Top 10 Movies That Experienced Massive Backlash

As it is a well made, funny, and romantic film, “Shakespeare in Love” would probably get much less grief had it come out in a lesser year for movies. Unfortunately, its lasting appeal has been diminished by the fact that it allegedly stole Best Picture from “Saving Private Ryan.” Many feel Steven Spielberg’s war epic has held up better over time. Even Harrison Ford looked displeased when he opened the envelope. Like “Romeo & Juliet,” “Shakespeare in Love” might have started as a comedy, but its lifespan has ended in tragedy.

After Stephenie Meyer’s bestseller got the big screen treatment, half of the human population rejoiced while the other half was indifferent. The more attention “Twilight” got and the more MTV Movie Awards it won, the more annoyed people became. That annoyance quickly turned to feverous anger as if the franchise was Satan’s spawn. While even once diehard fans are starting to admit “Twilight” received more success than it deserves, it’s also possible we’ve given it more hate than it deserves. At least we can all agree Bella doesn’t deserve any happiness.

Although most of us knew “The Hobbit” didn’t need to be three movies, we were just excited to revisit Middle-earth and went along on Bilbo’s unexpected journey. At first, it was fun to see Gandalf and Gollum again. After sitting through the trilogy’s following chapters, however, Peter Jackson was officially trying our patience. Because “The Hobbit” began as a relatively short children’s novel, many concurred this drawn-out adaptation had more filler than a never-ending soap opera. Perhaps a director’s cut or, better yet, a fan cut is in order. What was also unexpected was the mixed result over the new 48 frames per second tech used, with many moviegoers finding it less than an improvement.

Just as M. Night Shyamalan has endured one of the most brutal backlashes of all time, so have several of his movies. “Signs” was an enormous critical and financial success when it came out, seemingly cementing Shyamalan’s legacy as a master storyteller. Then folks started to think about the film’s plot and realized several things didn’t add up. It’s hard to believe we initially overlooked the idea that water and puny weapons defeated these superiorly intelligent aliens. With this in mind, many people can’t get through “Signs” now without laughing hysterically.

A box office sensation and winner of six Oscars, “Forrest Gump” remains one of the most iconic, quotable, and beloved films of the past couple of decades. In recent years, though, it’s also gotten a fair deal of flak. Part of that is because it won the Best Picture prize over “Pulp Fiction” and “The Shawshank Redemption,” both of which have aged like fine wine. Critics have additionally condemned the film’s sentimentality and title character’s dimness. Well, a movie’s like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.

Fan boys didn’t know what to think when it was announced Michael Bay would be helming the live-action “Transformers” movie, but they knew they’d see it anyway. Although it was irrefutable mindless entertainment, the masses were sucked in by the blockbuster’s solid action, humor, and visuals. With each passing sequel, however, it became clearer that Bay had nothing new to offer. He simply doesn’t seem to realize that making a movie louder doesn’t make it better. Now all four “Transformer” films blend together as one ceaseless array of mind-numbing explosions.

Right out of the airlock, people hailed “Gravity” as a cinematic triumph. Everyone was universally blown away by the film’s special effects, but some complained that the story was as hollow as space. They also argued that the smaller the screen you watched it on, the less spectacular the experience would be. So is “Gravity” just flashy IMAX porn? While the visuals admittedly outshine the dialogue, many people still look beyond the film’s stunning surface to see the astronomical body of emotions at its core.

Although “Brokeback Mountain” seemed preordained to win the 78th Academy Award for Best Picture, a select group of people were rooting for Paul Haggis’ ensemble drama about racial tension to pull an upset. Well, the little movie that could crashed the Oscars and its supporters immediately jumped ship. Now when people discuss the most unworthy Best Picture winners, “Crash” is typically the easy answer with many calling it “Traffic” for dummies. If you’re one of those few people that stand by the Academy’s choice, though, we won’t judge you.

It’s possible for a movie to become too successful, “Titanic” being an evident example. The film broke all kinds of records at the box office and Oscars, but James Cameron’s unsinkable hit didn’t stop there. For the longest time, it was impossible to go anywhere without seeing “Titanic” being referenced. Once the world finally got sick of it, they really, really got sick of it. Be that as it may, chances are you saw “Titanic” in theatres multiple times. Any film that accomplishes that must have done something right.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- “Driving Miss Daisy” (1989)
- “The English Patient” (1996)
- “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (2005)
- “The Passion of the Christ” (2004)
- “Juno” (2007)

The bigger the movie, the bigger the backlash. Seeing how “Avatar” is currently the highest-grossing film ever, it’s suffered a behemoth backlash unlike any other. Paralleling “Titanic,” “Avatar” has gone from reigning at the box office to being the most heavily criticized entity online. Bloggers and commenters alike can’t stand the notion that a movie with such simplistic themes and a clichéd story made over two billion dollars. Regardless, there are still plenty of pro-blue people who proudly defend the film, guaranteeing this franchise is just getting warmed up.

Do you agree with our list? What other movies have undergone a notable backlash? For more entertaining Top10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.