This is a part of a very interesting Sharktale review:
Shark Tale is a pretty damn cool movie to look at. It’s also quite entertaining. But based on the buzzings of some of my critical colleagues, I can tell that it’s going to be one of those movies that they’ve all decided to dislike.
This really isn’t that shocking when I think about it -- the same has been true of every other Will Smith movie in recent memory. MEN IN BLACK II was not qualitatively much different from its predecessor, yet writers everywhere slammed it, and readers slammed me for liking it. WILD WILD WEST is actually a movie with lots of visual imagination, on a par with Barry Sonnenfeld’s well-liked and thoroughly plotless ADDAMS FAMILY flicks. And I, ROBOT actually gets better as it goes along. But I think people -- critics, especially -- are just sick of Smith.
And honestly, I understand why. When you see Smith in soundbite-sized doses, like movie trailers, all that comes through is his cockiness, the “I’m so fly” attitude that represents all that is least appealing about macho youngsters. But in the vast majority of his performances there’s more than that -- usually there’s at least one moment where it becomes clear that wisecracks won’t save him, or that something’s coming after him that his cocky worldview had never prepared for (the major exception is INDEPENDENCE DAY, which critics were unduly kind to; Roger Ebert famously revised his opinion of it and got caricatured in GODZILLA as a result. It may be that the other critics who weren’t so public in their reassessment are retroactively kicking themselves and punishing Smith for it). Smith also doesn’t help himself by continuing to cling to his ever-less-interesting rap career. Had he not become a movie star by now, the Fresh Prince would undoubtedly be on TV’s THE SURREAL LIFE instead of Flavor Flav. Most of the hatred for WILD WILD WEST, I believe, is a direct result of the Smith-performed theme tune, aptly parodied by Cartman on SOUTH PARK.
well..we all know that will's movies are usually panned..thats a theory as to why..i just found it interesting