Top 10 Guilty Pleasure Movies

Here's a finished version of the meme I made: fav.me/d7axqbt

Unlike the previous memes I've completed, I'm actually going to give an attempt at writing synopses for each of my choices and express my own opinions.

So, without further delay, I present to you “nerdsman567’s Top 10 ‘Guilty Pleasure’ Movies.”

#10 – Man of Steel – I know A LOT of people have issues with this movie, some of which I do agree with. Yeah, there’s the collateral damage issue and some of the product placement is kinda weird, like the infamous fight scene through the iHop restaurant. Fans of the original film series have also been pretty biased, but I came into this movie with an open mind, and for what it is, I still thoroughly enjoy watching this movie. I like how more sci-fi oriented this film is from any of the other Superman movies made beforehand and how it expands on the Kryptonian mythos, like how Clark has to learn to adapt to the Earth’s atmosphere, which is kind of interesting. I also really enjoyed seeing Henry Cavill as Superman; he’s both a gentle giant and has a voice of authority (Seeing him fly for the first time was pretty awesome, too).  I do feel like some of the action scenes dragged on for a bit too long and I also wish some of the film’s ideas were explored more in-depth. I can understand that as a reintroduction to Superman, it sorta falls flat, but as an action/ science-fiction movie, it definitely delivers. I do hope that as time passes, fans and critics alike will one day look back on this movie, not having the big hype it once had, and may even like it; it’s not perfect, and it’s certainly not for everyone, but it has plenty of redeeming qualities to it and should be appreciated as its own movie. It put Superman back into the public eye, broke box office records, got people talking, and restored my respect for the big blue Boy Scout again.

#9 – Jurassic Park III – As the third installment of one of my all-time favorite movie franchises, people tend to share their own personal hatred for this movie. One of the big reasons this movie gets trashed is because of one particular highlight: T-Rex vs. Spinosaurus. I’ve read so much backlash and debate over the internet about this scene, it’s ridiculous. ENOUGH WITH THIS DEBATE ALREADY! IT’S JUST A MOVIE!!! Obviously, this movie is no competition when compared to the original. But I remember seeing this film at a young age, so it tends to have a lot of nostalgic value for me. Now as an adult, I still can’t help but get a kick out of it. Even though Steven Spielberg doesn’t return to direct again, it’s still a fun prehistoric ride. A solid popcorn flick at best. The action is pretty good, the dinosaur effects still look awesome, and director Joe Johnston manages to maintain that good old “Jurassic Park” feeling that brings me back to childhood.

#8 – Spider-Man 3 – This is another one that gets bashed pretty hard by fans, but for good reason, though. As the very first cinematic introduction of Venom, a lot of people were really looking forward to this movie. Director Sam Raimi initially never wanted to do Venom (It clearly shows in the film), but the studio threw him in at the last minute just to appease the fan base, only to be seriously backlashed. Had it not been for that, I think this movie could’ve fathomed a lot better by the public and not be so badly shunned. Even though it is incredibly flawed, there’s still plenty of good web-slinging fun to be had here. I thought the Sandman was real interesting villain from a visual standpoint and it was kinda neat to see Harry Osborne finally become the New Goblin. Of course, there’s “Emo Peter” and the infamous tap-dancing scene; I was fine with that, I guess. Does it have problems? Sure it does. Do I think it could have been better? Absolutely. But for what it is, I find Spider-Man 3 to be a mildly bitter-sweet conclusion to the series.

#7 – Aladdin and the King of Thieves – (Don’t worry. This is the last “3” movie I have on my list. ). Once again, as a third installment to one of my all-time favorite movies, this movie is no competition. But as a kid, I was really into Aladdin. I’ve watched the original God knows how many times, as well as the TV series and its straight-to-home-video sequels, The Return of Jafar and King of Thieves. Out of the two, I think King of Thieves is the superior sequel. Unlike Return of Jafar that mostly recycled ideas from its predecessor, King of Thieve’s plot was entirely original. Though the animation is still not up to par with the first one, it’s still a leap forward from Jafar and the TV series. As a fan of the franchise, it was a real treat to actually see Aladdin and Jasmine get married, rather than just assume they did at the end of the first movie. I like the sense of adventure and all the mystical elements it has, like with the oracle and The Vanishing Isle. I also like the father-and-son relationship between Cassim and Aladdin, and to have Aladdin’s father voiced by Indiana Jones star John Rys-Davies (Raiders of the Lost Ark/ The Last Crusade) was a perfect casting choice. But the big highlight of this movie, and what a lot of the advertising for it was based on, was the return of Robin Williams as the voice of The Genie. When first going into this movie, you’d assume Robin Williams would have only a few lines and that his name would be stamped on this movie for marquee value. But, actually, Robin Williams speaks a great amount of dialogue, and his humor is as sharp as ever. Sure, the songs aren’t as memorable and the scope of the film isn’t as big as it wants to be, but overall, King of Thieves is a vast improvement over Return of Jafar, but still not up to par with the original. If falls right in the middle.

