More often than not, critics and audiences can agree at the very least on whether a movie is good or bad. On other occasions, though, no such consensus is reached, and critics pan a film despite fans falling in love with its world and characters.
From the classicDavid Bowiemusical extravaganzaLabyrinthtoJohn Carpenter’s beloved horror legendThe Thing, these are films that prove that critical acclaim is by no means a necessary factor to make a movie go down in history, and certainly not to make it an audience darling for years to come.
10’Twins' (1988)
Believe it or not,Arnold SchwarzeneggerandDanny DeVitoaren’t twins in real life, or blood-related in any way. It’s hard to believe, considering the wild amount of chemistry that they showed inIvan Reitman’sTwins, but it’s true.
Though it was a commercial success, the film received rather negative reviews upon release. As the years have passed, though, time has been kind toTwins, as it is now remembered as one of the funniest, most iconic, most charming comedies of the ’80s.
9’Scrooged' (1988)
Adaptations ofCharles Dickens’sA Christmas Carolare hard to mess up; and yet, when it first came out,Scroogedwas labeled as needlessly gloomy and messy.
Oh, how misjudged the film was. There’sa little bit of Scrooge inside everyone, and this is one of the movies that will most definitely please that side of you. Quirky, delightfully meta, and asBill Murray-ish as a movie can possibly get,Scroogedis the kind of comedy that everyone should see at least once.
8’Harlem Nights' (1989)
Eddie Murphy’s comedies are often very hit-or-miss, and in the case of 1989’sHarlem Nights, it was long considered to be one of the actor’s biggest stinkers – one which happened to be directed by himself.
Nowadays, though,Harlem Nightsis recognized as one of the most important and popular Black comedies, garnering a cult following that loves it to this day. It’s impressive thatone of Murphy’s most underrated performancesresulted in such a bombastic, extravagant Blaxploitation picture that still holds up, even if it isn’t without its fair share of flaws.
7’Back to the Future Part II' (1989)
Although the firstBack to the Futuredidn’t receive as positive a reception upon release as you’d think today, it doesn’t compare to the wayPart IIwas negatively received by critics and performed disappointingly at the box office.
Nowadays, the entireBack to the Futuretrilogy is deeply beloved by its enthusiastic fandom. This, of course, includes the second installment in the franchise, where fans are treated to the biggest amount of time travel in the trilogy, some of the most intricately crafted set pieces, and a number of the most iconic scenes in all of ’80s sci-fi cinema.
6’Labyrinth' (1986)
WithJim Henson’s incredible imagination,Jennifer Connelly’s charm, andDavid Bowie’s incredibly magnetic spark, (andno shortage of futuristic haircuts) how couldLabyrinthnot be an iconic cult classic musical?
Nothing is what it seems in this movie, which is one of the most visually impressive spectacles of the ’80s. The production and costume designs are endlessly creative, and the puppet work has aged wonderfully. Critics gave it mixed reviews overall, but audiences have been much kinder to it as the years have gone by.
5’Predator' (1987)
Nowadays, thePredatorseries is one of the most prolificand popular action movie franchises out there. Back when the first film came out, though,John McTiernan’s classic was labeled dull and lifeless by critics.
As much as critics were unimpressed with what they thought was a brainless injection of testosterone, audiences were quick to fall in love with McTiernan’s thrilling action scenes and idiosyncratic characters. Today,Predatoris loved for bringing new life to the sci-fi action genre that doesn’t attempt to do anything more than provide audiences with an awful lot of fun.
4’Scarface' (1983)
Based on the now sadly overlooked 1932 noir thriller of the same title,Brian De Palma’s rendition ofScarfacebecame one of the most influential crime movies of the ’80s despite its mixed reception.
A briskly paced and over-the-top character study of a despicable villain,Scarfaceproved that critics simply weren’t ready for its realistic depiction of a life of crime at the time. Now, modern audiences love it for its memorable characters,Al Pacino’s legendary performance, and its conclusion in one of themost epic shootouts ever put to film.
3’The Shining' (1980)
It’s hard to picture how what is now considered one of the greatest achievements in the history of horror movies, was once dismissed as nonsensical fluff that only served to carry one ofJack Nicholson’s most admirable performances.
Pretty much every aspect ofThe Shining, fromStanley Kubrick’s atmospheric directing toShelley Duvall’s criminally underrated performance, was reappraised in the years following the film’s release. It’s a good thing that it was given a second chance, because cinema’s horror pantheon wouldn’t be the same without it.
2’Blade Runner' (1982)
Ridley Scott’s sci-fi classicBlade Runnerneeds no introduction. Famed for its multiple different versions, dedicated fandom, and – of course – initial failure with critics and audiences, it’s now hailed as one of the all-time greats.
Despite its initial lack of success, Scott’s masterpiece didn’t take too long to gather a cult following. Cerebral and brilliantly crafted, it became one of the most influential works in both the neo-noir and sci-fi movie genres, having a particular amount of importance in cyberpunk fiction.
1’The Thing' (1982)
Even though the incredibly versatileJohn Carpenterhas explored multiple genres throughout his career, it’s mainly horror where he has cemented himself as one of the best to ever do it.
Mixing impressive visuals that have aged like fine wine with an incredibly absorbing and frightening atmosphere, Carpenter crafted inThe Thingone of the scariest sci-fi horror movies of all time. Even though it was a failure in every possible sense in 1982, it’s now hard to find someone who dislikes this classic masterpiece.
