Hollywood is no stranger to controversial films, from Alfred Hitchcock testing the limits of horror with Psycho to Blonde sensationalizing the tragic life of Marilyn Monroe. Although many films earn their divisive status, often alienating audiences and critics alike, some I would argue are simply misunderstood. Ranging from revisionist Westerns to creepy horror-thrillers, these movies are great examples of creators sticking to their vision at the expense of consensus.

Controversy has created mixed results for the film industry, with some movies sailing to success on the back of division, while others went down in flames. Directors and studios sometimes try and own the controversy, even incorporating it into their marketing campaigns, while others run away from it. The opinions of others should never prevent someone from enjoying a good film and, for my money, some of the best movies of the last decade are also some of the most divisive.

10

Tenet (2020)

Directed By Christopher Nolan

After making Interstellar and Dunkirk, Christopher Nolan enjoyed one of the all-time high points for a director, and seemed able to drive viewers to see anything he made. When Tenet was released, I remember the response being more mixed than I’ve seen of any film in his career. The first time I watched it, I completely understood where the frustration was coming from, since it simply doesn’t land with only a single viewing.

Tenet is, admittedly, a deeply cerebral and often confusing film, one that requires the full attention and focus of its audience. In effect, it feels like a blend of Mission: Impossible and HG Welles, and is designed to practically force you to watch it more than once. It’s been a while since a movie forced me to engage with every detail, and I couldn’t help but respect Nolan for what might be his most intricate and demanding plot yet.

9

The Hunt (2020)

Directed By Craig Zobel

Thanks to movies like The Raid, Dredd and John Wick, action fans like me have been positively spoiled over the last decade. When Blumhouse announced in 2019 their political action-comedy The Hunt, I remember the furor and controversy. However, I also understood that this was the studio’s plan: release a movie about liberals and conservatives fighting at the height of American political turmoil.

After watching The Hunt, I can say it’s one of the most misunderstood films of the last decade, in no small part because its strongest critics haven’t actually seen it. The film doesn’t take sides between its two ideologies, instead presenting the audience with the excesses of the political left and right and letting them fight it out. In Crystal May Creasy, we got one of the best action heroes since John Wick, and the comedy landed in every scene. For any true action or satire fan, this movie is a modern classic.

8

The Hateful Eight (2015)

Directed By Quentin Tarantino

After bringing the Western genre to box office heights in Django Unchained, I was ready for Tarantino to get back in the saddle of the Old West. When I finally got around to watching The Hateful Eight, I understood what the director was going for right off the bat: John Carpenter’s The Thing reimagined as a Western whodunit. The charm here really lies in its characters, each of whom represents a core archetype of the genre.

The Hateful Eight ebbs and flows between cozy mystery in a rustic cabin and character drama, and I think that brings out the best in Tarantino’s writing. As with any Tarantino movie, everything from the film’s use of racial slurs to extreme violence earned its share of criticism. However, everything we see is perfectly on-brand for both its post-Civil War setting and the director’s style. It’s a revisionist Western whodunit, and for that reason alone it’s a genuinely unique piece of cinema, held together by a wonderful cast.

7

Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Directed By Zack Snyder

To say that Zack Snyder’s DCEU movies were controversial would understate the division it sewed among DC Comics fans. No movie represented this quite like Batman v Superman, which was panned for everything from its casting decisions to hammy dialogue. Despite this, I can’t help but love the movie for how it went all in on its premise: a grudge match between America’s two most iconic superheroes.

Batman v Superman shouldn’t be viewed through the lens of a representation of the core DC universe. Instead, it should be enjoyed for effectively blending the stylized, well-choreographed tone of 2010s action movies with Ben Affleck’s Dark Knight paying homage to Frank Miller’s work. I’d never claim the movie deserves an Oscar, but I rank it among the best DC movies there is for an action fan. The film’s third act alone gave us some of the best Batman action we’ve ever seen.

6

Civil War (2024)

Directed By Alex Garland

It shouldn’t come as any surprise that a movie тιтled Civil War would divide its audience. Exploring a possible future for America where the nation is divided into different factions at war, the film follows a team of journalists as they document the conflict. As they push on, they’re met with dangerous characters and the horrors of war, costing some of them their lives.

