Most Overrated DVD?

[Rob Babcock]

What do you consider the most overrated DVD out there? Feel free to define "overrated" by any criteria you like (eg; could be a decent movie that's over hyped, a terrible movie that's widely acclaimed, or even a good movie that got terribly mishandled when the DVD was made). You can even list a decent one that's overstayed its welcome as a ref disc- I mean, how many times can you watch the Podrace scene from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace before you pull all your hair out?

If you like, add your TOP 5, as there's so many crappy ones it can be hard to pick just one! :p

[psyclobe]

Lord of the rings (all of em)

[Rob Babcock]

First DVD that comes to my head: The Matrix.

[outsider]

I think it's safe to say that nearly every DVD is overrated. With the amount of hype that is generated with every release, how could they not be overrated? That being said....

Lord of the rings (all of em)

definitely TTT and ROTK

Star Wars -all

[Mudcat]

One night in Paris, starring Paris Hilton.

[djoxygen]

1) X-Men 1.5 - While I like the movie enough, the extended/deleted scenes are annoying beyond belief when watched in sequence. Unfinished, unmastered, and non-anamorphic. Thankfully the movie can be viewed without them. But after what we've seen with so many other extended cuts, this was blatant marketing hype.

2) Independence Day - A movie so nauseatingly formulaic it is perfectly parodied by "Mars Attacks" which was written and in the can *before* ID was released. I'm sure we'll have versions of this stinker populating endcaps at Best Buy for decades to come.

3) Every movie about a comic book character dredged up from the depths of obscurity - while the Spiderman and X-Men movies are great fun, their success is going to subject us to years of Daredevils slapped together for a quick buck. I mean really, Sub-Mariner?!?!? What's next, The Wonder Twins? (Sound of frantic knocking on wood.) I'd rather see The Shoveler and Mr. Furious get their own spin-offs.

4) Can we please stop pairing the wise, spiritual martial arts expert with the street-smart, wise-cracking American cop? ('nuff said)

Sorry, that got to be more about movies in general than DVDs. I guess there's really no excuse for a poor quality DVD (technically speaking) anymore. The content however...

[Rob Babcock]

It is amazing how many "special editions" of Indepence Day there are- didn't they just release yet another one? I thought it was kind of fun, but pretty predictable (ditto for Armageddon). But certainly not worth half a dozen special editions.

It's funny how one persons pet peave is anothers fave. I'm glad to see superhero films being made, as I'm a long time comic book geek. Naturally, I'd rather see 'em make good ones (eg Spiderman, Spiderman 2, X-Men 2) instead of bad ones. Although that's more an issue about films, not DVDs per se.

You'd think this far along into the life cycle of DVD, there'd be no excuse for bad transfers, but be get them in droves. It seems part of the marketing revolves around the features, and I can only assume someone must find directors commentary & self congratulatory backslapping from actors & producers to be interesting. I surely don't. I rarely watch any of the extras, save perhaps deleted scenes (although many are deleted for good reason, and exist on the DVD only as a marketing point). At any rate, it seems often too much DVD space is wasted on having 3 hrs of fluff peices and 5 language soundtracks instead of a good picture & sound.

[outsider]

At any rate, it seems often too much DVD space is wasted on having 3 hrs of fluff peices and 5 language soundtracks instead of a good picture & sound.

well said.

Bonus features such as the Gollum acceptance speech from LOTR:The Two Towers EE are ok though.

[Francious70]

Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Funny, the first eleventybillion times, but no longer.

Paul

[Az B]

Carleton Sheets. I followed all the advice on the DVD but I'm still poor.

Highly overrated.

[djoxygen]

It's funny how one persons pet peave is anothers fave. I'm glad to see superhero films being made, as I'm a long time comic book geek. Naturally, I'd rather see 'em make good ones (eg Spiderman, Spiderman 2, X-Men 2) instead of bad ones. Although that's more an issue about films, not DVDs per se.

OK, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that I don't like comic book movies. Just that I fear the success of the good ones means putting up with a lot of bad ones as the bandwagon gets crowded.

And I'd sit through Punisher before Gigli any day.

[goodman]

You guys really nailed the bad ones. I share your views: Lord of the Rings - all unwatchable. The Matrix Films - the first one was a novelty, the last two just plain bad, especially the tacky religious allegory. Independence Day - nauseatingly cloying. Armagedon - so bad I don't remember it. Star Wars - for children. Star Treks - the only decent one I can remember was "Wrath of Khan".

