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Some movies don't just entertain — they ignite firestorms. Join us as we count down the most controversial films to ever grace the silver screen, creating a timeline of cinematic outrage from the earliest days of film to the present! Our countdown includes "The Birth of a Nation," "A Clockwork Orange," "The Last Jedi," and more! Did any of these movies anger you? Let us know in the comments!
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00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at a chronology of some of the most controversial
00:11movies to ever grace the silver screen. For this list, we'll be running through film history from
00:16the inception of the art form to present day, creating a timeline of films that caused public
00:21outrage through the years. Captain Ng, your reputation as a dancer precedes you.
00:321915, The Birth of a Nation. Much ink has been spelled regarding The Birth of a Nation and how
00:38unbelievably racist it is. But unlike some other movies on this list, that controversy did not come
00:44later. It was there from the very beginning. Yep, even by the very conservative standards of 1915,
00:50this movie was deemed ridiculous and offensive. With historical revisionism, blackface, racist
00:56depictions of black characters, and a glorification of the KKK, there's no controversy The Birth of a
01:02Nation won't touch. There were widespread protests against the film, the NAACP tried getting it banned,
01:07and many eastern cities refused to play it in theaters. It was also blamed for perpetuating
01:12racial tensions in America, and a 2023 study proved that it contributed to racial violence.
01:211933, Ecstasy. Never heard of Ecstasy? Well, audiences in the 1930s certainly heard about it.
01:27The movie is considered a landmark in film history for its bold and controversial depiction of
01:32sexuality, being the first mainstream film to portray intercourse. The scenes are quite tame by
01:37modern standards, and if the movie was released today, absolutely no fuss would be caused. But that
01:43wasn't the case in 1933. Ecstasy was banned in several countries, and faced public pushback from
01:49notable religious groups, including the Vatican, who condemned it on moral grounds. And with the Pope
01:54personally denouncing the film, especially in the conservative public of the 1930s, it was doomed to
02:00both scandal and infamy. 1935, Triumph of the Will. This is often seen less as a genuine movie,
02:09and more as a piece of propaganda, because, well, that's exactly what it was. Triumph of the Will had the
02:15veneer of a proper movie, chronicling the Nazi Party Congress of 1934. It has genuinely great filmmaking, and
02:21it won numerous industry awards throughout Europe, but propaganda it remains. The movie was personally
02:27commissioned by Adolf Hitler, portraying the Nazi regime in a positive light, and Hitler himself as a near-divine
02:33figure. It also played a significant role in promoting Nazi ideology in its native Germany. While film
02:38historians have noted its technical mastery and innovation, it continues to draw criticism owing
02:43to its link to the fascist regime. 1946, Song of the South.
02:51Where is Bear Rabbit's power path?
02:53What? Well, now let me see. That I can't exactly say, because I ain't been keeping close track as I
03:02used to.
03:02Disney wished to create a movie based on the character Uncle Remus, and the result was the
03:07enormously controversial Song of the South. With stereotypical characters, a romantic tone, and an
03:12idealization of the Jim Crow South, the movie was, well, a little racist. The film received harsh reviews
03:18from African Americans of the time, with one critic calling it, quote, as vicious a piece of propaganda
03:23for white supremacy as Hollywood ever produced. And it only got worse from there. With its grossly
03:29outdated and harmful tropes, Song of the South has been thoroughly ignored by Disney, who have been reluctant
03:35to release the film on home media and streaming platforms.
03:38Don't you know you can't run away from trouble?
03:42Well, I'm glad there ain't gonna be no trouble.
03:44There ain't no place that far.
03:491962, Lolita.
03:52What makes you say I've stopped caring for you?
03:56Well, you haven't even kissed me yet, have you?
03:58Leave it to Stanley Kubrick to somehow find a way to film Lolita. Despite its widespread acclaim,
04:03Vladimir Nabokov's novel is enormously controversial owing to its inappropriate storyline,
04:07in which a literature professor falls for a prepubescent girl. The novel was considered unfilmable,
04:13so certain concessions were made, like slightly aging up Lolita. Kubrick also employed innuendo
04:18and suggestion in his filmmaking, as censors outright refused to put the more explicit content
04:23on film. Regardless, the general storyline and themes of the movie still faced significant
04:28scrutiny and sparked widespread outrage. While critics conceded that it was a well-made film,
04:33they widely questioned its moral character. Do you believe in God?
04:41The question is, does God believe in me?
04:461971, A Clockwork Orange.
04:49The Durango 95 purred away real horror show. A nice, warm, vibrate-y feeling all through your gutty
04:58words. Sometimes the backlash to a violent film is unreasonable, but in the case of the film,
05:03A Clockwork Orange, it's a little more understandable. Both the movie and the book
05:07on which it's based are extremely violent, and not just by 1970s standards. It's made worse by the
05:14fact that the perpetrators are teenagers, and the film often depicts their brutal actions as
05:18lighthearted and fun. It was banned in multiple countries, and even blamed for some copycat crimes,
05:24including a murder committed by a 16-year-old who claimed he was inspired by the film.
05:28Stanley Kubrick's wife reported that she and her husband had been the target of threats over the
05:33movie. As a result, it was removed from British cinemas at the director's request.
05:38You can be instrumental in changing the public's verdict.
05:46Do you understand, Alex? Do I make myself clear?
05:57They are finished, and a lovely couple they are. Aren't they? Gentlemen of the press,
06:03get ready, because you are about to witness the biggest news event of the year, live homicide.
06:09John Waters has always been interested in pushing boundaries and putting the unacceptable on celluloid.
