Top 10 Movies That I Like But Everyone Else Hates

   Last week, I did the top ten movies that I hate but everyone else seems to love, so now it's time to reveal what fits the opposite description. :) These are the movies that I like but everyone else seems to hate.
   Now, something I want to clarify before we start is that I don't think any of these movies are masterpieces. I do genuinely love the number one pick, but I don't have a, "Why can't you see the genius in them?" kind of attitude to any of these movies. They are all flawed, but I still have fun watching them.
   So, with that said, these are the top ten movies that I like but everyone else seems to hate.

#10 = Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981)

Most people seem to like Omen II enough but think Omen III is by far the worst of the series, but for me it's the other way round. I can't stand Omen II. But in Omen III, I liked the idea of a final battle between the son of God and the son of the Devil; how much more epic can you get? :) And Sam Neill as the adult Damien… yeah, he's just hamming it up, but he's still a tonne of fun to watch. Even though it's not really a good movie overall, the story still keeps my interest well enough.




#9 = Cars 2 (2011)

Again, not a good movie by any means. I think it's pretty hard to deny that the Cars movies are Pixar at their absolute worst. But I'm in a minority of people who like the second one better than the first. Why? Because one thing I did like about the first movie was whenever the cars operated their own gadgets, and because the sequel brings secret agents into the picture, it takes full advantage of the chance to show off much more of that aspect, which is cool. I'll never get tired of watching Finn McMissile negotiating that oil rig at the beginning! :)


#8 = Asterix and the Big Fight (1989)

Several of the Asterix comics have been adapted into animated films, and most people seem to hate them all. I've seen a couple of them, and for the most part I agree. But Asterix and the Big Fight is one exception. I loved it as a child, so maybe this is just nostalgia talking, but I still enjoy it. The film tries to combine two of the comics into one – its namesake and Asterix and the Soothsayer – which it seems fans of the comics didn't appreciate. But I still think the story it forms out of the two of them works really well.



#7 = Judge Dredd (1995)

I haven't read any of the comics, but I understand this movie completely missed the point, just turning the scenario into a typical action blockbuster. But even for the general public, it didn't seem to go down too well, and I'm not entirely sure why. Some people, including myself, view this one as very self-aware: it knows it's a dumb action flick, and it has a tonne of fun with it. It makes fun of every over-the-top action cliché under the sun, and I can't help but laugh along with it. Still, I won't deny that the 2012 Dredd movie is far, far superior.


#6 = A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)

I know I'm not alone in thinking this is easily the best of the Nightmare on Elm Street sequels. But again, for the general public, it seems to get overlooked. It's certainly not scary, but I didn't really expect it to be. It's still a fun movie, though. It definitely plays up Freddy's witty personality more than the first two – and of course, after this, the series started to lean very heavily on comedy – but it still has a good story that respects the original. If they'd ended the series here, this really would have been a solid cap to the trilogy.



#5 = Jumanji (1995)

I wouldn't be surprised if people complain that this movie doesn't have a story; it's just a string of encounters with animals that spring from this supernatural board game. But I think that was always the whole point. If you finish the game, all the horror will stop. So it makes sense that the whole movie, from start to finish, is just playing the game – and occasionally being interrupted. :) Most of the set pieces are pretty awesome, especially the approach of the stampede. The CGI is pretty obvious, but not too distracting. Even the characters are likable enough. So I always enjoy it.

#4 = The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

Never been a huge Bond fan, to be honest. But this has always been one of my favourites – top five easily. No one else seems to agree, though: most reviews I've read call it too silly, too reliant on comedy. I would have never thought such a thing. To me, it always seemed more straightforward and less over-the-top than many other Bond movies – especially as a follow-up to the ridiculous Live and Let Die. That also extends to Roger Moore's performance: he's much more deadpan serious than he was in Live and Let Die. Plus, you can't go wrong with Christopher Lee as the villain! :)

#3 = the remake of The Hills Have Eyes (2006)

Maybe it's just because I saw this remake before the original, but I've always much preferred this later version. Being stranded in the desert with a murderous tribe after you is a pretty effective horror situation, and I think this version captures it better. I especially like how it makes the desert environment look truly arid and harsh. Because of that, it's perhaps the only horror movie where the daylight is actually scarier than the darkness! :) Plus, the makeup effects on the mutants are brilliant. And you're so engrossed in the story that you never notice the uncensored gore; it just works.


#2 = The Hole (2001)

Again, my affection for this one may simply be due to lack of experience: this was one of the first psychological thrillers I ever saw. It's about a group of friends who decide to spend a few days in a hidden bunker, but their friend who has the key never returns to let them out. So being stranded in a bunker underground, with no hope of anyone rescuing you, is a pretty scary idea, and the movie really conveys that effectively. I also like how it's told in flashback by the one survivor, so it plays out like a mystery story. It's all good stuff.


And the #1 movie that I like but everyone else seems to hate is… Snake Eyes (1998)

This is one of the most complicated mystery thrillers I've ever seen, which I guess lost a lot of people. I'll admit I was pretty confused the first time I saw it, but it was the good kind of confused that made me want to see it again to try and understand it better. And once it clicked, I was always intrigued by it. That's really all there is to say about it, because I don't want to have to get into spoilers. But as well as the story, I also really love the performances from the two leads. I'm a huge Gary Sinise fan, but Nicolas Cage really is the star here. Most people seem to think the movie's either too confusing or the second half just gets too ridiculous, but I've always loved the whole thing – enough for it to take the number one spot on this list.

   So that's the pair of lists: the movies that I hate but everyone else seems to love, and vice versa. Are there any cases where you're in either of those situations? If so, I'd love to hear what they are. :) Tell me some movies that you hate but everyone else seems to love, or vice versa. And explain why – I think that's the most important thing.
   And that's the main thing I'm trying to get across with both these lists: there's no definitive right and wrong, it's all personal opinions. If you like something that everyone else hates, go ahead and continue to like it, and the same if you hate something that everyone else loves. And if you can explain why, invite people in on your frame of mind, then you might get people to look at some movies in a different light. There are infinite ways to interpret a movie, and discussing different viewpoints is the key to understanding, so that this isn't like a war over what's good and what's crap.
   So thanks for reading. See you next time.