Sometimes you stick with an underwhelming Movie in the hopes it will get better — and other times you bail, never seeing it through to the end. A moviegoer on a popular online forum asked, “What is the single worst movie you sat through hoping it would get better but didn't?” Here are 14 movies film fans said totally failed.
1. Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
Taika Waititi did some seriously creative work when it came to Thor: Ragnarok. But unfortunately, he wasn't able to replicate that balance of humor and functionality with the follow-up, Thor: Love and Thunder. This one skewed too comedic, at the cost of all the drama that was still somewhat present in the previous Thor flick.
2. Dragon Ball Evolution (2009)
By the early 2000s, it was clear that the Dragon Ball Z was ripe for a live action movie, and in 2009, it happened. Unfortunately, it was a total L, as everyone was miscast and the script was utterly nonsensical. If this were handled by, say Kevin Feige, we might even have live action Dragon Ball flicks to this day. But instead, Dragon Ball Evolution stands as a landmark failure in the anime-to-live action movie pipeline.
3. After Earth (2013)
Many people said they were underwhelmed with the movie After Earth, starring Will and Jaden Smith. “It was the double combo of being bad but getting the sense that they thought it would be groundbreaking,” one person said.
Another added, “You know it’s bad when a father and son have absolutely zero screen chemistry.”
4. The Dark Tower (2017)
A lot of movie fans mentioned The Dark Tower as a failure. “The only reason I didn't leave was because I was in southern Florida for a trip and went to the movies to get out of the heat for a while. The movie air conditioning was the only good thing I found with that movie,” one disappointed person said.
Another noted, “It was horrible. It was nothing like the books and just sucked. You could have made each book its own movie but no, let's cram like 14 huge novels into a 2-hour movie.”
5. 365 Days (2020)
One movie fan said this one in particular summed up 2020 spectacularly. “‘365 days. It got worse' should have been the tagline for 2020,” they wrote.
“I consider it a parody of the already terrible Fifty Shades of Grey. I was laughing at the music the whole film,” another added.
6. Dolittle (2020)
Dolittle was a flop for many. “The movie's climax is him pulling a bagpipe out of a dragon's bum. I was just sitting there like, who approved this?” one person wondered.
Another added, “I have never wanted to watch this movie more than right now, but I feel like I'd be left with more questions than answers.”
7. Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
“For a movie that's called Transformers, they sure do put a huge emphasis on everything except them,” one person noted. “Optimus is in the movie for about 8 minutes and painfully long.”
Another joked, “I almost walked out watching this movie. I was on a plane.”
8. Allegiant (2016)
Allegiant was a miss with many. “Nothing happens in the film. I could've watched the paint dry for two hours, and it would've been a more productive use of my time. Super disappointing, especially since the first two films were fairly decent,” one moviegoer said.
Another added, “They didn't finish the series because the rating for it was so bad.”
9. Mean Girls 2 (2011)
Did you know about this underwhelming sequel? “I thought it was going to be like the first one, ended up with a Walmart version,” one person said.
When someone asked, “There's a Mean Girls 2?” another replied, “Unfortunately.”
10. Slender Man (2018)
There wasn't a lot of love for Slender Man. One person offered, “Nothing is interesting in that movie. You should rather go watch Marble Hornets on YouTube if you are interested in good Slender Man content!”
11. Artemis Fowl (2020)
Oof. Artemis Fowl wasn't well received either. “What an absolute disaster,” someone said. “Disney obliterated the source material and set fire to the hard copy.”
Someone else noted, “It's absolute garbage. The husband was watching it. I sat with him for about 10 minutes, then considered asking him to move out.”
12. Fantastic Four (2015)
One person called Fantastic Four “a dumpster fire of epic proportions.” Another added, “The first two were bad in a fun way. The 2015 version was just kinda depressing.”
A third film fan said, “The first two were cheesy as all heck. I remember loving them as an 8-year-old.”
13. Eragon (2006)
This movie failed to live up to the books. “I was a little kid and excited to see the movie since I loved the books,” one person wrote. “Unfortunately, that movie was arguably the greatest cinematic disappointment of my childhood.”
Another added, “I actually saw the movie before I read the books and I really enjoyed it. Then I read the books and realized how bad it was in comparison.”
14. The Last Airbender (2010)
The Last Airbender was very underwhelming for many. “I saw this movie at midnight in high school. Everyone dressed up in costume,” a movie fan recalled. “As the film starts, everyone laughs and is excited about the movie. After the movie, everyone is silent and someone shouts, ‘What was that?!' Yes, sir, my sentiments exactly!”
Another added, “It's been 10 years and I still become enraged when I think about it! Firebenders suddenly can't produce flames. All the names are wrong and the acting is terrible. Need I continue?”
15. Percy Jackson Film Series (2010, 2013)
The films couldn't match the Percy Jackson books. One person explained, “They changed the prophecy to garbage and then made the second movie the ending. As in, they actually used the golden fleece to bring Kronos back, and in some weird way, Percy killed him. Every part of those movies was wrong!”
16. Titanic II (2010)
Titanic 2, who knew? “Not the parody, but the 2010 feature film for which I would love to talk to the manager about,” one person noted.
Another added, “The same company ended up making the Sharknado series and ZNation and Black Summer. They've come a long way.”
Source: Reddit.
