The Top 25 Most Overrated Directors of All Time
by EmboldenedLoser | created - 16 Mar 2013 | updated - 1 month ago | PublicI think that the word "overrated" has been repeated and overused too much, that whatever were rating about, is too commonly associated with being labeled as bad. That is not always the truth, not all things that are considered overrated, are truly bad, but maybe instead, but applauded more than what it is worth. I've seen 2,500+ feature-length films according to IMDb, so I feel like I am qualified to discuss the topic of overrated directors because I've seen so many films from such a wide and diverse group of directors.
Most of these directors on this list I wouldn't categorize as bad, as they are what I stated above, given more acclaim than they deserve, that is all really. I really admire the better amount of the directors on here, to be honest. I'm basing this off of:
1.) How talented they are as a director.
2.) The amount of critical acclaim, and the reputation they have among film critics.
3.) The amount of international attention and recognition that they receive from non-film critics (pretty much meaning your regular person), such as their films' IMDb user ratings and the number of user ratings that their films have.
The list only includes feature-length films made by directors; and excludes any documentary films, short films, TV episodes, and mini-series made by directors. To qualify for the list, I must have seen and rated at least three feature-length films by a director.
1. Joe Russo
Director | Avengers: Endgame
Joseph Vincent Russo is an American filmmaker and producer who works alongside his brother Anthony Russo. They have directed You, Me and Dupree, Cherry and the Marvel films Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Endgame is one ...
& Anthony Russo (the Russo brothers)
Films seen (my rating for the film/out of 10):
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (5/10)
- Captain America: Civil War (4/10)
- Avengers: Infinity War (5/10)
- Avengers: Endgame (5/10)
- The Gray Man (3/10)
2. M. Night Shyamalan
Producer | Lady in the Water
Born in Puducherry, India, and raised in the posh suburban Penn Valley area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, M. Night Shyamalan is a film director, screenwriter, producer, and occasional actor, known for making movies with contemporary supernatural plots.
He is the son of Jayalakshmi, a Tamil ...
Films seen (my rating for the film/out of 10):
- The Sixth Sense (7/10)
- Split (5/10)
- Unbreakable (7/10)
- Signs (6/10)
- The Village (6.5/10)
- Glass (4/10)
- The Happening (4.5/10)
- After Earth (3/10)
- The Last Airbender (2/10)
- The Visit (4/10)
- Old (4/10)
- Lady in the Water (3/10)
- Knock at the Cabin (3.5/10)
3. Patty Jenkins
Director | Wonder Woman
Patty Jenkins is a writer/director best known for directing Wonder Woman, the Warner Bros./DC Comics blockbuster of 2017, and her debut feature Monster. Patty also works in television where she is best known for the pilot and finale episode of AMC's hit show The Killing.
Patty began her career as a ...
Films seen (my rating for the film/out of 10):
- Monster (6.5/10)
- Wonder Woman (3/10)
- Wonder Woman 1984 (2/10)
4. Jon Watts
Director | Cop Car
Jon Watts is an American filmmaker and screenwriter. He directed Cop Car and Clown before he was picked by Marvel and Sony to direct Spider-Man: Homecoming starring Tom Holland and Zendaya. It's success resulted in two sequels, Far from Home in 2019 and No Way Home in 2021. He was also picked by ...
Films seen (my rating for the film/out of 10):
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (4/10)
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (4/10)
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (4/10)
5. Zack Snyder
Director | 300
Zachary Edward "Zack" Snyder (born March 1, 1966) is an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter, best known for action and science fiction films. Snyder made his feature film debut with the 2004 remake Dawn of the Dead and has gone on to be known for his comic book movies and ...
Films seen (my rating for the film/out of 10):
- Dawn of the Dead (6.5/10)
- 300 (2/10)
- Watchmen (5/10)
- Man of Steel (4/10)
- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (6/10)
- Army of the Dead (3.5/10)
- Zack Snyder's Justice League (5.5/10)
6. J.J. Abrams
Producer | Lost
Jeffrey Jacob Abrams was born in New York City and raised in Los Angeles, the son of TV producer parents. At 15, he wrote the music for Don Dohler's Nightbeast (1982). In his senior year of college, he and Jill Mazursky teamed up to write a feature film, which became Taking Care of Business (1990)....
