It feels like there's a great deal of division in the world at the moment. That sense of people being unable to agree about things carries over to the world of film, too. It's rare to get one movie that most viewers agree is great (or even good), and it's similarly uncommon to have a highly-criticized movie come out with virtually no viewers defending it.
Maybe this sort of division has always been a common part of movie-watching, and it's just social media giving everyone a way to voice opinions publicly that makes filmgoers look more divided. Either way, most films are at least a little divisive, but the following 10 releases from 2022 take it to a whole other level. Each of the following films have numerous fans and detractors, and some have various controversies attached to them.
'The Whale'
Darren Aronofsky is a filmmaker whose movies often end up being provocative and/or divisive, with his previous film, Mother!, being among the most controversial released in 2017. The Whale is shaping up to similarly divide audiences, with a story about an obese man's difficulties in life, including his struggles to connect with his teenage daughter.
The one thing that most seem to agree on is that Brendan Fraser gives a great lead performance, and is already an early award-season contender. However, the film has also been seen as fatphobic by some, and others have spoken out against Fraser being cast and having to wear a fat suit for the role. The conversations around the movie are likely to get more heated as it gets a wider release, guaranteeing it to be one of 2022's most divisive films.
'Don't Worry Darling'
Olivia Wilde's directorial followup to Booksmart (her debut) was Don't Worry Darling, which hasn't received the same sort of wide acclaim its predecessor did. It's an ambitious movie, and hard to compare to Booksmart, given it's not a comedy, and instead blends mystery, sci-fi elements, and social commentary into a single movie.
Like The Whale, Don't Worry Darling's lead actor (Florence Pugh) has been praised by most as giving a good performance, but the rest of the movie has split audiences. Some admire its ambition and what it's trying to say - even if it does so a little clumsily - while others find it to be too much of a mess, and feel other cast members don't deliver the same way Pugh does.
'Hellraiser'
Hellraiser is a franchise that has a surprising number of sequels. Most are aware of the first movie, which holds up as a classic, yet the sequels generally weren't as well-received, meaning it's a series that only the most devoted horror fans are likely to have followed.
The most recent film is a reboot of sorts, and has been better received than the nine sequels the original got. However, not everyone who's seen this new spin on the supernatural horror series was a fan, with it sitting at a solid but somewhat divided 66% score from critics and an even more divided 59% from users on Rotten Tomatoes.
'Thor: Love and Thunder'
Thor: Love and Thunder looked like it would be another slam dunk for the MCU. Thor: Ragnarök was a huge success, after all, and this newest Thor movie was once again being helmed by Taika Waititi, as the director. Thor also continued to grow as a character in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, so the idea of another comedic Thor movie with one of the franchise's best characters was an exciting prospect.
It was saddening to find, then, that the latest adventure for Thor might have been his weakest outing yet. There are good elements to the movie, with Christian Bale's performance standing out, and various neat ideas that aren't executed the best... but there are too many downsides, and the humor/action scenes just weren't up to Marvel's usual standards. Some viewers were able to focus on the good over the bad, but others ended up finding the movie very disappointing.
'Men'
Like Thor 4, Men was another divisive movie that seemed like it would be more of a surefire hit than it was. Alex Garland's third feature film as director wasn't nearly as popular as his first two, Ex Machina and Annihilation (and even then, while most like Annihilation, it wasn't quite as well received as Ex Machina).
Still, you can't fault Men for its ambition. It has some great ideas, and the way it uses Rory Kinnear to play so many characters is effective. Plus, Jessie Buckley is fantastic in the lead role. It could have been great, but the execution of some of its more outlandish concepts renders the film less than successful for some viewers, making it a fairly divisive horror film.
'Crimes of the Future'
An interesting blend of horror, science-fiction, and film noir, Crimes of the Future had a good deal of hype around it, but didn't totally deliver for all viewers. It marked famed horror director David Cronenberg returning to the body horror genre after 20+ years of focusing on more grounded dramas/thrillers, and instantly earned a controversial reputation upon its debut at Cannes, in May 2022.
Some may have been disappointed to find that the movie wasn't as provocative and shocking as the early press made it sound. Others may have found it a bit messy and slow-paced, without the truly visceral scenes and atmosphere that make Cronenberg's best movies so good. It may not have been a terrible movie, but it's not hard to see how Crimes of the Future could (and did) leave some disappointed.
'Bodies Bodies Bodies'
Bodies Bodies Bodies feels like the kind of movie that's okay with alienating some of its viewers. It takes a slasher movie premise and tackles it in a surprisingly comedic way. While it's not without suspense and some scary moments, it ends up being more memorable for its comedy, and the way it pokes fun at the younger generations (mostly Gen-Z/younger Millennials).
Naturally, some younger viewers could feel disrespected, while others might be willing to laugh at themselves along with the movie. Elsewhere, Bodies Bodies Bodies could disappoint horror fans looking for a genuine slasher movie that's low on comedy. It might not be the most divisive movie of 2022, but it has the potential to divide audiences for sure, mostly based on what they're expecting from a horror movie.
'Clerks III'
1994's Clerks was the movie that put Kevin Smith on the map, as a filmmaker. To this day, it might still be his best movie, as it perfectly captures the difficulty of being young and lost in life while also working a dead-end, passionless job.
Clerks 2 was a solid follow-up, with Clerks III being an ambitious and mostly well-done conclusion to what's now a trilogy... though it's not the kind of movie that will please everyone. It captures middle-aged angst in a surprisingly emotional way, with parts of the film completely foregoing comedy. As long as viewers are ready for a dramedy, most Clerks fans should hopefully enjoy this somewhat underrated movie.
'Obi-Wan Kenobi'
While it's not technically a movie, Obi-Wan Kenobi is almost one. It's a limited series, and a particularly short one at that, clocking in at about four hours spread out across six episodes (once you take out the lengthy end credits at the end of every episode).
Perhaps it would have been better as a movie that hovered around the two-hour mark. Most agree that there are strong scenes in the show (mostly those featuring Obi-Wan and Darth Vader/Anakin), but other scenes and episodes proved more divisive. It's not all great, and it's not all bad; it's an inconsistent miniseries, with viewers being in disagreement over how much of it was good, and how much wasn't so good.
'Blonde'
If you had to pick a film as the most divisive of 2022, it would probably be Blonde. It's a film that explores Marilyn Monroe by telling a fictionalized story of her life, using her as a vessel to explore the dark side of Hollywood, the way the film industry can destroy lives, and how (male) film producers can exploit and use young women.
This approach has made it an understandably difficult film for many viewers. Some agree with what the movie's saying, but don't appreciate it using a real-life person to do so. Supporters of the film may feel the ends justify the means here, while some feel it's just pure exploitation, full-stop. No matter how you feel about Blonde, it's the kind of movie that's inevitably difficult to have a neutral opinion on, making it naturally divisive.