IMDb Ratings for Movies that are Way off
Since the beginning of 2018, I’ve been a regular consultant to the IMDB website and I think their film ratings can occasionally be pretty reliable. However, with that being said, I always thought that some of its members don't always know what they're talking about when it comes to rating movies. Sometimes, users tend to overrate mediocre or terrible blockbuster films while unfairly bashing or overlooking certain arthouse films. As a result, the IMDB Top 250, a previously credible list, is currently inundated with a plethora of middle of the road, unremarkable movies which will eventually become long forgotten in the annals of cinematic history. Now you might say that these ratings are completely subjective and thus I am being unreasonably harsh in criticizing them, but over time, the website has become overrun with a multitude of nonsensical, asinine movie ratings that only the minority agree with. I've particularly detected that the website tends to heavily overrate any movie made my Christopher Nolan or Quentin Tarantino, regardless of its stature, and as far as IMDB is concerned, this duo can do no wrong. The users of IMDB have also demonstrated the potential to completely disregard top quality films and modern greats, even though their brilliance is blindingly blatant to the masses. So in this list, I'm going to work my way through numerous movies, which I believe to have been either completely overrated or underrated by the (at times) ignorant users of IMDB. Furthermore, for each movie I will state my own personal rating, so you can grasp how poorly I think these movies have been valued.
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- DirectorBryan SingerStarsRami MalekLucy BoyntonGwilym LeeThe story of the legendary British rock band Queen and lead singer Freddie Mercury, leading up to their famous performance at Live Aid (1985).Let me just get this out of the way before I move on: I’m a huge Queen fan and I wanted to like this film more than I did, but I thought it was too paint-by-the numbers to be a great biopic, I eventually came to thinking that this was decent at best. It also doesn’t help that another music biopic was released the following year, Rocketman, and that was a much better movie overall than Bohemian. Now don’t get me wrong, Rami Malek was great and the Live Aid was spectacular, but everything else fell a little flat for me. So I agree more with the critics’ mixed sentiment on this one, since I think the audiences were too forgiving on this slightly bland and generic music biopic. I don’t think it was terrible, but far from being a top 300 movie on IMDb as the rating implies. I try to be open-minded and fair to movies, but this one just wasn’t that good. If you enjoyed the movie, that’s fine, that is cool how you could enjoy the movie more than I did, but I’m sure most of us can agree that it doesn’t deserve the inflated and ridiculous rating it has on here at the moment.
Should Be: 6.8-6.9 - DirectorAri AsterStarsToni ColletteMilly ShapiroGabriel ByrneA grieving family is haunted by tragic and disturbing occurrences.I don’t understand how one of the best, well-structured horror films of the last decade could have such a mildly good score. Hereditary is an amazing film that deserves a rating much higher than it has on IMDb currently. It’s one of my favorite horror movies, along with the Shining, Psycho, Silence of the Lambs, and Rosemary’s Baby, which makes it my favorite in recent years. It is extremely well-acted, frightening, intense, unique, and totally not cliched. I know the general public is used to schlocky horror flicks with cheap, predictable jump scares every two or three minutes, but this film avoids the common pitfalls of those lesser movies. I realize that I will sound pretentious when I say that, but hey, I’m going to speak my mind and it’s true that most horror films rely too much on unoriginal, overused conventions like jump scares. General moviegoers expect something along the lines of The Conjuring, which is a good movie that stands above most horror schlock to come out in recent years, thus when they get something entirely different, certain people will dislike it no matter how well-made it is. This especially feels like the case with Hereditary, where it was badly mismarketed as a mainstream horror flick when it’s something new, original, and deeply refreshing from the standard horror far we got in the past. Needless to say, this excellent movie deserves a far better on this website than it currently has. Toni Collette and Gabriel Byrne alone make this worth watching, the atmosphere and tension it creates, and the deep symbolism make this a great experience for cinephiles and less enjoyable for the common moviegoing audience. It’s a sad state of affairs that all of A24’s films, even the good ones will get rated unfairly low from audiences that expect something to be the next Saw or Human Centipede.
Should Be: 8.1-8.2 - DirectorPeter FarrellyStarsViggo MortensenMahershala AliLinda CardelliniA working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver for an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South.I know some people love this movie, that’s evident from the current rating it has on IMDb, but how the hell does (objectively) the worst Best Picture winner since Crash have such a high score on here? Especially since everywhere else I look everybody else is bashing the movie for it’s problematic look on racism. I don’t think Green Book is a terrible film, I think it’s a good film, however, the current score it has would give you the impression that it’s an incredible, groundbreaking, unique film that hasn’t been done before. The truth though is that Black Panther, Blindspotting, and If Beale Street are much better films, but somehow those all have significantly lower ratings than the slightly heavy-handed Green Book. The acting is great and the story is well-told, but like many complaints also bring up, it’s kind of like Driving Miss Daisy again, but with the roles reversed. I loved Mahershala Ali and Viggo together, but this movie isn’t really that special. It’s a fine movie, but top 250 worthy? That’s just not accurate at all.
