Who doesn’t love a hearty slice of cinematic trash every now and then? By definition a guilty pleasure movie is essentially a film that wasn’t well-received by critics or general audiences, but has nevertheless found a niche for itself as dumb fun and nothing more.
2017 saw the release of countless joylessly awful films – The Snowman being perhaps the most egregious example – but for bad film aficionados and those who simply love cinematic cheese, there were also plenty of “bad” movies that were actually totally entertaining.
The majority of these films leave simple things like plot and characterisation at the door, doubling down on insane action and outlandish comedy – intentional or not – and in the process transforming into a whole other type of entertainment in the process.
If you’re drunk, high, heavily medicated, hungover, really damn tired or just in the mood for glossy, frothy entertainment you don’t need to think about, these 17 movies will do just the trick…
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17. The Hitman’s Bodyguard
The Hitman’s Bodyguard is the textbook example of a movie that’s fun while you’re watching it, but leaves little lasting impression once the end credits roll.
Sure, it’s about 20 minutes too long, is shot with a blurry vaseline camera lens and criminally wastes Gary Oldman, but when Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds are squabbling, it’s pure comedy gold.
With a healthy dose of over-the-top action to boot, this is a great movie to watch with a few pals and a few beers, even if it didn’t end up on many people’s Best of 2017 lists.
Critics were sharply mixed on it, and it’s certainly not a “good” film in any conventional sense, but an almost $180 million box office – nearly six-fold its $30 million budget – suggests general audiences had much more fun.
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16. King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword
Nobody needed a Guy Ritchie-helmed King Arthur remake, but for some reason, Warner Bros. gave him $175 million to do it anyway.
The end result is undeniably messy, confused and thoroughly dismissive of conventional Arthurian legend, but you know what? It’s also a total laugh.
Charlie Hunnam’s sharp performance in the title role combines with Ritchie’s energetic direction, an entertaining supporting cast – especially a hammy Jude Law as the Big Bad – and Daniel Pemberton’s fantastic musical score to make this an unexpectedly enjoyable, if fundamentally daft romp.
It clearly shouldn’t have cost a penny over $100 million, and while it tanked with critics and audiences upon release, it’s easy to imagine King Arthur becoming a cult favourite on home video.
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15. Baywatch
Baywatch definitely didn’t live up to most people’s expectations, that’s for sure. Failing to give the iconic TV series the self-aware 21 Jump Street treatment it deserved, nor making the most of its talented cast or even just flashing some beautiful naked bodies on screen, the Dwayne Johnson-starring comedy made so many basic mistakes.
Even with all this, though, there is still an enjoyably trashy quality to the movie. It’s pretty much the definition of “easy viewing” when you want something you don’t need to pay too much attention to, perhaps while browsing your phone or rearranging your sock drawer.
There are sporadic laughs, and the bromantic chemistry between Johnson and Zac Efron works to a point, but there’s no universe where it’s a good film. It’s a cheeseburger of a movie: high-calorie, low-substance.
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14. Alien: Covenant
Though the latest Alien movie actually received broadly positive reviews from critics, the fan response was decidedly more negative, with most deeming the film a colossal disappointment.
In many ways the Alien franchise is like pizza: even when it sucks, it’s still somewhat enjoyable. Covenant, while essentially serving as a Greatest Hits tour of the series, complete with asinine characters, a likeable hero dying unsatisfyingly off-screen and a laughably predictable ending, is not the return to form Ridley Scott promised fans after Prometheus.
And yet, it’s still a fun movie. The awesome visuals, the brutal gore and the return of the Xenomorph all add up to a brainlessly entertaining – if undeniably underwhelming – rollercoaster ride that’s certainly never boring.
(Excerpt) Read More at: WhatCulture.com
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