"Bad" Movies I Like

I despise pompous critics.  Those miserable people who decide anything with a big budget and special effects isn’t worthy of praise.  They take it upon themselves to write scathing reviews of The Dark Knight and only have a nice word to say about films in the AFI top 100 movies (how can you enjoy 2001: A Space Odyssey?).  I understand people have differing opinions, but I don’t see how you can say The Dark Knight is “Middling as a summer blockbuster, zero as art, and more than a bit alarming as a phenomenon.”  You don't have to love the film but it's definitely not an average summer blockbuster.  Sometimes they have valid points, but more often than not I find them deliberately douchey.

I never want to become so high and mighty that I can’t enjoy anything popular so I’m starting this series of posts to remind myself of the “bad” movies (lower than a 50% on Rottentomatoes.com) that I truly enjoy.

Top Gun

Top Gun is awesome but shockingly, 51% of critics on Rottentomatoes gave the film a negative review.  Maybe it isn’t thought provoking but I think it’s the quintessential 80’s blockbuster.  From the Kenny Loggins soundtrack to the classic bromances, it’s a film that I can (and do) watch over and over again.  Top Gun also holds the distinction of being the only Hollywood movie to be featured in a Chinese News segment about their Air Force.  It's infinitely quotable ("I feel the need, the need for speed!" *enthusiastic high-five*) and crammed full of memorable scenes, my favorite of which is the classic volleyball match.

I have only played beach volleyball a few times in my life but they were all a result of that scene.  If it also gave you the urge to play, don't wear jeans, trust me!

There is a school of thought that Top Gun is about Maverick struggling to accept his homosexuality.  It's definitely possible.



Constantine

With a 46% approval (24% among top critics) Constantine didn’t receive a stamp of approval from critics.  I agree that the film is far from flawless but I think it does more right than it did wrong.  Keanu Reeves may not be the world’s greatest thespian, but there are roles that suit him and John Constantine is one such role (so is Neo).  He plays the depressed, anti-hero well.  Reeves also gets major points for giving Satan the middle finger.  Constantine also boasts an impressive supporting cast that includes Rachel Weisz as Detective Angela Dodson, a young Shia LaBeouf as Constantine’s protege, Djimon Hounsou as a former witch-doctor, and Tilda Swinton as the angel Gabriel.

Aside from the aforementioned flicking off of Satan, Constantine also has some other memorable scenes including an exorcism early in the film and a Matrix-eque rampage with a holy shotgun.  

So why did Constantine get panned?  I think there are three reasons.  Firstly, Constantine was billed as a film adaptation of the long-running Hellblazer comic book series but it really wasn’t.  In the comics John Constantine is a blonde-haired, Brit with different motivations and abilities than as portrayed in the film.   As a result, many fans of the series felt cheated and didn’t support the film.  Secondly, after a strong first third the film gets muddled and introduces too many characters and plot points for its own good, director Francis Lawrence should have streamlined the story.  Finally, Constantine is rated “R” but you get the distinct feeling that it’s trying to be a PG-13 film, something so dark should not be so tame. 

For all it's flaws Constantine is still a competent film that is roughly infinity times better than Legion, a supernatural action movie that is truly awful.