06:14Perhaps his greatest cultural accomplishment is Pink Flamingos. The movie has an undeniable spot in film
06:20history, and is now regarded as a classic piece of abject cinema. It was also rated NC-17, quote,
06:27for a wide range of perversions in explicit detail. And yeah, that pretty much sums it up.
06:32Pink Flamingos is proud of its scatological tone, complete with the famous tagline,
06:36an exercise in poor taste. And when your movie features what this movie features,
06:41and when it ends with Devine actually eating dog feces on camera, you have certainly earned the
06:47right to call yourself that. What you are about to see is a real thing.
06:56How much is that doggy in the window?
07:03August, 1972. The last house on the left.
07:17While this is now regarded as a classic, people were just not ready for it in 1972.
07:22The extreme violence of the late 1960s, particularly the Tate murders, were still fresh in people's minds.
07:28And besides, what we see on screen is still incredibly shocking even by today's standards.
07:33The last house on the left is a revenge film, and as such, it contains many deplorable acts.
07:38It faced widespread censorship and even outright bans, with many countries finding the film too extreme and sadistic.
07:45Here's a good example. Aside from a very brief stint on home video in the early 80s,
07:49the movie's fully uncensored form was not seen in the United Kingdom until 2008.
07:54I think it's crazy. What's crazy? All that blood and violence. I thought you were supposed to be the love
07:59generation.
08:02October, 1972. Last Tango in Paris.
08:06Go get the butter.
08:08I have to hurry. I have a cap gangster waiting.
08:11Go get the butter.
08:12This was the 7th highest grossing movie of 1973, which is crazy considering its X rating.
08:18X was the 70s equivalent of NC-17, meaning no one under that age could be admitted.
08:24It was usually reserved for adult films, but Last Tango in Paris obtained it thanks to its explicit sexual content.
08:30Many were not ready for its unapologetic perversion, and it was often dismissed as mere pornography.
08:36The infamous butter scene is particularly notable, both for its on-screen visuals and the harsh treatment that actress Maria
08:42Schneider endured while filming it.
08:44And while the film passed with an X rating in America, it was outright banned in many countries around the
08:49world.
08:50You want to know what... why you don't want to know anything about me?
08:55Because you hit woman.
08:591975. Salo or the 120 Days of Sodom.
09:17Much discussion has been raised regarding the artistic merits of Salo.
09:21Is it a well-filmed piece of political and social allegory, or is it just an excuse to be edgy?
09:25Many people believe it's the latter.
09:27In the mid-1970s, the themes and explicit imagery of the movie were unprecedented in mainstream or even art cinema.
09:34Audiences were unprepared for what Pierre Paolo Pasolini was giving.
09:38And the many scenes of graphic sexual violence, humiliation, and degradation led to widespread bans.
09:43Even to this day, the level of extreme violence is shocking, and it has remained banned in several countries.
09:50Listen, you insignificant, wretched nothings.
09:52You are here solely for our pleasure.
09:54Expect none of the kindness you knew in the outside world.
09:57Like cliberti or the ridiculous idea of showing pity to others.
10:031979. Monty Python's Life of Brian.
10:07I want to have babies.
10:09You want to have babies?
10:12It's every man's right to have babies if he wants them.
10:14But you can't have babies!
10:17Don't you oppress me.
10:18This classic satire follows an ordinary man who's born next door to Jesus and later gets mistaken for the Messiah.
10:23Of course, religious comedies often inspire a lot of outrage, but the backlash to Life of Brian was extreme.
10:30Many town councils in the UK banned the film before they even saw it.
10:35Some of them didn't even have movie theaters in their jurisdictions, meaning the ban was a purely symbolic act.
10:41It was also banned in Ireland and Norway, and some religious groups called it blasphemous.
10:46For he's a jolly good fellow, for he's a jolly good fellow, for he's a jolly good fellow.
10:53And so say all of us, and so say all of...
10:57They particularly blasted the ending, arguing that it made light of Jesus' crucifixion.
11:03The controversy has continued into the 21st century, with some Christian groups criticizing others for promoting the film.
11:12February 1980, Cannibal Holocaust
11:20Keep rolling! We're gonna get an Oscar for this!
11:25With a name like Cannibal Holocaust, are you really surprised the film received backlash?
11:30Featuring some of the most outlandish violence ever seen on film, including real footage of animal death and mutilation,
11:36the movie was condemned then, and it's condemned now.
11:39In fact, it's one of the rare cases where a movie has actually led to criminal charges.
11:43Director Ruggiero Deodato and a number of others were brought up on charges of obscenity and successfully convicted,
11:49receiving a four-month suspended sentence.
11:52The movie was also seized and banned around the world, and many of these bans are still in force today.
12:00I wonder who the real cannibals are.
12:04November 1980, Heaven's Gate
12:08It's beautiful.
12:11Belongs in the museum.
12:13Do you ever wonder how movies went from small indie darlings in the 1970s to the studio-controlled blockbusters of
12:19the 80s?
12:19The answer is mostly Heaven's Gate.
12:22Michael Cimino proved a poor leader, his direction leading to massive budget overruns and countless delays.
12:28The film was ultimately savaged by critics, and grossed only $3.5 million on a ballooned budget of $44 million.
12:36Its failure contributed to the bankruptcy of its studio, United Artists, which had once been a beacon of creativity and
12:42artistic risk.
12:43It also caused studios to wrestle creative control from directors, ending the auteur era and ushering in a decade of
12:50safe, mass-appealing blockbusters that would ensure a solid return on investment.
12:54Do you remember the good, gone days?
13:04Clearer and better.
13:06Every day I get older.
13:091988, The Last Temptation of Christ
13:14Martin Scorsese has often received backlash for the degree of violence in his films.
