Top 23 Most Controversial Movies of Each Year (2000 - 2022)
2000: “Battle Royale”
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In the Japanese language film "Battle Royale”, students are sent to an island and forced to fight until one is left standing. This leads to scenes where young people take each other out in grisly fashion. The concerns over the violence led to censors trying to limit the audience that could see the film in Japan. Over in the U.S., theaters shied away from releasing “Battle Royale” when it first came out. The film also couldn’t be purchased in Germany for a time until lawyers stepped in and got the decision reversed. Although “Battle Royale” is widely praised decades later, it was definitely hard for everyone to see it when it was released.
2001: “Pearl Harbor”
"Pearl Harbor" aimed to depict the events that pushed the US to join the global conflict. What could’ve been a stirring military drama was derailed by the script and historical inaccuracies. While critics and general audiences called out the bad acting and dialogue, instructors and veterans were put off by all the historical inaccuracies. A common criticism claimed that events of the pivotal day were glanced over to make room for more action-packed sequences. There were also multiple points where the movie misrepresented real people and how the attack occurred. While “Pearl Harbor” made a ton of money at the box office, it’s still looked upon as a terribly inaccurate film that didn’t do justice to the real events.
2002: “Irréversible”
Over the years, people have grown to expect that filmmaker Gaspar Noé will create works that stir up controversy and lots of discussion. One of his most infamous films is “Irreversible”. During the film’s narrative, people are subjected to very graphic violence. Actress Monica Bellucci also played a character who endured a terrible act of brutality for nearly ten minutes straight. When the movie premiered at Cannes, reports indicated that over 200 people couldn’t stomach the graphic scenes and left the theater. In the aftermath of this unexpected turn of events, Noé defended aspects of “Irreversible”. But his arguments couldn’t stop many viewers from seeing it as anything but controversial and divisive.
2003: “The Brown Bunny”
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When the first version of "The Brown Bunny" hit the Cannes film festival in 2003, viewers blasted the film for its slow pace and lack of excitement. The one scene that got people particularly mad involved director/lead actor Vincent Gallo appearing in a real sex scene with co-star Chloë Sevigny. While many critics tore it down, famous movie commenter Roger Ebert called that early version “the worst film in the history of the festival”. His comment led to an extended feud between the critic and Gallo. The filmmaker even stated that he wanted Ebert to get a terminal illness. Unsurprisingly, Gallo’s comments didn’t help improve people’s opinions of “Brown Bunny”.
2004: “The Passion of the Christ”
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Going into 2004, it seemed like "Team America: World Police" would be the most controversial film of the year because it poked fun at sensitive topics. But Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" garnered more conversation. Although the film broke the box office with its take on the Biblical tale, not everyone was a fan. Director Mel Gibson received pushback for his depictions of the Jewish community. Critics accused the film of leaning into anti-Semitic stereotypes while telling the story of Jesus' death. To make matters more controversial, the film’s graphic violence was also seen as excessive. Gibson got so many messages that he ended up removing graphic imagery in a new cut. But the director also defended some of the violence as necessary.
2005: “Hostel”
Eli Roth made himself known as one of the new faces of horror cinema with films like “Hostel.” The first of the series takes American vacationers into Eastern Europe for a trip that goes terribly wrong. Before its release, “Hostel” had to make creative cuts just to avoid getting slapped with a NC-17 rating. During the wicked tale, the amount of suffering and physical torment that the protagonists endure left many viewers queasy. Countries like Slovakia and the Czech Republic were also upset that their countries were portrayed as savage and gritty. Despite the mixed reception, the film did well enough to garner two sequels. The original still stands as a brutal work that makes other genre pieces look tame.
2006: “Shortbus”
For some people, John Cameron Mitchell's "Shortbus" blurs the line between adult cinema and mainstream filmmaking. Mitchell details the complex sex lives of a variety of people in New York City while delving into their bedrooms with complete honesty. This led to many explicit and very real sex scenes throughout the film. While general audiences were largely accepting of the mature content, “Shortbus” was the subject of big headlines. South Korean officials didn’t permit the movie to hit movie theaters until the Supreme Court of the country overturned the decision. Meanwhile, actress and television personality Sook-Yin Lee came close to getting fired from her radio job for appearing in the movie. In the end, her career wasn’t derailed for her role in this boundary-pushing film.
2007: “Hounddog”
Starring a young Dakota Fanning, the movie "Hounddog" takes an unflinching look at dark subject matter. The lead actress plays a girl named Lewellen who lives in 1950s Alabama and whose love for Elvis helps her endure a turbulent home environment. In the film’s most harrowing scene, she’s assaulted by someone who promised to get her concert tickets. While the scene avoided showing extremely explicit content, it couldn't avoid a wave of backlash from audiences. Fanning’s young age at the time of filming led to a number of viewers questioning if the scene was too mature for her and even criticized her family for signing off on her role. Although Fanning defended her family and the filming process, the movie couldn’t overcome its negative press.