#6 – InuYasha: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass – Out of all the InuYasha movies, this is the one I’ve seen the most times and is my personal favorite. If you’re coming off the first movie, Affections Touching Across Time, you’ll find that the plot of this movie is much more story oriented. I like how the movie opens up with the action right away with the gang fighting Naraku, and the reveal of InuYasha transformed from human back into a half-demon is savored quite nicely. In the first part of the movie, it’s actually kind of satisfying to see InuYasha and company finally defeat Naraku, even if it is only temporary. I like that it touches upon the idea of what it would be like if Naraku was defeated prematurely and has Kagome questioning what purpose she would have after they collected all the Sacred Jewel shards. The main villain of the movie, Kaguya, I find to be far more interesting than Menomaru from the first film. I like how they unravel the mystery of Kaguya’s backstory through the various characters. Original manga writer, Rumiko Takahashi, provides the story concept (Much like the first film), along with director Toshiya Shinohara and writer Katsuyuki Sumisawa, who were key members of the anime series. All the lead characters talk and act just like they do in the original anime, though the character designs are a tad different, most notably in the way the characters’ eyes are drawn. Of course, the big attraction here, and what EVERYBODY remembers this movie for, can be summed up in four simple words: InuYasha and Kagome kiss! This was the first time these two ever shared a kiss on screen; that is until the last episode in InuYasha: The Final Act. That alone makes the movie worth seeing (InuXKag Forever!!! ). However, this movie certainly isn’t for everybody. Any casual viewer who’s unfamiliar with the anime or the manga will be as lost as Tom Hanks with a volleyball, but fans of either of those are in for a real treat with this one.

#5 – Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie – If you were a young boy growing up in the mid 90’s, then this movie is already sketched into your mind as a guilty pleasure. I was big into Power Rangers when I was very young, so I figured I’d have to put this movie somewhere in this list. Today, it’s nothing too special, but as a kid, I was just blown away by the idea of one of my favorite TV shows on a cinematic scale. There’s lots of senseless action and flashy special effects. Not much to say about this one, but it’s good, dumb, nostalgic fun.

#4 – The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie – Anyone who knows me knows I’ve always been a HUGE SpongeBob fanatic. I was about six years old when they announced they were making this movie and when I found out about it, I almost s#$% my pants! The movie was a dream come true, and when I finally saw it, I was head-over-heels for it. Even as an adult, I find that it holds up surprisingly well. With show creator Steve Hillenburg steering the helm as the director, the film maintains the show’s surreal humor, while providing some clever jokes for the adult audience. The only downside is that the newer episodes just aren’t as good as they used to be and they air this movie on Nickelodeon ALL THE TIME, making it come off as a cruel reminder of SpongeBob’s glory days. But aside from that, the movie is still fun to watch and is highly recommended to any fan of the series.

#3 – The Mummy (1999) – This one’s a definite guilty pleasure for me. There’s no point in comparing it to the classic Universal film with Boris Karloff because it’s a completely different movie altogether. The film is obviously more influenced by the Indiana Jones films, especially with Raiders of the Lost Ark. Even so, the film is undoubtedly mediocre in comparison. The film utilizes a lot of CGI effects, and being the late 90’s, it makes the film come off as being dated by most standards. But even with its flaws, I still enjoy this movie in that cheesy, B-Movie sort of fashion. It’s got lots of eye-candy and a fairly entertaining array of characters, especially with Brendan Fraser as the lead male protagonist; he’s a class act.

#2 – Sharknado – Speaking of B-Movies, this one is pretty much the epitome of them. I remember seeing the title for this movie in the TV Guide the same night it was supposed to air and thought “Really? Sharknado? That’s the most ridiculous concept for a movie I ever heard of!” I didn’t watch the movie when it first aired, but literally the next day, it’s become one of the most notorious “Best Worst Movies” ever made. The hype for this movie was bewildering. To think a Syfy original movie could stir up this much attention in only a few days, if not, a few hours. So when Syfy announced they would re-air this movie, I figured I’d check it out just to see what the whole craze was about, and to be honest, I consider this to be, by far, the most entertaining Syfy original movie to date. Some people have complained that this movie isn’t as laughably bad as everyone makes it out to be and that it’s just flat out bad. But that’s the whole point of these movies. They’re supposed to be bad! Syfy knows they’re meant to be bad! I’ve seen Syfy original movies that are far worse than this one, I assure you. Out of all of them, this movie is the most self-aware of that notion and shows no shame of it. Utterly brainless with nothing to hide, Sharknado is a quintessential “So Bad, It’s Good” movie.

And my #1 “Guilty Pleasure” movie is . . .

GODZILLA: Final Wars – For any diehard Godzilla fan, this film is a must-see. Being essentially a remake of Destroy All Monster, the plot revolves around the military that awaken Godzilla from a frozen slumber to take on the various monsters unleashed by alien invaders in an attempt to destroy the world. The film mostly serves as an homage to the series, providing lots of cameos of the classic adversaries from the various Godzilla films. The most famous one of all is seeing Godzilla completely annihilate Zilla (aka The American Godzilla from the 1998 film) with his atomic breath. Packed with kung fu fighting mutants, battling kaiju monsters, and lazer-blasting spaceships, Final Wars is a highly entertaining and action-packed sendoff to Toho’s classic monsters that is sure to please their most hardcore fans. In the words of James Rolfe, “If you’re willing to let reality fly out the window and just sit back and enjoy a wild flick, then give this one a watch because it kicks ass.” I couldn’t have said it better.

For those who read this whole thing, I thank you kindly!