10) Predator
What they said then:
Arnold Schwarzenegger, in the jungle, fighting an alien with a cloaking device – what’s not to love about Predator? Well, back in 1987 – when the film was originally released – the critics decided on ‘everything.’ The New York Times called it “grisly and dull,” whilst the Los Angeles Times proclaimed it was “arguably one of the emptiest, feeblest, most derivative scripts ever made as a major studio movie.”
What they say now:
A classic sci-fi action movie, one that the word “dull” rarely comes within spitting distance of anymore. Entertainment Weekly recently declared it the 22nd best action movie ever made, while IGN decided it was the 13th best. Outside of the Terminator franchise, Predator is also probably considered the strongest movie that Arnie ever starred in.
9) It’s A Wonderful Life
What they said then:
Considering it’s virtually unavoidable around the holiday season, it’s strange to think that It’s A Wonderful Life originally was seen by next to no one in theaters. And some of the critics wish they’d never even made the effort: The New York Times gagged at the film’s “sentimentality” and dismissed it as “most optimistic and facile.” Director Frank Capra lamented that the critical response at the time was universally negative.
What they say now:
A forever-on-at-Christmas classic that represents the best of a simpler time in cinema. It’s sentimental, sure, but perhaps a lack of sentimentality in modern movies is what makes It’s A Wonderful Life seem so special today. It’s a feel-good classic, and the American Film Institute even has it as the 11th greatest film ever made.
