These 40 Movies That Let Everyone Down
Nobody wants to feel like they wasted two hours and $15. Yet these films widely conjured up that feeling amongst worldwide audiences.
The Dark Tower
The seven-book long The Dark Tower series was considered to be, essentially, Stephen King’s The Lord of the Rings. So why was the 2017 film adaptation, which had the potential to launch the next great fantasy franchise, a 90-minute piece of junk that compressed all seven novels?
Columbia, The Dark Tower (2017)
Zoolander 2
Considering how many iconic lines and characters the original Zoolander produced, it can’t be understated how much of a whiff the deeply unfunny 2016 follow-up was. It almost felt like it was bad on purpose.
Panorama Films, Zoolander 2 (2016)
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The first warning sign that the long-awaited prequel to The Lord of the Rings would probably be a disappointment was when it was announced that the relatively slim JRR Tolkien children’s novel would be turned into a three-film series. The ensuing two entries didn’t assuage those worries either about overextending the story.
MGM, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
Indiana Jones & The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
Having been in development since the late 90s, there was the feeling Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Harrison Ford all wanted to make a fourth Indiana Jones movie for good reasons. The final product from 2008 said otherwise.
Paramount, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2018)
The Last Airbender
One of the most beloved animated series of recent memory, Avatar: The Last Airbender seemed like prime material for a great film franchise. Unfortunately, the 2010 film adaptation had fans virtually apologizing for liking it in the first place.
Paramount, The Last Airbender (2010)
X-Men: The Last Stand
2003’s X2: X-Men United had comic book fans and moviegoers alike jazzed, earning the label of maybe the best superhero movie ever made. That’s why it was so stunning when the third entry, with rushed storytelling and cheesy sentimentality, ended the trilogy on such a sour note.
Twentieth Century, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
Spider-Man 3
Some fans have forgiven the third entry in Sam Raimi’s superhero franchise for its sins, but there’s no getting around the fact that at the time of release in 2007, the director was open about the fact that his hand was forced by the studio regarding multiple regrettable creative decisions.
The Matrix Reloaded
1999’s The Matrix was a generation-defining hit that revitalized a number of genres all at once. 2003’s much anticipated sequel saw the wind come out of the sails almost instantly with far too much exposition and several ridiculous action sequences.
Warner Bros., The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Warcraft
People kept thinking video game movies had the potential to replace comic book flicks as Hollywood’s go-to moneymakers and saw the immense popularity of Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft as having the right material to produce a great film. Yet the overblown but underdeveloped 2016 film said otherwise.
Independence Day: Resurgence
Few movies defined the 90s better than 1996’s Independence Day. So, you think they’d come up with something better over the course of 20 years than the wholly lame 2016 sequel, which didn’t even bring back Will Smith to the fold.
Twentieth Century, Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)
Justice League
The idea of a Justice League film had comic book nerds salivating for decades, so it was unbelievable just how underwhelming the 2017 theatrical adaptation was. A delayed director’s cut even marketed itself as providing an antidote to just how bad and compromised the original was.
Warner Bros., Justice League (2017)
Hook
Steven Spielberg was on a real hot streak through the 80s, but the beginning of a new decade was a bit of a rude awakening. Bloated, dull and corny, the 1991 Peter Pan film is the go-to answer for the great director’s worst film.
Batman & Robin
Few series were more uniformly loved than the Batman movies. That’s why it was so surprising that 1997’s Batman & Robin was so bad it almost killed the comic book movie as a genre.
Warner Bros., Batman & Robin (1997)
Ghostbusters 2
1984’s Ghostbusters virtually defined that summer, providing audiences with a new kind of high-concept comedy. Yet five years later, those same moviegoers could detect how much the follow-up was a laugh-free cash grab.
Columbia, Ghostbusters II (1989)
Quantum Of Solace
Daniel Craig’s first James Bond film, Casino Royale, was considered by many to be possibly the best film the series had ever produced. The 2008 follow-up Quantum of Solace, though? One of the worst.
Dragon Ball Evolution
Dragon Ball Z is maybe the most iconic anime series of all-time. So, it says something that the 2009 film adaptation has been completely memory-holed.
Twentieth Century, Dragonball Evolution (2009)
The Golden Compass
This adaptation of the first entry in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials fantasy series was such a whiff that it bankrupted its studio, New Line Cinema. The next Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter it certainly was not.
New Line Cinema, The Golden Compass (2007)
Alien 3
Alien and Aliens redefined the horror genre. Alien 3, for whatever good qualities it may have had, likely only redefined the Pepsi commercial.
Twentieth Century, Alien 3 (1992)
The Godfather: Part III
Two of the best American movies ever made are admittedly a tough act to follow. That’s why everyone involved in the disappointing third Godfather entry should’ve likely called it a day from the outset.
Paramount, The Godfather Part III (1990)
The Eternals
Boasting itself as the first Marvel movie made by an auteur director and without heavy use of computer-generated imagery, The Eternals, despite whatever ambition it had, earned the label of the typically consistent studio’s worst reviewed movie when it landed in the fall of 2021.
Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker
“Somehow, Palpatine had returned”. For a movie that was seemingly made up as it went along, the final entry in the Skywalker saga probably should’ve been more entertaining.
Lucasfilm, Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)
Inherent Vice
Coming off a hot streak that included There Will Be Blood and The Master, Paul Thomas Anderson had rightly earned the label of America’s best working director. The 2014 Thomas Pynchon adaptation proved he should stick to drama instead of comedy though.
Warner Bros., Inherent Vice (2014)
Love On The Run
Francois Truffaut was considered one of France’s greatest filmmakers, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t ever run short on inspiration. The final film in his autobiographical Antoine Doinel series proved this, with it largely taking the form of a clip show.
Les Films du Carrosse, Love on the Run (1979)
The Great Gatsby
Everyone talked about the first trailer for Baz Luhrman’s The Great Gatsby set to Kanye West & Jay-Z’s “No Church in the Wild”. The final film itself? Far less memorable.
Warner Bros., The Great Gatsby (2013)
Suicide Squad
The promise of a villain-centric comic book team-up movie seemed too novel to pass up. Unfortunately, chopped to pieces in the editing room and full of annoying performances, Suicide Squad gave a bad name to the genre.
Warner Bros., Suicide Squad (2016)
Waterworld
One of the biggest stars of the 90s thanks to blockbusters like Dances With Wolves, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and The Bodyguard, Kevin Costner’s nautical Mad Max was supposed to continue the hot streak. Unfortunately, it got waterlogged in poor storytelling.
Back To The Future Part III
Both Back to the Future sequels were shot back-to-back, but it seems like all the good ideas were saved for Part II. A largely unenergetic Western, Part III almost makes memories of the first classic disappear.
Universal, Back to the Future Part III (1990)
The Green Hornet
The pairing of Seth Rogen and Michel Gondry seemed like one that could shake up the superhero genre. Unfortunately, the 2011 motion picture only saw laughs and visual imagination in spades.
Columbia, The Green Hornet (2011)
Funny People
Judd Apatow’s attempt at making an adult drama following his comedy blockbusters largely fell flat in 2009. While not short on ambition, the two-and-a-half-hour quasi-epic didn’t have the level of emotional insight to back it up.
Universal, Funny People (2009)
The Good Shepherd
Robert De Niro’s epic about the birth of the CIA had all the makings of the new The Godfather between its all-star cast and expansive production design. Yet it ultimately lacked either a pulse or a heart to give the audience any interest.
Universal, The Good Shepherd (2006)
Alice In Wonderland
Tim Burton and Lewis Carroll seemed like a natural fit. Yet despite its billion-dollar worldwide gross, 2010’s Alice in Wonderland was nothing if not a film that bored and repelled audiences.
Walt Disney, Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Sin City: A Dame To Kill For
2005’s Sin City invented a new kind of stylish noir cool for the digital cinema era. Yet virtually nobody even remembers that a sequel came out almost a decade later.
Aldamisa Entertainment, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014)
Tenet
The theatrical release of Tenet was probably the one thing people had to look forward to during the COVID summer of 2020. Yet the film itself largely confused audiences with a convoluted plot and tin-eared expository dialogue.
The Lion King
The 2019 “live action” remake of the Disney classic, recreating it almost scene-by-scene yet making it infinitely worse with soulless animation, will probably go down as one of the most transparent cash grabs in Hollywood history.
Walt Disney, The Lion King (2019)
Amsterdam
Director David O Russell’s 2022 comeback to cinema boasted one of the most impressive ensemble casts in history. Yet one wonders how so many big-name actors wanted to be involved with such a dud of a script.
Twentieth Century, Amsterdam (2022)
Gigli
When Gigli came out in the summer of 2003, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez were considered America’s sweethearts. Or maybe not, as audiences and critics en masse rejected their notorious romantic comedy.
Revolution Studios, Gigli (2003)
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Boasting a number of innovative animation techniques, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within was poised to be a groundbreaking film. Yet virtually everyone felt at arm’s length from the film itself; maybe the technology actually wasn’t there yet for hooking an audience.
Columbia, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
Hulk
Director Ang Lee following up the extraordinary worldwide success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with a comic book movie seemed like an exciting prospect back in 2003. The first feature-length appearance of the Hulk widely disappointed audiences though with uneven storytelling and boring action sequences.
The Majestic
Jim Carrey teaming up with The Shawshank Redemption director Frank Darabont seemed like a perfect recipe for Oscar glory. But sometimes, something can be too sentimental, even for the Academy.
Castle Rock, The Majestic (2001)
American Pastoral
Philip Roth’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel American Pastoral had all the material for a great film. Yet the 2016 adaptation, the directorial debut of Ewan Macgregor, was nothing short of a disaster. Speaking with Nicole Kidman during an episode of Actors on Actors, McGregor revealed that the movie flopped so hard, it changed his entire outlook on life.
