There are two ways a movie earns the dreaded “overrated” label. Either it never lives up to the hype, or it was revolutionary at the time and modern technology has since made it feel less impressive.
Screen Rant leaned all the way into that debate and released a list of the 12 most overrated movies people pretend to love. And yes, this list is guaranteed to start arguments.
Topping the list is “Avengers: Infinity War” from 2018. It was a massive cultural moment, packed theaters, and set records everywhere. But critics of the hype say it leaned too hard on shock value and cliffhangers, especially when you already knew most of those characters were coming back eventually.
Next up is “Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi”. It is beloved, iconic, and endlessly quoted, but detractors point to the Ewoks, the lighter tone, and the idea that it does not quite match the magic of “The Empire Strikes Back”.
“The Silence of the Lambs” shows up at number three, which feels almost sacrilegious. It won multiple Oscars and gave us one of the most famous villains ever, but some argue its reputation has grown so large that it overshadows the movie’s slower, more procedural moments.
“Frozen” lands at number four, likely triggering parents everywhere. There is no denying its cultural impact, but years of nonstop “Let It Go” may have dulled the magic for a lot of people.
“The Greatest Showman” follows, with critics pointing out that catchy songs sometimes distracted from storytelling.
“Avatar” sits in the middle of the list, which feels appropriate. When it came out in 2009, it was visually mind-blowing. Today, the visuals are still impressive, but the story feels more familiar than groundbreaking.
“The Shining”, “Forrest Gump”, and “Chinatown” all appear next, proving that no era of cinema is safe from reevaluation. These films are undeniably important, but modern audiences sometimes struggle to connect with them the same way earlier generations did.
“Jaws” also makes the list, which is wild considering it basically invented the summer blockbuster. Still, some viewers feel its legacy has outgrown the actual experience of watching it now.
Rounding things out are “The Notebook” and “Fight Club”, two movies that inspire very strong reactions in opposite directions. Both have passionate fan bases, but both also inspire eye rolls from people who feel the hype has gone too far.
What movie or movies would YOU add to the list?
There are a lot of modern “auteurs” who inspire extreme reactions; Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan, Emerald Fennell, Ari Aster, Robert Eggers, Greta Gerwig, and Wes Anderson, to name a few. There can be no doubt all of these artists who have “fans” who only sing their praises because they think it’s cool to do so . . . or that it’s not cool to dismiss them.
