Unpopular movie opinions

[AJBopp]

This is not the thread to judge others' opinions, just to express your own and comment in a civil way.

My own: Sean Connery is the second-worst Bond, and a strong case could be made for the very worst. His smug, uber-cool attitude was completely out of place for the character Ian Fleming created. There were times when he allowed the real Bond to show through - getting physically ill after a tarantula had crawled up his body, for instance - but those instances were increasingly rare with each appearance.

Yet his portrayal proved to be the model for every actor that came after until Daniel Craig, who finally got it right. Timothy Dalton gave it a good try, but was unfortunately saddled with a script intended for Moore in his first outing and he never got past the second (where he did much better thanks to a script that rose to his skills, rather than limited by Moore's).

[DrNewGod]

Citizen Kane is not the greatest American film ever put to celluloid. I can't say for sure which is, nor do I say that it's bad, but it does not outshine many worthy competitors.

[Osiris-Rex]

Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman and Heath Ledger as Joker weren't good representations of their characters. Outstanding performances doesn't negate that they bore little resemblance to the characters
and really were just playing stock psychotic Hollywood villains. Was Joker even physically scarred or was he just wearing face paint? I could never figure that out. And her Catwoman was just a standard
revenge fantasy. I don't think she ever even stole anything.

[AJBopp]

Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman and Heath Ledger as Joker weren't good representations of their characters. Outstanding performances doesn't negate that they bore little resemblance to the characters
and really were just playing stock psychotic Hollywood villains. Was Joker even physically scarred or was he just wearing face paint? I could never figure that out. And her Catwoman was just a standard
revenge fantasy. I don't think she ever even stole anything.

I was never impressed with Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman. I thought Ledger brought a lot more than stock psychotic to his role though. He did have scars, but the coloring of them was paint.

[Osiris-Rex]

I was never impressed with Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman. I thought Ledger brought a lot more than stock psychotic to his role though. He did have scars, but the coloring of them was paint.

It's just I have seen characters with the motivations of Ledger's Joker in countless other movies such as the James Bond and Die Hard movies. Cesar Romero brought the zaniness, which Nicholson copied, of Joker
as well as his murderous tendencies. But that is my opinion, unpopular as it may be.

[AJBopp]

Speaking of Nicholson, I don't know if this is unpopular or not, but my opinion is that he is directly responsible for the birth of the successful superhero movie genre. Despite all the advances in CGI that make the superhero effects possible, I don't think they would be successful if there weren't A-list actors in them. Nicholson as Joker gave permission for talented actors to do the genre.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

Prince of Persia was the first good video game movie in a decade.

[Styles]

MOS is the best Superman movie. A sci fi drama about an alien dealing with humanity’s reaction to his existence.

[GozertheGozarian]

Every live action Batman movie since '89 has been bad to garbage.

[Powerboy]

This is not the thread to judge others' opinions, just to express your own and comment in a civil way.

My own: Sean Connery is the second-worst Bond, and a strong case could be made for the very worst. His smug, uber-cool attitude was completely out of place for the character Ian Fleming created. There were times when he allowed the real Bond to show through - getting physically ill after a tarantula had crawled up his body, for instance - but those instances were increasingly rare with each appearance.

Yet his portrayal proved to be the model for every actor that came after until Daniel Craig, who finally got it right. Timothy Dalton gave it a good try, but was unfortunately saddled with a script intended for Moore in his first outing and he never got past the second (where he did much better thanks to a script that rose to his skills, rather than limited by Moore's).

Timothy Dalton is the James Bond that came closest to the character Ian Fleming wrote until Daniel Craig came along. The best compliment I ever heard was meant as an insult when someone said they hated Dalton's Bond because he came across as a professional assassin (unlike all the others apparently) or the woman who thought Dalton's was the worst because she thought he was the least physically attractive Bond. Ironic again because, though it's been a long time ago, I seem to remember that the Bond of the early books was described as rather unattractive looking and maybe even having a scar on his face but he had an animal magnetism and perseverance. A lot of women turned him down though.

[Powerboy]

It's just I have seen characters with the motivations of Ledger's Joker in countless other movies such as the James Bond and Die Hard movies. Cesar Romero brought the zaniness, which Nicholson copied, of Joker
as well as his murderous tendencies. But that is my opinion, unpopular as it may be.

I didn't like Nicholson's Joker in 1989 because he dominated the movie and I wanted a movie about Batman. But I watched it again a few years ago and I now think Nicholson was the best Joker. Cesar Romero gave us the comedy aspect and nothing else. Heath Ledger gave us the psychotic maniac and nothing else. Nicholson gave us both.

[Powerboy]

Just to throw in something of my own, I've been watching "Bewitched" on DVDs and I think it's one of the best comedy shows (with slight touches of poignancy at all the right moments) with one of the best casts of recurring characters ever conceived of with beautiful casting for each role (Endora, Aunt Clara, Uncle Arthur, etc.).

[Immortal Weapon]

Speaking of Nicholson, I don't know if this is unpopular or not, but my opinion is that he is directly responsible for the birth of the successful superhero movie genre. Despite all the advances in CGI that make the superhero effects possible, I don't think they would be successful if there weren't A-list actors in them. Nicholson as Joker gave permission for talented actors to do the genre.

I often see people citing Marlon Brando as Jor-El opening this particular door.

[AJBopp]

I often see people citing Marlon Brando as Jor-El opening this particular door.

Eh, I can see where that comes from, but I think Marlon's part was too small, and he refused to do it again even though there were script opportunities. If one considers the modern superhero genre to have started in 1999, Brando was 20 years ahead of the curve, and a generation is just too much of an outlier for me.

[Powerboy]

Eh, I can see where that comes from, but I think Marlon's part was too small, and he refused to do it again even though there were script opportunities. If one considers the modern superhero genre to have started in 1999, Brando was 20 years ahead of the curve, and a generation is just too much of an outlier for me.

One could as easily say the same thing about Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor. If he's willing to do it, even as farce, it's acceptable. Then you'd have to go back to people like Burgess Meredith who was an Oscar winner being willing to play the Penguin. I suppose the difference is that Brando's Jor-El was played seriously and meant to be serious.

At that point it just becomes a generational thing. I consider the modern superhero genre to have started with "Superman" in 1978 because it was the first time anyone took the concept of a superhero seriously (and much of it was serious) and produced it on a huge budget and marketed with the idea that it was for adults, not that the overwhelming majority of the audience would be children.

If by modern, you simply mean the explosion of superhero movies without letup, then 1999 or 2000 is reasonable.

Edit: But since the statement was: big name actors feeling they efefctively have permission to do the genre, yeah, Brando and Hackman. If anything, Nicholson and Keaton benefited from what happened ten years before which, in 1989, everyone remembered.