Movies can be a very divisive visual medium. What some fans look for in a movie can be the same things that other fans loathe. One person might love action movies and not care about the plot, for instance, while another might want to watch a moving drama with little to no special effects. Some movies tread the line between good and bad so closely that they have divided audiences for years.
One recent example of this is Avatar: The Way of Water. It’s a movie filled with amazing special effects that received generally positive reviews from fans and critics. Some viewers, however, have reported having depressing thoughts after watching Avatar due to the themes of the movie, particularly the message it sends about the state of climate change in our world. Here are some other films that are deeply polarizing among audiences.
10 The Passion of the Christ
Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion of the Christ came out nearly 20 years ago. Jim Caviezel plays Jesus in this biblical retelling of Christ’s death. Caviezel plays the part well, portraying the complexities of the character with a respectful poise. Caviezel is largely regarded as one of the best actors who’ve played Jesus Christ on screen.
The film itself, however, is incredibly gory. Gibson wanted to make a movie that he believed accurately depicted the suffering that Christ went through, and audiences were divided on whether that was a good choice or not. Some believed it was a truthful and moving retelling, others thought the blood was over-the-top and unnecessary.
9 The Master
The Master is one of several divisive films directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. It came out in 2012 and is loosely based on the origins of Scientology. Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Lancaster Dodd, the leader of a new religion dubbed the Cause. Joaquin Phoenix plays a young man named Freddie Quell who is spellbound by Dodd’s teachings. Quell joins the movement and travels with Dodd to spread the message of the Cause.
Depending on who you ask, The Master is either a masterpiece of film or a complete waste of time. Some fans like it for its slow-burning tension, attention to detail, and thought-provoking dialogue, others see it as a 137-minute slog through boredom. Roger Ebert only gave The Master 2.5 out of 4 stars, writing “It has rich material, but isn’t clear what it thinks about it.”
8 The Dark Knight Rises
The Dark Knight Rises is a good superhero movie that didn’t live up to the hype of its predecessor, The Dark Knight. For that reason, it gets a ton of hate. Set eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) is forced to come out of hiding when a brute force named Bane (Tom Hardy) threatens to cause chaos in Gotham. Batman is faced with his biggest and strongest enemy yet, but with so much time passed, he’s not sure who he can trust anymore.
There was a ton of hype around The Dark Knight Rises when it was released in 2012. Rumors abound as to who the new characters truly were, and script leaks threatened to ruin the whole experience for moviegoers. In the end, viewers were split on the film’s dark tone and unsurprising plot twists. Marion Cotillard even had to defend her death scene because of the backlash.
7 Borat
Borat is a high-concept comedy that either makes you belly laugh or squirm in your seat. It revolves around a fictional character named Borat (Sacha Baron Cohen) who is a journalist from Kazakhstan sent to the United States to report back on the American way of life. Borat is purposely put in uncomfortable situations, like sitting with an etiquette coach or partying with drunk frat boys.
White Cohen is perfect at embodying the quirks of the character, his antics strike people in different ways. Some viewers love the joke, rooting for Borat despite his awkward, obnoxious, and sometimes offensive comments. Others find him repulsive and can’t bear to watch for more than five minutes. Either way, Borat is one of the best mockumentaries ever.
6 Lost in Translation
Lost in Translation stars Bill Murray as an actor named Bob Harris who is working in Tokyo on a whiskey commercial. He meets Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), a bored newlywed, at a hotel bar. Charlotte is bored and sad because her new husband is busy all the time. Bob is upset that his career has taken him overseas, and the two form a sort of comforting bond over their mutual depression.
Bob and Charlotte kill time together, jaunting through the streets of Tokyo at night and battling sleeplessness and culture shock together. It’s a cute, easy-to-watch movie for some, but for others, it’s a tale about two strangers that ultimately goes nowhere. Lost in Translation is a critically acclaimed movie, but some still wonder about what the ending really means.
5 Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
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There’s a lot to unpack when it comes to The Last Jedi. The movie is a direct sequel to Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, so there’s a good chance your opinion of The Last Jedi will be shaped by how you feel about the rebooted franchise in general. Episode VII mixed new faces with familiar ones, introducing an exciting new plot and a strong female lead character. The Last Jedi took it a step further and brought in several new characters, subplots, and directions.
The Last Jedi is either a convoluted mess or a logical step in Rey’s (Daisy Ridley) progression to becoming a Jedi master. Some believe it’s the most original Star Wars entry, others think it’s the film that veered the latest trilogy entirely off course. In any case, the debate won’t end anytime soon as The Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson is set to helm another new Star Wars trilogy in the coming years.
4 2001: A Space Odyssey
Stanley Kubrick’s magnum opus 2001: A Space Odyssey is the definition of a movie that divides audiences down the middle. As one of the first movies ever to indulge in the realm of science fiction, it’s a film that moves at a very slow pace and is deliberate in the message it’s trying to send. A group of astronauts investigates a mysterious orb, but Kubrick ties the main story to the history of mankind and what it means for the future.
Just getting through 2001: A Space Odyssey in one sitting is a feat in itself. The movie is a whopping 143 minutes long and some scenes make that runtime feel like forever. Many Kubrick fans hail it as a masterpiece, however, note that the movie’s sets, special effects, and dystopian themes were way ahead of its time.
3 Step Brothers
Will Ferrell and John C. Riley star in Step Brothers, a film about two 20-somethings that are forced to live together after their parents get married. The two men are both lazy and unemployed, and end up fighting with each other at every turn. Farrell and Riley have done several movies together and Step Brothers was considered one of the best comedies of 2008.
Your enjoyment of Step Brothers is probably dependent on whether you love or despise Will Ferrell. It’s a movie very much in the vein of his previous films, and it’s directed by his longtime collaborator Adam MacKay. Some audiences thought Step Brothers was hilarious, others found it stupid and disappointing when compared to Ferrell’s earlier movies like Old School, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.
2 Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump is a 1994 movie directed by Robert Zemeckis that stars Tom Hanks as the titular character. Forrest is a man waiting at a bus stop, telling anyone who will listen to his life story. He describes his experience in the war, meeting the President, running a long-distance marathon, and chasing the love of his life, Jenny. Hanks won the Oscar for Best Actor for his role in the movie and Forrest Gump is regarded as a critical and commercial success.
It might be a bit surprising, but there’s a large portion of the population that doesn’t like Forrest Gump. They argue that it’s too right-wing and that simplifies the complexities of life. Some people don’t like that the over-arching message of the film seems to be that if you just be a good person and listen to your Mom, life will fall into place and you’ll become a millionaire. Some viewers even question if Forrest Gump was making the whole story up.
1 The Wolf of Wall Street
The Wolf of Wall Street is a profanity-laced, drug-fuelled romp through the world of stockbrokers. Directed by Martin Scorsese, the movie focuses on Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) a young and ambitious broker who gradually moves up the ranks and starts his own firm. From the beginning, Belfort makes it clear that he’s in it for the cash, using unethical methods and crazy schemes to get money in his pocket as quickly as possible.
The movie doesn’t shy away from overindulgence. It’s fast-paced and filled with drugs, nudity, and a lot of swearing. Viewers seem to either love the frantic energy The Wolf of Wall Street brings or loathe the sense of entitlement the characters have. Despite the film’s high entertainment value, it seems like nobody in the movie is a good person, and that irks some people in the wrong way.