Now, let me plug the ones I like: Terminator 2, an excellent film with great action. Galaxy Quest, very funny and still enjoyable. Men In Black - a freakin' riot. Tomorrow Never Dies - I love the opening scene at the terrorist arms bazaar and the aerial fight that follows.

[Rob Babcock]

I can only assume you haven't seen Wrath of Khan very recently! :eek: It has NOT aged well. Incredibly bad acting/overacting, dreadful special effects, all in all a mega cheesefest. I've not seen the DVD, but as for the film itself, I'd say it's dreadful. To each his own, of course.

Galaxy Quest is a gem that didn't really get it's due, IMO. It manages to poke fun at Star Trek without being disrespectful to it, and it stands well on it's own merits if you're not a Trekkie, or even a sci fi fan. I particularly loved Alan Rickman's role (by Grapthar's Hammer!).

Now we come to an areas I disagree- I really loved all the LotR films, and particularly the extended versions. Actually, the extended versions of the first two are dramatically superior to the theatrical versions. Despite being 1/2 hour longer, they actually improve the pace greatly. Maybe it's just that I'm a huge fan of fantasy & sci fi in general, but I think they richly deserved their "Best Picture" honors. And unless you just hated the movies, I can't see what's to criticize in the DVD packages. The sound & picture are both first rate.

Ditto the Star Wars films. Like most hardcore fans, I think Empire Strikes Back was the best, but I liked them all. Rating the DVD is a very sticky matter, though. On the one hand, it would be very hard to find fault with the technical standards of the set. The picture is stunning, much better than most new films, and certainly amazing for the age. Likewise I thought they did a superb job with the soundtrack. BUT, this is a biggie, I'll never forgive Lucas for the hatchet job he did on them, content wise. It's scandalous that a movie on the AFI's list of the top 100 films of all time get mutilated like this. If I rate the DVD set without regard for the artistic quality, I say it's an out of the park home run. But I can give the total effort perhaps a 6.5-7/10. I could see one day buying a Laser Disc player just to see the "real" movies again.

[Dan]

I will ring in that I love the LOTR DVDs. For movies that long I gotta have a pause button to take a pi$$. Can't do that in the theater. But then I liked the books too. While the books are better, I can't think of a better movie from a book ever.

Never liked any of the Star Wars even the first three. Great special effects horrible plot. Can't bother with the newer ones.

How about Saving Private Ryan for overrated? The first twenty minutes are fantastic. But then the rest is silly and ahistorical. The guy this REALLY happened to was a paratrooper named Fritz Niland and they sent a priest to find him. They never would have sent a squad and a captain.

[Rob Babcock]

How about Saving Private Ryan for overrated? The first twenty minutes are fantastic. But then the rest is silly and ahistorical. The guy this REALLY happened to was a paratrooper named Fritz Niland and they sent a priest to find him. They never would have sent a squad and a captain.

Man, and can you say overused? Every time a new "reference DVD" comes along, we end up seeing the same 15 minutes again & again & again! I think I've seen them take Omaha beach about 20 times! I liked the movie well enough, but there's several war movies I liked more (eg The Thin Red Line).

[Leprkon]

Starship Troopers... Unbreakable

just that they actually came out on DVD is a crime....

[rgriffin25]

I would have to say that this DVD (movie) really surprised me. I wasn't sure what to expect with goofball Ashton Kutcher as the star in this suspenseful film. The DVD has two versions, the theatrical and the Directors cut. (the DC side is in DTS-ES 6.1) All I can say is the soundtrack did a great job of bringing me into the movie, and it made me jump a couple of times.

So if you are looking for a surprisingly good suspense movie, give this one a spin!

[djoxygen]

I could see one day buying a Laser Disc player just to see the "real" movies again.

OMG! A friend (who has the last edition of the origs on LD) and I popped them in a while back. They seemed fantastic when we first watched them a decade ago, but even an average DVD outshines the quality of both audio and video. They were almost unwatchable (to us). It is a shame that we can't get the Lowry Digital treatment on the original editions, but *I* have to pick the restoration over the historical merit.

[Polkfan]

First DVD that comes to my head: The Matrix.

Yep. I agree 100%. All hype with very little substance IMO.

[Tom Andry]

One thing that irritates me is when you look at the deleted scenes and scream WHY! All of a sudden there is a whole new level of the movie that was systematically removed. Sure, I don't want every movie 3+ hours but some of this stuff is good. For example, cruel intentions had a number of great scenes that were removed simply because this was the director's first movie and he couldn't stand up to the studio IMO.

