The newly-releasedJohn Wick: Chapter 4and the impendingFast Xare a pair of movies that look to greatly expand the scope of two already massive franchises. Plenty of other movies have attempted to do the same and fallen flat, resulting in diminished box office return and a critic’s consensus far less glowing than the one for Mr. Wick’s fourth adventure.
Sometimes when creating a $200 million piece of entertainment, creatives and — far more often — studio executives try to throw everything at the wall to see what sticks. That strategy only works if the audience is distracted by a strong narrative at the film’s core. Without that, some highly-anticipated movies end up as a series of forgettable character interactions and glossy set pieces. An overblown sequel’s failure also typically results in some degree of overhaul behind the scenes, which sadly can result in some beloved characters never getting a truly satisfying conclusion.
10Spider-Man 3
After the critically beloved one-two punch ofSpider-ManandSpider-Man 2, anticipation went through the roof for the trilogy-capper. Unfortunately, in the eyes of many, the movie’s massive nature and lack of focus made it one of comic book movies' biggest disappointments, even if itsreputation has slightly improved over the years.
But, of course, the film was a financial success, even if its take on Venom was met with eye-rolls. Director Sam Raimi notoriously didn’t want Venom in the movie because he didn’t find the character interesting enough, and that lack of connection bleeds through the screen. HadSpider-Man 3focused on Sandman’s arc it would’ve still been the weakest of the three, but not by a country mile.
9The Amazing Spider-Man 2
It’s pretty telling that the best Spider-Man movie to feature Andrew Garfield wasn’t even technically one of his. Both he and Emma Stone were phenomenal in their respective roles as Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy, but much of Marc Webb’s two films felt like lesser versions of what Sam Raimi had already done in his trilogy.
But at least the firstAmazing Spider-Manhad some personality.The Amazing Spider-Man 2is a bland adventure that stuffs in way too many new characters, such as Rhino, Harry Osborn, Electro, and Felicia Hardy. But the film doesn’t stop there, it also introduces theASMuniverse’s version of The Sinister Six, but that ultimately ended up an exercise in unfulfilled potential. Not to mention, the film was also going to include Shailene Woodley’s Mary Jane Watson, which would have detracted from the one thing that makesThe Amazing Spider-Man 2work: Garfield and Stone’s chemistry.
RELATED:Andrew Garfield Felt ‘Undone’ Due to Shelving of The Amazing Spider-Man 3
8Halloween Ends
IfScream(2022) and, to a lesser extent,Scream VIhave proved anything, it’s that a mixture of legacy and brand-new can work. Unfortunately, David Gordon Green’sHalloween Endsdoesn’t quite hit the mark when it comes to this balance. After two solid additions to the Michael Myers legacy, Green failed to stick the landing with what is largely an experimental film.
Neither he nor Jamie Lee Curtis can be faulted for trying something new in a storied property, but there’s little doubt audience members paid to see Michael Myers, not a film 75% devoted to a heretoforeunheard-of kid named Corey. Even though his inclusion indicatedEndshad more on its mind thanHalloweenorHalloween Kills, it ultimately made the movie feel superfluous until the final 15 minutes.
7Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
LikeMan of Steel’s third act,Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justicegenerated controversy, but it was of a different variety. That Superman solo movie was criticized by some for what they felt was the recreation of tragedies such as 9/11.Batman v Superman, however, was criticized for being too long, too dense, and too boring in stretches while simultaneously being too action-packed in others.
In terms of the film’s convolution, Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor took the brunt of the blame. This was particularly true of the actor’s jumpy performance as well as having the character’s over-complicated plan foiled by a simple coincidence. But it also generated troubled waters within the DCEU (now the DCU). The film plummeted domestically after its opening weekend anddidn’t even clear $1 billion worldwide. For the first big-screen clash of DC’s two biggest icons, that figure should have been easy. For fans of the now-dead Snyderverse, however, it works very well as part of a binge-watch alongside the superiorMan of SteelandZack Snyder’s Justice League.
6Jurassic World: Dominion
Jurassic World: Dominionhad the potential to be great,but fell far short, which could be said of theJurassic Worldtrilogy as a whole. ButDominionis a different prehistoric animal because for the first time seeing dinosaurs on the big screen didn’t feel like magic, it felt rote.
