There are a handful of movies every year that audiences just can't agree on. Whether we love or hate a polarizing film, the contention does spark fascinating conversation. Sometimes it's a controversial casting choice that gets people talking. Other times it's a movie adaptation deviating from its source material.

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There are bound to be disagreements when remakes and reboots try new things with beloved characters or franchises. As 2021 comes to a close, it's painfully clear which movies have caused the most heated debates.

Halloween Kills

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Image via Universal Pictures

Director David Gordon Green's 2018 Halloween was one of the better horror revivals in recent years. Green returned to direct the sequel, Halloween Kills, in which a group of locals band together in an attempt to take out Michael Myers once and for all.

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The sequel garnered mixed reviews over its lack of focus and simple plot. Most of Halloween Kills treads the same territory as its predecessors without adding anything new to Myers' representation as a villain. This is a quality that made the original such a success. In the original Halloween, Myers represented the audience's deepest fear as an unbeatable "shape." So while the sequel does have some bloody fun kills, it adds little to the Halloween franchise.

Dune

Stellan Skarsgard in Dune
Image via Warner Bros.

The failure of David Lynch's original Dune, set high hopes for a remake. The newest version of the sci-fi classic succeeds with its collection of A-list actors and an Academy Award-winning director at the helm, but the book's previously failed adaptations and complicated plot made Dune divisive from the start. Having so many great actors on screen is mostly a plus, but it also means some stars get lost or are given minimal screen time, like Zendaya.

In addition, the decision not to greenlight a sequel immediately left many Dune fans anxious over what would happen to all the loose plot threads Part One ends on. Dune presents a sci-fi world unique in its depiction of ships and planets, but its cluttered plot left viewers wanting more from its minimalist approach.

The Suicide Squad

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Image via Warner Bros.

James Gunn received a lot of critical and commercial success as the director for the first Guardians of the Galaxy film. The Suicide Squad brought much of his trademark humor and motion-capture performances to the DC franchise and markedly improved its predecessor.

But the movie ultimately suffers from an overloaded cast and the absence of Will Smith as Deadshot. Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn embodied the divisive reactions audiences have for the sequel. Fans of the character have continued to clash over Harley's depiction as a victim of domestic abuse at the hands of the Joker, and The Suicide Squad added fuel to the fire with her rushed marriage to a new terrorist villain.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

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Image via Sony Pictures

Ghostbusters: Afterlife was a lot of fun to watch. Its mix of practical effects and CGI paid homage to the creature-building of the two franchise's first two films. In addition, the casting of McKenna Grace as the granddaughter of the original Ghostbuster, Egon Spengler, was a success.

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McKenna Grace as Phoebe Spengler pulled off some of the same physical mannerisms and scientific instincts as her fictional grandfather. But many critics thought the recycling of Gozer as Afterlife's main villain and the complete rehashing of Ghostbusters 2's ending was a lazy decision.

Eternals

A Celestial from Eternals
Image via Disney

It was an inspired pick when Marvel to employ indie director Chloé Zhao at the helm of the Eternals film. The Oscar-winning director is known for creating gorgeous set pieces and using naturalistic settings in her movies. Naturaly, Zhao seemed like an interesting choice to helm a film about aliens who come to Earth to protect humankind against invading predators.

Consensus on whether or not Zhao succeeded is mixed. Many critics felt Eternals was the worst MCU movie, largely due to its slow pacing and juggling too many character storylines. As a result, the film currently holds the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score for any MCU movie at 47%.

Black Widow

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Image via Disney

Black Widow had already divided critics long before the controversy between Scarlett Johansson and Marvel studios over the film's release. Fans waited over a year for a new Marvel movie during the Covid theater shut down and were anticipating Black Widow's solo film.

Upon release, Black Widow was derided for being too long, too dull, and too MCU. Fans have been divided over Black Widow's character since she was killed in Avengers: Endgame, and felt her film was an attempt by Marvel to make up for not giving her a solo movie beforehand.

No Time to Die

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Image via MGM

No Time to Die is Daniel Craig's last outing as James Bond. The movie begins with exciting set pieces and action sequences before developing the human side of Bond often unseen previous films. That said, fans argued over Bond's humanistic depiction and No Time to Die's messy plot.

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Critics overall enjoyed the film, but were torn over the weak villain and lackluster storyline, keeping the movie from reaching the same heights as Craig's other Bond outings. However, divisiveness doesn't affect ticket sales in this case.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage

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Image via Sony Pictures

Venom: Let There Be Carnage saw Tom Hardy return to the joint roles of Eddie Brock and Venom in another Sony movie before the franchise ties into the MCU's Spider-Man universe. Unfortunately, Let There Be Carnage regurgitates much of the first film's plot, to the disappointment of critics.

Most of the movie's divisiveness comes from it being a short blockbuster that puts focus on crowd-pleasing moments over in-depth story-telling. Audiences found Let There Be Carnage film fun, but critics were bored with the derivative story.

Last Night In Soho

Anya Taylor-Joy in Last Night in Soho
Image via Focus Features

Last Night in Soho is a fun thriller with creative special effects and a great cast. The movie delivers an original story in short supply in an age full of reboots and remakes. And the central duel performances of actresses Anna Taylor-Joy and Thomasin McKenzie raise the movie above other 2021 spooky-themed movies. The sixties score also grounds the time-traveling scenes in authenticity.

Sadly, Last Night in Soho telegraphs its twists and turns too early in the story. As a result, critics felt the film was bogged down in repetitive plot devices. Not just that, the film has been criticized for its depiction of sexual assault and mental health, neither of which it fully delves into. Last Night in Soho would have more room to breathe if it didn't remind audiences where the story was going every few scenes.

Mortal Kombat

Lewis Tan as Cole fighting Goro in Mortal Kombat 2021
Image via Warner Bros.

The 1995 original Mortal Kombat is more loved for the opening theme song than its plot. Therefore, the bar was low for 2021's Mortal Kombat to improve upon its predecessor. Reviews were mixed due to the film's clunky handling of fight scenes vs. exposition.

While critics appreciated the film's diverse chararacters, they derided the movie's poor performances and over-stuffed fan service. Likewise, many were disappointed in the movie focusing the story around a brand new character instead of the franchise mainstay, Liu Kang, who was primarily kept off-screen performing unseen side missions.

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