Well, Schmoes, as 2022 finally draws to a close, we reflect on a year unlike any other in our lifetimes. We finally got back to a pretty normal theatrical schedule from the studios, but streaming still had a lot t offer as well. If there is one thing for sure, there are always movies that are highly overrated and underrated by critics and fans alike. As the UnPopular Opinion Guy, I felt it was only fitting to issue my list of the movies I felt that the masses got wrong. Some of these may shock you, and some may just piss you off, but these are my honest-to-goodness perspective of the movies of 2022. If you disagree with any of the choices, please voice your own opinion in the comments below. After all, the only opinion that really matters is yours, and I am just here to share mine.
5. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
As much as I love Marvel Studios, I just have not been impressed by the Black Panther movies. Yes, the original film had some intriguing moments, but overall it was Chadwick Boseman who helped elevate the movie to become the hit that it was. When Boseman passed away, I was not sure if the killing of T’Challa was the right move. This sequel, which puts Shuri in the role of Black Panther, feels like an overlong elegy for Boseman rather than a movie of its own. While I liked the reinvention of Namor, the entire production felt static and barely a rehash of the original movie. The MCU is far from struggling financially, but if their films continue to be this underwhelming, they will be in trouble sooner than later.
4. X/Pearl
Ti West is a talented filmmaker who deserves the spotlight that X and Pearl have brought his way. Mia Goth is equally talented and her moment to shine is well deserved. But both West and Goth deserve kudos for their work before this pair of horror movies. Both films play with the conventions of serial killer and slasher movies and homage to countless early twentieth-century films. Both movies showcase excellent performances by Mia Goth, who more than holds her own. The problem is that outside of Goth, the rest of the story and characters are pretty thin. If this franchise plans to continue, West and Goth will have to build a stronger narrative rather than more inventive deaths to get me to buy in.
3. Barbarian
The teaser trailer for this movie hooked me. I loved the lack of any details as to what the story was about. When i finally watched the movie, it kept me glued to the screen, trying to figure out what would come next. While I am glad I went in without any prior knowledge of what was in store, it still was incredibly underwhelming. Rather than true scares, this movie relies on gore and shock value to make the viewer squirm. In a year of horror movies being lauded as revolutionary and original, this is a decent movie that got over-hyped.
2. Nope
Jordan Peele has been an absolutely brilliant filmmaker since his debut. Well deserving of the acclaim bestowed on him, Peele has given us a solid follow-up to Candyman and a very underappreciated revival of The Twilight Zone. Compared to the two films he made before this, Peele somehow allowed himself to become overindulgent. Without someone to reel him back in, Nope tries too hard to do too many things and ends up feeling all over the place. Like three different films pushed together, Nope never feels like a cohesive story but one that was written as it went along. There are elements of it I love, but more than I do not.
1. Top Gun: Maverick
To be fair, I didn’t really like the original Top Gun either. While Joseph Kosinski’s flight sequence blows Tony Scott’s film out of the water, this movie is already in danger from the replicated use of Kenny Loggins’ famous theme song. The characters here are all replicas of the original movie, just more diverse. The nostalgia factor is cranked way up, especially with Miles Teller looking like he is cosplaying as Anthony Edwards. The movie chugs along, powered entirely by Tom Cruise’s smile and the original film’s legacy, until it reaches an action-packed climax that feels like it was pulled from a completely different movie. There is a lot to like in Top Gun: Maverick, but I have never seen a film less worthy of the critical and awards acclaim this movie has gotten.
Let us know what you think of these picks in the comments below. Also, let us know your most overrated movies of the past year!
