the movie falls completely short thanks to the Marvel formula becoming rote. It could be that a sequel could set itself apart, but based on this movie alone, I won’t hold my breath.
2. Malignant
The mysterious trailers for Malignant piqued my interest. I was looking for a solid horror movie that could be added to the list of annual movies to watch each Halloween. Boy, was I disappointed. Within the first ten minutes, I had figured out the twist and it just went downhill from there. I know this is a movie that is not meant to be taken seriously, but it never strikes the right tone. Leigh Whannel’s Upgrade balanced the over-the-top violence with an intriguing plot. Malignant fails to do the same and instead just throws everything at us to see what sticks. Most of it doesn’t work and what does is not good enough.
1. The Suicide Squad
James Gunn brought much-needed energy to this sequel that helped erase the bad taste that David Ayer’s film left. For myself, I liked Ayer’s film and I respect the change in direction, but this movie falls prey to the hype it built for itself. I loved the violent and profane elements of the movie, but so much was revealed in the trailers that the movie ended up feeling like I had seen it before. Aside from King Shark and Peacemaker, many of these characters are underdeveloped. A streamlined cast could have fixed that issue, but at the end of the day, the plot just wasn’t engaging enough. At times, it felt like DC’s version of Guardians of the Galaxy rather than standing on its own.
Let us know what you think of these picks in the comments below. Also, let us know your most overrated movies of the past year!