13:18In this case, though, it was for depicting Jesus Christ getting personal with Mary Magdalene.
13:27While the movie includes a disclaimer stating that it is, quote, not based upon the Gospels, that didn't stop some
13:34Christians from getting upset.
13:36Many Christian groups protested and boycotted the movie's release, and a few theater chains caved to the pressure and refused
13:42to show the movie.
13:43Scorsese reportedly received death threats, and the film was outright banned in several countries.
13:48But the worst came on October 22, 1988, when a Paris cinema showing the film was set on fire by
13:55a group of Christian fundamentalists.
14:01Fourteen people were injured in the attack.
14:061989, Driving Miss Daisy
14:10This film starring Morgan Freeman and Jessica Tandy was a huge success in 1989,
14:15grossing nearly $150 million,
14:19and earning nine nominations at the 62nd Academy Awards.
14:23I don't need you.
14:24I don't want you.
14:26And I don't like you saying I'm rich.
14:28It also set a few Oscar records.
14:30Tandy became the oldest Best Actress winner,
14:32it's the most recent PG movie to win Best Picture,
14:35and it's one of just five Best Picture winners to have not received a Best Director nomination.
14:40Something wrong back there, Miss Daisy?
14:42No.
14:44Something I done?
14:45No.
14:48Yes.
14:49Perhaps that speaks to the controversy of its win.
14:52Many people believe that Driving Miss Daisy was undeserving of Best Picture,
14:56including the members of the Academy.
14:58When The Hollywood Reporter polled members in 2015,
15:02many admitted that the award should have gone to my left foot instead.
15:081993, Super Mario Brothers
15:30The fact that a Mario movie made less than $40 million in 1993 is just astounding.
15:35The franchise was at the absolute tip-top of its cultural relevance,
15:39and the movie should have been such a home run that the ball went out of the stadium and into
15:43the parking lot.
15:44Instead, we got Super Mario Brothers, which has been widely lambasted ever since.
15:49The four principal actors have all openly regretted their involvement in the film,
15:54and many people have questioned the bizarre creative choices that were made throughout production.
15:58The weirdly dark tone, the dystopian city, the nasty slime?
16:02It's a fever dream of nonsense, and absolutely not what fans were expecting.
16:151995, Kids
16:19This Larry Clark-directed coming-of-age drama was originally given the rare NC-17 rating owing to its explicit
16:26content.
16:26The first time is always whack.
16:28Just be glad you're losing your virginity in the backseat of a rental car.
16:31Shot in a quasi-documentary format, Kids received immediate criticism owing to its graphic nature,
16:38with some even calling it exploitative and bordering on illegal.
16:42Not only was the content itself controversial,
16:44but many of the main characters were deemed abhorrent and unlikable.
16:55One scene, which we will not show, continues to draw immense criticism,
17:00both for its horrific content and for the unflinching manner in which it's filmed.
17:05Very few people saw any artistic merit within the film,
17:09instead calling it provocation for provocation's sake.
17:141996, The English Patient
17:18The story of The English Patient is obviously beloved.
17:22The movie received 12 Oscar nominations,
17:24and the novel it's based on took home both the Booker Prize and the Governor General's Award.
17:30However, both received a fair amount of criticism and debate regarding the ethics of rewriting history.
17:36Read to me, will you?
17:44Read me to sleep.
17:45The titular patient is based on Laszlo Almachy,
17:49a man who helped the Axis powers during World War II.
17:52Almachy died of dysentery in 1951,
17:55whereas in the movie, he is given a fatal overdose of morphine after a fiery plane crash.
18:00The movie has also received backlash for Fargo being snubbed at the Oscars,
18:04and was famously mocked on an episode of Seinfeld.
18:08Did you just see The English Patient?
18:11Didn't you love it?
18:12No.
18:13How could you not love that movie?
18:15How about it sucked?
18:19June 1997, Batman and Robin
18:24What killed the dinosaurs?
18:27The Ice Age!
18:28The Batman franchise was already on thin ice thanks to Batman Forever.
18:32Val Kilmer was a controversial choice for the Caped Crusader,
18:35and the movie ignored Tim Burton's dark style in favor of bright colors and a comedic tone.
18:40Audiences in 1995 did not know how good they had it.
18:44Fast forward two years to Batman and Robin,
18:47which was so bad it effectively killed the franchise for nearly a decade.
18:51It's not only considered the worst Batman film,
18:54but one of the worst films of all time, period.
18:57End of story.
18:58There is very little to like here,
19:00and it features what could be one of the worst screenplays in the history of the art form.
19:05I want a car.
19:08Chicks dig their car.
19:10This is why Superman works alone.
19:14December 1997, Titanic
19:18It's possible for a movie to become too successful.
19:21Titanic being an evident example.
19:23He envisioned a steamer, so grand and scale and so luxurious in its appointments,
19:28that its supremacy would never be challenged.
19:30And here she is.
19:32The film broke all kinds of records at the box office and the Oscars,
19:36but James Cameron's unsinkable hit did not stop there.
19:39For the longest time,
19:41it was impossible to go anywhere without seeing Titanic being referenced.
19:44Once the world finally got sick of it,
19:47they really, really got sick of it.
19:49Well, it's a simple question.
19:50Do you love the guy or not?
19:54This is not a suitable conversation.
19:56Why can't you just answer the question?
19:58Be that as it may,
20:00chances are you saw Titanic in theaters multiple times.
20:03Any film that accomplishes that must have done something right.
20:091998, Shakespeare in Love
20:22If it wasn't for the Academy Awards,
20:24Shakespeare in Love would probably be viewed in a more positive light than it is today.
20:28It really is a great film,
20:30and it deserves to be remembered as a classic.
