Once delegated to cinema experts, the movie review has come a long way over the past few decades. The rise of social media allows moviegoers and fans to share their opinion far and wide, blurring the line between professional critic and casual fan. The internet and social media have made it possible for everyone, regardless of expertise, to share their pop-culture opinions in a public forum in as brash a manner as they see fit. This generation of pseudo-film critics has on more than one occasion gone head-to-head with actually qualified critics. After all, it is the fans that put forth their hard-earned dollar to support the films and franchises that pique their interest.
Every once in a while, there is a movie that divides critics and audiences so fervently that they catalyze some thought-provoking yet heated debates. These divisive films cover a wide range of genres, from your standard blockbuster to an original independent film, whether debating over casting choices, honoring source material, or just plain disagreeing. Here are the 10 most divisive films in movie history.
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10 The Tree of Life
River Road Entertainment
The Tree of Life earned praise for its cinematography, and rightly so since it is manned by one of the greatest cinematographers of all time, Emmanuel Lubezki, known for his ability to capture nature in all its glory. Despite the film being beautifully captured, critics and audiences were decidedly divided on its experimental subject matter, which was dubbed profound and pretentious in equal measure by critics and audiences, respectively. Despite it being a more challenging movie for audiences, it did still walk away with the Palme d’Or at Cannes.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
9 Spring Breakers
Muse Productions
Not one to shy away from controversy, Harmony Korine (who also wrote the screenplay for the highly controversial teen film Kids) writes and directs the high-paced crime romp Spring Breakers. Spring Breakers was released to mixed reviews in March 2013, and received backlash for its highly sexualized content, with The Guardian lambasting it for reinforcing rape culture in a scathing review. The film’s supporters, however, argue just the opposite, stating the film stands against obvious double standards, and the women characters featured are empowered to make their own decisions. IndieWire, in fact, named Spring Breakers one of the top 50 movies of the 2010s.
8 The Neon Demon
Another director known for provocation is Nicolas Winding Refn, responsible for two entries in this list. The first is the 2016 fashion-horror The Neon Demon, starring Elle Fanning. After the film premiered at Cannes, critic Beatrice Behn called the film an “absurd jerk-off Lolita fantasy in a slow-motion sparkly neon dress with a side order of 90s music video aesthetics.” While Robbie Collin of the Daily Telegraph gave the film five out of five stars, stating, “When the film reaches its logical endpoint, Refn just keeps pushing, and eventually lands on a sequence so jaw-dropping – almost certainly a sly, glossy-magazine refashioning of Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali’s groundbreaking surrealist short Un Chien Andalou – that all you can do is howl or cheer.”
7 Showgirls
CarolCo Productions
Heavily criticized in the 90s as one of the worst movies in history for its sexual content, nudity, and cheesy acting, Showgirls has come a long way since its 1995 release, earning a loyal fan base and cult following. Elizabeth Berkley recently paid homage to her character of Nomi in Season 2 of the Saved by The Bell revival series, stating, “The way that [Showgirls] exists today in pop culture is different, of course, than when it came out. I just wanted to acknowledge that, I’m aware of that and love how it’s been embraced and that’s a beautiful thing”.
6 Taxi Driver
Columbia Pictures
Taxi Driver follows the story of wounded Vietnam vet Travis Bickle as he battles his own internal demons. Throughout the film, Bickle becomes increasingly embittered by the violence and sleaze of New York City. After an encounter with a woman named Betsy, he becomes obsessed with her and is convinced he must make the world a better place for her. He fixates on a young teen sex worker named Iris, whom he believes he can liberate from the clutches of her pimp Matthew.
Taxi Driver was one of the most violent films ever released at the time, and Scorsese had to desaturate the film to appease the MPAA and avoid an X-rating. Even the famous playwright and jury president of the 1976 Cannes Film Festival, Tennessee Williams, strongly opposed the violence in the film. Williams told reporters, “Watching violence on the screen is a brutalizing experience for the spectator, films should not take a voluptuous pleasure in spilling blood and in lingering on terrible cruelties as though one were at a Roman circus.” Despite Williams’s criticism of the film, Taxi Driver certainly has its cinematic merits, legions of fans, and was ironically the Palme d’Or winner at Cannes in ‘76.
5 Only God Forgives
Wild Bunch
Only God Forgives by Nicolas Winding Refn also experienced polarizing reviews. Riding his success with Drive just two years earlier, audiences had high expectations for the film, which reunited the director with star Ryan Gosling. Unfortunately, the film did not live up to the hype and was even met with boos at Cannes. Despite audiences (and some critics) lambasting the film for its over-the-top graphic violence, the film did have its supporters, with several critics giving it five-star reviews.
4 David Cronenberg’s Crash
Recorded Picture Company
David Cronenberg’s Crash is based on the novel by J.G. Ballard and is undeniably one of the most controversial films of all time. The latter of which is not hard to imagine when you know the subject matter. The film follows a dissident sect of society that are sexually aroused by car accidents and the aftermath of them. After being involved in a car accident former TV executive becomes obsessed with the sexual energy produced by car crashes and tries to use that sexual energy to save his marriage. Audiences, particularly in the UK, were appalled by the marriage of sex and violence and thought the film dangerous for sexualizing car crashes and promoting reckless driving. Similar to Taxi Driver, Cannes jury president at the time, Francis Ford Coppola, strongly opposed the film’s premise and did not believe it was worthy of being nominated for the Palme d’Or.
3 The Passion of the Christ
Newmarket Films
The Passion of the Christ was certainly no stranger to controversy, and at the time of its release was one of the most divisive films of all time, which was even banned in certain countries. Various religious groups were up in arms for portraying the torturous acts Jesus was subjected to, while some consider it an honest depiction of Christ’s final days. It was also derided for anti-Semitism, which only escalated after director Mel Gibson’s infamous tirade. Regardless of what side you fall on, you can’t deny The Passion of the Christ was a box office hit. The film has inspired a sequel entitled The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection, with Gibson at the helm. The controversial film recently celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2019.
2 Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice
Warner Bros.
Zack Snyder has been the driving force behind some of the most divisive films of all time, such as The Suicide Squad and Watchmen. His most divisive film to date, however, has to be Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Critics spoke against the film’s gritty and dark tone, while fans rallied support behind the film, claiming studio interference. Snyder would eventually release his cut of the film with an additional 31 minutes of footage. In a recent interview, the divisive director discussed why people did not connect with his version of Batman and stated that he was “fine with that.”
1 Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi
Lucasfilm
And the award for the most divisive movie of the 21st Century goes to Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi. Director Rian Johnson’s sequel trilogy was so upsetting to a large portion of Star Wars fans that they have written off his trilogy altogether. The heavy criticism is due to many fans believing Johnson wasted a lot of the story setup from the previous films and changed it so dramatically, they accused the director of not respecting the preceding trilogies. Some fans, however, came to Johnson’s defense claiming Disney ruined Rian’s film. Many critics disagreed with fans on how The Last Jedi propelled the story and praised Johnson for his bold creative choices, but that was not enough to fix the rift in the Star Wars fanbase.