Should Be: 7.1-7.2 - DirectorOlivia WildeStarsKaitlyn DeverBeanie FeldsteinJessica WilliamsOn the eve of their high-school graduation, two academic superstars and best friends realize they should have worked less and played more. Determined not to fall short of their peers, the girls try to cram four years of fun into one night.Booksmart is a great movie that audiences have unfortunately misjudged. It doesn’t have the most original premise, but the execution is fantastic and unique. This film is well-directed, well-acted, well-written, and very funny, so it’s baffling why audiences didn’t give it that much praise. Superbad has a much more appropriate 7.6. At least it has the high critic score on Rotten Tomatoes that it deserves.
Should Be: 8.0-8.1 - DirectorBarry JenkinsStarsKiKi LayneStephan JamesRegina KingA young woman embraces her pregnancy while she and her family set out to prove her childhood friend and lover innocent of a crime he didn't commit.This is another great drama film that the general audiences severely misjudged. How does this well-acted, well-written movie with an honest, emotionally poignant story only amount to a mere 7.1? Sure, admittedly, the movie is a bit too slow and some parts might be a little too long, but this movie is filled with enough great acting and dramatic scenes to make up for those insignificant flaws. If Beale Street definitely deserves a much higher score, especially when it’s rated significantly lower than the well-made, but unspectacular Green Book.
Should Be: 7.8-7.9 - DirectorLynne RamsayStarsJoaquin PhoenixJudith RobertsEkaterina SamsonovA traumatized veteran unafraid of violence tracks down missing girls for a living. When a job spins out of control, Joe's nightmares overtake him as a conspiracy is uncovered leading to what could be his death trip or his awakening.It’s baffling how one of the most acclaimed films of 2017 only has lukewarm audience scores. You Were Never Really Here is a very fine film that greatly benefits from Joaquin Phoenix’s performance and Lynne Ramsay’s direction. Sometimes, audiences are justified in voting arthouse films down a bit since critics can occasionally over praise a movie, but often audiences rate unconventional, arty movies too low and YWNRH is a prime example of this. Make no mistake, this is definitely a misjudged audience score. IMDb scores are usually okay, but YWNRH is genuinely one of the best films of 2017 and it would be a shame if some people passed on it because of the low score. Joker is in the top 100 on IMDb, yet this gets a lukewarm score. This is one of the many times where IMDb users and their cumulative ratings don’t make any sense.
Should Be: 7.7-7.8 - DirectorNorman FergusonT. HeeWilfred JacksonStarsDickie JonesChristian RubMel BlancA living puppet, with the help of a cricket as his conscience, must prove himself worthy to become a real boy.How is one of Disney’s greatest masterpieces only rated at 7.5? Sure, it doesn’t have a “bad” score on IMDb, however, Pinocchio deserves to have a much higher rating than it currently does. It’s one of the best animated films ever made with memorable characters, amazing script, great story, an excellent soundtrack, and phenomenal animation. The movie is near perfection and arguably deserves a spot in the IMDb top 250.
Should Be: 8.5+ - DirectorWes CravenStarsHeather LangenkampJohnny DeppRobert EnglundTeenager Nancy Thompson must uncover the dark truth concealed by her parents after she and her friends become targets of the spirit of a serial killer with a bladed glove in their dreams, in which if they die, it kills them in real life.Should Be: 6.8-6.9
- DirectorDavid Robert MitchellStarsMaika MonroeKeir GilchristOlivia LuccardiA young woman is followed by an unknown supernatural force after a sexual encounter.Should Be: 7.3-7.4
- DirectorDon CoscarelliStarsA. Michael BaldwinBill ThornburyReggie BannisterA teenage boy and his friends face off against a mysterious grave robber, known only as the Tall Man, who employs a lethal arsenal of unearthly weapons.Another subpar horror film that the audiences gave a pass. The acting is pretty bad, the story is poorly written, and the special effects are so horrendously dated it’s not funny. I’m baffled as to why audiences and critics praise this poorly made, badly dated horror film as a classic.