Films seen (my rating for the film/out of 10):
- Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (4/10)
- Star Trek (5.5/10)
- Star Trek Into Darkness (4/10)
- Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (4.5/10)
- Super 8 (6/10)
- Mission: Impossible III (6.5/10)
7. Chloé Zhao
Director | Nomadland
Chloé Zhao or Zhao Ting (born March 31, 1982) is a Chinese film director, screenwriter, and producer. Her debut feature film, Songs My Brothers Taught Me (2015), premiered at Sundance Film Festival. Her second feature film, The Rider (2017), was critically acclaimed and received several accolades ...
Films seen (my rating for the film/out of 10):
- The Rider (6/10)
- Nomadland (5/10)
- Eternals (2.5/10)
8. Joss Whedon
Producer | Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Joss Whedon is the middle of five brothers - his younger brothers are Jed Whedon and Zack Whedon. Both his father, Tom Whedon and his grandfather, John Whedon were successful television writers. Joss' mother, Lee Stearns, was a history teacher and she also wrote novels as Lee Whedon. Whedon was ...
Films seen (my rating for the film/out of 10):
- The Avengers (6/10)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (3.5/10)
- Serenity (4/10)
9. Gareth Edwards
Visual_effects | Monsters
Gareth James Edwards was born on June 1, 1975 in the English town of Nuneaton, Warwickshire. Growing up, he admired movies such as the 1977 classic "Star Wars", and went on to pursue a film career. He even cites George Lucas and Steven Spielberg as his biggest influences. Edwards studied BA (Hons) ...
Films seen (my rating for the film/out of 10):
- Godzilla (5.5/10)
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (5/10)
- The Creator (3/10)
10. Ron Howard
Producer | Arrested Development
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ron Howard is one of this generation's most popular directors. From the critically acclaimed dramas A Beautiful Mind (2001) and Apollo 13 (1995) to the hit comedies Parenthood (1989) and Splash (1983), he has created some of Hollywood's most memorable films.
Howard ...
Films seen (my rating for the film/out of 10):
- A Beautiful Mind (6/10)
- Rush (5/10)
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas (4.5/10)
- The Da Vinci Code (3/10)
- Apollo 13 (5.5/10)
- Solo: A Star Wars Story (4/10)
- Frost/Nixon (7/10)
- Willow (5.5/10)
11. Alex Garland
Writer | Ex Machina
Alex Garland is an English novelist, screenwriter, film producer and director. He is best known for the films Ex Machina (2015) and Annihilation (2018).
Garland's others works as a writer includes The Beach (2000), 28 Days Later (2002), Sunshine (2007), Never Let Me Go (2011) and Dredd (2012).
He is ...
Films seen (my rating for the film/out of 10):
- Ex Machina (6/10)
- Annihilation (5.5/10)
- Men (3.5/10)
12. Jon Favreau
Producer | Chef
Initially an indie film favorite, actor Jon Favreau has progressed to strong mainstream visibility into the millennium and, after nearly two decades in the business, is still enjoying character stardom as well as earning notice as a writer/producer/director.
The amiable, husky-framed actor with the ...
Films seen (my rating for the film/out of 10):
- Iron Man (5/10)
- Iron Man 2 (5/10)
- The Jungle Book (6/10)
- Elf (6.5/10)
- Chef (5/10)
- Zathura: A Space Adventure (5/10)
- The Lion King (3/10)
13. Bryan Singer
Director | X-Men
Bryan Singer is an American film director and producer who got his start writing and co-directing the short film Lions Den with his classmates while he attended USC. He was hired by 20th Century Fox to direct X-Men, which helped kick-start the superhero renaissance. He later directed three sequels....