2008: “Martyrs”
"Martyrs" is a French-language film with a number of truly violent scenes that will likely ward off casual watchers. The revenge story follows a woman named Lucie who escapes from captivity and plots against her captors. Over the course of the film, she and her friend Anna spend most of their screen time witnessing pain, inflicting or harm or suffering from grievous injuries. Every wound and injury is depicted in graphic detail. When the filmmakers first tried to get it released in France, “Martyrs” received the highest rating possible in the country. It took the intervention of the country’s Minister of Culture to bring the movie’s classification down. Regardless of rating, there are definitely scenes within this film that are hard to stomach.
2009: “Antichrist”
Lars von Trier's career is full of controversial films that often defy traditional rating systems. With “Antichrist”, he looked to depict a psychological horror story that deals with a grieving couple trying to rebuild after the death of their child. As they explore their desperation and uncertainty, the wife becomes increasingly violent. The events all culminated in some frightening imagery and both main characters being subjected to incredibly gruesome bodily injuries. Imagery from the film was so controversial that “Antichrist” had trouble just releasing its poster in Britain. Across the world, the film was often given the highest ratings countries had to classify movies. Admittedly, "The Human Centipede" also grossed out audiences in 2009. (xref). But "Antichrist" is arguably the more controversial film.
2010: “A Serbian Film”
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"A Serbian Film" is not exactly a great date movie. The infamous horror flick stretches the boundaries of cinema and good taste with its story of an actor who takes part in horrific adult films. Throughout the movie, the characters get into scenarios that violate more than a few societal taboos. “A Serbian Film” faced numerous bans and bouts of censorship as it began to circulate to worldwide markets. While some authorities in Australia refused to even give the film a rating, a court in Spain attempted to charge the director with committing a crime due to an extremely uncomfortable scene. Certain critics have tried to highlight the film’s metaphors and points of symbolism. However, many viewers can’t look past the incredibly shocking content.
2011: “Green Lantern”
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"Green Lantern” brought the DC hero to the big screen in his first significant live-action film. While reaching for the stars, the comic book adventure fell flat on its face with critics and audiences alike. Many criticisms focused on issues like the over-reliance on CGI and a less-than-stellar script. Hal Jordan’s journey from pilot to superhero also features a few rough action sequences and a distracting suit design. Although this adventure was supposed to be the bright start to a connected universe of DC stories, the film’s poor reception killed that idea. Instead of being the cornerstone of the DCU, Green Lantern became a universal embarrassment for the company. Ryan Reynolds also uses the movie as a punchline in his other work.
2012: “Zero Dark Thirty”
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Kathryn Bigelow's follow-up to her Oscar-winning film "The Hurt Locker" took an intense look at the hunt for Osama bin Laden. She and her scriptwriter Mark Boal dove deep into the real and alleged tactics that led to the climactic raid. In some of these scenes, suspects were physically tormented by soldiers. Many detractors felt the film wrongly linked enhanced interrogation techniques to the search for bin Laden. The creatives were also accused of misusing classified information to promote propaganda. Ultimately, “Zero Dark Thirty” attracted awards and acclaim. But there were still plenty of lingering questions about its intent and how it represented its historical events.
2013: “Nymphomaniac”
Split into two parts, "Nymphomaniac" finds Lars von Trier in controversial waters once more. The two part narrative thoroughly describes a woman’s relationship with sex at different stages of her life. This frame opened the door for Charlotte Gainsbourg and her co-stars to appear in several explicit moments over the course of the movie. While the actors simulated the scenes, adult film actors performed the real acts. A particularly difficult to watch sequence centered on main character Joe allegedly caused people to faint. Initially, both Turkey and Romania banned the film outright for its content. The only film that came close to being as controversial that year due its graphic content and troubled production was "Blue Is the Warmest Color”.(xref)
2014: “The Interview”
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The events surrounding the release of “The Interview” are arguably more memorable than the movie itself. Since the film revolved around a reporting team sent to North Korea to assassinate Kim Jong Un, the real nation reacted poorly to the premise. Initially, Sony received threats not to release the film. But the events escalated when the company was hacked and private messages were made public. As news about the hack and other threats circulated, many US theater chains decided not to show “The Interview” at all. While “American Sniper” also stirred up controversy for its depiction of its main character and a fake baby, it didn’t cause nearly as much international turmoil. (xref).