Worse yet, the plot ofDominionoscillates between repetitive and incomprehensible, and the merging ofParkandWorldcharacters feels inorganic at best. Furthermore, the original film’s trio seems well aware that they’re in a weak project, making it less like seeing old friends than it is seeing someone you no longer recognize. Toss in the underdeveloped Kayla Watts — Who is admittedly fueled by an excellent performance by DeWanda Wise — andJurassic World: Dominionends up being far more of a mess than a masterpiece.
5Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
The globetrottingIndiana Jonesfranchise should and always does include a massive cast of characters. However, every new character in the fourth installment,Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, feels far more like a caricature than an individual who would actually exist in Indy’s world.
This is especially true of Shia LaBeouf’s annoying Mutt, who plays far more like a halfhearted attempt at franchise continuation than any sort of genuine Jones offspring. John Hurt’s Ox comes across a bit better, as does Cate Blanchett’s Irina Spalko, but there’s little doubt that the viewer would rather be spending time with Jones and the returning Marion Ravenwood. Even still, the worst addition to theIndiana Jonesfranchise of all isn’t a new character so much as the film’snuclear blast vs. refrigerator scene.
4Iron Man 2
While perhaps a bit unfairly maligned,Iron Man 2does fall short of the remainder of MCU Phase 1. Too much time is spent setting up what happens down the line instead of what’s happening right now, and this leaves the film’s newly-introduced characters feeling like voids. The treatment of Mickey Rourke’s Whiplash, for instance, makes him the most cookie-cutter character of the film, perhaps even the most cookie-cutter villain of the entire MCU.
Time would have been better spent leaving the antagonistic role to just Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammer. TheMCU could always use more Justin Hammer, and even though the MCU is slowing down its TV wing after a few boom years, a place could be found for Rockwell. That is if he doesn’t appear in the Don Cheadle-led theatrical featureArmor Wars(which itself was initially intended to be a Disney+ series).
3Avengers: Age of Ultron
Admittedly it couldn’t have been easy to follow up 2012’s smash hitThe Avengers, but Joss Whedon’s second and final MCU adventure still left a lot of fans shrugging their shoulders. It’s a fun movie populated with standout set pieces — e.g. the Hulkbuster fight in Johannesburg — but many felt that was about it.
LikeIron Man 2,Avengers: Age of Ultronis a bit underrated. Aaron Taylor Johnson’s Quicksilver speed walking his way into and right out of the MCU is jarring and Ultron is ultimately a letdown despite game vocal work from James Spader. Neither character is truly given a chance to develop outside of Ultron’s pontificating and Quicksilver’s brooding. Newcomers Dr. Helen Cho and Linda Cardellini’s Laura Barton are also critically underutilized, but audiences would thankfully get a chance to reunite with the latter inAvengers: EndgameandHawkeye.
2Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
The MCU has been receiving increasing flack for stale special effects, bland plots, and even blander villains. Coming off the excellentAnt-Man and the Wasp— Which is, alongside the first film, the MCU’s breeziest rainy afternoon movie —Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniahad a great deal of potential. This was especially true given the fact that it was highly publicized as what amounted to the official debut of Thanos 2.0.
Unfortunately, even though most of the film takes place in the Quantum Realm, it never really managed to impress theatergoers visually. There has also been much criticism pointed toward the rambling plot and the truly confounding take on M.O.D.O.K. It’s a film that reeks of having an original vision tampered with, and given thatthe MCU is undergoing shakeupsin the wake of its financial failure it’s safe to expect the Universe’s entries to be a little more unique down the line. Hopefully, this will include another trueAnt-Manand the Waspentry for director Peyton Reed, Paul Rudd, and Evangeline Lilly.
RELATED:Should Ant-Man 4’s Scale Stay as Big as Quantumania or Revert to the Original Lighter Tone?
1Batman & Robin
One of big-budget cinema’s most notorious disasters, the reputation of Joel Schumacher’sBatman & Robinprecedes it. Very little about the film worksunless viewed through 1990s nostalgia goggles, save for the action sequences and Uma Thurman’s commitment. But even Thurman is shortchanged by the narrative. Both she and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mr. Freeze have a revenge-focused arc, but the movie blatantly favors Freeze and the first-billed megastar behind him.
Newcomer Alicia Silverstone’s Batgirl ends up registering only as an afterthought instead of the massively important character she is. But given the fact that the performer’s take wasn’t well received many ticket buyers at the time were probably somewhat grateful. However, the worst newcomer of all isBatman & Robin’s idea of Bane. Existing within the movie only to back up Poison Ivy and grunt his own name, each of his scenes is tough to watch.
