8 Movies From the 2010s I Like Way More Than Everyone Else Does. Fight Me on Number One.

The movie.guru score blends critics and audiences. My Take is mine. On these eight, we disagree by up to 2.2 points. I'm defending every one.

Number one sank with audiences. I'm still bailing water for it.

1. 8
   Insidious (2010)4.8

   Insidious is way scarier than its 4.8 lets on.

   Made for a reported $1.5M, it pulled $100.1M worldwide. James Wan scares you with a quiet house and a creaky baby monitor. The back half gets weird. Good. Guru's Take: 6.5.
2. 7
   The Other Guys (2010)5.1

   The Other Guys is Adam McKay's funniest movie. Not close.

   78% on Rotten Tomatoes, $170.5M worldwide, and still parked at a 5.1. Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg bicker like a married couple doing taxes. Guru's Take: 6.9.
3. 6
   The Cabin in the Woods (2011)6.5

   The smartest horror movie of the decade. Audiences just hated the quiz.

   92% on Rotten Tomatoes, then a C CinemaScore. People came for a slasher and got a pop quiz about slashers. Score: 6.5. Guru's Take: 8.4. I aced it.
4. 5
   The Witch (2015)6.0

   The Witch is the best $4M anyone spent on dread.

   Reported $4M budget, 84 on Metacritic, and a C− CinemaScore from people promised jump scares. Robert Eggers handed them candlelight and old English instead. Guru's Take: 8.0.
5. 4
   Contagion (2011)5.7

   Contagion is a procedural masterpiece in a thriller costume.

   Steven Soderbergh shoots a pandemic like a spreadsheet, and it's gripping. 85% with critics, a B− CinemaScore, a 5.7 blend. Matt Damon has never looked more tired. Guru's Take: 7.9.
6. 3
   Annihilation (2018)6.0

   Annihilation is the best sci-fi movie of 2018. Period.

   88% on Rotten Tomatoes, a C CinemaScore, and just $43.1M worldwide. Alex Garland made a grief movie with a glowing shimmer and dared you to keep up. Guru's Take: 8.2.
7. 2
   John Carter (2012)4.6

   John Carter deserved better than being Disney's favorite punchline.

   Reported $306.6M budget, $284.1M worldwide, a 4.6 blend. But the people who actually showed up gave it a B+ CinemaScore. Taylor Kitsch on Mars is a fun Saturday. Guru's Take: 6.3.
8. 1
   Noah (2014)3.9

   Noah is Aronofsky's wildest swing, and I'd board that ark again.

   Critics gave it 75%. Audiences gave it a C CinemaScore and a 3.9 blend. Russell Crowe plays a man coming apart under a deadline, and it's mesmerizing. Guru's Take: 6.1.

$1,219 says the Noah fight in the comments lasts longer than forty days.

Share it: X | Facebook | Copy link

Current mood: ready to fight about it