Get ready to dive into the cinematic mishaps of 2021. From laughable plots to astonishing dialogues, we’re delving into the 16 movies that left us scratching our heads. Join us as we dissect the year’s worst, sharing groans, chuckles, and disbelief.
1. Jungle Cruise
This is based on Disneyland’s ride. Think of it as a mix between Jumanji and Pirates of the Caribbean. “Jungle Cruise” can be a bit over the top at times and Dwayne Johnson’s limited acting ability is clearly on display. For a kids’ movie, you will be surprised that there aren’t any children in the film. It’s a movie that offers nothing new.
2. Thunder Force
A superhero film with a slight twist in that two friends create a way to get powers that allow them to fight against the villains. The cast and acting are great, yet it’s the pointless plot that causes “Thunder Force” to unravel. Its attempt at comedy falls flat and the humor feels forced. Certainly, a movie that had its thunder stolen from it.
3. Vanquish
A retired Russian drug runner is forced to revisit her role due to the kidnapping of her daughter. With a plot like that it can make “Vanquish” a riveting movie. Sadly, everything about it is a failure. The actors look and sound bored. The script is lame. As for the visuals, bad editing makes everything jerky and hard to watch. Then there is the constant wash of blue, green, and yellow that gives you a feeling like you’re stuck in some bad psychedelic trip. Vanquish this movie from your library.
4. Reminiscence
Here is a sci-fi mystery that does deliver in some respects. Unfortunately, the focus is more on the visuals rather than character development and storytelling. It’s a cliched film that is dull to watch. One review suggests “Unbelievably boring, awful dialogue and a lot of bad acting believe it or not. In short, it’s not worth your time. Instead, take that two hours to catch up with friends or loved ones.”
5. Ghostbusters: Afterlife
This is a movie that redeems the franchise after the 2016 disastrous remake. It returns to the roots of the original. Yet “Afterlife” isn’t flawless. Many feel this falls under the “child’s movie” category. The young actors give poor performances and the movie lacks originality. Overall, this offering in the franchise is watchable but don’t expect too much from it.
6. The Virtuoso
“Possibly the stupidest hitman movie ever made,” one reviewer says. For an action film it’s lacking in action, so it becomes a drawn out moody film. Which means…boring. Most of “The Virtuoso” consists of people sitting around and talking. A true snooze of a movie.
7. Spiral
This is an attempt to reinvigorate the Saw franchise after the dismal performance of “Jigsaw”. However, Chris Rock fails to be taken seriously as a hard-nosed cop. The movie is predictable, so that makes it a yawn-fest. Bad dialogue makes you cringe at how awful it is. Truly this is a movie that spiralled out of control.
8. Venom: Let There Be Carnage
A guy tries to restart his career by interviewing a serial killer. As a sequel, this movie is all over the place and lacks direction. The main consensus from viewers is that it’s a film that has zero substance. You are left feeling empty inside as you struggle to recollect what you just watched.
9. Infinite
A man has visions of his past lives. Quite a cool concept for a movie. The plot is thin, which makes “Infinite” somewhat disappointing. Over-the-top acting will have you wriggling uncomfortably in your seat. Also, it does suffer from some illogical premises. Here is a movie that had infinite possibilities yet squandered them.
10. Redemption Day
A war hero has to rescue the love of his life who has been kidnapped by terrorists. A plot line like that should have you biting your nails in anticipation as you watch this, but the action sequences are bland. The writing is substandard and appalling directing turns this movie into a big pile of dog poop.
11. The Marksman
An Arizona rancher protects a boy against Mexican assassins. Gripping storyline, there. It’s an action thriller, yet one critic says “Doesn’t have enough action to make it an action thriller? Too bad.” That should be enough warning about what to expect from this film. The writers and producers feel the need to subtlety explain what’s happening step-by-step throughout the movie, so you just disengage. “The Marksman” is a movie that missed the mark completely.
12. Here Today
Billy Crystal wrote and directed this comedy/musical. It’s a touching film about family and life. Many were moved by it, so what makes it a bad movie? The fact that it tries so hard to be a tear-jerker. Also, it is cliche with a lot of stereotyping. Another downside is the crude humor throughout the film.
13. Naked Singularity
A public defender decides to rob one of his clients. “Naked Singularity” is meant to be a comedy/crime/drama, that leans more toward the drama side. It’s an easygoing film, but feels drawn out and that can become tedious pretty quickly. The second half of the film suddenly switches pace and that causes it to come across as two films spliced together. “Can’t tell you about the end because it was a struggle and I gave up. Couldn’t finish it!” confesses a movie lover.
14. Voyagers
A crew of astronauts become paranoid and struggle with reality. “Voyagers” takes that topic and transforms it into something unimaginative and dull. The visuals are good, plus the movie starts decent enough. Sadly, it descends into a muddle of people squabbling with one another. Certainly a voyage worth missing.
15. The Unholy
A deaf girl is visited by the Virgin Mary and now she can hear, speak, and heal. When throngs of people come to visit the girl, terrifying events begin to happen. The first half of the film establishes the story, yet the second half comes across as a rush to get things done. As for the story, it’s not too original and cliched. One reviewer said “With full honesty, bad script, bad directing, bad filming, and to add on all of that the worst ever edit you can imagine! Definitely not worth watching.”
16. Awake
A global event affects people’s ability to fall asleep. The pacing is slow and the dialogue equally sleep-inducing. You are scrabbling for answers about what’s happening, yet those answers are elusive. “Awake” is a nightmare of a movie made even worse by an ending that doesn’t end anything.
