The Human Centipede
We will not be describing the details of this film, and if you want to keep your lunch down, you’ll trust us not to look it up. If you do, be warned, it is truly gruesome. This one is brutal even for the most avid horror fans.
The Human Centipede
Rain Man
Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman star in this 1988 classic, in which Hoffman portrayed a man on the autism spectrum. Back then, he was celebrated for his performance, but as of late, the film’s portrayal has been more heavily scrutinized and some have even said the film mischaracterized autism altogether.
Rain Man
Beauty and the Beast
While a lot of people were not too pleased to hear that Disney would be releasing a live-action reboot of Beauty and the Beast, still many more took issue with the fact that Disney decided to include an openly gay character in the film. This led to a lot of people boycotting the film. On the other hand, this appeased many others that felt Disney films were not diverse enough in the past.
Beauty And The Beast
Back to the Future
When Back to the Future was released in 1985, it became an instant hit and spawned a trilogy. It helped make Michael J. Fox a household name. However, in more recent times, people began to question the awkward storyline that involves Marty and his mother. You be the judge.
Back To The Future
Star Wars: Episode I -The Phantom Menace
A lot of people found the Star Wars prequels controversial, but the fact remains that most Star Wars fans can agree on Jar Jar Binks being the worst character in the franchise. Many long time fans felt that the inclusion of the character was Disney’s attempt at making the films kid-friendly and cheapened the quality of the original films.
Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace
Suicide Squad
In 2016, director David Ayer brought us the Suicide Squad film, which he wanted to be, in his own words, a “soulful drama,” but turned out to be a disappointing crowd-pleasing comedy that didn’t really captivate fans of the comic book series it was based on. Though it did well, even Ayers criticized it and in 2021, a sequel of the film called The Suicide Squad was released.
Suicide Squad
The Deer Hunter
The Deer Hunter took on the challenge of telling the story of the Vietnam war, a heavy topic. Though the film featured many Hollywood stars including Christopher Walken, Robert DeNiro, and Meryl Streep, it was still surrounded by controversy. The film features intense torture scenes, which many have said are not accurate at all, and the Vietnam Veterans Against the War even protested against the film’s misrepresentation of the true horrors that went on.
The Deer Hunter
The Happening
The Happening is an M. Night Shyamalan film starring Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel. The film was meant to be a horror film, but many said that it was so bad that it ended up being funny instead of scary. Perhaps that was the reason that even Wahlberg spoke out and said that the film was awful.
The Happening
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Quentin Tarantino is no stranger to controversy, and this was the case with his film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as well. Although the film was a critical success, many felt that the film’s portrayal of Bruce Lee was offensive, including his daughter Shannon Lee. A lot of people felt that the film also objectified women and displayed gratuitous violence.
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Alexander
Not only was the film Alexander 3 hours long, it seemed like it was an amalgamation of many different ideas shoved together into one long film. Colin Farrell played the title character, and the far too young Angelina Jolie played his mother. There were plenty of historical inaccuracies as well. Need any other reason to see why it caused a stir?
Alexander
The Golden Compass
When lovers of Philip Pullman’s book series His Dark Materials heard that a film would be made, they were hoping that it would live up to the books. Unfortunately, it did not, and because the book’s plot was altered so dramatically, fans of the original were left disappointed.
The Golden Compass
Jupiter Ascending
Jupiter Ascending was a strange little film that had potential, seeing as it came from the Wachoski sisters who brought us The Matrix. However, it’s been called one of the worst films of all time, much to its overly complicated plot and poor acting.
Jupiter Ascending
House of Gucci
House of Gucci tells the story of Patrizia Reggiani, who was portrayed by Lady Gaga. The film decipts Reggiani’s plot for arranging the murder of her husband, Maurizio Gucci, who was played by Adam Driver. Many criticized the awful Italian accents and the Gucci family were horrified by the film.