[Leprkon]

The worst offender of all cutting room victims is the 10 seconds deleted from Big Trouble In Little China where Kim Cattrall (KIM CATTRALL) casually mentions she had missionary parents and was born in China. Without that little tidbit, we are left to wonder WTF her having green eyes meant anything at all to Lo Pan.... After all, he needed a Chinese girl with green eyes !!!! Kim just don't look Chinese. How much could John Carpenter have possibly saved by cutting 10 seconds that were so important to the story line ?

[Mudcat]

I will ring in that I love the LOTR DVDs. For movies that long I gotta have a pause button to take a pi$$. Can't do that in the theater. But then I liked the books too. While the books are better, I can't think of a better movie from a book ever.

The Godfather (I & II) are probably the best book adaptations ever, period. You cannot tell what was left out of the book.



The worst offender of all cutting room victims is the 10 seconds deleted from Big Trouble In Little China where Kim Cattrall (KIM CATTRALL) casually mentions she had missionary parents and was born in China. Without that little tidbit, we are left to wonder WTF her having green eyes meant anything at all to Lo Pan.... After all, he needed a Chinese girl with green eyes !!!! Kim just don't look Chinese. How much could John Carpenter have possibly saved by cutting 10 seconds that were so important to the story line ?


This movie had a story line? Does Lo Pan have a teflon non stick coating for low dialectric? :D

[Leprkon]

This movie had a story line? Does Lo Pan have a teflon non stick coating for low dialectric? :D

1. compared to Unbreakable and Starship Troopers, it was a literary masterpiece :)

2. he does, but he can't sell it, as he is being sued because if you use all the letters in Monster Cable Company Incorporated and divide them up, you can spell Lo Pan. :D

[bobman1235]

The worst offender of all cutting room victims is the 10 seconds deleted from Big Trouble In Little China where Kim Cattrall (KIM CATTRALL) casually mentions she had missionary parents and was born in China. Without that little tidbit, we are left to wonder WTF her having green eyes meant anything at all to Lo Pan.... After all, he needed a Chinese girl with green eyes !!!! Kim just don't look Chinese. How much could John Carpenter have possibly saved by cutting 10 seconds that were so important to the story line ?

I give you so many points for putting in a Big Trouble in LIttle China reference here, adn then double those points because you actually know the plot line of the movie.

Not that these "points" are redeemable in any way....

[Leprkon]

no double bonus for squeezing in the MST 3000 reference as well ? :cool:

[hopjohn]

While I can understand why people might not like the The Matrix, I feel it is an important film historically speaking. Much lkie Star Wars, it introduced many new things to film that had never been done before. Think of how many movies were influenced by techniques used in each of these films. I guess it all goes back to how you are defining "overrated", but two groundbreaking films have been mentioned here as such.

Here are some quick thoughts about some previously mentioned things in this thread.

Titanic was overrated.

The Indiana Jones movies were a huge disappointment in their transfer quality.

The later Batman sequels, which came out before the sucess of X-men, were evidence of garbage long before the comic genre caught on again. Ever see the first Punisher (1989) movie, with Dolf Lungren?

If you are tired of movies for their reference content, then maybe you need to stop trying to mpress by referencing them, and instead watch them as the director intended. Try using something like Super Speedway, or some other IMAX presentation for that sort of thing instead. Just a suggestion.

[Zarg]

Just my opinion but ...

1. Gladiator. Best picture? You've got to be kidding me. There is NO PLOT and the acting is one dimensional. Nicely filmed, though. Got a DVD for a XMAS gift and still haven't opened it.

2. Star Wars. Any of 'em, but esp Eps I and II. I saw the original Ep. IV in Westwood many times; stood in line for hours. Loved it! But as a DVD ... well, there's simply no reason to watch the movies again (except that my 4 year-old son is a SW nut and demanded that we get the 3 pack, even though he's not allowed to watch certain parts...)


Now, how about most UNDERRATED DVDs? You know, the ones that you watch over and over again but nobody else appreciates?

1. Pulp Fiction.
2. Groundhog Day.
3. West Wing Seasons 1 and 2. Best DVD money I ever spent, in terms of dollars per hour of enjoyment.
4. Babylon 5 Seasons 2 - 4. The FX are started to look dated, and the acting is "spotty" at best ... but simply the best science fiction ever shown on TV.
5. SLC Punk. It might be me, but why wasn't this a hit?

Looking for other's opinions, sans flames please.

Zarg

[Clint DeBoer]

I mean, how many times can you watch the Podrace scene from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace before you pull all your hair out?FWIW I don't so much watch that scene as I like to listen to it...