20:32It just had the unfortunate position of racing against other classics.
20:36Many thought that Gwyneth Paltrow did not deserve the Oscar for Best Actress,
20:39and that it should have gone to Cate Blanchett for Elizabeth.
20:42But perhaps the most controversial win was Best Picture,
20:45which it infamously attained over Saving Private Ryan.
20:48It was controversial then,
20:49and it's probably even more controversial now,
20:52owing to that movie's cultural legacy.
20:54That's quite a view.
20:56Yes, it is.
20:59February 2004,
21:01The Passion of the Christ
21:04Really, anything involving Jesus is bound to be controversial.
21:16While an enormous success,
21:17and obviously well-made,
21:19Mel Gibson's biblical epic was relentlessly crucified by the media.
21:23Some argued against the biblical accuracy of the film,
21:26but one of the biggest claims was that the movie was anti-Semitic.
21:30However, many of these claims were made prior to release,
21:33and many prominent movie critics praised the film,
21:36and argued against its supposed anti-Semitic themes.
21:39Others focused on the extent of the graphic violence,
21:42and compared it to a snuff film.
21:50Not only was the violence hard to watch,
21:53but some also argued that the movie missed the story's teachings
21:56by focusing solely on its brutality.
22:05Although Brokeback Mountain seemed pre-ordained
22:08to win the 78th Academy Award for Best Picture,
22:11a select group of people were rooting for Paul Haggis' ensemble drama
22:14about racial tension to pull an upset.
22:23Well, the little movie that could ultimately crash the Oscars,
22:27and its supporters immediately jumped ship.
22:31Now, when people discuss the most unworthy Best Picture winners,
22:35Crash is typically the easy answer,
22:37with many calling it traffic for dummies.
22:56If you're one of those few people that stand by the Academy's choice, though,
23:00we won't judge you.
23:06Despite strong critical praise,
23:08Juno immediately found itself the target of movements that were anti-abortion,
23:12and those that were for abortion rights.
23:15Some believed that the movie displayed strong anti-abortion themes,
23:19as Juno briefly flirts with the idea before actively deciding against it.
23:23Your baby probably has a beating heart, you know.
23:26It can feel pain.
23:29And it has fingernails.
23:30It doesn't help that Juno was released in the same year
23:33as both Waitress and Knocked Up,
23:35two comedies with similar storylines.
23:37Okay.
23:38Well, I'll meet you in my office.
23:42Okay.
23:43I'll give you a little time alone here.
23:45The movie was further blamed for a series of teenage pregnancies in Massachusetts,
23:49resulting in what was termed the Juno Effect.
23:53That ain't no etch-a-sketch.
23:55This is one doodle that can't be undid, Holmes Gillett.
23:58Finally, the movie's political background was brought up yet again in 2019,
24:03when writer Diablo Cody claimed that she wouldn't have written Juno today,
24:07owing to the, quote,
24:08hellish alternate reality that we now seem to be stuck in.
24:13May 2008, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
24:19Dr. Jones, let's just say for now that you are of interest to the Bureau.
24:23Of great interest.
24:25It had been nearly 20 years since Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
24:30People weren't really asking for another film in the first place,
24:32as the Last Crusade wrapped things up perfectly,
24:35and Harrison Ford was starting to get up there in age.
24:37So already fans were apprehensive.
24:40And then we got whatever this is.
24:42Aliens, nuking the fridge,
24:44surprisingly terrible CGI and green screen work.
24:47This was not the Indiana Jones we knew and loved.
24:50It even took home the Razzie for worst prequel remake ripoff or sequel
24:54so ferocious was the public pushback against it.
24:56And unfortunately, Dial of Destiny did nothing to resurrect the goodwill.
25:10After Stephanie Meyer's bestseller got the big screen treatment,
25:14half of the human population rejoiced,
25:17while the other half was indifferent.
25:19How old are you?
25:21How old are you?
25:2217.
25:25How long have you been 17?
25:30A while.
25:32The more attention Twilight got and the more MTV Movie Awards it won,
25:36the more annoyed people became.
25:38That annoyance quickly turned to anger that was so strong,
25:42it was as if the films in the series were the spawn of Satan.
25:48While even once die-hard fans are starting to admit
25:51that Twilight received more success than it deserves,
25:54it's also possible we've given it more hate than it deserves.
26:14How do you ruin an adaptation of a beloved manga?
26:18By making a cheap, boring movie that's totally unfaithful to the source material
26:22and casting a bunch of white people in the lead roles.
26:25Everyone hated this movie.
26:27It has a dismal 14% on Rotten Tomatoes,
26:30and Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama disliked it so much,
26:34he said he couldn't even call it Dragon Ball.
26:36The hate for this movie was so intense that years later,
26:40both the screenwriter Ben Ramsey and lead actor Justin Chatwin
26:44actually apologized for messing it up so badly.
26:46I was in the heat of battle and I thought you were someone else.
26:49Thorne, I let you hit me.
26:54December 2009. Avatar.
26:57The bigger the movie, the bigger the backlash.
27:00Between 2009 and 2019, Avatar was the highest grossing film ever.
27:06While it was briefly overtaken by Avengers Endgame,
27:10it retook the top spot in 2021 thanks to a Chinese reissue.
27:14You are on Pandora, ladies and gentlemen.
27:17Respect that fact, every second of every day.
27:22Unsurprisingly, the epic sci-fi has suffered a behemoth backlash unlike any other throughout this time,
27:28paralleling Titanic.
27:30Avatar has gone from reigning at the box office to being the most heavily criticized entity online.
27:36Bloggers and commenters alike cannot stand the notion that a movie with such simplistic themes
27:41and a cliched story made over $2 billion.