House Of Gucci
The Danish Girl
The Danish Girl tells the story of Lili Elbe, who was one of the first people in the world to go through gender reassignment surgery. Although it was celebrated for portraying the life of a transgender person, the fact that Elbe was portrayed by Eddie Redmayne, a male actor, raised a lot of eyebrows. Redmaybne himself said that his casting “was a mistake.”
The Danish Girl
Borat
The hilarious mockumentary Borat was created by and starred Sasha Baron Cohen as the title character, a Kazakh journalist who travels to America to report on life in the U.S. There are many reasons why the film was considered controversial, from the nudity to the dark humor, which is why it resulted in so many defamation lawsuits.
Borat
Interstellar
Christopher Nolan has brought the world some of the greatest films of all time like Inception and Tenant. However, when it came to Interstellar, critics felt that it simply did not live up to its potential. Many felt that the end of the film threw the whole thing off.
Interstellar
Jennifer’s Body
Jennifer’s Body is now regarded as a highly underrated film, but at the time, audiences felt that the movie’s plot was too much. It didn’t help that at the time, Megan Fox, who played one of the lead roles, was mired in her own post-Transformers controversy as well. It is now considered to be a feminist cult classic.
Jennifer’s Body
Cloud Atlas
Cloud Atlas is based on the novel of the same name, and many viewers felt that the plot was simply too complicated and difficult to follow. Another issue that many people found with the film was the casting, as several white actors were cast for characters that were meant to be Asian, and makeup and prosthetics were used to make the white actors look more Asian.
Cloud Atlas
Memoirs of a Geisha
Memoirs of a Geisha was controversial for several reasons, namely for casting two Chinese actresses in main roles when the characters are supposed to be Japanese. Many Japanese and Chinese viewers took offense to this.
Memoirs Of A Geisha
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
While many Harry Potter fans were thrilled that the franchise would continue with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, this franchise has been plagued with controversies, namely due to the actors associated with the films. Both Ezra Miller and Johnny Depp have been involved with their own controversies while these films were released.
Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them
Star Trek: Into Darkness
This latest installment in the beloved Star Trek universe has been criticized for a particular scene. It shows Dr. Carol Marcus appearing in her underwear without any good reason. Viewers felt that this was a totally unwarranted sexualization of the character and that it was disappointing to see.
Star Trek Into Darkness
The Interview
We’re sure that when Seth Rogen and James Franco released The Interview in 2014, they had no clue what a political firestorm they were about to enter. The North Korean government were so angry about the film that they actually threatened military action against the U.S. if the film would be released. However, the film was released and the threats were not acted upon.
The Interview
The Scarlet Letter
While The Scarlet Letter has been adapted into a film on several occasions, the version starring Demi Moore was the one that was nominated for seven Golden Razzie nominations, winning Worst Remake or Sequel. This 1995 version was deemed to be unintentionally funny.
The Scarlet Letter
Sex and the City 2
While fans of Sex and the City forgave the first film adaptation for being self-indulgent, it was difficult for even the most die-hard fans to extend the courtesy to the second SATC film. Its intense obsession with extreme wealth made it quite not relatable, and even Sarah Jessica Parker admitted, “I can see where we fell short on the movie.”
Sex And The City 2
Twilight
While the Twilight series was mocked and boycotted for many reasons, one of the main issues people took with it was the glossing over and romanticization of the massive age difference between the two protagonists, which is 87 years to be precise.
Twilight
The Prom
This newest adaptation of the musical The Prom was so poorly received that not even Hollywood giants like Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman could salvage it. Not only did people hate the film, they also took issue with the fact that James Cordon, who is straight, was cast as a queer character.
The Prom
The Birds
The Birds is an Alfred Hitchcock classic horror film, yet it was surrounded by controversy due to his strained relationship with its main actress, Tippi Hendren. Reportedly, Hendren did not appreciate having to work with real birds that attacked her, and she was left completely exhausted from the experience.
