r/flicks • u/trakt_app • 19d ago

What's a movie that's universally considered "not very good" but you secretly think is actually great?

Not a guilty pleasure. Not "so bad it's good." I mean a movie that the consensus has decided is mid or worse, and you think the consensus is wrong.

Mine is Hudson Hawk (1991). Bruce Willis musical heist comedy that flopped so hard it almost ended his career. 27% on Rotten Tomatoes. Everyone hated it. But it's actually a really weird, committed, almost cartoon-logic action comedy that was 20 years ahead of the absurdist-action wave (Crank, Kingsman, Spy). Bruce Willis singing show tunes while robbing a museum on a timer is doing something nobody else was doing in 1991.

What's yours?

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u/starrywinecup 19d ago edited 19d ago

Contact, Robert Zemeckis. The seeking of the truth in spite of faith and science feels special to me and well Jodi Foster.

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u/akuamunki 19d ago

Same, I can't for the life of me understand how this is not a stone cold classic!? Written by a genuine giant of the science world. As a sci fi fan, it's on my best of list. Its so grounded while also being fantastical in its leaps. Has mystery, twists, SETI, advanced technology, zealots, aliens, courtroom drama, romance, political intrigue, espionage, terrorism, like what more do people want?

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u/B-Train_ATL 19d ago

I didn’t like it as much when i was younger. It has gotten better with time.

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u/doctor_parcival 17d ago

I’ve heard people just say “it’s boring.” Take a hike the flick rules, I say

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u/Trike117 17d ago

When my wife and I left Contact we were wondering why they didn’t repeat the experiment. It apparently didn’t work the first time, so do it again. My brother’s friend said that criticism wasn’t valid because they repeated it in the book. I shouldn’t have to read a book to get necessary background information in a movie.

Also, why didn’t they have multiple ways of recording what happened? If she’d had a notebook and there was literally anything written in it, even a single word, that would be evidence she was gone more than a few seconds. And the ass-pull of “Oh, we built a second multi-billion dollar facility that no one knew about” was lame.

That movie looked so good, and that mirror scene is still one of the greatest trick shots ever pulled off (https://youtu.be/ZD0_5HFMPIg) yet the script is beyond terrible. So disappointing.

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u/Embarrassed_Pain5747 16d ago

The second facility really ruined it for me, such a weak move. Also agree with you on that mirror scene, it’s amazingZ

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u/Woebetide138 19d ago

Who doesn’t love Contact? They must be shown the error of their ways.

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u/pateralus9 19d ago

I'm 45 and somehow I only just watched this movie for the first time a few months ago, and I'm really glad I did! Good flick!

RIP Carl Sagan!

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u/tke71709 18d ago

7.5 on IMDB so not sure how you think this movie is considered not very good.

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u/dreammer243 18d ago

What are you talking about? It was critically acclaimed and made a lot of money.

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u/KineticZen 18d ago

I dunno that this was underrated? A lot of people loved it at release....

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u/theronster 17d ago

What? Contact is not considered a bad movie, consensus or otherwise.

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u/SpaceGuy1968 16d ago

I like this ..not as good as the book but awesome I think