The Most Overrated Films of All Time
by Marklawd91 | created - 1 month ago | updated - 1 week ago | PublicBased on critical reception, and fanbase, in which they overrate. NOT based on box office performance.
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1. Inception (2010)
PG-13 | 148 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O., but his tragic past may doom the project and his team to disaster.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elliot Page, Ken Watanabe
Votes: 2,552,073 | Gross: $292.58M
It's very ambitious. Original concept, ground breaking visuals, iconic score and a genius plot idea of planting an idea in someone's mind with a great ending. However, the ambitious screenplay is also the film's downfall because a massive screenplay like this requires A LOT of exposition. That's the problem, EVERY SCENE is just an exposition-dump, which leaves NO room for any kind of personality, character arks, chemistry or character development. Once you look past the beautiful visuals, you'll realise theres no characters and no re-watchablity.
2. The Usual Suspects (1995)
R | 106 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The sole survivor of a pier shoot-out tells the story of how a notorious criminal influenced the events that began with five criminals meeting in a seemingly random police lineup.
Director: Bryan Singer | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Stephen Baldwin
Votes: 1,145,890 | Gross: $23.34M
This is the perfect example of "a film is only as good as its twist". Remove the 2 twists at the end, would it still be viewed by many as one of the greatest films of all time? I don't think so. The film doesn't leave bread crumbs as to who soze is. I also dont buy Kevin Spacey as soze, he's creepy and looks like a serial killer yes, but soze is meant to be an unstoppable killing machine, Kevin is not that guy. Plus, at the start of the film (on the boat) he points his gun and tilts it to the side like he's a street thug. I can't take this film seriously after that.
3. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
R | 180 min | Biography, Comedy, Crime
Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stock-broker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey
Votes: 1,584,174 | Gross: $116.90M
Barely a story and no plot structure. It's just a whole lot of nothing, yet people love this film and call it one of the beat films ever made?
4. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
PG-13 | 181 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War (2018), the universe is in ruins. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers assemble once more in order to reverse Thanos' actions and restore balance to the universe.
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth
Votes: 1,266,633 | Gross: $858.37M
Ironman's death makes me roles my eyes. Thanos was reduced to *just another purple alien bad guy*. The final fight didn't have any tension even though the stakes are high (that's called bad editing and writing). The time travel theme is so lazy, as its been done hundreds of times in other films.
5. Interstellar (2014)
PG-13 | 169 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
When Earth becomes uninhabitable in the future, a farmer and ex-NASA pilot, Joseph Cooper, is tasked to pilot a spacecraft, along with a team of researchers, to find a new planet for humans.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Mackenzie Foy
Votes: 2,101,711 | Gross: $188.02M
This film is a mess (plot holes) and the ending is stupid as it ends in a paradox that makes no logical sense. It's also a rip-off of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
I enjoy the journey through space as its got gorgeous visuals, amazing soundtrack, and great performances, but it's highly flawed.
6. Halloween (1978)
R | 91 min | Horror, Thriller
Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.
Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tony Moran, Nancy Kyes
Votes: 306,902 | Gross: $47.00M
The horror in this film hasn't aged well. It's top of most lists as the scariest film ever made, yet when I watch it, I cringe and laugh. The way the stalking scenes are shot, makes the stalking itself look corny and the women's reactions to the stalking makes me laugh and cringe.
Its an ok film but it would be better if the stalking wasn't so obvious and in our faces. The film would be so much more creepy if the audience had to FIND Myers (like a 'where's wally' situation).
7. E.T. (1982)
PG | 115 min | Adventure, Family, Sci-Fi
A troubled child summons the courage to help a friendly alien escape from Earth and return to his home planet.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Peter Coyote, Dee Wallace
Votes: 437,708 | Gross: $435.11M
8. Rear Window (1954)
PG | 112 min | Mystery, Thriller
A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his Greenwich Village courtyard apartment window and, despite the skepticism of his fashion-model girlfriend, becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter
Votes: 522,277 | Gross: $36.76M
Often deemed as Hitchcock's best film. I don't see its greatness. Psycho is way more iconic, influential, groundbreaking and has the second greatest villian of all time (behind Vader).
