Tarantino's Trash List: These 7 Films So Not Worth Your Time
- In a compilation of interviews, Quentin Tarantino, a renowned filmmaker known for his candid opinions, has disclosed a list of movies that he finds particularly disappointing.
These films, according to Tarantino, range from being unworthy of viewing to significantly tarnishing their predecessors or genres.
1. "The Matrix Reloaded" & "The Matrix Revolutions"
Tarantino believes these sequels damaged the original "The Matrix" film's mythology. Once a top contender in his favorite movies, the sequels have diminished his regard for the original.
"But even though it did ruin the mythology for me and actually moved the original 'Matrix' down on my list — frankly, I just can't think about it the same way I did before — it didn't obliterate it entirely."
2. "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me"
This eerie prequel to the cult classic TV series "Twin Peaks" was booed at Cannes despite David Bowie making a genius-level cameo. The film answers questions from the series, but in true David Lynch fashion, it leaves you with even more mysteries. Tarantino, as it happens, was not impressed.
In a 1992 LA Weekly interview, Tarantino expressed disappointment with David Lynch's "Twin Peaks" movie. Critiquing it as overly self-indulgent, he mentioned losing interest in Lynch's future works unless he heard of a change in his filmmaking style.
"If all you do is these little art films for 10 years for a million or two dollars, you're going to climb up your own ass," Tarantino said about Lynch.
3. "Natural Born Killers"
Despite writing the script, Tarantino has been unable to watch this film in its entirety. He criticized Oliver Stone for not understanding the story and altering it in ways that made the characters unbelievable to him.
"One of the things about that script, in particular, was that I was trying to make it on the page," he said on The Moment podcast in 2021 (h/t Slash Film). "So when you read it, you saw the movie. And it's like why didn't [Stone] do at least half of that? It was done for him!"
4. "The Town"
Ben Affleck not only starred in but also directed this Boston-based crime thriller. Tarantino's issue with "The Town" (2010) is its "phony" casting, where he felt the actors were too attractive, lacking the realism he saw in "The Fighter." This casting choice, in his view, undermined the film's credibility.
"When you see David O. Russell cast those sisters, and you see Ben Affleck cast Blake Lively, you can't compare the two movies. One just shows how phony the other is."
5. "Stripes"
Tarantino called out Bill Murray's 1980s movies, like "Stripes" (1981), for their predictable redemption arcs. He lamented the lack of genuinely flawed characters who remain unchanged by the film's end. A piece of trivia: this military comedy classic starring Murray almost had Cheech & Chong in leading roles. Perhaps that would have made it better?..
"If you did make a movie about a f---g bastard, you could bet that f---g bastard would see the error of their ways and be redeemed in the last twenty minutes. Like for example, all of Bill Murray's characters."
6. "The Hunger Games "
Tarantino accused "The Hunger Games" series of plagiarizing the Japanese movie "Battle Royale," one of his favorites. He expressed disappointment at the lack of originality in the American adaptation.
"I'm a big fan of the Japanese movie Battle Royale, which is what Hunger Games was based on," Tarantino explained in a 2022 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! "Well, Hunger Games just ripped it off. That would have been awesome to have directed Battle Royale."
7. "Halloween II"
Did you know this was supposed to be the end of Michael Myers? The film picks up right where the first left off, a rarity in the 80s.
Tarantino criticized "Halloween II" (1981) for its twist revealing a familial connection between Michael and Laurie. He argued that this development diluted the terror of Michael's random acts of violence in Haddonfield.
"The sequels were horrible," Tarantino said in a 2019 Consequence of Sound interview. "They're like fruit from a poison tree because Laurie is not the brother of the Shape."
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