There were many highly anticipated movies in 2024. Sequels to beloved franchises, adaptations of acclaimed works, and original projects from esteemed filmmakers generated significant buzz. However, not all these releases met the lofty expectations set by their marketing campaigns and fan enthusiasm. Indeed,the year delivered more than its fair share of disappointments.
With this in mind, this list looks atthe most underwhelming movies of the year. While they might not necessarily have been bad, they certainly didn’t rise to the hype. The worst offenders ranged from sequels that couldn’t recapture the magic of their predecessors to ambitious projects that crumbled under their own weight. Audiences had high hopes, but the following films let them down.
10’Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' (2024)
Directed by Gil Kenan
“We came, we saw, we kicked its ice!“Ghostbusters: Afterlifewas a big hit, so hopes were high forFrozen Empire. It sees the iconic team facing a chilling new adversary as an ancient icy entity threatens to plunge New York City into a supernatural winter. With the city freezing over and paranormal activity on the rise, the Ghostbusters must uncover the source of this frosty menace and prevent an eternal winter.
The film aimed to blend nostalgia with fresh elements, introducing new characters alongside the original cast, butthe result was a mixed bag. While the effects are impressive, the movie as a whole relies more on gimmicks than solid storytelling. LikeThe Force Awakens, this is a movie that squarely looks back at the franchise’s glory days.Frozen Empireisn’t all bad - the turns byPatton OswaltandJames Acasterare great, for example - butit’s way less fun than it ought to have been.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
When the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second ice age.
9’Argylle' (2024)
Directed by Matthew Vaughn
“The world’s greatest spy has met his match.“Argyllefollows the world’s greatest spy (Henry Cavill), as he embarks on a globe-trotting mission filled with intrigue, deception, and high-octane action. DirectorMatthew Vaughnhad proved himself with the fantasticKingsmanmovies, butArgyllefalls far short of their easy charm. It’s a decent movie, butit struggles to strike the right tone or harmonize the spy-world/real-world interplay effectively.
The plot is too messy and the 139-minute runtime is overlong. The humor is also a little too meta and ironic for a lot of viewers. Sometimes it’s hard to tell whether or not this is meant to be self-parody. All told, given just how great theKingsmanmovies were,Argyllecame as a major letdown. Still, perhaps it’s more enjoyable if one watches it on its own terms. Indeed, despite underperforming at the box office, it seems to haveregained some popularity through streaming.
An introverted spy novelist is drawn into the activities of a sinister underground syndicate.
8’Drive-Away Dolls' (2024)
Directed by Ethan Coen
“Two friends, one car, and a trunk full of trouble.” This crime comedy was directed byEthan Coen, leading to considerable hype, but the finished product isn’t anywhere close to the filmmaker’s best work. Story-wise,Drive-Away Dollscenters on two friends, Jamie (Margaret Qualley) and Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan), who embark on a spontaneous road trip to escape their mundane lives. Along the way, they inadvertently become entangled in a dangerous criminal scheme.
The film exudes a slapdash energy reminiscent of some ofthe Coen brothers' zanier comedies, but without the same finesse or cohesion. The pacing is uneven, andthe humor doesn’t consistently land. Again, this isn’t a terrible movie, butit’s not quite what one would expect from a seminal, Oscar-winning director.Anyone expectingDrive-Away Dollsto be on the level ofThe Big Lebowskior evenBurn After Readingis bound to be sorely disappointed.
Drive Away Dolls
Jamie regrets her breakup with her girlfriend, while Marian needs to relax. In search of a fresh start, they embark on an unexpected road trip to Tallahassee, but things quickly go awry when they cross paths with a group of inept criminals.
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7’Borderlands' (2024)
Directed by Eli Roth
“Welcome to Pandora, where chaos reigns.” There were many terrific video game adaptations in 2024:Sonic the Hedgehog 3,Fallout,Arcaneseason 2.Eli Roth’sBorderlands, however, wasnot one of them. This flick follows a group of vault hunters—Lilith (Cate Blanchett), Roland (Kevin Hart), and Claptrap (Jack Black)—as they search for a legendary vault on the lawless planet of Pandora. Unfortunately,it lacks the gonzo humor of the games, and many of the characters are woefully miscast.
The games are very quirky, but this adaptation is bland and generic, overstuffed with extravagant visuals yet without any real soul. Even Roth’s direction is tepid here, fight scenes excluded. The director can be wonderfully wild, but here he plays it safe, making one wonder why he was hired at all when any anonymous journeyman could have done the same job. Consequently, gamers will be annoyed, and general audiences will be confused. What a waste of potential.
Borderlands
A feature film based on the popular video game set on the abandoned fictional planet of Pandora where people search for a mysterious relic.
6’Madame Web' (2024)
Directed by S.J. Clarkson
“The web of fate is tangled and deadly.” One of the weakest Marvel movies, this misfire explores the origins of Cassandra Webb (Dakota Johnson), a clairvoyant mutant with the ability to perceive the “web of life.” As she uncovers a plot that threatens the multiverse, she must harness her powers and navigate complex relationships to prevent catastrophe. Madame Webb tries to build on theSpider-Manuniverse but is tangled up in its own tedium.
Not sinceMorbiushas a superhero movie been so roundly mocked on the internet.The flick starts off okay but loses momentum around the middle, wasting time on a trio of tiresome and underdeveloped teenage characters (played bySydney Sweeney,Isabela Merced, andCeleste O’Connor). Many of the performances are halfhearted, and the product placement is grating. Finally, some of the dialogue is truly egregious, though thankfully some of the worst lines from the trailer never made it to the theatrical release.