Films seen (my rating for the film/out of 10):
- The Usual Suspects (6.5/10)
- X-Men: Days of Future Past (6.5/10)
- X-Men (6/10)
- Bohemian Rhapsody (5/10)
- X2 (6.5/10)
- X-Men: Apocalypse (3/10)
- Superman Returns (4/10)
14. Luca Guadagnino
Director | Call Me by Your Name
Luca Guadagnino was born on August 10, 1971 in Palermo, Sicily, Italy. He is a director and producer, known for Call Me by Your Name (2017), Suspiria (2018) and Bones and All (2022).
Films seen (my rating for the film/out of 10):
- Call Me by Your Name (4.5/10)
- Suspiria (7/10)
- Bones and All (5.5/10)
15. Rian Johnson
Producer | Knives Out
Rian Johnson was born in Maryland and at a young age his family moved to San Clemente, California, where he was raised. After graduating from high school, he went on to attend the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. His first feature film, Brick (2005), was released in 2005 ...
Films seen (my rating for the film/out of 10):
- Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (3.5/10)
- Knives Out (6.5/10)
- Looper (7/10)
- Brick (7/10)
- Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (3/10)
16. Tim Burton
Producer | Edward Scissorhands
Timothy Walter Burton was born in Burbank, California, to Jean Rae (Erickson), who owned a cat-themed gift shop, and William Reed Burton, who worked for the Burbank Park and Recreation Department. He spent most of his childhood as a recluse, drawing cartoons, and watching old movies (he was ...
Films seen (my rating for the film/out of 10):
- Edward Scissorhands (7.5/10)
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (5.5/10)
- Big Fish (6/10)
- Alice in Wonderland (5/10)
- Batman (7/10)
- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (6.5/10)
- Sleepy Hollow (6.5/10)
- Beetlejuice (7/10)
- Batman Returns (7/10)
- Corpse Bride (7/10)
- Dark Shadows (4/10)
- Mars Attacks! (6/10)
- Planet of the Apes (5/10)
- Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (4.5/10)
- Ed Wood (8/10)
- Frankenweenie (6/10)
- Big Eyes (5/10)
- Dumbo (3/10)
- Pee-wee's Big Adventure (7.5/10)
17. Peter Jackson
Producer | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Sir Peter Jackson made history with The Lord of the Rings trilogy, becoming the first person to direct three major feature films simultaneously. The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King were nominated for and collected a slew of awards from around the globe, with The ...
Films seen (my rating for the film/out of 10):
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (7.5/10)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (7/10)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (7.5/10)
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (4.5/10)
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (5/10)
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (4/10)
- King Kong (6.5/10)
- The Lovely Bones (3/10)
- Dead Alive (7.5/10)
- The Frighteners (5.5/10)
- Heavenly Creatures (7/10)
18. Kathryn Bigelow
Director | Zero Dark Thirty
A very talented painter, Kathryn spent two years at the San Francisco Art Institute. At 20, she won a scholarship to the Whitney Museum's Independent Study Program. She was given a studio in a former Offtrack Betting building, literally in an old bank vault, where she made art and waited to be ...
Films seen (my rating for the film/out of 10):
- The Hurt Locker (6.5/10)
- Zero Dark Thirty (4.5/10)
- Point Break (7/10)
- Near Dark (6.5/10)
- Detroit (5/10)
- Strange Days (5.5/10)
19. Richard Linklater
Director | Waking Life
Self-taught writer-director Richard Stuart Linklater was born in Houston, Texas, to Diane Margaret (Krieger), who taught at a university, and Charles W. Linklater III. Richard was among the first and most successful talents to emerge during the American independent film renaissance of the 1990s. ...
Films seen (my rating for the film/out of 10):
- School of Rock (7/10)
- Boyhood (5/10)
- Dazed and Confused (6.5/10)
- Before Sunrise (6/10)
- Before Sunset (6.5/10)
- Before Midnight (5.5/10)
20. Noah Baumbach
Writer | The Squid and the Whale
Born in Brooklyn in 1969 Noah Baumbach is the son of two film critics, Georgia Brown and Jonathan Baumbach (also a writer). His studies at Vassar College were the subject of his first film (made as he was 26 years old), Kicking and Screaming (1995). His second major picture, made ten years later, ...
