Every now and again, I find myself enjoying what I previously decided was a bad film. And I am not talking about the Killer Shark Giant Octopus craze, where it is so bad it is good. I am talking about a blockbuster film that everyone has agreed has fallen on its ass and took a couple of career’s with it. However, despite their failure, I am still finding myself enjoying them. Below I take three of these films and explain the possible reasons why they still have some form of entertainment. Post in the comments below if you agree, disagree or think of any more than could feature in a possible follow-up article.
3 – X.MEN: THE LAST STAND
Why it was bad: It took a great two first movies, not to mention an entire franchise, and killed off nearly every character in useless ways. Cyclops got killed off-screen ten minutes into the film, Mystique was robbed of her awesome powers not long after and Professor X got taken out not long after that. Also, it didn’t need to be a trilogy or an ending. It was a change of directors anyway, so the director could have just told the story he wanted and passed the torch again. Brett Ratner, the director, pretty much asked to join our game of football and punctured the ball, the second we passed to him.
It’s not just the idea that the franchise was ending. Also the Jean Grey storyline was wasted. Before Bryan Singer left, he set up a third film, where Jean Grey was resurrected as the Phoenix, a mutant who was so powerful she was out of control. It was one of the most memorable storylines in the comics and in movie format, it seemed flawless. Sadly, Singer left, before carrying out his dream and Ratner took the storyline. And Jean Grey spent the whole film sulking around Magneto, only coming into play in the last ten minutes. Wasted.
Why it is good: Simply, the finale. We’ve had some mutant action before, but here we are giving mutant war. Hugh Jackman pretty much makes the film with his usual wit and excellent acting skills. Also, while we lost a lot of characters, we gained some good ones, like Juggernaut, Calypso and Colossus. If you can look past the flaws and just enjoy the action, this film makes a fairly good movie night in.
2 – MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 2
Also Tom Cruise kept forgetting he wasn’t in a Bond film.
Why it was bad: It is so different from the original Mission Impossible. If you line up the four films, this one sticks out like a sore thumb. It moves away from the tense spy thriller format that worked so well previously and focuses more on… Tom Cruise. It turns into a martial arts film, where the American teams up with a pretty cat burglar with a British accent and beats up a South African. There are good moments, but it does feel like a step back from the great expectations the original set out for us.
Why it is good: Stop thinking of it as a Mission Impossible film and think of it as a standard John Woo action film. The fighting is good, especially the climatic brawl on the beach between Cruise and Dougray Scott. It has some big stars (Anthony Hopkins shows up as a surprise cameo) and if anything, it is a good laugh.
1 – THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK
Why it was bad: It tried to cash in on the success of the first film and turned it into nothing more than an excuse to have a T.Rex eat people. Characters were introduced for no more reason than to see them get eaten and there was painfully little characterisation. They even ruined the Raptors (the key part of the first film) by having them killed by a skinny ten year old gymnast. It failed on pretty much every front.
This is why you should never pick up hitch-hikers.
Why it is good: Nothing else comes close. Where else can we see a film about killer dinosaurs without wandering into B Movie territory? The Lost World is the closest we can get to see a fairly decent depiction of dinosaurs in action. And for that reason alone, it will get DVD sales and views. Besides, every one has those days, where they just want a quiet night in, watching a Tyrannosaurus eating the population of San Diego.
Oracle of Film 