Films That Mock the Source Material
During the last ten years or so, there have been a number of films that although they proclaimed their love for the source material, their output revealed otherwise. Producers, directors and screenwriters sought to deconstruct popular franchises, famous heroes and even whole genres due to DEI and political beliefs along with an inability to write coherent storylines. Any sort of criticism from fans was met by social medial insults and hit pieces on mainstream (failing) news websites followed by profanities and accusations of all types of “isms” to those who were supposed to buy (or stream) the damn movie. Considering how nobody can (or should for that matter) be forced to pay for entertainment, this was a great and ironic strategy to tank your upcoming films, tv series and videogames.
Of course the trend of incorporating your personal political beliefs was never a product of the (e.g., our) present; it is only more visible now. There are numerous cases where clueless filmmakers knew nothing of the source material creating a clay mixture of cinematic ingredients which alienated the fans (e.g., “The Dark Tower“ (2017), “The Witcher” and “The Rings of Power” tv series), insulted the original creators (e.g., “Super Mario Bros“ (1993), “Dragonball Evolution” (2009)) and betrayed actual history (e.g., “Alexander” (2004)). We make a focused list on the worst of the worst movie offenders; expensive and larger than life productions that crashed the expectations of everyone unfortunate enough to see these cinematic tragedies on the big screen soiling the goodwill that the brand had perhaps forever.
10. Halloween (2018)
The dated era of “MeToo” in 2017 started affecting the quality of several “legacy” sequels. Beloved female characters became unconvincingly stupid, let down by horrible and frankly pedestrian screenplays. The REAL! sequel to the original grand daddy of the slasher genre dumbfoundingly titled “Halloween” has nothing of its predecessors’ style or tactics. Stealing Rob Zombie’s unique (and polarized) version of Michael Myers, the Boogeyman is the same unstoppable and remorseless grunting machine capable of inflicting hyper-realistic violence to unsuspected victims. However, David Gordon Green’s screenplay is the biggest insult to the fans of the original taking Laurie and converting her into an idiotic protagonist who could not move on from the events of the 1st movie for 40 years, surrounding her by an equally insufferable cast that commits the mistakes which “Scream” (1996) made fun of. If you add an uneven tone, pointless subplots and most importantly, zero scares, “Halloween” is a huge cop out.
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9. Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)
“The Final Nightmare” is what happens when Hollywood executives have milked an once novel idea dry. By cementing himself as a pop culture icon of the 80s, Freddy seven years later is nothing more than a walking parody of himself throwing cheap one liners in $1 make up to a band of forgettable and obnoxious teenagers (including a young Breckin Meyer). Besides some random (but entertaining) cameos by Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp Tom Arnold, and Roseanne Bar, the 6th installment is not only a bad sequel but the worst in the franchise. Even the dream sequences are not above a cookie cutter direct to video production with schlocky special effects. It is a direction-less and charmless, motion picture, unable to conjure up the smallest wit for an audience that by the 90s has moved on to complex antagonists (e.g., “Silence of the Lambs” (1991)). The tagline mentioned how they saved the best for last. If this involved putting you to bed at ease, then yes, you can say they succeeded.
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8. A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)
What is up with all the late 70/80s franchises receiving belated sequels that further tarnish the reputation of the original? “Die Hard” (1988-2013) had a pretty solid run till 1995. With “Live Free Die Hard” in 2007, you already started feeling the burnout of the series through a PG-13, bombastic, CGI enhanced action sequence adoption. These elements have no place in what was at the beginning a compelling and relatable action film. Yet John Moore’s 5th instalment is even worse than Len Wiseman’s big budget action epic taking its predecessor’s most troublesome traits and multiplying them times eleven adding its own distasteful ingredients in the process. McClane must be causing a gazillion international incidents in Russia under his 0 f***s given attitude surviving onslaught after onslaught without the tiniest scratch. Willis looks uninterested sharing no chemistry with - was hot property for brief amount of time - son Jay Courtney, the villains are beyond banal and despite being competently made, it has no creative merit at all.
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7. Star Wars Episode III: The Last Jedi (2017)
Dismantling all the mystery boxes of Abrams in his “A New Hope” (1977) remake, Rian Johnson’s “The Last Jedi” is what happens when you allow a director with no experience in epic filmmaking or love for the source material to take over. For all its faults, “The Force Awakens” (2015) had some form of goodwill. The 8th episode though disrespects so bad the “Star Wars” mythos by claiming that it is simply subverting expectations. If by subverting, Johnson means a poorly made motion picture with gigantic plot holes and a lack of its own ideas then yes. Character moments contradict previous proceedings and delay any onset of emotional growth. The action staging is terrible populated by so many errors that is worthy of the admission price alone while the final conflict rips off visually pretty much everything that made “Empire Strikes Back” (1980) great. Luke Skywalker’s treatment is an absolute disgrace; a wise mentor and the living legacy of an entire religion has been replaced by a bitter old man that barely features in the damn movie. Subverting expectations indeed.
