Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
'The Last Jedi'
Credit: Disney
I think this movie legitimately broke the internet and ended friendships. It also somehow became really political, which was wild.
This eighth installment in the Skywalker saga is perhaps one of the most well-known examples of a film that split even its fanbase.
While many critics praised director Rian Johnson's subversion of franchise tropes, a significant portion of the audience lost their damn minds.
Joker (2019)
'Joker'
Credit: Warner bros.
Look, this site had a whole viral article about this movie being dangerous, and I think we actually helped its massive box office with it.
Todd Phillips' dark, gritty reimagining of the iconic Batman villain's origin story was both a critical and commercial success, earning Joaquin Phoenix an Academy Award for Best Actor.
But people thought the movie was going to incite violence and riots. Honestly, if it came out after 2020, it might have. It was a weirdly predictive movie.
mother! (2017)
'mother!' CREDIT: Paramount PicturesThis movie kind of broke me in the theater. It was noisy, people were groaning, I was uncomfortable, and yet I go back to it a lot just because it has so much to say. And it is weirdly watchable.
Darren Aronofsky's allegorical horror film starring Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem is a visceral and unsettling experience. Its biblical allegories were either lauded as brilliant and audacious or dismissed as heavy-handed and pretentious.
To this day, it was one of the most insane experiences of my movie-going life.
The Green Knight (2021)
'The Green Knight'CREDIT: A24David Lowery's atmospheric and visually stunning adaptation of the 14th-century Arthurian poem was a critical darling, but it didn't really deliver the Game of Thrones-type action I think people wanted at the time.
Viewers got a slow-burn, surrealist exploration of honor, temptation, and mortality that confused some of the masses.
Cats (2019)
'Cats'
Credit: Working Title
Sheesh, this movie is so wild to watch. That's all I've got.
Tom Hooper's big-screen adaptation of the beloved Andrew Lloyd Webber musical became an instant cultural phenomenon and the theme of many birthday parties I've been to in LA.
The film's "digital fur technology" and unsettling character designs were widely mocked and people say there's a cut with buttholes out there somewhere?
Ghostbusters (2016)
'Ghostbusters'
Credit: Sony
This is a perfectly fine movie that became part of a culture war that it was unprepared to fight
The casting of four women in the lead roles sparked a vitriolic online backlash, with the film's trailer becoming one of the most disliked in YouTube history.
It was weird, and the movie can really never be judged fairly because of it.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'
CREDIT: Warner Bros.Real ones know the director's cut of this movie actually was pretty good, but what hit theaters was polarizing.
Zack Snyder's grim and brooding superhero showdown was a box office success, but critics lambasted its convoluted plot, tone, and characterizations of its iconic heroes.
The infamous "Martha" scene still lives on in pop culture lore.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'
Credit: Sony
Quentin Tarantino's ninth film is a meticulously crafted love letter to the final days of Hollywood's golden age. I absolutely loved it and will defend pretty much every choice in it.
But since it is revisionist history, a lot of people were upset at the idea of the Mansons in it and of the portrayal of Bruce Lee.
The Shape of Water (2017)
'The Shape of Water'Credit: Focus
Guillermo del Toro's romantic fantasy about a mute cleaning woman who falls in love with an amphibious creature was a critical darling that won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
But the central interspecies romance left squares upset. Let the fish f***!
Don't Look Up (2021)
'Don't Look Up (2021)'
Credit: Netflix
Honestly, good for a movie that was only on Netflix to become such a part of the cultural lexicon that it inspired millions of hot takes.
Adam McKay's star-studded satirical allegory for climate change was a massive hit but it sharply divided critics and viewers.
Its tone was biting and also very heartfelt at the end. Some of the messages came down with a hammer, but it got people talking and that was a big deal!
Summing It All Up
That's my take on the ten most controversial and divisive movies of the last decade. They're weird movies that I think will stand the test of time because we'll always be talking about them.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
'mother!' CREDIT: Paramount Pictures
'The Green Knight'CREDIT: A24
'The Shape of Water'
