Welcome to the 2018 edition of bad takes! Some traditions are noble and entertaining, and some, like this annual feature where we poll individual writers and ask them about their subjective picks for the most overrated and underrated films of the year, are neither. This feature is the one that we call internally, the Give ‘Em Enough Rope piece and let me tell you that many make ample use of the cord and noose. Sometimes there are wildly wrong hot takes, but other times just a fundamentally misguided understanding of what constitutes an overrated or underrated film, no matter how much possible editorial guidance you can give. Past years include takes where indie movies that no one saw were overrated or conversely, some gigantic blockbuster that made billions of dollars, everyone saw and loved and somehow made it into the underrated category, because you know that was the exact kind of choice that need a little boost and support from audiences (you can read the 2016 and 2017 versions here if you like).
READ MORE: The 25 Best Films Of 2018
And look, overrated is a kind of shitty term, we get it, it’s insulting and no good comes from it (though you hope, like a few picks below that its put to good use in an alternate way), but we’ve started this damn tradition for many, many years now and well, now we just have to live with the goddamn thing. So yes, caution sign up ahead, and personally, I’m peacing out for the day, so I don’t have to feel tomatoes. Finally, to reiterate if this was tl;dr for you, these are individual picks from the writer (most of which we disavow) and in no way shape or form represent or speak for the collective identity of the site other than the fact its EIC has been able to just stick a fork in this feature already. Enjoy, be safe, apologies in advance, thanks for reading this year and sharing this year and an extra hug if you wrote in the comments civilly. xo – Rodrigo Perez
READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2019
Click here for our complete coverage of the best and worst of 2018.
Karl Schleider
Underrated: “Beginning of the year releases”
Each year many hardcore film fans countdown the days until the true “crème de la crème” titles appear for that end of the year Academy Awards sprint. Prognosticators warn that history dictates titles should be released in a certain timeframe just to be considered for an award that is supposed to cover the entire year. Luckily, “Grand Budapest Hotel” a few years back and “Get Out” last year have helped buck this trend. This year’s releases pre-May include titles such as: “Paddington 2,” “Black Panther,” “Annihilation,” “The Death of Stalin,” “Isle of Dogs,” “A Quiet Place,” and “You Were Never Really Here.” Each of those films is worthy of consideration for any award category, even Best Film of the Year. The messy side of Oscar season includes the biases expressed from many critics and moviegoers that early months of the year are a dumping ground for films that have no faith from the studio or lack true quality. Hopefully, moviegoers will continue to glean the fact that your favorite movie of the year could be released at any time, eventually resulting in the elimination of these release date biases. Until then, give every movie a shot. Sometimes you will be pleased by the treat that is “Paddington 2,” and other times you will pray for the sweet release of death after sitting through “Peter Rabbit.”
Overrated: “Oscar bait”
This year featured the typical mixture of critically beloved award nominees, fun blockbusters with loftier expectations, complete dumpster fire films, and those fringe titles that will be looked back on fondly. However, the emphasis studios have to gun for Oscars continues to take its toll. How many half-true biopics, period piece costume dramas, and historical fiction tales can we withstand? Luckily, the combination of the expanded nominees for Best Picture and the changing of the makeup of the Academy itself has started the shift to more interesting films that were not previously recognized. For example, 20 years ago a romantic historical fiction film won Best Picture in “Titanic.” Last year? A fantasy film involving a woman who has sex with a fish man. Let’s keep making it interesting, Academy.
Charles Barfield
Underrated: “The Strangers: Prey at Night”
The first ‘Strangers’ film was a surprise hit that took a straightforward home invasion premise and turned it into a pretty great horror film. So, with that in mind, many people had high expectations for ‘Prey at Night.’ However, when the sequel finally hit theaters in March, critics ravaged it (40% on Rotten Tomatoes), and the box office was fairly dismal (less than $25 million). Overall fans weren’t happy, saying it has a thin story, bad acting, and leans too much on genre tropes. But what they missed is one of the most stylish, fun, and unique horror films of 2018. Just on style points alone, ‘Prey at Night’ is a film that horror fans should embrace, as it feels like a forgotten film from the heyday of the slasher era. Music from the ‘80s is used to significant effect, the action is almost non-stop once characters have been established, and the filmmaker Johannes Roberts (“47 Meters Down”) leaned into existing genre tropes, often going against them in exciting ways.
And instead of taking the home invasion premise and doing it again, the sequel put our characters in an off-season campground (still, a genre staple), where the family is all alone against three homicidal maniacs that have no ulterior motives, confusing backstory, or surprise connections to our protagonists. These are three thoroughly deranged killers that seemingly get off on hunting their next victims. End of story. ‘Prey at Night’ also includes one of the best scenes in a horror film in all of 2018, where our killers trap a young man in a public pool. As they hunt him, they proceed to turn on the campy neon lighting (so very slasher-y) and play “Total Eclipse of the Heart” as they stalk our hero. What happens next is tense, shocking, and positively cheer-worthy, all at the same time. Look, “The Strangers: Prey at Night” isn’t as great as “Hereditary,” “Suspiria,” “A Quiet Place,” or “Halloween.” And it doesn’t aim to be. ‘Prey at Night’ is a fun, stylish, quick (85 minutes FTW) horror film that embraces what came before and gives fans something unique.
Overrated: “Bohemian Rhapsody”
I have to admit; I was absolutely flabbergasted when the crowd at my screening stood and applauded “Bohemian Rhapsody” as the credits rolled. To be fair, “Bohemian Rhapsody” isn’t the worst movie of the year, as it sits firmly in the mediocre area, and Rami Malek sure does do a lot of capital-A acting as Freddie Mercury. But for the film to go on to become a massive box office hit (sitting at an astonishing $644 million, as of this writing), a critical darling, and awards contender is mind-boggling. The only reason I can think why people would enjoy “Bohemian Rhapsody” as much as they have is that of the long (my god, are they long…) musical breaks in the film. Hell, nearly the entire Live Aid performance is included instead of a real ending. Perhaps these moments act as palate cleansers that allow people to forget the thoroughly tame, uninformative biopic of one of the most legendary icons in music? (The biggest revelation is perhaps Mercury’s real name? Snooze.) Box office alone doesn’t make a film “overrated, but check out these early accolades: 3 Critics Choice Award nominations, 2 Golden Globe Award nods (including Best Picture – Drama…yes, drama), 2 Screen Actors Guild Award noms (one for Malek, which is deserved, but also one for the entire cast, which is generous to say the least), and numerous awards recognition from no less than 10 separate regional critics associations. As I said above, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is not necessarily a terrible film. But when you have films like “Leave No Trace,” “The Rider,” “Annihilation,” “You Were Never Really Here,” “Private Life,” “Wildlife,” and probably a dozen more indie films with almost no awards recognition, you have to wonder what’s going on?
