Top 10 Recent Movie Scenes That Caused Massive Backlash

WatchMojo

From deepfake disasters to controversial character changes, Hollywood has given us plenty to be outraged about lately! Join us as we examine the movie moments that set social media ablaze and sparked heated debates among fans and critics alike. Our countdown includes scenes from "Joker: Folie à Deux," "Snow White," and "Emilia Pérez"!

Transcript

00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down recent movie scenes that caught flack

00:08for being offensive, inappropriate, or downright awful.

00:12This is your warning for spoilers ahead.

00:30The first Joker movie turned Arthur Fleck into the iconic Batman villain.

00:36The sequel attempts Something Stranger, a love story within a courtroom drama, complete

00:41with full-scale musical numbers.

00:43Individually, these ideas align with the Joker's silly showman persona.

00:47Together they clash so badly that the movie falls apart under its own weight.

01:05The musical numbers, especially, didn't wear for audiences.

01:08They were a slog to get through, and the vocals grated viewers more than they charmed.

01:13There were also simply way too many.

01:15Just about every complaint ever levelled against musicals can be found in this movie.

01:19And worst of all, Lady Gaga's immense talent feels wasted.

01:42An unflinching look into Trump's life was always going to provoke controversy.

01:46The timing of its release, weeks before the election, made it explosive.

01:50Even Trump himself lashed out, referring to the cast and crew as, quote, human scum, and

01:55calling the film a, quote, cheap, defamatory and politically disgusting hatchet job.

02:09This was followed by threats of legal action from his campaign team.

02:12The lightning rod that likely got the film on the radar was the scene depicting violence

02:16towards his first wife, Ivana.

02:18Trump supporters alleged that no such event occurred, and Ivana's claims had since been

02:23withdrawn.

02:24Despite the uproar, the film was praised for its performances and is still accessible today.

02:28Hollywood's knack for resurrecting dead actors grows bolder every year.

02:44We saw Peter Cushing revived in 2016's Rogue One, and Pat Morita's likeness appeared in

02:49Cobra Kai.

02:50The recreations leaned into the uncanny, and Alien Romulus was no different.

02:55In the film, the crew encounter an android modelled after Ash from the original film.

03:00With actor Ian Holm having passed, Rook was largely built from CGI, which left many unsettled.

03:11The ethics of using actors' faces posthumously are still hotly debated, while others accept

03:16it if their families approve.

03:18Either way, Rook only added more fuel to the cultural arguments.

03:22The 2020s seem to finally crack the code for making video game adaptations.

03:47Both Sonic and Mario were hits on the big screen, and shows like Fallout and The Last of Us earned

03:52critical praise.

03:54Borderlands, however, fell prey to the pitfalls that have long plagued the genre.

03:58Bizarre casting choices, cheap effects, and shallow treatment of the source material.

04:06Claptrap expelling bullets pretty much sums it all up.

04:12Granted, the franchise is known for its raunchy humour, but this is really obnoxious and lazy.

04:18Casual viewers found Jack Black's performance irritating, and die-hard fans were upset that

04:22the original voice actor didn't play him.

04:24Claptrap may not be the film's worst aspect, but he represented everything wrong with it

04:29since the first trailer.

04:31The latest reboot of War of the Worlds has already been cemented as a cinematic disaster.

04:50The performances have mocked its absurd plot, bargain bin visuals, and dialogue that borders

04:55on parody.

04:56The performance that stole the spotlight, for all the wrong reasons, was Ice Cube as William

05:00Radford, a surveillance expert who spends most of the movie on a video call.

05:11His lines were delivered so poorly that it drew in people to witness the trainwreck first-hand.

05:16The film's most infamous scene, where Radford learns his son is a hacker called Disruptor,

05:20exploded into meme culture.

05:22If nothing else, the film proved that it's unforgettable.

05:38This Marilyn Monroe biopic didn't just spark debate, it ignited outrage.

05:51Rated NC-17, the film portrayed her relationships and traumas with graphic detail.

05:56Viewers and critics alike found it unbearable and exploitative, with many arguing that the

06:00filmmakers turned her pain into spectacle.

06:10The film's reliance on shock value framed Marilyn as a portrait of misery rather than

06:15a human being.

06:16Supporters of Blonde argued that it shed light on Hollywood's long history of exploiting

06:20women, yet detractors countered that it only repeated that cycle.

06:24In the end, the film left audiences divided over how far art should go in depicting such

06:29stories.

06:30If we had an entire day, we couldn't list off all the problems in The Flash.

06:47So instead, let's focus on the one almost everyone agrees is the worst.

06:52During the collapsing multiverse finale, several DC universes appear.

06:56Created by AI and deepfake technology, there are disturbing cameos of George Reeves and Christopher

07:01Reeves' Superman.

07:03We also see Helen Slater's Supergirl, Adam West's Batman and Nicolas Cage's Superman

07:07from a shelved Tim Burton movie.

07:16Apart from looking grotesque, the sequence adds nothing to the film.

07:20It's not a heartfelt homage, nor does it set up a crossover.

07:23It's hollow, uncanny and deeply unsettling.

07:27Even casual viewers recognised it for what it was, a cynical, corporate attempt at fanservice.

07:33If you ask fans what made the original Lilo and Stitch a classic, they'll almost always

07:56point to the heart of the film, the theme of family.

07:59Throughout, Lilo and Narnie desperately try to stay together, clinging to their parents'

08:03lesson of Ohana.

08:05The live-action remake tosses this aside, and audiences definitely noticed.

08:13Instead of expanding their family and evading social services, the remake has Narnie move

08:18to California, leaving Lilo in the custody of a neighbour.

08:21The change strips away the original's anti-colonial subtext, and it guts the core message.

08:26Disney reboots often draw criticism, but few outright betray the beloved themes of the original.

08:31It's not hard to see why so many hated this ending.

08:47As noted, it's not unusual for Disney's live-action remakes to spark controversy.

08:51The reboot of its first animated feature, however, drew special ire, much of which was aimed at

08:56the evil queen.

08:57As a villain who wasn't that complex to begin with, you'd think the remake might flesh her

09:02out more.

09:03Instead, she's arguably more flat and tedious than ever before.

09:13In another world, the weak writing could have been saved by an actor with charisma and decent

09:17singing.

09:18Unfortunately, Gal Gadot's gravitas and vocal presence are practically, well, non-existent.

09:24In fact, her performance was so lacking that it became instant meme material, with numerous

09:28clips of the evil queen immediately shredded by moviegoers.

09:54What was meant to be a bold crime musical instead became an instant awards season firestorm.

10:08One scene in particular drew outrage, Zoe Saldana's number about gender-affirming surgery.

10:14The moment seemed to upset just about everyone who's seen it.

10:16Rather than explaining the process with care or sensitivity, it instead devolved into awkward,

10:22spoken verse stitched together with clumsy rhymes.

10:36The result was neither informative nor entertaining, just uncomfortable.

10:40Viewers were left confused, critics piled on, and the scene quickly became a focal point

10:45of criticism.

10:47It sparked even more backlash when the film secured numerous nominations and awards.

10:51Many Spanish speakers, the LGBTQ community, moviegoers and musical theatre enthusiasts alike,

10:57believe that the film didn't deserve any of them.

11:05So, do you think any of these reactions were blown way out of proportion?

11:11Tell us your take in the comments below.

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