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- Cliffhanger Is Better Than Its Reputation
- Why Did the Razzies Hate Cliffhanger?
- Cliffhanger Didn’t Deserve Its Razzie Nods
As someone who grew up watching Sly Stallone kick butt on the silver screen, I must say that the Razzies’ choice to nominate “Cliffhanger” for Worst Picture left me scratching my head. It’s a classic 90’s action flick that, while not Shakespeare, certainly isn’t among the cinematic disasters of its era.
For more than four decades, there’s no doubt that no cinematic establishment stirs up as much excitement or controversy as the Golden Raspberry Awards, often referred to simply as the Razzies. Established in 1981 by John Wilson and Mo Murphy, the Razzies were initially designed as a satirical alternative to the Academy Awards, holding an annual event to honor the worst films of the year. While some view the Razzies as a humorous antidote to the self-aggrandizing nature of awards season, many others find the show to be unkind and just as likely to target the easy victims as the Oscars do.
As a die-hard movie enthusiast, I can’t help but notice the recurring pattern at the Razzies – much like how the Academy Awards often shine a spotlight on certain filmmakers. Names like Adam Sandler, Tyler Perry, and M. Night Shyamalan frequently pop up on their nomination lists. However, none has been as consistent a recipient of their “honors” as Sylvester Stallone. With an impressive total of 40 nominations and 12 wins under his belt, he holds the record for the most Razzie nods by far. In the early years of this anti-award ceremony, it almost seemed comical to keep nominating Stallone, but many of these nods were questionable, with some even landing him a Worst Picture nomination a full 30 years ago.
Cliffhanger Is Better Than Its Reputation
1993’s film “Cliffhanger” marked a crucial juncture in Sylvester Stallone’s acting career, as he had been experiencing a series of less successful projects following his initial success with the iconic film “Rocky” in 1976. After earning Oscar nominations for Best Actor and Original Screenplay, his subsequent work received more critical criticism, such as “Rocky V” and “Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot.” With these disappointing movies behind him, the success or failure of “Cliffhanger” held great significance for his career.
It was fortunate that collaborating with director Renny Harlin, who had just achieved great success with Die Hard 2, looked promising. With Stallone contributing to the script, they produced Cliffhanger, which was initially conceived by renowned rock climber and author John Long. The story idea served as a mountain-set analogue of Die Hard, unfolding when ex-military intelligence operative Eric Qualen (played by John Lithgow) orchestrates a daring midair heist to steal more than $100 million from a US Treasury aircraft.
Yet, tragically, their plane plunges into the Colorado Rockies, leaving Qualen and his team stranded amidst the mountains, with their bags filled with cash scattered around. They call out for help to mountain ranger Gabe Walker (Stallone), who’s grappling with survivor’s guilt following a friend’s death in a climbing mishap. Upon reaching the scene, Gabe is taken captive by terrorists, who compel him to recover the money-laden suitcases.
As a dedicated fan, I must say what truly captivates me about “Cliffhanger” is its unapologetic embrace of its action-packed identity. Unlike other films striving for high artistic merit, this one doesn’t pretend to be anything more than an exhilarating rollercoaster ride. The plot may seem far-fetched at times, but that’s not its primary purpose. Instead, it serves as a canvas for Harlin and Stallone to showcase their mastery of tension-filled action sequences, with stunts that might initially appear implausible until you realize they were executed in real life.
Why Did the Razzies Hate Cliffhanger?
In a crucial juncture for Stallone’s career, Cliffhanger served as the triumph he was desperately seeking. Although its domestic performance was merely decent, pulling in about $84 million against a production cost of $70 million, it significantly outperformed this figure abroad, ranking as the seventh highest-grossing film worldwide for that year. In an increasingly unusual situation for Stallone, the film garnered generally favorable reviews from critics and viewers; it now holds a 68% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and praises from notable figures like Roger Ebert.
Despite enjoying widespread public approval, the film surprisingly didn’t reap similar success at award shows. It managed three technical Oscar nominations, but was also nominated for four Razzies, including John Lithgow for Worst Supporting Actor, Worst Screenplay, and Worst Picture. The last nomination is quite puzzling, as many believe that while Cliffhanger isn’t high art, it’s far from the worst films of 1993. This view becomes even more compelling when you consider that other films from that year, such as Cop and a Half, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, Son of the Pink Panther, and Super Mario Bros, didn’t receive a Worst Picture nod, making the choice seem even more outdated today.
The question here seems to be about why the Razzie Awards chose the movie “Cliffhanger” as their recipient. A plausible explanation could be that the organization has a long-standing history of nominating Sylvester Stallone for worst performances, having done so consistently for nine years in a row. This recurring nomination might have turned into a sort of running joke among them. Even though Stallone had recently made some critically and commercially successful work, it’s likely that the Razzies were simply continuing their tradition with “Cliffhanger,” instead of choosing a different movie like “Cop and a Half,” which is now commonly regarded as one of the worst films from the ’90s.
Indeed, there’s a significant connection between this matter and a broader problem with the Razzies as an entity. While they claim to be counterparts to the Oscars, they are equally prone to bandwagoning and singling out the obvious targets. Notice how they bestowed the title of 2012-13’s Worst Picture upon “The Twilight Saga – Breaking Dawn: Part 2“. It was generally accepted that movies like “That’s My Boy” and “The Oogieloves” were far worse, but “Twilight” was an easy target in 2012. Recently, Megan Fox received two Razzies, even though one of her films had minimal impact on the public awareness. It seemed like a dying joke being repeatedly told.
Cliffhanger Didn’t Deserve Its Razzie Nods
Although there’s general agreement that Cliffhanger doesn’t reach the same level of cinematic mastery as The Godfather, it still offers a decent, occasionally entertaining action-thriller experience. It may not be highbrow art, but it makes no pretensions to that status; instead, it focuses on providing mindless fun, and when done effectively, this commitment to delivering pure entertainment deserves recognition.
It’s certainly not deserving of its Razzie nominations, which were likely for no reason other than Stallone’s involvement. Maybe we shouldn’t expect much better from an award show that thinks nominating children for bad acting awards is funny. Cliffhanger is streaming on Paramount+.
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2024-10-25 06:01