27:52Regardless, there are still plenty of pro-blue people who proudly defend the film.
28:15Some movies are made purely for shock value.
28:18A Serbian film is one of those movies.
28:20A man named Miloš is tricked into filming some kind of art project,
28:24which is really just a series of increasingly disturbing and violent acts.
28:28And that's pretty much what the movie is as well.
28:30While it's ostensibly some kind of political allegory,
28:33a Serbian film is really just a string of gratuitous scenes featuring extreme sexual violence.
28:38There's one sequence in particular that is just ridiculous
28:41and is widely regarded as one of the most shocking moments in cinema history.
28:45Needless to say, the movie's grotesque content has sparked outrage,
28:49censorship, and bans worldwide.
29:02This movie's biggest crime is that it's just terrible.
29:05The plot is nonsensical, the acting is wooden,
29:09the editing is awful,
29:10and the effects look extremely cheap despite the $150 million budget.
29:15Critics and fans alike hated it,
29:17with many calling it one of the worst movies ever made.
29:20The decision to cast white actors in two lead roles also didn't help.
29:25To make matters worse,
29:26the TV show that it's based on is universally beloved.
29:29We used to be a great society before you killed our leader.
29:33Now look at us!
29:35Aang would never do something like that.
29:37No Avatar would.
29:39And it's not fair for you all to question his honor.
29:41While the live-action movie does everything wrong,
29:44the cartoon gets everything right,
29:46with well-developed characters,
29:48strong themes,
29:49and exciting storylines.
29:50Although writer-director M. Night Shyamalan claimed to be a fan of the show,
29:54he absolutely mangled the adaptation.
29:56They want you to be their avatar-on.
30:04We all do.
30:082011.
30:09The Human Centipede 2.
30:11Full Sequence.
30:13Martin,
30:15I'm here today because your mother is very worried about you.
30:18He keeps on talking about a centipede
30:20with 12 people.
30:23What does that mean?
30:24And you thought the first Human Centipede was bad.
30:26Well,
30:27it looks like Disney next to this thing.
30:29Full Sequence takes everything that was gross and grotesque about the first movie,
30:33ramps up the depraved violence,
30:35and takes away all the artistic merit that made it somewhat bearable.
30:38The sequel was poorly made,
30:40and produced solely with the intent of going viral and shocking as many people as possible.
30:45Both its bad filmmaking and over-the-top gore earned the film substantial notoriety,
30:49with Roger Ebert famously calling it,
30:51an affront to any notion of human decency.
30:55Have you seen The Human Centipede?
30:59I was really drawn to the film because of the medical aspect of it.
31:02If you were a surgeon,
31:04you could actually perform that surgery.
31:06It's just so scary.
31:09November 2012.
31:11The Hobbit.
31:12An Unexpected Journey.
31:15Although most of us knew The Hobbit didn't need to be three movies,
31:18we were just excited to revisit Middle Earth,
31:20and went along on Bilbo's Unexpected Journey.
31:23I'm going on an adventure!
31:25At first,
31:26it was fun to see Gandalf and Gollum again.
31:28After sitting through the trilogy's following chapters, however,
31:31Peter Jackson was officially trying our patience.
31:34Because The Hobbit began as a relatively short children's novel,
31:38many believed this drawn-out adaptation had more filler than a never-ending soap opera.
31:43You turned your back.
31:45You turned away from the suffering of my people
31:48and the inferno that destroyed us!
31:51Perhaps a director's cut, or better yet, a fan cut is in order.
31:54What was also unexpected was the mixed results
31:57over the new 48 frames per second tech used,
32:00with many moviegoers finding it less than an improvement.
32:06December 2012.
32:08Zero Dark Thirty.
32:11While Catherine Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty was an impeccably made film,
32:15it also received a ton of negative feedback that has undeniably marred its legacy.
32:21The film quickly found itself caught up in the 2012 presidential election,
32:25thanks to many outspoken Republicans who accused it of supporting Obama's re-election.
32:29Some even believed that Bigelow and her team were given classified information
32:33by the Obama administration while crafting the story.
32:36I need four techs in a safe house in Ralpindi.
32:39Four techs in a safe house in Peshawar.
32:42Either send them out, or send me back to D.C. and explain to the director why you did it.
32:46Others, including the director of the CIA,
32:49fiercely and publicly criticized the movie's seeming pro-torture leanings,
32:53with some calling it both propagandistic and historically inaccurate.
32:57Finally, the families of some 9-11 victims attacked the film
33:01for including voice recordings of their deceased loved ones without consent.
33:12May 2013.
33:14Blue is the Warmest Color.
33:17This European film was warmly received by critics
33:20and won numerous industry awards.
33:23But controversy was there from day one.
33:25Director Abdelazif Keshiche received a lot of heat
33:29for the reported unfavorable working conditions,
33:31both from the crew and the lead actresses.
33:42Keshiche himself later expressed hesitation about releasing the film,
33:45believing that the negative publicity had tarnished its reputation.
33:49The movie was indeed released,
33:51but only fueled more backlash,
33:53as many people took issue with its more intimate scenes.
33:56Some thought they were too graphic,
33:58and those belonging to the LGBTQ plus community
34:01found them both unrealistic and exploitative.
34:05It requires a little bit of practice.
34:14December 2013.
34:16Nymphomaniac.
34:19Directed by the ever-provocative Lars von Trier,
34:22Nymphomaniac is about a woman named Jo
34:24regaling a stranger about her wild personal life.
34:27But if you're to understand her,
34:30I'll have to tell you the whole story.
34:34With the uncut version running a patience-testing five and a half hours,
34:38Nymphomaniac received criticism both for its indulgent runtime and explicit content.
