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overated SCIFI movies

Wrath of Khan. Now don't get me wrong, it's a fun movie. And it has some really great moments. It's easily the best of the Trek films. But it's not one of the best films ever made. It's not in Star Wars, Terminator 2, or Alien's league IMO.
 
2001 is a very boring movie. Some parts of it are nice, but overall, it's not the classic people make it out to be. Also I see Star Trek (2009) being mentioned, but if we went from what's on this board, I would say Star Trek: The Motion Picture was very overrated for the same reason as 2001.

Also, I assume we're only talking Scifi, but in terms of Fantasy, or any genre for that matter, Lord of the Rings is the most overrated set of movies I've ever seen.
 
I think you need to be in the right frame of mind to appreciate 2001.

what, fucked off your face on acid?

i was watching it on a sunday afternoon on Channel 4 and i seriously nearly fell asleep it was so booooooooring. and i agree, that cut from the bone to the space-station was crappily executed.

i didn't think much of Blade Runner, but i don't remember much about it to be able to call it over-rated. or maybe the fact that i don't remember much about it MAKES it over-raetd...

Alien is crap too.
 
I agree with you all about 2001 and the matrix, but I'd say matrix sequels more than the first one. I would also add Spawn and Starship Troopers
 
Query - what do the people here who disliked 2001 or found it overrated think of 2010?

I myself like both, but find the latter far more comprehensible and even enjoyable. Not many hard sci-fi adventure flicks out there, but 2010 pulls it off.

I thought 2010 was unnecessary as a sequel to 2001, which stands perfectly well on its own, but I remember it being a good, solid, quasi-realistic space adventure. Complete with zero gravity and no convenient warp drive!

At the time, it was like the first realistic space exploration film in ages, as opposed to STAR WARS style space opera.


The movie was just so-so, but I would highly recommend the book. One of Clarke's better effort as far as narrative and dialogue goes. It goes into far more depth on the relationship between the American and Russian crews and Dr. Chandra's relationship with HAL and SAL.
 
Well I appear to be one of the few people who think District 9 is an absolutely terrible film. Not even horrendously flawed, but not even good enough to be considered horrendously flawed.

I only saw it once 27 years ago, but I recall not being especially charmed by E.T. which I thought was an early example of the silly fluff Spielberg became noted for.

Jurassic Park 2 must be a bad film because even though I know I saw it I have absolutely no recollection of any scene in the film except that one where Jeff Goldblum's daughter is doing gymnastics on the pole. I know that sounds dirty, but no I didn't think the scene was hot.
 
Well I appear to be one of the few people who think District 9 is an absolutely terrible film. Not even horrendously flawed, but not even good enough to be considered horrendously flawed.

You're not because I too thought it was a bad film. Probably the worst film I saw this year.
 
I agree with you all about 2001 and the matrix, but I'd say matrix sequels more than the first one. I would also add Spawn and Starship Troopers

Firstly, I wasn't aware that ANYONE liked Spawn.

Secondly, Starship Troopers is a controversial camp classic at best. Its political satire resonates with some more than others. Most respectable critics avoid it like the plague.

Children of Men, a film that utterly failed to deliver on its intriguing premise. 20 minutes in I was enthralled, by the end I just wanted it to be over.

I didn't find it to be a particularly deep movie (at least compared to what it could have been) but I was deeply impressed with the filmmaking prowess involved in making it. All of those long, single-shot scenes are absolutely jaw-dropping in their complexity. I also appreciate the movie's ballsyness in terms of suddenly introducing and/or killing characters with no fanfare. In terms of pacing, it's the closest to real life that I think any movie can get while remaining interesting.

I can see why, with respect to today's viewers and movie aesthetics, that 2001 would be considered over-rated, at least in terms of the viewing experience. Heck, it even drew some pretty widely split reviews back in the day. However, its impact on films and sci-fi in particular stands pretty tall.
Nice FX aside, it's a well-photographed, psuedo deep mess like The Matrix. Star Trek TMP is a better film than both of them, IMO.

I agree that Star Trek: The Motion Picture, while suffering from its own pacing problems, is a far better movie than 2001. Oddly, the movies seem to have opposite themes. 2001 is about mankind's intelligence being a gift from some outside power. In Star Trek: The Motion Picture, humanity posesses the missing quality essential to the further evolution of the all-powerful outside force. I'll take a large dose of Gene Roddenberry humanism any day.
 
I think you need to be in the right frame of mind to appreciate 2001.

what, fucked off your face on acid?

i was watching it on a sunday afternoon on Channel 4 and i seriously nearly fell asleep it was so booooooooring. and i agree, that cut from the bone to the space-station was crappily executed.

.


Again, nobody should even think about watching 2001 on tv. It's meant to be seen in Cinerama. Like a concert or symphony. I've never watched 2001 on tv and never intend to.
 