And I personally thought Starship Troopers is one of the best movies - but you have to "get" the humor. If you're not laughing through it, you don't get it.

LOTR overrated...? I definitely don't agree. That's about the best 10+ hours of film I've ever seen.

As for my favorites - I still say that The Fifth Element is the greatest movie ever made.

[Rob Babcock]

Yeah, I also loved Starship Troopers. It does have a grim sense of humor that I get a big kick out of. Unbreakable was also excellent IMO, certainly Night's best film to date.

[cbraver]

I can't think of a better movie from a book ever.

Basically every movie is better than the book. A book takes a crapload of time to read and and a movie takes less than two hours normally and gets the point across just about as well.

And the winner is..... movies.

Tired of this "books are better crap"

-Chad

[Leprkon]

Yeah, I also loved Starship Troopers. It does have a grim sense of humor that I get a big kick out of. Unbreakable was also excellent IMO, certainly Night's best film to date.

S/T- the worst acting this side of William Shatner, virtually no story line, bugs who fart explosives, fleets of ships who do nothing but run into each other (twice), Denise Richards wearing clothes, Clancy Brown on the "good" side- these all add up to a very bad movie.. if you liked the movie, you must be watching nothing but the shower scene

Unbreakable- yawwwwwnnnnnnnnnn. has anything happened yet ?? oh the movie is over... and NOTHING has happened yet.... five years after the film was over... STILL waiting for something, anything to happen... the only film besides Gladiator more boring and painful to watch then Dangerous Liaisons


compared to the Fifth Element, the Usual Suspects, and the Princess Bride (admit it, you loved that movie), Starship Troopers and Unbreakable are DVD's you use to teach your dog to catch frisbees.

__________________________________________________ _______
if cats can't do math, how can they always find the geometric center of a bed ??

[rgriffin25]

I have to disagree with all of you on the Fifth Element. I thought the movie was terrible. I would rather watch Starship Troopers to be honest with you. I like how it makes fun of military Propaganda. However, I do not own either of these movies. I stopped buying movies based on their ability to show off a HT. Even at that there are several other movies that cover both areas: good demo material and a good plot. Sorry I don't think either Starship or Fifth Element have a good plot.

Thats just my take, no need to argue with me. I am sure I have a few favorites that no one else here likes.

[Duffinator]

The Fifth Element is one of those movies that you either love or hate. I love it and my wife hates it ;) There doesn't seem to be much middle ground on this movie.

[Rob Babcock]

Unbreakable- yawwwwwnnnnnnnnnn. has anything happened yet ?? oh the movie is over... and NOTHING has happened yet.... five years after the film was over... STILL waiting for something, anything to happen... the only film besides Gladiator more boring and painful to watch then Dangerous Liaisons


I have a suggestion, Leprkon- why don't you just rip all your DVDs to the HD, then just burn the 15 minutes of fighting & screwing from each one onto a blank disc! None of that pesky plot or character developement for you. ;)

But at least we agree on one thing; I've seen The Princess Bride over sixty times.

[Clint DeBoer]

Eh, no need to get mean over personal preference... but I really didn't care for Unbreakable, which I felt really went nowhere. I could never understand how both psychic ability and the unbreakable nature were simultaneously found in one person... seemed unrealistic, even in a suspended belief sort of way. Just as he discovered his power, the movie ended. And he fought the last end scene like a girl - latch on and don't let go... Throw a punch or something. :)

[cbraver]

Yeah, I thought it was kinda weak. It's a renter. I rented it and will say that when he is walking through that terminal and bumping into people, there are some awesome bass hits. Really low, deep, powerful pounding. That was the time my Velodyne HGS-18 knocked a picture off the wall. Now that picture triple hung. ;)

[Rob Babcock]

I suppose in another kind of movie, he'd have knitted himself a red jumpsuit & patrolled the city fighting crime. And he'd instantly be a black belt in kung fu the minute he discovered his powers, too, like all superheroes. I like that it wasn't that kind of movie. Oh well, to each his own. I liked it better than The Sixth Sense, but that's just me. Still, I find it a head scratcher that it could make anyones list of the most overrated discs, since it's not widely praised or anything. I've never once read anyone claiming to use it as a reference disc. On the other hand, how many million times has the PM Podrace been run in dealer demos? Have many times have you seen Neo shoot up the lobby in the Matrix? Or the annoying wailing of the Diva in The Fifth Element?

Of course, the original post said you can choose "overrated" by any criteria you like. But just listing movies you don't like that happen to be on DVD doesn't really speak to the topic.