34:43It's extremely common to react sexually in a crisis.
34:47It may be shameful to you,
34:49but in literature, there's many worse examples.
34:53In fact, the lower body parts of various adult entertainers,
34:57who acted as body doubles,
34:59were superimposed over the actors in the movie.
35:01As such, the film features incredibly graphic shots
35:05that some find highly uncomfortable to watch,
35:08and it faced some backlash regarding the unrestrained nature of the visuals.
35:12This is certainly not one to watch with your parents.
35:182014. The Interview.
35:21If the hullabaloo around the interview taught us anything,
35:25it's that people will absolutely cater to the demands of North Korea.
35:40The movie immediately drew criticism in the totalitarian country
35:44for its depiction and on-screen killing of Kim Jong-un.
35:47Even brighter than the moon
35:51It's always been inside of you
35:54You just have to let it go
36:01Sony Pictures' releasing was hacked prior to the release of the film,
36:05and the hackers, who had North Korean connections,
36:08threatened future attacks if the release went ahead as planned.
36:11Following the threats,
36:12Sony pulled the interview from wide release,
36:15a move that was fiercely criticized by critics and actors alike.
36:19Even President Obama decried the move,
36:21saying, quote,
36:22We cannot have a society in which some dictator in some place
36:25can start imposing censorship in the United States.
36:302015. Aloha.
36:34On paper, Aloha is seemingly a huge hit.
36:38It's written and directed by Cameron Crowe,
36:40and stars a slew of A-listers that would otherwise guarantee butts in seats,
36:45including Bradley Cooper, Bill Murray, and Rachel McAdams.
36:49But things did not turn out that way.
36:51The writing and directing did not work well,
36:54but most of all, it faced a significant amount of controversy for its whitewashing.
36:58The brunt of the criticism was aimed at the casting of Emma Stone,
37:01who plays a one-quarter Hawaiian, one-quarter Chinese pilot named Alison Ng.
37:06Well, sir, I will also be an invaluable addition to our joint mission.
37:11I am a quarter Hawaiian.
37:12Some argued that Stone's poor casting was intentional,
37:16including Stone herself,
37:17who stated, quote,
37:18The character was not supposed to look like her background,
37:21though she has also expressed regret.
37:24Nevertheless, it was fiercely criticized
37:26and openly mocked at the 2019 Golden Globe ceremony.
37:31It is the first studio film with an Asian-American lead
37:35since Ghost in the Shell and Aloha.
37:402016 Ghostbusters
37:43As well-intentioned as this movie may have been,
37:47Ghostbusters is just one of those movies you do not remake.
37:50It's an all-time classic,
37:52and nostalgic fans who hold it close to their hearts were not happy.
37:56Forget it, Venkman.
37:56You had your chance to cooperate,
37:59but you thought it'd be more fun to insult me.
38:00Well, now it is my turn, wise head.
38:02The all-female cast also drew a large amount of backlash,
38:06as did Leslie Jones' performance,
38:08which some perceived as a loud and stereotypical African-American character.
38:12The power of pity compels you!
38:17The trailer quickly became the most disliked on YouTube,
38:20and this only fueled more backlash.
38:23Some saw the hostile response as misogynistic,
38:26and an example of the ongoing culture war,
38:28and people involved in the movie
38:30began actively defending themselves on social media.
38:33It was just a huge mess from all directions.
38:42Scarlett Johansson is a great actress,
38:45but was Motoko Kusanagi the right role for her?
38:48We made you a new body,
38:51a synthetic shell.
38:54But your mind,
38:56your soul,
38:58your ghost,
38:59it's still in there.
39:01A lot of people did not think so.
39:03Being an adaptation of a Japanese manga,
39:05Ghost in the Shell received a lot of pre-release publicity
39:08owing to the casting of Johansson,
39:09with many people calling it an example of whitewashing.
39:12It received further backlash
39:14when it was reported that the filmmakers
39:16were going to use CGI
39:17to make Johansson appear Asian.
39:19However,
39:20many others,
39:21including the director of the anime films
39:22and the Ghost in the Shell rights holder,
39:25defended the casting,
39:26and heaped praise upon Johansson.
39:28It feels like
39:29there's always this thick fog over my memory,
39:32and I can't see through it.
39:33It was also widely reported
39:35that many Japanese natives
39:37and fans of the manga were not upset,
39:39nor that surprised with Johansson's casting.
39:43September 2017
39:45Mother
39:47Darren Aronofsky's Mother
39:49is one of the most divisive movies of the decade,
39:52and that was made readily apparent
39:54during its premiere at the Venice Film Festival
39:56when it was simultaneously applauded and booed.
40:05Some hated the film's overt religious metaphors,
40:08perhaps expecting a more straightforward home invasion story.
40:12There's people!
40:13I know, they're just laid off steam.
40:15They're painting our house.
40:16But the worst offense
40:17was the graphic violence on display.
40:20Mother was viciously criticized
40:21for its degree of violence,
40:23which includes constant mistreatment
40:25of Jennifer Lawrence's mother
40:26and a horrific event involving her newborn baby.
40:30Many people can stomach barbarity in film,
40:32but this was crossing a line.
40:36December 2017
40:38Star Wars The Last Jedi
40:42You've seen this island?
40:44Only in dreams.
40:47Who are you?
40:49The Star Wars franchise
40:50is going through a bit of a dark age,
40:52minus a few notable exceptions.
40:54And where did that start?
40:55Where did the historic,
40:57culture-shaking goodwill end
40:58in the general malaise begin?
41:00The answer is undoubtedly The Last Jedi.