The Birds
The Revenant
Leonardo DiCaprio is known to be a dedicated actor, and his method acting helps him get into roles completely. He ate a completely raw diet and slept inside of animal carcasses to prepare for his role in The Revenant, which is pretty interesting to hear as he is a vegan. At least all of this hard work earned him his first Academy Award.
The Revenant
In Fabric
This quirky horror film portrays an accursed red dress that causes its wearers a horrifying fate. The worst part is once the audience discovers what the dress is made out of. The sadistic plot line made it quite controversial upon its release.
In Fabric
Ghostbusters
The 2016 reboot of Ghostbusters was made with an all-female lead cast, and while critics were pretty pleased with it, audiences simply just did not show up to watch it. Many felt that the remake with the all-female cast was a gimmick and there was no reason to remake the original in the first place.
Ghostbusters
The Shining
The Shining is a horror classic adapted from the Stephen King novel of the same name. The Stanley Kubrick film was actually not so beloved by King, who also was angry about the poor filming conditions for the cast and crew. Shelley Duvall even said that it was “almost unbearable,” and that makes sense, considering they sometimes had to film the same scene for more than 127 times.
The Shining
Peeping Tom
Peeping Tom by director Michael Powell tells the story of the Peeping Tom named Mark Lewis, who films and stalks women until he senselessly murders them. When it was released in 1960, it was very controversial due to the violence and sexual taboos portrayed in the film and in the novel it was based on.
Peeping Tom
Avatar
While Avatar was a CGI marvel, critics were less than impressed by the actual substance of the film, and felt that the plot was truly lackluster. A lot of people felt that the film glorified colonialism and also felt that it was a copy of Pocahontas.
Avatar
The Layover
The Layover is a 2017 sex comedy featuring Kate Upton and Alexandra Daddario, but it was a total bomb, with a 18% rating average from critics. People took issue with the fact that it was a film that glorified two women fighting over a man, and it failed the Bechdel test miserably.
The Layover
The Blair Witch Project
The cast of The Blair Witch Project horror film all experienced serious trauma when they were filming it, as directors simply sent them into the woods with no warning of what was going to happen. They were then purposefully taunted and were completely terrified throughout filming.
The Blair Witch Project
Psycho
Psycho is Alfred Hitchcock’s best known film, and it stars Anthony Perkins as a disturbed hotel owner that is hiding many dark secrets. While it was a pioneer horror film, it was controversial because it contained taboo topics at the time, like an unmarried couple sharing a bed, as well as a bare bottom being shown.
Psycho
Catwoman
When Halle Berry appeared as Catwoman in the film bearing the character’s film, the film did so poorly that it threatened her entire career. Luckily she was able to recover from this tragically underperforming film, which won the 2004 Golden Raspberry for Worst Picture. She was called the “lone bright spot” in the film.
Catwoman
Blue Is the Warmest Colour
Lea Seydoux and Adele Exarchopoulos star in Blue Is the Warmest Colour, a romantic drama that actually received critical acclaim. However, since its release, the actresses and crew opened up about the terrible working conditions they went through like unpaid overtime and uncomfortable intimate scenes.
Blue Is The Warmest Colour
The Beach
Leonardo DiCaprio starred in The Beach in 2000 after he appeared in Titanic. The film caused controversy because the crew completely destroyed the beach they filmed at, located at Maya Bay, Phi Phi Islands, Thailand. A few environmental lawsuits were filed against the studio. The film also brought a lot of attention and led to over-tourism of the area, negatively impacting the local ecosystem.
The Beach
The Godfather Part III
Many have questioned Francis Ford Coppola’s inclusion of his daughter Sofia Coppola in The Godfather Part III, and her performance is regarded as poor so often, that many felt it ruined the film. Luckily for her, she is a talented filmmaker in her own right, so maybe acting just isn’t for her.
The Godfather Part III