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5’Gladiator II' (2024)
Directed by Ridley Scott
“What we do in life echoes in eternity.“Ridley Scott’s long-awaitedGladiator IIrevisits the ancient world, following the enslaved Lucius (Paul Mescal) as he navigates Rome’s political intrigue and attempts to live up to the legacy of Maximus. The first movie is a bona fide classic, so any sequel had massive sandals to fill, andGladiator IIultimately failed to come close to the original.
It’s a decent movie, to be sure, with great action scenes and a wonderful supporting performance fromDenzel Washington, butit’s also kind of unnecessary and simply repeats many of the plot points from the first film.Plus, while Mescal is fine, he can’t compete with the star power of early-2000sRussell Crowe. Some of the animal fights also come across as too try-hard, straining to top the original film’s violence. All told,Gladiator IIfails to carve out its own identity.
Gladiator II
Lucius Verus, the son of Maximus’s beloved Lucilla, returns to Rome after years in the wilderness. Captured by Roman forces led by General Marcus Acacius, he is thrust into the gladiatorial arena. As he battles for survival, he encounters Macrinus, a former slave-turned-merchant, and faces the corrupt twin emperors Caracalla and Geta.
4’MaXXXine' (2024)
Directed by Ti West
“Sometimes you have to fight for your place in history.“MaXXXinepicks up whereXleft off, continuing the story of Maxine Minx (Mia Goth). She claws her way through the glitz and grime of 1980s Los Angeles, striving to become a full-fledged star. While Goth’s performance remains a highlight and the movie serves up a few thrills,it doesn’t quite rise to the heights of the first filmor, particularly,Pearl.
Again, not a bad film by any means (the period details are especially well done), but still the weakest entry in this trilogy.MaXXXinestumbles in the third act most of all, resulting in a climax that’s a little over-the-top. The reveal of one of the central mysteries is also a little lackluster. The film could have upped the ante and earned the series a spot in the modern horror pantheon but, instead, it’s just a decent genre flick.
In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx finally secures her big break. As she navigates her path to stardom, a mysterious killer begins targeting Hollywood starlets, leaving a trail of blood that threatens to expose her sinister past.
3’The Crow' (2024)
Directed by Rupert Sanders
“It can’t rain all the time.“Rupert Sanders’sThe Crowreimagines the cult classic, withBill Skarsgårdstepping into the role of Eric Draven, a man resurrected to avenge his murder and the death of his fiancée. The reboot aimed to honor the source material’s gothic tone while modernizing its visuals and narrative but, despite its atmospheric cinematography,it just doesn’t have the original’s heart.
Worse still are all the unnecessary revisions, all of which chip away at the film’s internal logic. The world-building is all over the place, and Skarsgård’s performance doesn’t come close to what one would expect, given his great work onItandBarbarian. For all these reasons,The Crowdispleased a great many of the first film’s fans.Alex Proyas, director of the 1994 version, panned this update, calling it a “cynical cash-grab”. Indeed, a better title would have beenThe Turkey.
A modern re-imagining of the beloved character, The Crow, based on the original graphic novel by James O’Barr.
2’Megalopolis' (2024)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
“We’re building a city for the future, but at what cost?“Francis Ford Coppolais a titan with multiple masterpieces to his name, yet the unwieldyMegalopolis, having long languished in development hell, was one of 2024’s most disastrous movies. It’s an ambitious epic exploring the construction of a utopian city in the wake of disaster, with a sprawling ensemble cast includingAdam Driver,Giancarlo Esposito, andNathalie Emmanuel.It represented a massive swing - and miss - for the veteran director.
A few intriguing scenes notwithstanding,Megalopolisis an overstuffed mess, jam-packed with subplots and political messaging but struggling to make it all cohere. It’s 138 minutes of grandeur and philosophizing, but lacking a real point. Consequently, few movies have such a yawning gulf between the hype and the quality of the finished product. Unsurprisingly,Megalopoliswas a thermonuclear box office bomb,grossingjust $13.9m against a budget of at least $120m.
Megalopolis
An architect wants to rebuild New York City as a utopia following a devastating disaster.
1’Joker: Folie à Deux' (2024)
Directed by Todd Phillips
“Is it just me, or is it getting crazier out there?” Claiming the top spot on this list is, perhaps unsurprisingly,Joker: Folie à Deux.This musical sequelcontinues the story of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) and his descent into madness, this time joined by Harley Quinn (Lady Gaga). While the first movie was a true gem and one of the most unique “superhero” movies of the last decade,this follow-up is oddly lifeless.
There’s barely any actual story here, and the musical numbers are mediocre at best (Gaga’s powers are especially wasted). The themes also seemed confused, to the point that it’s hard to know what the audience is meant to take away from all this. In this regard, some have interpretedFolie à Deuxas a deliberate attempt to subvert expectations and alienate the fanbase of the original movie. This approachmight have pleasedQuentin Tarantino, but pretty much everyone else was left scratching their heads.
Joker: Folie a Deux
Joker: Folie à Deux explores Arthur Fleck’s ongoing struggle with his dual identity as he unexpectedly discovers love and unleashes his hidden musical talent. Set against a backdrop of societal unrest, Arthur’s journey intertwines personal transformation with chaotic encounters, leading to profound shifts in his life and the world around him.
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