Films seen (my rating for the film/out of 10):
- Marriage Story (5.5/10)
- Frances Ha (5.5/10)
- The Squid and the Whale (6/10)
- White Noise (6.5/10)
21. Neill Blomkamp
Director | District 9
Neill Blomkamp is a South African-Canadian film director and screenwriter who is known for the science fiction films District 9, Elysium and Chappie. He also directed the supernatural horror film Demonic and the 2007 short film Halo: Landfall, based on the Microsoft science fiction video game ...
Films seen (my rating for the film/out of 10):
- District 9 (6/10)
- Elysium (5.5/10)
- Chappie (5/10)
22. James Gunn
Writer | Guardians of the Galaxy
James Gunn was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, to Leota and James Francis Gunn. He is from a large Catholic family, with Irish and Czech ancestry. His father and his uncles were all lawyers. He has been writing and performing as long as he can remember. He began making 8mm films at the age ...
Films seen (my rating for the film/out of 10):
- Guardians of the Galaxy (7/10)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (5.5/10)
- The Suicide Squad (6/10)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (5/10)
23. Taika Waititi
Producer | What We Do in the Shadows
Taika Waititi, also known as Taika Cohen, hails from the Raukokore region of the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand, and is the son of Robin (Cohen), a teacher, and Taika Waititi, an artist and farmer. His father is Maori (Te-Whanau-a-Apanui), and his mother is of Ashkenazi Jewish, Irish...
Films seen (my rating for the film/out of 10):
- Boy (7/10)
- What We Do In The Shadows (7/10)
- Hunt for the Wilderpeople (6.5/10)
- Thor: Ragnarok (6/10)
- Jojo Rabbit (4.5/10)
- Thor: Love and Thunder (3/10)
24. Steven Spielberg
Producer | Schindler's List
One of the most influential personalities in the history of cinema, Steven Spielberg is Hollywood's best known director and one of the wealthiest filmmakers in the world. He has an extraordinary number of commercially successful and critically acclaimed credits to his name, either as a director, ...
Films seen (my rating for the film/out of 10):
- Jaws (8/10)
- Raiders of the Lost Ark (8/10)
- E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (7/10)
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (5.5/10)
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (7/10)
- Jurassic Park (7.5/10)
- Schindler's List (7.5/10)
- War of the Worlds (6.5/10)
- Saving Private Ryan (6.5/10)
- Hook (5/10)
- The Lost World: Jurassic Park (6/10)
- A.I. Artificial Intelligence (7.5/10)
- Twilight Zone: The Movie (6/10) [co-directed]
- Catch Me If You Can (7/10)
- Minority Report (7/10)
- Bridge of Spies (5/10)
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind (7/10)
- The Post (4.5/10)
- The Terminal (6.5/10)
- The Adventures of Tintin (5/10)
- Ready Player One (4/10)
- West Side Story (7.5/10)
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (6.5/10)
- Duel (8/10) [TV movie]
- The Fabelmans (6/10)
25. Guillermo del Toro
Writer | El laberinto del fauno
Guillermo del Toro was born October 9, 1964 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Raised by his Catholic grandmother, del Toro developed an interest in filmmaking in his early teens. Later, he learned about makeup and effects from the legendary Dick Smith (The Exorcist (1973)) and worked on making his ...
Films seen (my rating for the film/out of 10):
- Pan's Labyrinth (8/10)
- Pacific Rim (6/10)
- The Shape of Water (4.5/10)
- Hellboy (6/10)
- Hellboy II: The Golden Army (6.5/10)
- Blade II (5/10)
- Nightmare Alley (5.5/10)
- Crimson Peak (5.5/10)
- Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (6/10)
- The Devil's Backbone (7/10)
- Cronos (5.5/10)
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