41:02While the film was positively received by critics,
41:05die-hard Star Wars fans absolutely hated it.
41:08The reasons are many,
41:09including its reliance on humor,
41:11poor character arcs,
41:12and the intentional subversion of franchise tropes.
41:15Characters both old and new were done dirty,
41:17and the social media campaign against this movie
41:20is the stuff of legend.
41:21It was so bad that Disney tried course-correcting
41:24with The Rise of Skywalker,
41:25but that only made things worse.
41:27We've decoded the intel from the First Order spy,
41:29and it confirms the worst.
41:33Somehow, Palpatine returned.
41:42I've been told you have an interesting theory
41:44about the material
41:47which you claim has its own will.
41:51Find the material, Jack,
41:54and let it do the work.
41:56Lars von Trier is no stranger to stirring controversy
41:58and making provocative films,
42:00but the house that Jack built
42:01may have been one step too far.
42:03The movie is a dark exploration
42:05of a serial killer's psyche,
42:06with Matt Dillon playing the horrifying and deadly Jack.
42:09He views murder as an art form
42:11and will kill anyone he desires,
42:14even children.
42:15And yes, you see that.
42:16The killing sequences are portrayed in harrowing detail,
42:19and many critics question the movie's artistic merits,
42:22arguing instead that it was a mere indulgence
42:24in gratuitous violence.
42:26Von Trier was also widely accused of misogyny,
42:28as a significant portion of the violence
42:30is directed toward women.
42:32You know, I take it all back.
42:34What I said earlier
42:35about you looking like a serial killer?
42:37No, no, no.
42:38You don't have the disposition
42:40for that sort of thing.
42:42You're way too much of a wimp
42:44to murder anyone.
42:48September 2018, Green Book
43:05The Academy Awards are contentious
43:08at the best of times,
43:09but sometimes they get it so wrong
43:11that everyone piles on.
43:13That's the case with Green Book,
43:14which is widely regarded
43:15as one of the most undeserving
43:17Best Picture winners of all time.
43:19It's certainly not a bad film,
43:20and Mahershala Ali
43:21absolutely deserved his trophy.
43:23But Best Picture?
43:25The movie's reviews were good,
43:26but definitely not great.
43:28And it received criticism
43:29for its white savior narrative,
43:31its misguided racial themes,
43:32and its inaccurate depiction
43:34of the Shirley family.
43:35It just seemed like the Academy
43:36was making a point
43:37rather than rewarding
43:38what was actually
43:39the best movie of the year.
43:40You must be Dolores.
43:42Welcome.
43:44Bonitale.
43:47Thank you for sharing
43:48your husband with me.
43:522019, Joker
43:56Please, I love this job.
43:58I need to know why
44:00you brought a gun
44:01into a kid's hospital.
44:03It's a problem.
44:04It's part of my act now.
44:05It's hard to believe
44:07how much outrage
44:08this movie generated
44:09before it was even released.
44:10Many people thought
44:12the Joker glorified violence,
44:13and might even inspire people
44:15to commit acts of violence
44:16after seeing it.
44:17Some movie theaters
44:18brought in extra security
44:19for opening weekend,
44:21while others refused
44:22to show the film at all.
44:23Ultimately,
44:24these fears proved
44:25to be unfounded.
44:26The 2024 sequel,
44:28Joker Folie a Deux,
44:29faced a different kind
44:30of backlash.
44:30People just didn't
44:31like it very much.
44:33Reviews were mixed at best,
44:34and it massively underperformed
44:36at the box office,
44:37leaving the future
44:38of the franchise uncertain.
44:40You can do anything you want.
44:44You're a Joker.
44:522020 Cuties
44:56This is the debut
44:57of French director
44:58Maimouna Ducoré.
45:00It was not a great
45:01first impression.
45:02This morning,
45:02Netflix is under growing fire
45:04after its release
45:05of the award-winning
45:06French film,
45:07Cuties.
45:08Netflix absolutely bungled
45:09the release of this film
45:10by unveiling a controversial
45:12poster depicting
45:13scantily clad young girls.
45:14While the movie
45:15criticizes this type
45:16of hyper-sexualization
45:17in pre-teens,
45:19Netflix subscribers
45:19and organizations
45:20found the poster
45:21extremely inappropriate
45:23and demanded
45:24the cancellation
45:25of the film.
45:26Numerous American politicians
45:27publicly condemned
45:28the movie
45:29through social media
45:29and even opined
45:31that its release
45:31broke federal laws
45:33and constituted
45:34criminal behavior.
45:35But,
45:36despite the very
45:37prominent backlash,
45:38Netflix continues
45:39to defend the film
45:40and claims
45:41that it's misunderstood.
45:42My film Cuties
45:43is a mirror
45:44of today's society.
45:46A mirror
45:46sometimes difficult
45:47to look into
45:48and accept
45:49but still so true.
45:53February 2021
45:54Music
45:57Hello, music.
46:00I'll be up to fix
46:01her air conditioner
46:02in a couple of minutes.
46:03All right?
46:04Here you go.
46:05When viewers walk away
46:07from a movie
46:07wondering what the creators
46:08were thinking,
46:09you know something
46:10has gone very wrong.
46:12Aside from the fact
46:13that it's just plain bad,
46:14music was criticized
46:15in practically every corner
46:16of the internet
46:17for its portrayal of autism.
46:19Writer-director Sia
46:20chose to cast
46:21a neurotypical person,
46:22Maddie Ziegler,
46:23to play the role
46:23of a non-verbal autistic girl.
46:25The portrayal
46:26was slammed
46:27as stereotypical,
46:28exaggerated,
46:29and even dangerous.
