Misjudged Movies
For a writer, director or anyone who works on a movie, it is always good to see an audience react the right way to your movie. If someone completely gets what you are saying and that message is translated well, then your film will be a massive success. Huzzah, people understand you and your art.
However, tentative thing people, while some people, who have a head on their shoulders, can see the point of a film from a mile away; there are those who blindly and strongly misjudge a film. It’s fine if you don’t get a film. But unfortunately, the people who miss the point are the most vocal of the bunch. Here are some hilarious examples those misplaced movies;
The Hunger Games
What people said about it: “Team Peeta or Team Gale?”
Fans of the popular book series turned action packed blockbusters will agree that a lot of media outlets completely miss the points of a dystopian film that pits children to the death. While there is, briefly, a choice between two suitors, Katniss Everdeen is much more than a character who is in love. She is a determined fighter who uses a boy to survive and has to deal with that, going back into an arena of murder and fending of villainous President Snow and trying to stop or lead a rebellion. The books and consequently, the movies are not about being stuck in a love triangle. It isn’t. It is there but it is not the focus.
However, every goddam question thrown at the stars and fans is all about Katniss choosing between Peeta and Gale. It induces many eye rolls and yawns, Twilight this is not.
(500) Days of Summer
What people said about it: “I would love a boyfriend like Tom”
No, you wouldn’t. From the get go, (500) Days of Summer announces that this isn’t a love story which (spoilers) it isn’t. They don’t end up together. But it is less about the relationship and more about Tom being an obsessive person so hung up on soulmates that he doesn’t see he is destroying himself. In fact, his sister says it off the bat “just because she is into the same weirdo crap as you doesn’t make her your soul mater.” Everyone needs to hear that. No, liking a song from The Smiths does not mean you are compatible. What makes you compatible is support the differences and similarities. So many times Tom puts his own misguided views on love over Summers feelings and her reactions. He is toxic, it is all about his growth from searching past cookie cutter perfection he has searched for.
Instead, people choose to thing because he is obsessed with Summer that makes him a hopeless romantic. Please don’t put him on a pedestal, he is scarily not the prototype for boyfriends everywhere.
Lolita
What people said about it: “It’s immoral, the relationship between Humbert and Lolita.” Or “It’s romantic”
Bollocks. The 1962 version by Stanley Kubrick and later the 1996 version are neither both of these things. The point of Lolita, passed on an over sexualised book by Vladimir Nabovok is that Lo is a very manipulative young woman who seduces Humbert for her own needs. And that, yes, while it is immoral given the age difference, the point of the movie was to express how their actions and particularly Lo’s sets up the downfall. Lolita may have pissed off censors despite the fact Kubrick toned it down, because of the fact the actress was fourteen as her character, but it wasn’t misplaced sexuality. In fact, those who wanted it toned down further completely miss the point of the film. It’s there to show how persuasion and femme fatales can truly control the lusts of a man.
Making people uncomfortable is the point, getting outraged over it is like screaming that there are robots in Terminator.
The Life of Brian
What people said about it: “It’s the life of Christ, it’s blasphemous!
Perhaps the biggest mistake in movie history. And yes, it probably isn’t misconceived now. Looking back though, it looks hilarious that people were in uproar at this hilarious Monty Python film. The film is and will always be about Brian, a simple man who is coerced into being Messiah after people confuse him to be so. That is it. An ordinary bloke named Brian has an extreme events happen to him because of people blindly confusing him to be the Son of God which actually happened a lot back in the day. The funny thing about the mass hysteria when released is that people are funnily enough, confusing Brian to be the Son of God, instead of laughing about it and going “Christians back then sure are funny,” they went into a rage including a very public debate where the Python gang came up trumps.
What over movies can you think of that are wildly misjudged?
TTFN
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