2015 provided many films that fans loved but critics hated and vice versa. Many might go on to live in the cult status of film history (probably not). Either way, here are a few films that are so bad but yet so good.
Jupiter Ascending
With some movies, you just need to treat yo self and leave the thinking at the door. JA is one of those films. The movie works for so many reasons and some of them are really hard to explain. If someone asks you why they should watch JA, you just have to respond with "just watch it". You either love it or hate it but people will definitely react strongly regardless. The plot often makes little sense but you kind of forget about that with all the visual beauty and the odd romance of the story.
And Eddie Redmayne gives one of the most camptastic performances of 2015.
Interesting Fact(s):
Natalie Portman was originally cast as Jupiter Jones, but dropped out. Rooney Mara was considered to replace her, before Mila Kunis was finally cast. According to the directors, the script was over 600 pages long.
Rotten Tomatoes Score is 26% Rotten. The Wall Street Journal said this of the film "A theatrical feature that, in a rational universe, would never have been put in production, let alone seen the light of day."
Terminator Genisys
Terminator Genisys was the movie fans were hoping for since T3. It was the return of AHNALD as the terminator and promised a fresh spin on the franchise. Many were left disappointed with the film but it definitely had some things working in its favor. Arnold was back and as good as ever as the terminator with a sense of humor. The action and effects were fantastic. And the story switched the franchise enough to promise more interesting stories in a sort of rebooted universe. Some things didn’t work and really frustrated fans. Characters in the film could have worked if certain actors had not been cast in those roles. And some actors who could have elevated the material were barely featured (J.K. Simmons and Byung-hun Lee). Not to mention that the two leads had no chemistry at all. It's still a fun movie but has some issues working against it.
I'm certain this film would have done better had this sexy terminator been featured more.
Interesting Facts: Tom Hardy was the first choice for John Connor.
Rotten Tomatoes rating is currently 25%. Here's a review that sums up many viewers feelings. "The original Terminator is about Cold War paranoia, female empowerment and humanity's endurance. Genisys is about how we may use our mobiles a little too much."
Unfriended
Unfriended came out earlier this year and was the one about the kids who get into wacky demonic hijinks on Facebook. For a found footage film, it works surprisingly well to build tension. This movie doesn’t really break the horror mold but does a good enough job at something new that you will most likely be entertained. The kids are just annoying enough that you want something bad to happen to them but kind of feel bad about it afterwards. The marketing campaign and the films lack of scares might have hurt the film in the long run.
Interesting Fact: Inspired by the actual suicides of Amanda Todd and Audri Pott.
Rotten Tomatoes users gave this a 38% but the critics gave it a 61%. Mat C left a review and had this to say "This movie is absolutely horrible. Nothing good will come from watching it. You lose 82 minutes of your life, and an additional five minutes to write a post about it. FML!!!!"
The Boy Next Door
JLO had been MIA in rom coms and her typical woman in danger roles for years. She made a triumphant comeback with this campy but enjoyable film about a boy next door who looks good but is a bit of a creeper. It's like Fatal Attraction with Jenny From the Block. OK, this is not a movie that is easy to defend. It's dumb, lazy and not really well done but it’s so bad I kind of enjoyed the mess. Although Jennifer and Ryan Guzman are pretty to look at, it’s like they are acting in two different films for most of the movie.
If you enjoyed the Beyoncé film Obsessed, you might like this mess of a film.
And the tagline for this movie did not help at all. "Her mistake. His obsession."
Interesting Fact: Jennifer Lopez said the sex scenes were very awkward with Ryan but she did film her own sex scenes.
Rotten Tomatoes ranking is sitting at 10%. Jess U on RT said it best "Consistently hilarious and I'm not sure it means to be."
What films did you love or hate in 2015?
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