9. Batman Begins (2005)
PG-13 | 140 min | Action, Crime, Drama
After witnessing his parents' death, Bruce learns the art of fighting to confront injustice. When he returns to Gotham as Batman, he must stop a secret society that intends to destroy the city.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Ken Watanabe, Liam Neeson
Votes: 1,579,164 | Gross: $206.85M
A slightly above average superhero flick. Nothing special about it. The fight scenes aren't good. You'd think with all that high-end training in the mountains that we'd see that style of fighting back in Gotham.
10. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
PG-13 | 148 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
With Spider-Man's identity now revealed, Peter asks Doctor Strange for help. When a spell goes wrong, dangerous foes from other worlds start to appear, forcing Peter to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man.
Director: Jon Watts | Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon
Votes: 879,730 | Gross: $804.75M
I used to love this film bc I was blinded by the euphoria of seeing the 3 spiders and iconic villians back.
When that euphoria wears off, you see the glaring problems. Without the Audience cheering at the Garfield and Toby intro scenes, you realise how silent and awkward those scenes are. The film also ruins iconic characters.
11. Black Panther (2018)
PG-13 | 134 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
T'Challa, heir to the hidden but advanced kingdom of Wakanda, must step forward to lead his people into a new future and must confront a challenger from his country's past.
Director: Ryan Coogler | Stars: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira
Votes: 837,899 | Gross: $700.06M
Its apparently one of the best marvel films. I've yet to hear anyone explain how exactly this film is more than just another average superhero flick...
12. Elf (2003)
PG | 97 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
Raised as an oversized elf, Buddy travels from the North Pole to New York City to meet his biological father, Walter Hobbs, who doesn't know he exists and is in desperate need of some Christmas spirit.
Director: Jon Favreau | Stars: Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart, Zooey Deschanel
Votes: 310,866 | Gross: $173.40M
The most overrated Christmas film of all time. The comedy is for kids, yet all my family and friends watch it every year for some reason.
13. V for Vendetta (2005)
R | 132 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
In a future British dystopian society, a shadowy freedom fighter, known only by the alias of "V", plots to overthrow the tyrannical government - with the help of a young woman.
Director: James McTeigue | Stars: Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman, Rupert Graves, Stephen Rea
Votes: 1,179,656 | Gross: $70.51M
14. The Matrix (1999)
R | 136 min | Action, Sci-Fi
When a beautiful stranger leads computer hacker Neo to a forbidding underworld, he discovers the shocking truth--the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber-intelligence.
Directors: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving
Votes: 2,054,251 | Gross: $171.48M
Slightly overrated as people think its an original concept, not realising that the matrix idea was done before it, as it copied "Ghost in the Shell". The fight scenes haven't aged well. That throat chop is so cringe. But its still in my list of favourite films. It's iconic and fun to watch.
15. Forrest Gump (1994)
PG-13 | 142 min | Drama, Romance
The history of the United States from the 1950s to the '70s unfolds from the perspective of an Alabama man with an IQ of 75, who yearns to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Sally Field
Votes: 2,258,299 | Gross: $330.25M
One of my favourite films, but anytime there's a debate about the top 10 greatest films ever, Forrest Gump is always brought up. It's amazing, one of the top 100 of all time...but it's NOT TOP 10.
16. Shin Godzilla (2016)
Not Rated | 120 min | Action, Drama, Horror
Japan is plunged into chaos upon the appearance of a giant monster.
Directors: Hideaki Anno, Shinji Higuchi | Stars: Hiroki Hasegawa, Yutaka Takenouchi, Satomi Ishihara, Ren Ôsugi
Votes: 36,377 | Gross: $1.92M
The Godzilla fanbase love this film, most put it up there with the original.
So your telling me the best Godzilla film is 90% quiet office scenes with talking heads discussing how to kill this thing?
