By their very nature, blockbuster movies should excite and enthrall. They should wield the full might and magnitude of the big-screen experience to be not only a spellbinding showpiece of high-end, big-budget cinematic excellence, but a cultural event that leaves people saying “I saw that at the theater” for years, if not decades, to come. Many of the best films of all time have earned their legacy by achieving precisely this, but, unfortunately, not every big-release movie released comes to be held in such esteem.
Be they shambolic superhero screw-ups, remakes as uneventful as they are unnecessary, or stumbling sci-fis that left audiences sleeping, these monumental releases accumulated the box office success to live up to the blockbuster tag, but they just didn’t deliver the spectacle to match it. Granted, those involved with these productions can aptly wipe away their tears with wads of cash, but these blockbuster blunders still struggle through their complete inability to muster anything that even resembles excitement.
10
‘The Matrix Revolutions’ (2003)
Directed by Lana & Lily Wachowski
A reality-breaking sci-fi action extravaganza buoyed by its innovative filmmaking techniques and striking sense of style, The Matrix is not only one of the best blockbusters of all time, but a true icon of cinema at large. Unfortunately, none of its sequels have been able to even come close to matching its groundbreaking excellence, with 2003’s The Matrix Revolutions being the weakest and most underwhelming entry.
Suffering from a complete loss of focus on the story’s core concept, a litany of sloppy and unrewarding action sequences, and a disjointed plot that is never given a chance to give the trilogy a rousing finale, The Matrix Revolutions is a frustrating misfire that never builds up any sense of anticipation or excitement. Its over-investment in special effects is symptomatic of the filmmakers losing sight of what made the original picture such a beloved hit in the first place.
9
‘Hulk’ (2003)
Directed by Ang Lee
Superhero cinema was soaring in the years before the MCU burst onto the scene. Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films were spellbinding and wondrous, the X-Men movies had an appealing sense of scope and weight to them, and Batman Begins excelled in realizing the caped crusader in a more grounded story world. This blockbuster brilliance failed to find its way into 2003’s Hulk, however, with the rehashed origin story being too heavy-handed with half-hearted ideals and too short on action spectacle to be anything more than a misfire.
Granted, Ang Lee does deserve credit for genuinely trying to dig into the thematic underbelly of the character and his story rather than merely dishing up another narrative that boils down to “Hulk smash,” but his efforts are unbalanced. It results in the film being torn between superhero sensationalism and dramatic intrigue, with neither approach being allowed to flourish due to the other’s presence. As such, Hulk is stripped of its innate action awe and its more philosophical ponderings, the latter of which could have made for a truly enthralling superhero film had it been executed in earnest.
8
‘Fantastic Four’ (2015)
Directed by Josh Trank
It is quite baffling how, given that the superhero genre has been the defining juggernaut of cinematic entertainment of the 21st century thus far, audiences are yet to be treated to a quality adaptation of The Fantastic Four. While the Tim Story-directed films of the 2000s are far from sublime, the attempted reboot in 2015 is nothing short of an absolute disaster that many fans of the comics deem to be an insulting cash grab, more so than a genuine adaptation.
Between its weak story and appalling pacing, its woefully developed characters, its uninspired visual presentation, and its total lack of a villain for significant patches of the film, Fantastic Four never finds its footing and, as a result, never builds towards being anything close to an exciting spectacle. It is debatable if it can even be called a blockbuster despite its clear intentions of being a marquee movie for a new era of superhero entertainment under 21st Century Studios, then 20th Century Fox. Here’s hoping the upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps can finally reward fans of the comics, desperate to see the story done well on the big screen.
Fantastic Four
- Release Date
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August 5, 2015
- Runtime
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100 minutes
- Director
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Josh Trank
7
‘A View to a Kill’ (1985)
Directed by John Glen
No franchise in cinematic history has defined blockbuster success quite like the James Bond series. With 27 films spanning across seven decades, its popularity, influence, and greatness can only be admired. However, not every one of 007’s details has necessarily been delightful. Serving as the final Bond film of Sir Roger Moore’s era, A View to a Kill follows a painfully aged Bond as he strives to prevent a malevolent microchip manufacturer from destroying Silicon Valley in order to eliminate his competition.
From the strained physicality of the 57-year-old Moore to the unfiltered excess of utter absurdity, A View to a Kill is more prone to procuring outbursts of unintentional comedy than it is generating moments of ensnaring intensity and excitement. Save for a particularly good intro song from Duran Duran, it highlights only the sheer lunacy the franchise is capable of, and stands among the worst releases in the saga. That being said, it was still among the highest-grossing titles of its year, illustrating that even a bad Bond movie is a blockbuster worth seeing.
A View to a Kill
- Release Date
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May 24, 1985
- Runtime
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131 minutes
- Director
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John Glen
6
‘The Lion King’ (2019)
Directed by Jon Favreau
Released in 1994, the original The Lion King is not only one of the defining films of its decade but is also entrenched among the greatest animated movies ever made. Inspired by William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, it boasts a rousing story with timeless themes while also featuring a litany of iconic characters brought to life by an exceptional cast and the gorgeous effervescence and careful detail of hand-drawn animation. The 2019 remake is not only wastefully unnecessary but listless and uninspired, as well.
