Critics' Choices Reveal Most Disappointing Films of 2024
Critics' Choices Reveal Most Disappointing Films of 2024
Critics have voiced their opinions on the year's cinematic disappointments in 2024, with films starring actors such as Chris Pine, Dennis Quaid, Zack Snyder, and even Mickey Mouse making the list.
Despite the successful releases of critically acclaimed films like Inside Out 2, Deadpool & Wolverine, and Longlegs, the film industry had its fair share of flops as well. Some of these disappointing films were large-budget productions, while others were independent movies featuring renowned stars.
Here's a rundown of the films that garnered criticism from various sources in 2024.
Chris Pine's 'Poolman' Sinks Beneath the Surface
Movie critics Owen Gleiberman and Peter Debruge each compiled their selections for the five worst movies that graced theatres in 2024.
Gleiberman named Lisa Frankenstein—directed by Zelda Williams and written by Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody—as the fifth-worst film of the year. This monster-themed romantic comedy, according to Gleiberman, was "an undead teenage slasher romance that feels like the world's most needlessly overcomplicated SNL sketch."
The End—starring Tilda Swinton and Michael Shannon—rounded out Gleiberman's list of worst films, while Dennis Quaid's portrayal of President Ronald Regan in Reagan earned the No. 3 spot.
"Released just in time to grease the wheels for Trump's victory, this schlock Ronald Reagan biopic was a hit in theatres, appealing to an audience of make-TV-movies-bad-again nostalgists," Gleiberman commented on the film.
Reagan also faced criticism from other critics, earning a collective score of 18% "rotten" from 68 Rotten Tomatoes critics, though this didn't deter audiences from attending the film.
Cate Blanchett starred in the No. 2 spot on Gleiberman's list, with Rumours, a genre-mashing satire, earning the dishonour of making the No. 1 worst film on Chris Pine's list, entitled Poolman, which landed at the top of the list.
"Even if you're a fan of Chris Pine, you may be left in awe of this absurdist disaster of an L.A. noir, which he directed, co-wrote, and starred in," the critic wrote in Variety.
'DogMan' was for the Dogs
Peter Debruge, another critic from Variety, named the Netflix-produced sci-fi space opus Rebel Moon: Director’s Cut as his pick for the fifth-worst film of 2024.
"Honestly, is there anything more excessive or unnecessary than a two-part Star Wars knockoff directed by pop-culture remix artist Zack Snyder? Or a bloodier (but strangely sexless) six-hour director's cut of that same movie?" Debruge questioned.
Debruge's list continued with Zachary Levi in the big-screen adaptation of Crockett Johnson's classic children's book Harold and the Purple Crayon, landing in the No. 4 spot. Meanwhile, writer-director Johnny Mack's church movie spoof Not Another Church Movie—starring Vivica A. Fox and Mickey Rourke—took the No. 3 spot on the critic's "worst" list.
The Mickey Mouse-skewering horror movie The Mouse Trap claimed the No. 2 spot on Debruge's list, and director Luc Besson's crime thriller DogMan, starring Caleb Landry Jones, earned the No. 1 spot.
"Besson’s third-rate Joker rip-off is poorly conceived on every level — a convoluted act of misplaced empathy in which a police psychologist struggles to control a deeply traumatized outcast who was raised in a doghouse," Debruge wrote.
Metacritic Also Lists Worst Movies of 2024
While individual critics named their worst movies of 2024, aggregate critic websites like Metacritic also compiled a list of the year's cinematic disappointments.
Metacritic's list consisted of 15 films, featuring high-profile animated releases like The Garfield Movie and the disastrous remake of The Crow starring Bill Skarsgård.
Director Eli Roth's adaptation of the blockbuster video game Borderlands earned the eighth spot on Metacritic's list, while Marvel's Madame Web starring Dakota Johnson placed sixth.
Earning the No. 1 spot on Metacritic's worst movies of 2024 list was the obscure sci-fi horror comedy Lumina, which only featured one well-known name—Eric Roberts—in a cameo role.
Lumina gained notoriety in 2024 for being the only movie to receive a Metascore of only 6 out of 100 from Metacritic, making heads turn throughout the year. The film's summary suggests that viewers might find themselves chuckling at certain moments, but the humor isn't intended, as critics pointed out. Despite this, the movie's length of nearly two hours might be an excessive justification for an intentional or unintentional watch.
The dreadful 15 films of 2024, according to Metacritic's dreadometer, along with their respective Metascores are listed below:
- Killer Heat (33)
- The Garfield Movie (31)
- The Crow (30)
- Poolman (29)
- AfrAId (28)
- Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 (27)
- Mary (27)
- Borderlands (26)
- History of Evil (26)
- Madame Web (26)
- Krazy House (23)
- Reagan (22)
- Duchess (22)
- City of Dreams (14)
- Lumina (6)
While Rotten Tomatoes failed to release a list of the worst films in 2024, they did provide a single film with a 0% "rotten" rating. This pitiful score was bestowed upon the Sylvester Stallone action film Armor, basing its judgment on 23 reviews, which was released in November.
Despite the film industry's successful releases in 2024, critic Owen Gleiberman included Sylvester Stallone's action film 'Armor' in his list of worst movies, earning it a 0% "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 23 reviews.
Zack Snyder's sci-fi space opus, Rebel Moon: Director’s Cut, made Peter Debruge's list of worst films, ranked fifth due to its excessive and unnecessary two-part Star Wars-inspired format.
Beyond individual critic lists, Metacritic compiled a list of cinematic disappointments for 2024. Marvel's Madame Web, starring Dakota Johnson, placed sixth on this list, with director Eli Roth's adaptation of the blockbuster video game Borderlands ranking eighth.
Merging multiple sources, one can observe that the 2024 film industry featured a wide range of critically panned films, including Sylvester Stallone's 'Armor', Michelle Pfeiffer's 'Madame Web', Zack Snyder's 'Rebel Moon: Director’s Cut', and Eli Roth's 'Borderlands'.