I get that its an allegory for a tsunami and how governments go through tones of process just to make a decision on anything. That's all well and good but the government metaphors don't make for an entertaining film.
17. Stagecoach (1939)
Passed | 96 min | Adventure, Drama, Western
A group of people traveling on a stagecoach find their journey complicated by the threat of Geronimo and learn something about each other in the process.
Director: John Ford | Stars: John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Andy Devine, John Carradine
Votes: 53,790
I'm pretty sure this is the first ever action film? First ever chase scene? John Wayne's first film and is good as always, the desert chase is groundbreaking. But, the chase came too late, as everything up till that point is a borefest.
18. Shutter Island (2010)
R | 138 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule, two US marshals, are sent to an asylum on a remote island in order to investigate the disappearance of a patient, where Teddy uncovers a shocking truth about the place.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Emily Mortimer, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley
Votes: 1,457,606 | Gross: $128.01M
Again, another film that's only as good as its twist...and the twist was so obvious. I do like the famous line in the last scene though.
19. Godzilla Minus One (2023)
PG-13 | 124 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Post war Japan is at its lowest point when a new crisis emerges in the form of a giant monster, baptized in the horrific power of the atomic bomb.
Director: Takashi Yamazaki | Stars: Sakura Andô, Minami Hamabe, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Yuki Yamada
Votes: 51,706
A lot of the Godzilla fanbase think this is better than the original, the best Godzilla film ever.
The original has the important symbolisms, highly detailed set design that has the charm and still holds up. The characters are better.
Way more culturally significant and memorable.
Minus one did nothing new. It's a fun popcorn flick that copied the original. It will never be as memorable or culturally significant as the first.
20. Gravity (2013)
PG-13 | 91 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Dr Ryan Stone, an engineer on her first time on a space mission, and Matt Kowalski, an astronaut on his final expedition, have to survive in space after they are hit by debris while spacewalking.
Director: Alfonso Cuarón | Stars: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed Harris, Orto Ignatiussen
Votes: 863,410 | Gross: $274.09M
Surprised to find this film has a following and they claim it as one of the best film of the 21st century. Its mid and its plain to see.
21. North by Northwest (1959)
Approved | 136 min | Action, Adventure, Mystery
A New York City advertising executive goes on the run after being mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and falls for a woman whose loyalties he begins to doubt.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Jessie Royce Landis
Votes: 346,302 | Gross: $13.28M
22. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
R | 111 min | Action, Biography, Crime
Bored waitress Bonnie Parker falls in love with an ex-con named Clyde Barrow and together they start a violent crime spree through the country, stealing cars and robbing banks.
Director: Arthur Penn | Stars: Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Michael J. Pollard, Gene Hackman
Votes: 120,649
23. High Noon (1952)
PG | 85 min | Drama, Thriller, Western
A town Marshal, despite the disagreements of his newlywed bride and the townspeople around him, must face a gang of deadly killers alone at "high noon" when the gang leader, an outlaw he "sent up" years ago, arrives on the noon train.
Director: Fred Zinnemann | Stars: Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Thomas Mitchell, Lloyd Bridges
Votes: 110,214 | Gross: $9.45M
24. Parasite (2019)
R | 132 min | Drama, Thriller
Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly-formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.
Director: Bong Joon Ho | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-sik
Votes: 960,296 | Gross: $53.37M
Towards the bottom of my favourite films list. It's great, and well crafted...but its not as special as people make it out to be. Its not one of the top 10 of the century or one of the top 100 of all time. There are way better Korean films like 'Mother', 'Memories of Murder' and 'Oldboy' etc.
25. The Sixth Sense (1999)
PG-13 | 107 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist, starts treating a young boy, Cole, who encounters dead people and convinces him to help them. In turn, Cole helps Malcolm reconcile with his estranged wife.
Director: M. Night Shyamalan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams
Votes: 1,051,745 | Gross: $293.51M
Groundbreaking and iconic twist and unlike Usual Suspects, it actually leaves bread crumbs for you to go back and see after watching that twist. But its still only as good as its twist despite saying all that.
