A Reel Opinion: The Top 10 Cinematic Letdowns

Movies have that magic to inspire, educate, enlighten, sadden, and most of all…entertain. But they also can disappoint. Sometimes that happens due to unrealistic expectations, overhype, or the sum of the parts/talent involved not paying off. This year, Shane Black’s THE PREDATOR let a lot of fans down, and the disappointment of that latest entry into the 30-year old franchise has led to discussion of the biggest letdowns in cinema, and to Reel Speak’s very first Top 10 Cinematic Letdowns.

This list covers the last 40 years in film history, and uses criteria of critical and fan reception. Box office doesn’t matter on a list like this because even a very good movie can disappoint at the gate. About half of these selections come from this millennium, mostly because of Hollywood being stuck in franchise/sequel mode in the last 15 years…and franchises have the hardest task in creating good follow-ups. This is not a Worst Movie list, as all these films have at least some merit and their defenders; these are instead films that fell way short of expectations, broke hearts, and shattered dreams.

So prepare to re-live those disappointments all over again…

10. MAN OF STEEL (2013)

It may seem like low-hanging fruit to pick on Warner Bros’. continuing bungled attempts at adapting the DC Comics superheroes, but Zack Snyder’s take on Superman never met expectations. The trailers were magnificent; making the film seem like a transcendent, thoughtful work that nearly looked like an arthouse production or a Terrence Malick joint. What we got instead was a clunky and dour movie that never once felt like Superman, topped off with a finale that repeated itself to the point of nausea.

9. THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG (2013)

Peter Jackson's follow-up/prequel trilogy to his historic and grand THE LORD OF THE RINGS got off to a shaky, but serviceable start with AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY in 2012, but the second film is where the bottom dropped out and the new trilogy never recovered. Way too many storylines, Bilbo was lost in the confusion, and a third act showdown with Smaug the dragon that seemed like it lasted a thousand years.

8. THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS (2003)

The Wachowski’s THE MATRIX (1999), was a genre-bending, generation-defining film, and there can be a raging debate over which one of its two sequels, both released in 2003, disappointed the most. The first sequel, RELOADED, did not reach the lofty heights of its predecessor, but it was still a moderate hit with fans and critics. The third film, REVOLUTIONS, was where the real letdown happened because it did not achieve its goal as a trilogy-capper of wrapping up all the storylines. Besides that, it just wasn’t a good movie.

7. DARK SHADOWS (2012)

By the time Tim Burton got around to adapting the 1960’s horror-soap opera to the big screen, we already knew that he was capable of making a bad movie, but the marriage of his knack for the strange and unusual and the show’s collection of goth, vampires, and werewolves seemed perfect. What we got instead was a dull slog and messy plot, topped off with a ridiculous end-battle with characters pulling shotguns out of nowhere. Not to mention the much-hyped cameo of the original cast-members which lasted 1.5 seconds.

6. INGLORIOUS BASTERDS (2009)

The trailers told us that we had never experienced war until we saw it through the eyes of Quentin Tarantino, and even after seeing the movie…we still haven’t. The trailers promised us war and instead we got a grinding snail-paced film in which the overhyped squad of American, Nazi-hunting soldiers barely showed up. One of the biggest lies in movie marketing right here.

5. STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE (1999)

The first film in George Lucas’ prequel trilogy has a lot to praise; excellent action, casting, production design, and a magnificent score by John Williams. But it’s faults, including acting, pacing, and a plot no one cared about dragged it down…and what was most disappointing is that it let STAR WARS fans know that their beloved, generation-defining franchise wasn’t always going to be perfect.

4. 1941 (1979)

By the time Steven Spielberg was making his WWII satire, he was the hottest kid in Hollywood; having made mega-hits JAWS (1974) and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977). His 1941 may not be as bad as the internet says, but it’s still bad with its over-the-topness and isn’t nearly as funny as it thinks it is. It’s a letdown because it let us know that Spielberg, like his buddy George Lucas, wasn’t always going to be hot.

3. THE GODFATHER PART III (1990)

When Francis Ford Coppola got around to making what he called the epilogue to his Best Picture-winning GODFATHER crime dramas, he did so only because of a dire financial situation; and that meant his heart probably wasn’t really into it and it shows. PART III on its own is a finely crafted film (it was nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture), but as a follow-up to its vastly superior predecessors it falls short. It suffered from lousy acting in places and a confusing plot that no one could understand.

2. PROMETHEUS (2012)

The return of Sir Ridley Scott to the ALIEN universe that he created was anticipated by everyone, with promises of an epic story involving human origins and galactic creation. What we got instead was a ridiculous and stupid movie with things happening for no reason, and the de-mystifying of the famed alien xenomorph creature clumsily handled. 

1. INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL (2008)

There was no bigger heartbreak in cinema than what happened on a Spring night in 2008, when audiences left theatres shaking their heads, not sure what they had just witnessed. The return of everyone’s favorite hat-wearing, two-fisted, whip-swinging archeologist…along with principal players Harrison Ford, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Karen Allen, was presented to us by way of a ridiculous storyline, stupid scenes, annoying characters and way too much cartoonish CGI and green-screen. It had no energy, no fun, and turned Indiana Jones into a dumbass. This wasn’t just a letdown, it was a nuking of everything that once made Indy so great. 

Reel Speak's Top 10 Cinematic Letdowns

1. INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
2. PROMETHEUS
3. THE GODFATHER PART III
4. 1941
5. STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE
6. INGLORIOUS BASTERDS
7. DARK SHADOWS
8. THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS
9. THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG
10. MAN OF STEEL