Should Be: 6.0-6.1 - DirectorJordan PeeleStarsLupita Nyong'oWinston DukeElisabeth MossAdelaide Wilson and her family are attacked by mysterious figures dressed in red. Upon closer inspection, the Wilsons realize that the intruders are exact lookalikes of them.This is a very good horror movie that deserves the high score critics gave it, and the audience rated it unfairly low. Now hear me out, yes, Us is a flawed film, but the critics were able to look past the minor problems and judge this movie fairly, while the members of the audience were too harsh.
Should Be: 7.6-7.7 - DirectorJohn WooStarsChow Yun-FatTony Leung Chiu-waiTeresa MoA tough-as-nails cop teams up with an undercover agent to shut down a sinister mobster and his crew.The classic Hong Kong action thriller from director, John Woo seems to be very well-loved by some people, and there are going to be some that will take issue with what I’ll say here. It is an enjoyable action flick, but the problem is that it is slightly too long and this film is also brought down by the writing. A good action movie that is rated just a bit too high for its overly thin plot and excessive length.
Should Be: 7.1-7.2 - DirectorRobert EggersStarsAnya Taylor-JoyRalph InesonKate DickieA family in 1630s New England is torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic and possession.Another very good horror film that is rated unfairly low from the audience. The Lighthouse has a much more appropriate 7.7, which is still arguably too low, but far less blasphemous than the Witch’s low score. The critics judged it accurately while the audiences were once again too harsh on a well-made artsy horror movie.
Should Be: 7.6-7.7 - DirectorZack SnyderStarsBen AffleckHenry CavillAmy AdamsBatman is manipulated by Lex Luthor to fear Superman. Superman´s existence is meanwhile dividing the world and he is framed for murder during an international crisis. The heroes clash and force the neutral Wonder Woman to reemerge.Should Be: 5.6-5.7
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsJesse EisenbergAndrew GarfieldJustin TimberlakeAs Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg creates the social networking site that would become known as Facebook, he is sued by the twins who claimed he stole their idea and by the co-founder who was later squeezed out of the business.Should Be: 8.5-8.6
- DirectorTim MillerStarsRyan ReynoldsMorena BaccarinT.J. MillerA wisecracking mercenary gets experimented on and becomes immortal yet hideously scarred, and sets out to track down the man who ruined his looks.Should Be: 7.3-7.4
- DirectorJeremy SaulnierStarsAnton YelchinImogen PootsAlia ShawkatA punk rock band is forced to fight for survival after witnessing a murder at a neo-Nazi skinhead bar.Should Be: 7.6-7.7
- DirectorLouis LeterrierStarsJesse EisenbergCommonMark RuffaloAn FBI agent and an Interpol detective track a team of illusionists who pull off bank heists during their performances, and reward their audiences with the money.Should Be: 6.4-6.5
- DirectorDan TrachtenbergStarsJohn GoodmanMary Elizabeth WinsteadJohn Gallagher Jr.A young woman is held in an underground bunker by a man who insists that a hostile event has left the surface of the Earth uninhabitable.Should Be: 7.6-7.7
- DirectorMichael BayStarsJohn KrasinskiPablo SchreiberJames Badge DaleDuring an attack on a U.S. compound in Libya, a security team struggles to make sense out of the chaos.Should Be: 6.2-6.3
- DirectorWolfgang PetersenStarsHarrison FordGary OldmanGlenn CloseCommunist radicals hijack Air Force One with the U.S. President and his family on board. The Vice President negotiates from Washington D.C., while the President, a veteran, fights to rescue the hostages on board.Should Be: 7.1-7.2
- DirectorCarl RinschStarsKeanu ReevesHiroyuki SanadaKô ShibasakiA band of samurai sets out to avenge the death and dishonor of their master at the hands of a ruthless shogun.Should Be: 5.0-5.1
- DirectorEric DarnellTim JohnsonLawrence GutermanStarsWoody AllenSharon StoneGene HackmanA rather neurotic ant tries to break from his totalitarian society while trying to win the affection of the princess he loves.Should Be: 7.2-7.3
- DirectorLuc BessonStarsFreddie HighmoreMia FarrowMadonnaTen-year-old Arthur, in a bid to save his grandfather's house from being demolished, goes looking for some much-fabled hidden treasure in the land of the Minimoys, tiny people living in harmony with nature.Should Be: 5.1-5.2
- DirectorJulian SchnabelStarsWillem DafoeRupert FriendOscar IsaacA look at the life of painter Vincent van Gogh during the time he lived in Arles and Auvers-sur-Oise, France.Should Be: 7.3-7.4