The 2010s were undoubtedly the most progressive decade in Hollywood's history. An increase in representation and inclusion led to many industry firsts and some genuinely groundbreaking films like Wonder Woman, Crazy Rich Asians, Love, Simon, and Black Panther. However, just because the decade made headway doesn't mean it was without its fair share of controversy.
There are many reasons why a film might be controversial, from excessive violence, offensive humor, taboo subjects, and even off-screen drama. Still, the decade's defining issue in the film industry was easily casting white actors in non-white roles, or "whitewashing." While some films of the 2010s were breaking down barriers, these movies stirred up controversy.
Updated on January 14, 2023, by Scoot Allan: As moviegoers move further into a new decade of film, it's easier to look back at the previous decade to put those films under a closer screening. Sometimes these films can continue to impress, though sometimes they highlight controversial decisions that sometimes doomed the films when they were released.
13 Joker Sparked Security Concerns About Violence
Release Date: October 4, 2019
Todd Phillips's revisionist comic book drama Joker was the subject of months-long debates over whether the film would incite violence among its audience members. Even before it was released, critics blasted the film for trying to create sympathy for a killer. Joker sparked so much controversy that movie theaters had to increase security and some even refused to screen it.
Despite the film's controversy, it generally received positive reviews, with a majority of the praise going to Joaquin Phoenix for his Oscar-winning performance as the Joker. The movie also broke box office records, grossing over $1 billion, making it the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time.
12 The Birth Of A Nation Dealt With BTS Controversies
Release Date: October 7, 2016
Writer/director Nate Parker received a number of accolades for his 2016 film The Birth of a Nation when it debuted at film festivals. Parker's film told the story of Nat Turner and the Virginian slave rebellion he led in 1831. However, before the release of The Birth of a Nation, past allegations against the director resurfaced which led to some controversy.
Parker and his The Birth of a Nation co-writer had been previously charged with the rape of a fellow student in college. While those charges didn't end with convictions, the outcome was questionable which led to further controversy. Parker released a poorly-received statement and The Birth of a Nation's release was scaled back until the film disappeared.
11 Exodus: Gods And Kings Was Banned In Egypt
Release Date: December 12, 2014
Ridley Scott's biblical epic about Moses and Ramses II, Exodus: Gods and Kings, sparked controversy over casting white actors in the lead roles. It was one of the first major Hollywood studio films of the decade that sparked conversations about the issue of whitewashing.
With the actors wearing copious amounts of caked-on bronzer, the movie looks like something straight out of the '50s. While financially successful, the film was panned by critics, with a majority of the criticism being over the lack of representation. The film's casting even led to the Egyptian government banning the movie, calling it "historically inaccurate" and, tellingly, a "Zionist film."
10 Ghost In The Shell Got Slammed For Whitewashing
Release Date: March 31, 2017
Based on an anime of the same name, Ghost In The Shell tells the story of a fictional counter-cyber terrorist organization led by protagonist Major Motoko Kusanagi, who is traditionally portrayed as a Japanese woman. So when the studio announced that Scarlet Johansson would be playing the lead, the film drew accusations of racism and whitewashing.
Though the filmmakers tried to argue against these accusations and justify their casting choice, the damage was already done. The movie underperformed with critics and at the box office, which many believed was due to the controversy around the film.
9 The House That Jack Built Was Graphically Brutal
Release Date: November 28, 2018
Director Lars von Trier is no stranger to controversy, and in fact, has more than one film in the 2010s that ruffled the features of fans and critics. While the two-part Nymphomania understandably raised controversy through the use of unsimulated sex scenes, it was 2018's The House That Jack Built that really made headlines when it started playing in festivals.
The House That Jack Built is a psychological horror film that follows the life and crimes of the titular serial killer. Jack attempted to explain his crimes to Hell's Virgil from the classic "Dante's Inferno" poem. The House That Jack Built featured brutally graphic scenes of murder and violence against women and children that labeled the film as controversial before it was widely released.
8 Mother! Was Condemned By Religious Communities
Release Date: September 15, 2017
Religion in film has always been a divisive subject, no matter how sensitive a filmmaker is, and Mother! demonstrates this problem perfectly. The movie received both boos and a standing ovation during its premiere at the Venice Film Festival. It only stirred more controversy following its release for its biblical allegories and depictions of violence.
While the movie was received somewhat well by critics, it was universally hated by audiences, who gave it the very rare "F" CinemaScore grade. Most of the backlash was over the final 20 minutes of the film, where Jennifer Lawrence's character has her newborn baby killed by a group of "followers."
