Ridley Scott, the director behind classics like Alien and Blade Runner, has a new movie out in theaters: The Dog Stars, a post-apocalyptic thriller set in a world where most of humanity has been wiped out by a flu pandemic. It has a big budget, lots of big-name actors, and the critical consensus is that it’s a massive let-down.
If you’re a fan of Ridley Scott, the movie may still be worth seeing for its quiet worldbuilding and excellent performances, even if it’s not the director’s best work. Scott is hardly the first great director to botch an assignment, but just because a movie is bad doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it.
Hook (1991)
Steven Spielberg’s divisive take on Peter Pan
Hook is director Steven Spielberg’s take on the story of Peter Pan. It picks up years after the original, when Peter has grown up to be a workaholic lawyer (Robin Williams) who gets whisked back to Neverland to face off against Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman), who hasn’t aged a day.
When it was released, critics dinged Hook for the fake-looking sets, for the bizarre tonal shifts, and for being overlong. But it caught on with young audiences who still look back on it fondly today. The performances are a lot of fun, even if they’re over the top, and there’s an earnest joy that cuts through the contrivance. This is still a movie that kids of all ages can enjoy, even if it’s one of Steven Spielberg’s biggest critical flops.
The Ladykillers (2004)
Worth it for Tom Hanks’ accent alone
The Ladykillers is about a group of criminals led by the eccentric Professor Goldthwaite Higginson Dorr (Tom Hanks) who rent rooms from an elderly widow while they try to pull off a heist. The movie was directed by the Coen brothers, who have made classics like Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and No Country for Old Men. Critics were expecting a lot. By and large, they thought the movie lacked laughs, lacked heart, and lacked a sense of realism.
It’s true that the performances in The Ladykillers are over the top, especially Tom Hanks with his exaggerated southern drawl, but that’s also what makes this movie a fun watch. It may not be the best movie the Coen brothers ever made, but at 104 minutes, it’s an enjoyable romp tha doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Tenet (2020)
Christopher Nolan’s worst movie is still pretty interesting
From The Dark Knight to Inception to The Odyssey, everyone has a favorite Christopher Nolan movie. There’s pretty wide agreement that Tenet is among the worst of his efforts, but there’s still plenty to appreciate here.
Tenet is about an unnamed CIA operative on a mission to stop a Russian oligarch from destroying the world. To that end, he works with scientists and learns how to manipulate the flow of time, which leads to some spellbinding action set pieces.
It also leads to a lot of dialogue where the characters explain how this time manipulation works, which you may find fascinating or tedious depending on your point of view. However you feel about it, it’s clear that everyone involved in Tenet cared a lot about making it, which you can feel even if the final product is a little shaky.
Speed Racer (2008)
One man’s overdone special effects are another man’s treasure
This is another movie that, like Hook, has critics and audiences divided. Critics hated the way this live-action adaptation of the classic anime series overloads the eye with showy special effects, and how it juxtaposes silly slapstick humor with a serious plot about a young race car driver fighting against corporate corruption.
Audiences like Speed Racer for the same reason that critics hated it. It’s flashy, frantic, and imaginative, and a good example of how to adapt anime to live-action, something that Hollywood often struggles to get right.
Speed Racer was directed by the Wachowskis, who made a huge splash nine years with earlier The Matrix. Speed Racer wasn’t as warmly received, but has stood the test of time.
The Fountain (2006)
Respect the ambition
Director Darren Aronofsky has made fantastic movies like Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler, and Black Swan. The Fountain is his most ambitious project to date, a sprawling epic about a man (Hugh Jackman) who may be immortal. He carries his love for his wife (Rachel Weisz) with him through the centuries, or maybe only one of the versions of him that we see is real, and the others are projections or fictionalized accounts.
That ambiguity is part of what annoyed critics about The Fountain when it came out. The movie is difficult to digest, but the special effects are hugely imaginative, and if you’re willing to engage with the movie’s arcane story, it can be very rewarding.
Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood (2019)
Come for the history, stay for the details
One Upon a Time…in Hollywood was actually liked by both critics and audiences, so this is mostly going to be about my opinions. From Pulp Fiction to Kill Bill to Django Unchained, I’m a big fan of Quentin Tarantino, but I had trouble getting into his vision of Hollywood in the late 1960s. The movie purports to depict the 1969 murder of actress Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), but doesn’t make good on its promise. Mostly it follows a variety of reasonably entertaining characters as they hang out. I didn’t think the movie came to much.
But maybe the key to enjoying this movie is to accept it at face value. We shouldn’t expect thrills, just cool vibes. And there are plenty of perfectly observed scenes, like a bit where Sharon buys a ticket to see her own movie and is quietly overjoyed to see herself onscreen.
Piranha II: The Spawning (1982)
James Cameron’s first movie and he’s already in the water
Before The Terminator, James Cameron made Piranha II: The Spawning, a schlocky action picture he basically pretended didn’t exist for years. And while the movie can’t be called good, it is entertaining in a deeply silly sort of way. For instance, in one scene a nurse is examining a body in the morgue, only for a live piranha to leap out of the corpse and attack her throat.
Also, it’s fun to see that even at this early stage, Cameron was interested in water, long before Titanic or the Avatar movies or diving down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench by himself.
Back to The Dog Stars
If you find yourself enjoying the overall idea of a movie but don’t think it’s executed well, you can always turn to the book. The Dog Stars is getting dogged pretty hard in the press, but it’s based on a 2012 book of the same name byPeter Heller that received universal praise. No matter who directs them, adaptations can be hit or miss, but the source material is always there.