46:30Members of the autism community
46:31called for representative casting
46:33and called out
46:34what they perceived
46:35as offensive portrayal
46:37of people with autism.
46:38Perhaps worst of all,
46:40Ziegler herself
46:41was afraid of offending
46:42autistic people
46:42with the film,
46:43but Sia tucked her
46:44into going through with it.
46:45This is one movie
46:47that really never
46:48should have been made.
46:52September 2021,
46:53Dear Evan Hansen
46:57Evan, right?
46:59Evan?
47:02That, that's your,
47:03that's your name?
47:05Yeah, it is.
47:06It is.
47:06Sorry, it's Evan.
47:07It's Evan.
47:07I'm sorry.
47:08First, let's address
47:09the elephant in the room.
47:11Ben Platt looks way too old
47:13to be playing a high schooler.
47:14He was about 27
47:15at the time of filming,
47:16and he somehow looks
47:17even older than that
47:18on screen.
47:19It doesn't help
47:20that his co-star,
47:21Caitlin Deaver,
47:22looks much younger,
47:23making their romantic scenes
47:24together a little creepy.
47:26Many critics and viewers
47:28also weren't fans
47:29of how the movie
47:29portrayed mental illness,
47:31with some calling it shallow,
47:32cringey,
47:33and even harmful.
47:34There seems to be
47:35a pattern here.
47:36If you're gonna make a movie
47:37dealing with dark themes,
47:39you need a deft touch,
47:40and some filmmakers
47:42just don't have it.
47:43You can see everything
47:44you wish you had,
47:45and it's right there,
47:47right there,
47:48right there,
47:50in front of you.
47:542022, Blonde.
47:58Every night,
48:00the differing hundreds
48:01of people love you.
48:03They want you.
48:06You belong.
48:09Just that alone
48:10is worth anything.
48:11One of the most
48:13polarizing films of 2022,
48:15this fictional account
48:16of Marilyn Monroe's life
48:18seems to dig up
48:19the deceased star
48:20just to exploit her.
48:21Her real life
48:22was filled with tragedy,
48:23but Blonde
48:24is downright brutal
48:25in its portrayal.
48:26It includes scenes
48:27of assault
48:28and other horrifying incidents
48:29that never actually happened,
48:31inviting the viewer
48:32to gawk at Monroe's suffering.
48:34Although Ana de Armas'
48:35performance
48:36was widely praised,
48:37many criticized
48:38the depiction of Monroe
48:39as dehumanizing,
48:41one-dimensional,
48:41and misogynist.
48:43There's going to be
48:43younger people
48:43that don't know
48:44anything about her
48:45and they're going to think
48:45that JFK assaulted
48:47Marilyn Monroe.
48:47It's not fair to either
48:48one of them
48:48because there's no proof
48:49that it ever happened.
48:50The other characters,
48:51including President John F. Kennedy,
48:53don't fare much better.
48:54Regardless of your opinion
48:56on the film,
48:57we can all agree
48:58that it is not
48:59an easy watch.
49:13This movie faced backlash
49:15before it was even released,
49:17thanks to the actions
49:17of its star,
49:18Ezra Miller.
49:19The Flash finished filming
49:20in late 2021.
49:22In 2022,
49:24Miller was accused
49:24of all kinds
49:25of nasty behavior,
49:26including assaulting
49:27and harassing
49:28several people
49:29and multiple thefts.
49:30They were arrested
49:31and many people
49:32speculated that they
49:33were dealing
49:33with some mental health issues.
49:35Of course,
49:36all of this affected
49:37Warner Brothers' ability
49:38to market the film
49:39and turned off
49:40a lot of people
49:40from going to see it.
49:41It confirms the alibi
49:44Mr. Allen has argued
49:47and his son,
49:48Barry,
49:49has corroborated
49:50since day one.
49:52Although it received
49:53decent reviews,
49:54especially for a DCEU film,
49:57it barely made back
49:58its massive budget
49:59at the box office.
50:022024,
50:03It Ends With Us
50:06This film was the surprise
50:08hit of the summer of 2024
50:09and was generally
50:11well-received by fans.
50:12However,
50:13it will likely
50:14be remembered more
50:15for the acrimony
50:16between stars
50:16Justin Baldoni
50:17and Blake Lively.
50:18The first inkling
50:19that something was amiss
50:20came during the press tour
50:21when many accused Lively
50:23of mis-marketing the film
50:24as a light-hearted rom-com
50:25when it actually centers
50:26around domestic violence.
50:28Hello,
50:28Blake Lively here.
50:29Colleen Hoover.
50:30And It Ends With Us
50:31is in theaters now,
50:33so grab your friends,
50:34wear your florals,
50:35and head out to see it.
50:36Behind-the-scenes stories
50:38came out about
50:38the rancorous relationship
50:39between the film stars.
50:40And it wasn't just the fact
50:42that they had differing
50:43creative visions
50:44for their shared project.
50:45Lively accused Baldoni
50:46and producer Jamie Heath
50:47of sexual harassment
50:48and creating a toxic
50:49work environment.
50:50And Baldoni accused her
50:52of defamation
50:52and hired a crisis
50:53management firm.
50:54Eventually,
50:55lawsuits were filed,
50:56but we might never know
50:58for sure the full scope
50:59of what happened
51:00on that set.
51:01Actor-director
51:01Justin Baldoni
51:02is now suing
51:03his former co-star
51:04Blake Lively
51:05and her husband,
51:06Ryan Reynolds,
51:07seeking more than
51:08$400 million
51:09in damages,
51:10accusing them
51:11of defamation
51:12and extortion.
51:13Did any of these movies
51:14anger you?
51:15Let us know in the comments.
51:16Let us know in the comments.
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