7 Zero Dark Thirty Was Accused Of Promoting Torture
Release Date: January 11, 2013
Academy Award-winning director Kathryn Bigelow sparked a national debate with her movie Zero Dark Thirty, chronicling the decade-long hunt for Osama bin Laden. The film graphically depicted scenes of waterboarding and other forms of torture used to discover Bin Laden's whereabouts. Many criticized the film for endorsing the use of torture, with some even calling it propaganda.
The film was praised by critics, ending up on 95 top ten lists of 2012, but it underperformed at the Oscars, which many pundits said was due to the film's controversy. However, the controversy also gave the movie tons of free press, and it ended up becoming a box-office hit.
6 The Human Centipede 2 Is Basically A Snuff Film
Release Date: September 22, 2011
The Human Centipede 2 is the sequel to a movie where people have their faces surgically sewn to someone else's anus, so it's no surprise that it's as vile and disgusting as the first. The movie takes a meta approach and follows a man named Martin who becomes so obsessed with the first movie that he decides to create his own 12-person human centipede.
The film was universally panned for its depictions of sexual violence and body horror. It's so graphic it was censored throughout the world, and in some cases, it was banned altogether. The movie is exploitation at its worst. Not only is it reprehensible, but it's easily one of the worst sequels ever made.
5 The Hunt Caused An Uproar Among Conservatives
Release Date: March 13, 2020
Horror-comedy The Hunt was quickly pulled from theaters following two separate controversies. The first was over the film's plot, which followed a group of "elite liberals" who kidnap right-wing conservatives to hunt them for sport. It caused such an uproar among conservative Americans that the former President, Donald Trump, issued a statement condemning the film.
The second controversy was over the film's gun-heavy violence, which many moviegoers thought was in bad taste, given the film was released shortly after two mass shootings. Similar to Joker, many argued that the film could potentially incite violence among its audience members. The film flopped at the box office which the producer blamed on the controversy.
4 Stonewall Was Criticized For Whitewashing History
Release Date: September 18, 2015
The Stonewall riots were an incredibly important historical event for the LGBTQ+ community. They were primarily led by Black transgendered activists like Marsha P. Johnson. So, when Roland Emmerich's Stonewall was released with a fictional white male lead, many accused the filmmaker of whitewashing history.
Critics universally panned Stonewall, and it currently holds a 9% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus calling it "offensively bad." The filmmakers had a unique opportunity to depict an event that celebrated the disenfranchised and instead reduced it to a generic coming-of-age story with very little interest in what actually happened.
3 A Serbian Film Is The Most Disturbing Movie Of The Decade
Release Date: June 16, 2010
A Serbian Film is so extremely graphic, it makes something like The Human Centipede 2 look like a Disney film by comparison. The film follows a former adult film star as he is unknowingly involved in a snuff film. Filled with transgressive graphic violence and sexual content, and often combining the two, it's widely regarded as the most disturbing movie ever made.
A Serbian Film was banned in multiple countries and even had to be heavily edited to receive an NC-17 rating in America. The film's director, Srdjan Spasojevic, said in response, "In Serbia, we don't have ratings. There is no law forbidding anything from being shown in a film". A Serbian Film was obviously intentionally provocative and pushed the envelope as far as it could.
2 Doctor Strange Whitewashed A Classic Asian Character
Release Date: October 13, 2016
2016's Doctor Strange brought the Marvel hero and his related characters to the big screen for the first time. However, when Tilda Swinton was added to the cast, it deal with claims of whitewashing before the movie had even started to film. Swinton was cast in the role of Doctor Strange's teacher in the mystic arts known as the Ancient One.
That character was typically portrayed in the comics as an elderly Tibetan man originally named Yao. While there were some complaints about the gender swapping of the character, it was the whitewashing of another Asian character that stirred up the most controversy. The Ancient One became one of the most disliked MCU characters as a result of the controversy as well.
1 The Interview Nearly Started A War
Release Date: December 25, 2014
It sounds like a joke, but a James Franco/Seth Rogen movie nearly started a war. The Interview is a silly satire about two journalists who were hired to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The plot led to the North Korean government threatening action against the United States if Sony released the film, with the North Korean UN ambassador even calling it an "act of war."
Sony Pictures was hacked by the North Korean cybercrime group "Guardians of Peace." The group also threatened terrorist attacks against theaters showing the film, leading to major theater chains opting not to release it. Sony instead released it online. The controversy led to The Interview becoming Sony's most successful online digital movie release despite its mixed reviews.