Cast your mind back to the distant past of the 1990s... the era where the superhero movies were bad and Bruce Willis still had hair. What a topsy-turvy world, almost unrecognizable from today. Unlike the modern world critics and audiences were far less divided, and things were more often 'meh' than 'amazing' or 'awful'.
Critics, in general, were also more respected and held in higher regard. However, that doesn't mean that they agreed on everything, and with the emergence of online blogging, everyone could make their opinions known. With this in mind here are 10 films from the '90s that critics loved and audiences hated.
The Nutty Professor: Critics 64% Audiences 44% (20%)
The Nutty Professor proved to be divisive among critics and audiences, with critics surprising enjoying the low brow comedy more than audiences. The film sees Eddie Murphy playing many different characters, often in the same scene, a gimmick he would continue in films to come.
The humor just wasn't for everyone, much like Murphy himself, but those that did enjoy his comedic style got a lot of Eddie for their buck. Despite the mixed response, the film was a success, and audiences were treated to another.
The Crossing Guard: Critics 75% Audiences 53% (22%)
The 1995 Sean Penn directed drama The Crossing Guard was a huge commercial failure, grossing less than a million dollars on a budget of nine million. And marks one of Jack Nicholson's biggest misfires.
The film tells the tale of a father out for revenge on the man who killed his daughter in a car accident. Despite the positive reviews from critics, the film underperformed and audiences disliked the revenge tale and the film remains in obscurity.
The Borrowers: Critics 73% Audiences 49% (24%)
It's hard to believe a family film could be so divisive, but that's the case with The Borrowers. The story of tiny people who, as their name suggests, borrow things for us regular-sized folk. The film was praised by critics for its terrific special effects and performances.
But the general movie-going public had a more mixed opinion on the film. With many criticizing The Borrowers for being cheesy and lacking anything for older viewers to enjoy.
Scream 2: Critics 82% Audiences 57% (25%)
Sequels are hard. And are often much more difficult to make than an original film. With audiences already having expectations, that must be met. As well as the difficult task of following on from a hit movie. As a result of this, they can often prove to be divisive.
Scream 2 is one such movie. It received praise for being self-aware and funny, while some believe it was too similar to the first and therefore predictable.
Stuart Little: Critics 67% Audiences 41% (26%)
The family-friendly tale of a talking mouse who is adopted by the Little family was brought to life with the best special effects the '90s had to offer, and as a result, Stuart Little still impresses to this day. However, despite the amazing effects on display, some moviegoers were less impressed with Stuart Little.
Some found it to be another cheese-fest with nothing to offer older viewers. Despite this, the film was a success and went on to produce a sequel, which proved to be just as divisive.
Darkman: Critics 84% Audiences 58% (26%)
Before Sam Raimi found mainstream success directing the hugely successful Darkman, starring Liam Neeson was one such movie.
Think of the film as he audition tape for the Spider-Man gig he would go on to get, and is his own unique spin on the superhero genre. But the mix of horror and comedy that is this director's trade proved not to be everyone's cup of tea.
The Blair Witch Project: Critics 87% Audiences 56% (31%)
The Blair Witch Project is without a doubt one of the decades defining films and ushered in a new era of horror movies. Filmed with groundbreaking handheld footage it birthed the found footage genre and became a sensation.
The film chooses the atmosphere over scares and breaks many of the rules horror movies are supposed to follow. As a result of this, it isn't for everyone. With some finding the slow pace to be offputting.
The Indian In The Cupboard: Critics 73% Audiences 40% (33%)
The Indian in the Cupboard tells the strange tale of the titular magical cupboard that brings a small figure of an Indian to life. Only the '90s could produce such a movie. But the bizarre premise meant that this family movie wasn't for everyone.
Based on the best selling book of the same name many found the big-screen adaptation didn't do the source material justice, while others found the child actors to pain to watch.
Body Snatchers: Critics 71% Audiences 38% (33%)
The Body Snatchers proved to be one of the most divisive films of the 90s. Based on the book of the same name, it marked the third attempt at adapting it.
This proved to be a hotly contested topic, with some critics considered the film to be a good adaption of the book. However, many movie-goers believed the movie to be unnecessary and inferior to the 1978 film Invasion of the Body Snatchers, which is still regarded by many as a classic horror movie.
Antz: Critics 92% Audiences 52% (40%)
1998's Antz was the first film Dreamworks Animation produced and proved to be a point of controversy. Critics loved the Woodey Allen led cartoon and his trademark brand of cynicism and wit.
But the film lived in the shadow of Pixar's much more successful hit movie A Bug's Life. The comparisons between the two are too numerous to mention, and many believed Antz to be an inferior clone of Pixar's more family-friendly movie.