The entire Matrix saga, although the first movie is more or less watchable. I also think the Star Wars saga is a touch on the overrated side, but there are aspects of the series that are certainly enjoyable.
 
Star Trek TMP better than The Matrix, don't make me laugh, I think that is some serious emotional attachment feelings going on there.

I don't think TMP is overrated anywhere except on this board, I HATE that movie. And I love Star Trek
 
Empire Strikes Back.

Now I love Star Wars, it's Sophie's Choice if I had to choose between 'Trek and 'Wars. And I think ESB is great, the best of the Saga. But, it isn't the end all and be all of space-fantasy. I think it's gives a false depth, in the mind of hardcore Star Wars fans at least, to the whole saga that the rest of the saga doesn't actually have.
 
Starship Troopers and Star Trek 2009. Yeesh! :rolleyes:

To me "overrated" implies that people consider these movies to be great works of art or scifi masterpieces.

I suspect very few fans of the new Trek (including myself) would ever think of it in THAT way. lol
I've run into quite a few people including coworkers who think these movies rocked and they can't seem to grasp why I disagree.

Children of Men.

It was alright, but I didn't think it was great.
Agreed.
 
Empire Strikes Back.

Now I love Star Wars, it's Sophie's Choice if I had to choose between 'Trek and 'Wars. And I think ESB is great, the best of the Saga. But, it isn't the end all and be all of space-fantasy. I think it's gives a false depth, in the mind of hardcore Star Wars fans at least, to the whole saga that the rest of the saga doesn't actually have.

As a long time Star Wars fan I had to think about that, but TESB is great because at 12 years old when I saw it for the first time in theater, and Vader told Luke he was his father, that has to be and will be the biggest cinematic surprise of all time for me, and that can never be overrated.

I guess you just had to be there in the late 70's and early 80's to really understand. An age with no spoilers and no internet.
This was all we knew before the movie came out....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6bvuhPyq8Q&feature=related

That is why Star Wars the first series and in particular the first movie can't be overrated.

I judge a movie being overrated if it was hailed as great when released, but first time viewers seeing on there nice 50" LCD and on DVD/Blu-ray think it really sucks now.
 
I don't consider cult movies like Buckaroo Banzai to be over-rated, otherwise the thread should just be "movies you hate", wouldn't it? Most people I know have never even heard of it when I bring it up, and even I don't really like it.

Count me in for 2001 as well. I appreciate it, but I don't enjoy watching it except for a few scenes.
 
I think 2001 is a masterful film and the most aesthetically sophisticated and satisfying sci-fi film ever. It's not just entertainment; it's art. If you wish to switch off your brain while watching a sci-fi movie, you can skip 2001. 2001 is the anti-Star Trek '09. It is methodical, contemplative, and circular. I love both, but to say 2001 is boring is to judge it by criteria that don't apply to it.
 
Empire Strikes Back.

Now I love Star Wars, it's Sophie's Choice if I had to choose between 'Trek and 'Wars. And I think ESB is great, the best of the Saga. But, it isn't the end all and be all of space-fantasy. I think it's gives a false depth, in the mind of hardcore Star Wars fans at least, to the whole saga that the rest of the saga doesn't actually have.

As a long time Star Wars fan I had to think about that, but TESB is great because at 12 years old when I saw it for the first time in theater, and Vader told Luke he was his father, that has to be and will be the biggest cinematic surprise of all time for me, and that can never be overrated.

I guess you just had to be there in the late 70's and early 80's to really understand. An age with no spoilers and no internet.
This was all we knew before the movie came out....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6bvuhPyq8Q&feature=related

That is why Star Wars the first series and in particular the first movie can't be overrated.

I judge a movie being overrated if it was hailed as great when released, but first time viewers seeing on there nice 50" LCD and on DVD/Blu-ray think it really sucks now.


I saw the ESB in the theater when it came out and even at 5 years old, remember standing online with my mother to get tickets to the town's first showing, I wasn't blown away by it, other than the Hoth battle being, and still being, cool. As I grew older and got into fandom and the whole "Star Wars has so much depth, and it's so spiritual, just look at ESB!" I was rolling my eyes and saying, "Yeah, okay"
 
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The movies I thought were good but very overrated are

ET The Extraterrestrial (It just was not that good)

Serenity (A long TV episode in the movies)

2001 (Boring)

Matrix (silly)

Empire strikes back (Worst acting of the 3)

Van Helsing (too much special effects. The movie got silly)

The grudge. (Ok let me see if I get this. If you go into the house by mistake the creature has a grudge one you, WTF. I started MST3King this movie with my friend half way though)

The Ring (Lousy ending)
 
-- Event Horizon

Seriously?

If anything, I think Event Horizon is UNDERrated. I know a lot of people hate it just because it's a Paul W.S. Anderson flick. It's actually his only film I find quite enjoyable, but I'm a sucker for movies where Sam Neill goes insane and starts killing people.

My list would include:

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
Jurassic Park III
 
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