[Leprkon]

definition of "overrated" - that which does not achieve what it claims to be

an action superhero movie (go back and watch the trailers) with no action and a superhero who has to be pulled out of a swimming pool really doesn't qualify as an action superhero movie......

the movie was made ONLY because of the bucks Shamalalalala raked in on 6th Sense (and admittedly most of his following movies that were really good too). If it had been made by nearly any other director on the planet, it would have been straight to TV, assuming it wasn't laughed out of the original production meeting.

I guess another example of this would be "Ransom" which was trailer'd on the premise that a guy would rather put a bounty on kidnappers than pay the ransom (this particular thread lasted about a minute and a half in the story line and Gibson was a whiney snivelling loser the remaining hundred minutes or so).

If you are going to pitch a movie on a premise, you ought to at least live up to your premise.

And just for the record, you can get rid of all the minutes in Star Wars with that stupid kid.. he wasn't annoying in just the pod race.

[rgriffin25]

I think M. Night Shyamalan movies leave more to the imagination than most movies today. I thought Signs would have been a great movie if he hadn't put in the last scene with the alien and the little boy. (I know it helps tie the whole movie together, I just think the alien was much scarier in my imagination than it was in the movie.)

[Rob Babcock]

It came out long enough ago that I don't remember the TV ads and such, but I don't recall any mention whatsoever that it was supposed to be a superhero movie. And it's really not in any conventional way. Sure, Mr. Glass is a comics fan, but that's about it. Oh, well. Not everyone gets the same stuff.

[hopjohn]

I have to disagree with all of you on the Fifth Element. I thought the movie was terrible. I would rather watch Starship Troopers to be honest with you.

The acting, pacing, a dialogue in Starship Poopers was so awful I could do nothing but grimmace throughout the film. I'm not saying the Fifth Element deserved any oscars, but good lord it was better than ST by a long shot, Think of that great scene in the taxi where he drives through the traffic, and when they create the 5th element from the cells....pretty creative. Whatever...to each his own.

My big problem with Unbreakable is that he is what mid to late 40's and he is just learning that he has special powers? I overlooked that and still enjoyed it, but thought it had some flaws. The DVD looks and sounds great so there is that also.

[rgriffin25]

The acting, pacing, a dialogue in Starship Poopers was so awful I could do nothing but grimmace throughout the film. I'm not saying the Fifth Element deserved any oscars, but good lord it was better than ST by a long shot, Think of that great scene in the taxi where he drives through the traffic, and when they create the 5th element from the cells....pretty creative. Whatever...to each his own.

My big problem with Unbreakable is that he is what mid to late 40's and he is just learning that he has special powers? I overlooked that and still enjoyed it, but thought it had some flaws. The DVD looks and sounds great so there is that also.

I do not own either of these movies, and I feel that I have good reason not too. If I want a futurisitc taxi chase scene I have Attack of the clones. Like you said each to his own.

[Leprkon]

. I'm not saying the Fifth Element deserved any oscars

I would have thought that Milla Jovovich's speaking fluent gibberese as if it were a real language would have qualified for something. She seemed to really be talking, compared to the stilted elfspeak from LOTR, which seemed more an excuse for subtitles than an actual language...

she made the movie, in my opinion.

[Rob Babcock]

Tolkien's "elf-speak" actually is a language. He was a linguist who created several languages- he really only became a writer as an outlet for his original languages. Just an FYI.

BTW, Milla is pretty much the high point of everything she's in! :D

[Leprkon]

I guess that makes her performance even more impressive.. Milla talked her senseless gibberish like it was her everyday tongue with rolling eyes, goofy grins, seductive smiles, and the don't mess with me look on "not without my permission". you could easily believe she spoke that language in real life.

if elfspeak actually is a language (and I'm willig to accept that), the LOTR guys knew what they were saying and should have been able to convey some feeling with the words.. they didn't get there, in my opinion. Viggo, Liv, and Hugo all appeared to be reading rather than talking, with no inflection or facial expressions to match the verbage (ok that's how Hugo always appears, but hopefully you get my point on the other two).

wasn't bashing JRR, just the poor execution by the actors...

[LittleKing]

In my opinion any moive that try to be sold because of the extra features. Well almost any, the LOTR extended editions are worth it.

Most of the extra features are crap. The movie should be good enough to sell as is. When I first started buying DVD's I would always want to get the extra feature disk. That ended very quickly as I soon discovered the extra content sucked hard. Now I only by the basic version and some with extra features such as LOTR movies.

LK