Bad Movies Made By Great Directors

We all know of great directors, but sometimes they make a movie that does not sit well with us, or with many other for that matter.  Here’s a look at some of those movies.  To note, their are definitely more movies that qualify for this list but will not be on it so if you have any movies that really left a bad taste in your mouth from a quality filmmaker then please comment at the bottom of the page and let me know!

I’m happy to announce that this the first MovieBabble collaboration with Mike Redshaw videos.  Be sure to subscribe to his YouTube channel!  He has some great videos on movies rankings from everything from the best actors of all time to even the best Bollywood movies of all time and everything in between that come out every single week.  The following list goes in order of the video so that you can follow along with it.  Without further ado, here’s the video by Mike Redshaw along with some patented MovieBabble commentary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htEaLvZjfzw

Mimic (1997)

You would think that a creature feature made by Guillermo Del Toro would be a lot of fun, but you would be sorely mistaken in this case.  Mimic has a fun concept about creatures splicing genes together, but the movie is filled with less than stellar acting and laughably bad dialogue.  Not to mention that the movie takes a lot of its elements from other creature movies such as Alien and The Fly.  Mimic is a boring rip-off of movies that used its elements much better by comparison.

Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score: 61%

Metacritic Score: 55

MovieBabble Score: C

image via Home Cinema Choice

Hulk (2003)

I give Ang Lee credit for trying to humanize the Hulk through ambitious storytelling, but there isn’t enough smashing to make up for the calls to pathos.  Hulk is viewed by many as an incredibly boring movie with a subpar performance from Eric Bana as Bruce Banner.  Not to mention Ang Lee employs the strangest cuts ever put in a movie that try to act like comic book panels but do not translate well in the slightest.

Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score: 61%

Metacritic Score: 54

MovieBabble Score: D+

image via The Fanboy Perspective

The Ladykillers (2004)

This might be one of the strangest movies ever made by Oscar winning directors.  The Coen Brothers swung for the fences in an attempt at slapstick comedy but ending up striking out badly.  One of the few redeemable things about Ladykillers is a ridiculous performance by Tom Hanks, but everything else can be characterized as just odd.  Maybe the Coens should just stick to the hard-hitting dramas that has given them much acclaim.

Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score: 55%

Metacritic Score: 56

MovieBabble Score: D+

image via The Atlantic

The Fountain (2006)

Darren Aronofsky gets brownie points for creating an incredibly ambitious science fiction film, but The Fountain suffers from too wide of a scope that has so many themes intertwined that it’s difficult to point out the main point (or plot) of the film.  Because of it’s faults, The Fountain ends up being pretty forgettable because the viewer struggles to grasp onto any one thing from the film.  This is a classic example of someone biting off more than they could chew.

Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score: 51%

Metacritic Score: 51

MovieBabble Score: C

image via Collider

Planet of the Apes (2001)

I feel as if this was the start of the decline for Tim Burton, who’s gothic touch to films as began to grow a little tired over the past few years.  Planet of the Apes is a film we’d all like to forget as it ruins the classic Planet of the Apes with terrible performances.  The film tries to go for nostalgia as it recycles dialogue and plot points from the good Planet of the Apes but it just comes off as rude and shameful.  And let’s not forget that ridiculous “Aperaham Lincoln” twist at the end.

Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score: 45%

Metacritic Score: 50

MovieBabble Score: D-

image via Nerdist

Alien 3 (1992)

I can’t completely blame David Fincher for the result of Alien 3 since there was so much studio interference in the making of the movie.  Fincher was required to start filming before the script was finished in order for the movie to meet its release date.  This is very evident in the movie since everything feels very disjointed and incomplete.  Alien 3 stalled the Alien franchise for many years and it has failed to get close to its previous heights with mixed fan sentiment ever since.

Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score: 44%

Metacritic Score: 59

MovieBabble Score: C

image via Bloody Disgusting!

Scoop (2006)

It feels like Woody Allen had ran out of ideas when Scoop came around in 2006.  The plot rehashes a lot of the relationship drama that Allen had used in many of his previous movies without any of the charm or wit.  This thinly written script strands a talented cast filled with stars such as Hugh Jackman and Scarlett Johansson and is just plain annoying.

Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score: 40%

Metacritic Score: 48

MovieBabble Score: D

image via PopMatters

The Brothers Grimm (2005)

Terry Gilliam definitely enacts some really cool visual camera tricks, but The Brothers Grimm fails to create a compelling story to pair with its cinematography.  Matt Damon and Heath Ledger make for a fun lead pair, but you’re too busy trying to get past the hokey CGI (including a blob monster that’s not even close to looking real) and over the top performance from Monica Bellucci.

Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score: 38%

Metacritic Score: 51

MovieBabble Score: C

image via IndieWire

Pirates (1986)

There’s been a ton of high profile bombs from pirate movies, and Pirates by Roman Polanski is no exception.  Pirates little of the swashbuckling fun that we normally associate with the genre.  Pirates is by no means terrible, but it is neither good enough to enjoy or bad enough to be watched ironically.  Maybe he should made another horror classic like Rosemary’s Baby.

Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score: 33%

Metacritic Score: N/A

MovieBabble Score: C-

image via IMFD

1941 (1979)

Steven Spielberg attempted to make the proceeding events of the attacks on Pearl Harbor into a slapstick comedy with actors such as John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd.  1941 is practically unfunny, and more importantly unwatchable.  The film comes off as somewhat offensive even though it attempted to be satirical.  Spielberg has plenty of other great movies so you should never come close to watching this movie.  Go stream E.T. instead.

Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score: 32%

Metacritic Score: 34

MovieBabble Score: F 

image via Misan[trope]y

Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)

Ridley Scott had the opportunity to finally give us a swords and sandals movie after years of disappointments in the genre, but unfortunately just added to the long list of subpar movies.  While not without its moments, Exodus: Gods and Kings goes through long stretches of being very, very dull and forgettable.  Not to mention the entire cast of Egyptians is white-washed with known actors.  The film also angered many religiously inclined people due to the liberties that were taken with the story.  Until Ridley Scott’s next movie The Martian, many were worried that Scott was losing his touch as a director.

Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score: 27%

Metacritic Score: 52

MovieBabble Score: C-

image via The Independent

Ghosts of Mars (2001)

You know your movie’s bad when you attempt to have genuine scares but you leave the audience with laughter.  Ghosts of Mars is a big misfire from the horror master John Carpenter.  The film is pretty horribly cast with Ice Cube at the center of the action along with Natasha Henstridge.  Go watch The Thing rather than this tired bodysnatchers storyline.

Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score: 21%

Metacritic Score: 35

MovieBabble Score: D

image via Den of Geek

Jack (1996)

Francis Ford Coppola, director of the Godfather, could have gone anywhere with his career.  However, he decided to make a movie about a 10 year old in a 40 year old’s body starring Robin Williams.  You read those two sentences correctly.  The man who gave us arguably the greatest movie of all-time with hard hitting drama and memorable characters decided to make a slapstick comedy that even directors like Michael Bay would never do.  This film will just make you angry more than anything else.

Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score: 17%

Metacritic Score: 31

MovieBabble Score: D-

image via Cineplex.com

Alexander (2004)

Oliver Stone attempted to make an epic period movie about one of history’s most prominent emperors, but unfortunately what we got was a movie that was about an hour too long and felt like a Liftetime movie with a large production budget because of all the ridiculous melodrama involved in the movie.  Collin Farrell (and the rest of the major cast for that matter) was horribly casted.  You might want to stick to the history books to learn about Alexander the Great.

Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score: 16%

Metacritic Score: 39

MovieBabble Score: D

image via Alt Film Guide

The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990)

Brian DePalma has giving us some great psychological and tense thrillers with movies such as Mission Impossible.  So then he decided to direct a comedy with Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis, and Melanie Griffith that is just unlikable and unfunny.  This movie is proof that comedies are really hard to make and can be disastrous if done without care.  The film also angered fans of the book by not being faithful to it.

Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score: 16%

Metacritic Score: N/A

MovieBabble Score: D

image via Maximum Fun

Ghost Dad (1990)

Until the horrible accusations that arose later in his life, Bill Cosby was a comedic legend.  However, Sidney Poitier and Cosby fail to get on the same page with a movie that does have a fun premise with a dad coming back as a ghost to make sure his kids are taken care of.  The movie is just largely unfunny and moves along at a snails-like pace.

Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score: 7%

Metacritic Score: N/A

MovieBabble Score: D

image via Giphy

Piranha Part Two (1981)

James Cameron has brought us some great creature features that are as thrilling as they are scary.  Piranha Part Two is neither of those things.  The film is largely a carbon copy of the first film without any of the wit or charm.  The plot is absolutely dumb and incomprehensible.  It’s a amazing that this is the same director that directed Aliens.

Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score: 7%

Metacritic Score: N/A

MovieBabble Score: F

image via Flick.co.nz

Illegally Yours (1998)

Another unfunny screwball comedy made by a director that had lost his touch.  Peter Bogdanovich failed to reclaim any of the fun from The Mask and leaves Rob Lowe with nothing to do.  Illegally Yours follow Lowe as he learns that he is the juror in a case for his long lost high school crush.  I don’t rarely say this, but nothing in this movie is redeemable and this movie should be avoided at all costs.

Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score: 0%

Metacritic Score: N/A

MovieBabble Score: F

image via Mubi

That’s the list!  Are their any movies you’d add or take off?  Comment and let me know!

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