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6. The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
A humorless and pointless cash grab, “The Matrix Resurrections” had a fantastic trailer that got plenty of cine noobs pumped for Neo’s return. Except director Lana Wachowski forgot to bring any flair or a compelling storyline. Going more meta than meta for no apparent reason, the first half is played as a parody while the second half goes through scenes like a Netflix original. Keanu and the under-used Carrie-Anne Moss give it all but their efforts are not enough to save a film that lacks the visceral and on point aesthetic of the first entry or the epic, expansive scope of the sequels. With nothing unique, its most problematic element is just how boring it is: from its design to the performance and the rectification of trilogy’s finale. “The Matrix” was synonymous for pushing the action boundaries but here gone are the mesmerizing gun fu sequences or the Hong Kong inspired lengthy fighting takes. They have been replaced by a myriad of cuts and unconvincing stunts that mirror those of “Batman and Robin” (1997). And this was shot at the same time with “John Wick Chapter 4”.
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5. No Time to Die (2021)
A product of the systematic dismantling of popular cinematic heroes in the late 2010s, James Bond did not escape unscathed. After numerous rewrites, “No Time to Die” was released under critical acclaim much to the surprise of everyone who likes action, spy or Bond movies. It is horrifically shot echoing a feeling of scenes stitched together in the last minute with Bond fighting the unmemorable schemes of Rami Malek’s anemic villain, another meh antagonist in the Craig era. Treated as a joke, supported by terrible “Bond” girls and a persistence to events from its earlier entries, it is an unconvincing (and abysmal) final send off to the infamous spy. Then again, it does not work as a blockbuster either. Relying on a similar color palette and locations that its predecessors already have shown (e.g., how many times does Craig have to be in Italy?), is is also devoid of any solid action sequences which are frankly very limited in a quite lengthy running time that reaches such an anti-climatic end that put an end to Craig’s run as the legendary agent.
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4. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
Just when you thought things could not get worse after “The Kingdom of Crystal Skull” (2008), here comes Kathleen Kennedy’s brainchild. Besides having a ridiculous title in “The Dial of Destiny”, the film does exactly what “No Time to Die” did to Bond; deconstruct one of the best movie icons of all time and reduce him to the bitter old man trope. What once was the pivotal driving force behind a character who advocated archaeological significance and engaged into globe trotting adventures has been replaced by a will to die (no, really). Divorced, child-less due to the Vietnam war and alcoholic, this Indiana has no resemblance to the characterization of its predecessors. His once vast knowledge has been replaced by a paralytic ability to progress the (if any) story. And then you have Phoebe Waller-Bridge, an absolute travesty of a character amidst chaotic CGI scenes that have none of the charm of the previous films. Like any legacy sequels, it brings back fan favorites only to tick check boxes copy pasting previously superior moments into telegraphic proceedings. Avoid at all costs.
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3. Fast 9 (2021)
The stupidity of “The Fast and the Furious” (2001-2023) franchise really came out nowhere. What begun as a heist flick for millennials was converted into an action heavy behemoth that has past its prime. To be fair, the comedic interactions and expansive scope worked occasionally in its favor with subsequent entries hopping on the joke too. But by sequel 8, “The Fast and the Furious” really thinks it is Shakespeare on wheels and gas. Retrospectively retconning key events from previous films which let’s be honest where sources of surprise, it tries too hard for fan service. Simultaneously, nobody stays (or is) dead, there is a lack of sincere threat and the “family” have more in common with the GI Joe action figures than to real and vulnerable human characters. This never ending labyrinth of secret agencies, spies, killers, mercenaries and thieves under terrible CGI is the culmination of everything wrong with modern blockbusters. Beloved characters have no obstacles at their path; whether it is a setting, a henchman or extraordinary circumstances they all crumble under Vin Diesel’s ego.
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2. Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
Directed by one-trick-pony Tim Miller (“Deadpool” (2016)), “Terminator: Dark Fate” is what happens when the prevalent (and pretentious) ideology within Hollywood at that MeToo time dictates a story. Pitched as a legacy sequel to the all time magnus opus of “Judgement Day” (1991), it erases the cathartic and poignant finale of its predecessor by killing John Connor within the first minute. Then it deconstructs Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor as a grumpy and out of touch grandma and alters the savior of humanity into a tiny Latina who although lives happily ever after in Mexico, has to cross illegally the US in a badly metaphor for the then Trump policies. Her androgynous protector is the definition of “misconceived” feminism denouncing and insulting all the sacrifices that Sarah and John had to endure in an obvious stab at patriarchy. Its tonal inconsistencies, cheap CGI, lackluster thrills and the antagonization of its core audience (“You are all sexist”) led to “Dark Fate” becoming a box office bomb burying once and for all the “Terminator” franchise.
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1. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
“Jurassic World” set a record with its several stupid creative decisions and poor reimagining of key ingredients from the original. However, nothing can prepare you for what “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” has is store making its predecessor look like “Citizen Kane” (1941) in comparison. The characters are a bunch of unmemorable and irritating morons, the idea of militarizing dinosaurs even more ludicrous, while any pseudo scientific issues are dealt the comprehension of a two year old. Split into two halves, the second one leads into one of the most perplexing decisions in cinema history that would subsequently result in millions of deaths. A “Jaws” (1975) rip off in the 90s managed to become an intelligent and entertaining story about man playing god without sacrificing likeable and knowledgeable characters. But screenwriter Trevorrow adds human cloning, uninspired set pieces, genetic mutation and dino-activism in a vortex of creative abyss that will be studied by alien civilizations on how not to write a screenplay.
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