It rehashes the exact same plot beats with less energy and enthusiasm, and while the visual presentation in itself is a feat of animation, it is bereft of the life and creative interpretations of the animals that helped make the ’94 movie so resonant and absorbing. It is a pitiful example of how remakes ought not be done. However, it grossed over $1.6 billion at the box office, becoming the second highest-grossing film of 2019 (behind Avengers: Endgame) and a blockbuster phenomenon in the process.
5
‘Eternals’ (2021)
Directed by Chloé Zhao
The MCU is certainly no stranger to the odd formulaic floundering that fails to enrich its presentation with compelling stakes or sharp entertainment value, but for Eternals to be so dismal right off the bat was particularly disappointing. What should have been a bold venture into new territory for the tiring franchise instead utilizes the same core ingredients of CGI-laden action and shallow and quippy protagonists as it reduces the space opera appeal of the comics to a spiraling and uninteresting character melodrama.
Unfurling over the unnecessarily long runtime of 157 minutes, it follows the Eternals—an ancient, superhuman alien species who have been living among humanity in secrecy for millennia—as they reunite to stand against the Deviants and save Earth. While it flaunts a star-studded cast, a whopping production budget of over $230 million, and the direction of Chloé Zhao (who was hot off her Oscar-winning success with Nomadland), Eternals is too contained in the MCU’s repetitive style, given its characters demand a refreshed perspective.
4
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ (2022)
Directed by James Cameron
Despite the fact that Avatar ended its theatrical run as the highest-grossing movie of all time, its legacy hasn’t exactly been enduring. One suspects the same fate might befall its long-awaited sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water. It follows Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Ney’tiri (Zoe Saldaña) as their family life is interrupted by humanity’s return to Pandora, forcing them to seek refuge with the Metkayina clan who live by the sea.
While the film’s innovative brilliance with regard to motion-capture technology deserves every bit of praise it gets, the visual splendor on display isn’t enough to distract from the feeling that Avatar: The Way of Water is a 90-minute film stretched across a three-hour runtime. The fact that this dawdling pace never enables richer or more nuanced contemplation on the series’ central themes of environmentalism or colonization is paramount to its ultimate disappointment. The climactic action sequences do see James Cameron back to his best, but when that comes three hours in, it isn’t as exciting as it otherwise could be.
3
‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ (2015)
Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson
Given that the source material it is based on is little more than a smutty, surface-level scandal, it is perhaps no great surprise that Fifty Shades of Grey is far from the most exhilarating viewing experience of all time. What is something of a shock, however, is that the critically derided and universally belittled erotic romance was a box-office smash hit, grossing $569.7 million worldwide. Based on E. L. James’ best-selling novel, it focuses on the sadomasochistic relationship that blossoms between a college student and the enigmatic billionaire she interviews.
Even for those enticed by the film’s promise of steamy and salacious spectacle, 50 Shades of Grey feels a little limp. It is clumsy when it thinks it’s slick, lacks passion or any semblance of human connection, and, before long, one gets the impression a premature finish could be a small mercy. Arguably, its greatest sin, however, is how it toes the line, playing things safe in some inexplicable effort to adhere to an elegance or class it never has. Neither despicably depraved nor so-bad-it’s-good, 50 Shades of Grey is simply a bore, and its two sequels aren’t any better.
2
‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’ (2014)
Directed by Michael Bay
The Transformers franchise almost seems to be an anomaly in that the worse the movies are, the more money they seem to make. That is certainly true of Transformers: Age of Extinction, with the fourth film in the saga grossing over $1.1 billion. Whatever guilty pleasure allure or special effects intrigue that made its predecessors at least somewhat entertaining had expired by this point in the franchise, with Transformers: Age of Extinction a puerile and punishing viewing experience.
Its merciless 165-minute runtime strikes an agonizing balance between the painful and juvenile dialogue of the human scenes and the dreary, banal clattering of the city-destroying robotic combat. It never offers the audience anything to invest in, with even the end-of-the-world stakes handled with such little impact that they become entirely forgettable. The result is another diminishing return from the franchise that adds nothing to the spectacle while worsening its integral issues with character and plotting. Age of Extinction is an unrewarding blockbuster that leaves moviegoers completely unexcited and eagerly awaiting the final credits.
1
‘Jurassic World Dominion’ (2022)
Directed by Colin Trevorrow
As impressive as the $1 billion milestone is on paper, one must question the validity of the financial achievement as a beacon of quality with some of the slop that surpasses the ten-figure tally these days. Among the worst and most monotonous of such films is 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion, the weakest installment of the banal yet box office-friendly Jurassic World series. Predictably, it includes dinosaurs, the evil ambitions of corporate greed, and a plucky band of heroes setting out to save the day.
Worse than merely being boring, it feels uninspired and desperate. Rehashing the same thematic beats with inorganically heightened stakes that the audience is never made to care about is a lazy approach that lacks conviction and genuine guts. Even the return of the original cast of Jurassic Park feels less like an homage to the story’s roots and more like a “remember this?” nostalgia-bait gimmick to entice people into the theater. None of it works to Jurassic World Dominion’s advantage as a spectacle.