2015: “Fifty Shades of Grey”
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The success of E.L. James’ series of erotic novels led to the release of 2015’s “Fifty Shades of Grey.” During the mature narrative, main character Anastasia Steele’s life is turned upside down when she meets the sadomasochistic businessman Christian Grey. Infamous for its steamy moments, the movie earned its R-rating in the US thanks to adult sequences between its two leads. However, “Fifty Shades” received more severe ratings in international markets. A number of countries also censored or banned the movie for its sexual content. Despite the obstacles it faced, “Fifty Shades” became a huge box office hit and paved the way for two more sequels. Audiences clearly didn’t have a problem returning for more stories about Grey and Steele’s habits.
2016: “Ghostbusters”
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After decades of dormancy, the "Ghostbusters" series received a reboot that attempted to bring the franchise to a new generation. Instead of bringing back popular icons in their original roles, the studio relied on four actresses to build an entirely new crew. Certain fans attacked the film solely for casting women in the principal roles. During the lead up to the movie, the trailer was heavily disliked and stars like Leslie Jones were severely harassed online. All the negativity surrounding the film’s release didn’t help its perception by the time it finally reached theaters. After receiving lackluster reviews for the plot and humor, this Ghostbusters crew was quietly retired.
2017: “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”
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Although "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" was certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, many fans had a more rotten opinion of the work. Director Rian Johnson’s choice to take characters in new directions as they navigated shocking twists split fans. Some fans loved that once optimistic franchise icons were more jaded. On the other hand, there were others who believed that the Jedi was completely unrecognizable. The film’s narrative was full of polarizing decisions just like Luke’s characterization. When the dust settled, both critics and fans had taken sides as to whether they had witnessed a masterpiece or a franchise low. It’s a debate that will likely continue for years to come.
2018: “Green Book”
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Before winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards, "Green Book" generated controversy for its treatment of historical events. The film tells the story of a white driver named Frank Vallelonga driving a famous Black musician named Don Shirley through the American South in the 1960s. Many of the movie’s critics pointed out that a complex and layered relationship was reduced to a series of cliched scenes and conversations. Most notably, members of Shirley's family disapproved of his portrayal and felt shutout of the filming process. This didn't stop the movie from garnering several key awards and audience support. But Mahershala Ali, who played Shirley, acknowledged the criticism and offered his apologies to Shirley’s family.
2019: “Joker”
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Joaquin Phoenix won an Oscar for his transformative turn in "Joker." Before he earned that accolade, his film was shrouded in a discussion about its potential effect on audiences. Some critics thought the story would inspire violent reactions or copycat crimes. Additionally, the movie’s focus on dissatisfied people leading a violent revolution sparked even more worry. Outside of potential societal effects, director Todd Phillips was also taken to task because the plot of “Joker” heavily resembled the events of Martin Scorsese’s “King of Comedy”. None of these criticisms or concerns hindered “Joker’s” success at the box office. It soon became the highest grossing R-Rated film of all time.
2020: “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”
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Sacha Baron Cohen returned to the big screen to play an unfiltered journalist in "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm." During a whirlwind trip around America, the character teams up with his daughter to shock citizens while also commenting on society. However, not everybody was completely in on the joke. Multiple people and families spoke against the production because they felt as if Cohen and the crew had lied about the true nature of the film. But the movie’s most controversial scene involved Rudy Giuliani. During an interview with Borat’s daughter Tutar, his responses and behavior become more inappropriate. This controversial scene even sparked a negative response from then President Donald Trump. But Cohen seemed happy to get the attention of the commander-in-chief.
2021: “Music”
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For her first theatrical film as a director, Sia wanted to tell the story of a girl named Music who had autism and her sister/caretaker Zu. Before a trailer was even seen, critics were upset about the casting. Actress Maddie Ziegler was cast as Music despite not actually having autism in real life. When the film was released, the worst fears of critics were confirmed when the story stuck to portraying an autistic character in a very stereotypical manner. There were also questionable scenes where Music was restrained that drew even more backlash. None of the movie’s inventive dance sequences or cinematography could distract from the rising controversy. Ultimately, it received a 7% on Rotten Tomatoes.
2022: “Blonde”
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A Joyce Carol Oates book about Marilyn Monroe was adapted into the highly-controversial biopic “Blonde”. The Netflix project takes a fictionalized look at the actress' rise to fame and struggles with celebrity. Many critics were mixed on the film, with negative reviews feeling that the director focused too heavily on depicting Monroe as a victim. The NC-17 rating also provoked discussions due its inclusion of graphic depictions of sex and assault. While Director Andrew Dominik defended some comments made against the film, audiences were still split. The movie’s controversial content and questionable depiction of Marilyn Monroe made it one of the most divisive cinematic experiences of 2022.