Civil War has a clear message: war truly is Hell and nobody wins. A warning of national conflict needs to be bleak to be effective, and Garland does a commendable job of highlighting this. While some wanted an epic, Call of Duty-inspired action movie, the grounded, harsh tour of the after-effects of war and how it brings out the worst in people did the premise justice. I understand not everyone got what they wanted, but I found the movie’s intensity a perfect match for its themes and message.

5

Halloween Kills (2021)

Directed By David Gordon Green

After the disappointment of Rob Zombie’s Halloween, I was immediately ready for the franchise to get back to basics. When David Gordon Green released his 2018 requel, I was taken right back to the world John Carpenter created. Following Michael Myers’ return to Haddonfield forty years after his night of horror, Halloween Kills gets right back into the action of the prior movie, adding a message about paranoia and mob justice.

Halloween Kills was created more as a piece of slasher fan service than anything else. Here, Green gave the audience enough credit to take a break from building the lore of Michael Myers and just give fans a borderline action movie. By this point, we all knew what the Halloween franchise was, and there was no need to build up the suspense already established by the 2018 movie. For my money, there’s no slasher movie as rewatchable as this.

4

The Whale (2022)

Directed By Darren Aronofsky

After enjoying Doom Patrol, I was ready to see more dramatic acting from Brendan Fraser on the big screen. In The Whale, that’s exactly what I got as I watched the story of a man struggling through depression, just trying to build a relationship with his estranged daughter. When I found out the movie had attracted controversy, I didn’t understand it, especially when I found out how little of it had to do with the film itself.

The main criticism of The Whale seems to be Brendan Fraser’s use of a bodysuit and a straight actor playing a gay character. Surely, however, anyone who can appreciate the skill of good acting could focus on the story and performances over the superficial side of production. The movie helped Fraser re-establish himself as a Hollywood icon for modern audiences, and that alone should have earned Aronofsky’s film universal high praise — let alone the heartbreaking experience of its narrative.

3

Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood (2019)

Directed By Quentin Tarantino

After Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood released, it quickly became one of Tarantino’s most controversial movies. From people insisting the film carried Sєxist undertones to its treatment of Bruce Lee, it was hard to get away from criticism of both the story and the director himself. However, many of those critics missed the point of the movie as a ’70s-style buddy comedy that tours a revisionist version of Hollywood, one that peels away the rose-tinted image audiences have of the era.

Quentin Tarantino holds Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood up as his personal favorite of his own movies, and I can completely understand why. The film is one big love-letter to one of the industry’s most consequential periods, and masters the buddy hangout dynamic the director incorporates into most of his movies. I can see why fans of his action-focused stories might not love it, but it has some of the best comedy of its decade, as well as great characters and phenomenal acting.

2

Clerks III (2022)

Directed By Kevin Smith

Since making Clerks in 1994, Kevin Smith has been one of the most renowned comedy directors of the last thirty years, thanks to the characters of the View Askewniverse. In Clerks III, he returned to the dynamic of Dante and Randall, but the film’s tragic, heartbreaking tone wasn’t what fans of his raunchy series were expecting. Focusing on Randall’s attempt to make a self-biopic after a heart attack, the film ties up loose ends from prior movies in a heartfelt way.

Clerks III disappointed many fans who were shocked and, in some cases, angry to see the death of Dante, as well as the movie’s overall melancholy tone. For me, the film was more a symbol of Smith’s own evolution as a film-maker, telling a story of introspection, love and personal growth more than anything. After the disappointment of Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, this movie fully restored my faith in Smith’s ability to tell a meaningful but still funny story.

1

Longlegs (2024)

Directed By Osgood Perkins

Longlegs was one of those movies that, once the trailer dropped, horror and thriller fans were incensed, myself included. With Nicolas Cage taking on the role of a Satanist serial killer, there was rarely a moment when the film didn’t make me feel uncomfortable in the way any good occult story should. For many, the experience was too slow and underwhelming, something I can understand even if I don’t agree. What I experienced was closer to this generation’s Silence of the Lambs.

Longlegs is, to me, a movie that should be enjoyed for its tone and atmosphere more than anything else. The story is good, but it’s really the never-ending sense of existential dread that defines the movie and makes it worth a watch. From Nicolas Cage turning in one of the most disturbing, over-the-top roles of his career to the sheer creepiness of the story, it’s worth the watch. I understand some people wanted more, but it was the ambiguity of the story that made it the masterpiece it is.