26. Whiplash (2014)
R | 106 min | Drama, Music
A promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential.
Director: Damien Chazelle | Stars: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Melissa Benoist, Paul Reiser
Votes: 990,204 | Gross: $13.09M
Towards the bottom of my favourite films list. Another great, well crafted film. A great message about bullying with perfect performances, but as a whole, its not as special as people make it out to be. Definitely not one of the best films ever made.
27. Tootsie (1982)
PG | 116 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Michael Dorsey, an unsuccessful actor, disguises himself as a woman in order to get a role on a trashy hospital soap.
Director: Sydney Pollack | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman
Votes: 114,707 | Gross: $177.20M
28. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
PG-13 | 103 min | Comedy
A popular high school student, admired by his peers, decides to take a day off from school and goes to extreme lengths to pull it off, to the chagrin of his Dean, who'll do anything to stop him.
Director: John Hughes | Stars: Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jeffrey Jones
Votes: 386,631 | Gross: $70.14M
29. Beetlejuice (1988)
PG | 92 min | Comedy, Fantasy
The spirits of a deceased couple are harassed by an unbearable family that has moved into their home, and hire a malicious spirit to drive them out.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Michael Keaton, Annie McEnroe
Votes: 340,293 | Gross: $73.71M
30. Frozen (I) (2013)
PG | 102 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Fearless optimist Anna teams up with rugged mountain man Kristoff and his loyal reindeer Sven in an epic journey to find Anna's sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter.
Directors: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee | Stars: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad
Votes: 664,034 | Gross: $400.74M
31. The Wild Bunch (1969)
R | 135 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
An aging group of outlaws look for one last big score as the "traditional" American West is disappearing around them.
Director: Sam Peckinpah | Stars: William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Edmond O'Brien
Votes: 90,398 | Gross: $12.06M
32. An American Werewolf in London (1981)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Horror
Two American college students on a walking tour of Britain are attacked by a werewolf that none of the locals will admit exists.
Director: John Landis | Stars: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Joe Belcher, Griffin Dunne
Votes: 120,583 | Gross: $30.57M
33. The Pianist (2002)
R | 150 min | Biography, Drama, Music
During WWII, acclaimed Polish musician Wladyslaw faces various struggles as he loses contact with his family. As the situation worsens, he hides in the ruins of Warsaw in order to survive.
Director: Roman Polanski | Stars: Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finlay, Emilia Fox
Votes: 912,779 | Gross: $32.57M
A man spends most of the film walking around an empty town, surving on any scraps he can find. Why watch this when you can watch Schindler's List?
34. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
PG-13 | 105 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
The solitary life of an artificial man - who was incompletely constructed and has scissors for hands - is upended when he is taken in by a suburban family.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael Hall
Votes: 524,031 | Gross: $56.36M
I dont see what people see in this film. I know Ed is meant to be awkward, but the performance is more awkward, in the sense that Johnny didn't play the character convincingly for me.
35. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
PG | 115 min | Action, Adventure
In 1936, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can obtain its awesome powers.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies
Votes: 1,037,159 | Gross: $248.16M
Another one of my favs. It's fun but it boarders the line on being immature and childish. It just barely stays above that line that it's still enjoyable to watch.
36. The Dark Knight (2008)
PG-13 | 152 min | Action, Crime, Drama
When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine
Votes: 2,872,059 | Gross: $534.86M
One of my top 50 favs. Very smart film about morals and hpw easy it is to make a good man go insane. It has an iconic villian and performance. I appreciate the practical effects and stunts. Extremely well written masterpiece...but like Forrest Gump, it's NOT top 10 of all time, and certainly not top 3 on IMDb!
37. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
R | 142 min | Drama
Over the course of several years, two convicts form a friendship, seeking consolation and, eventually, redemption through basic compassion.
Director: Frank Darabont | Stars: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler
Votes: 2,890,122 | Gross: $28.34M
One of my top 50 favs. One of the best inspirational stories ever told, about hope. Its a masterpiece...but not the no.1 greatest film ever made.
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