Not surprisingly, 2023 was not without its share of underwhelming films. There are instances when movies just fall short of the public’s expectations or even the buzz around them. Nevertheless, this does not imply that the year’s poorest films are also the most underwhelming of 2023. However, the two groups do indeed overlap to some extent.
Two superhero failures, a sci-fi, Sylvester Stallone’s farewell action movie, and the last Indiana Jones adventure make our list of the year’s most disappointing films. Take a look at our take of the most Discover the most disappointing movies of 2023.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Maybe we shouldn’t have had such high hopes for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny after Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. However, we felt that Harrison Ford’s legendary character should have had the unforgettable farewell he deserved. As the first three Indiana Jones films were fantastic. Conversely, Dial of Destiny, which is perhaps the greatest movie on this list, was just passably good. Nevertheless, it falls short of its forebears.
Undoubtedly, this movie has some excellent moments. One such moment is the lengthy prologue, in which Ford is digitally aged back to represent Indiana Jones at the close of World War II. Unlike the Holy Grail and the Ark of the Covenant in the previous films, the Dial of Destiny itself didn’t particularly spark viewers’ interest. Although Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s character, Indy’s goddaughter Helena Shaw, is an upgrade over his son from the last film, this quest seemed a little flat.
Expend4bles
While none of The Expendables films have been particularly outstanding, Expend4bles was an enormous disappointment. The film was meant to serve as a magnificent farewell to Sylvester Stallone’s action career, yet he hardly appears as Barney Ross. As the main character, Jason Statham’s Lee Christmas isn’t too awful, but the rest of the crew wasn’t that interesting.
The film’s narrative could have been created in the 1980s since it follows the same old trope of stopping a maniac from initiating World War III. Nobody would have voiced complaints about the plot or the uninteresting characters if there had been greater action. But there’s a serious issue when an Expendables film is unable to even provide thrilling action scenes.
The Flash
The movie is unattractive and poorly written, with poor computer-generated imagery in Flash scenes resembling old video games. The graphics are awful. Poor writing cannot be made up for by nostalgia. There are three key concerns that should be addressed in any superhero movie set in the Multiverse. Firstly, to avoid having a superficial effect on the narrative, a nostalgic character needs to be really added to the plot. Second, the primary character should be the center of attention and the point of connection for the whole story. The film effectively maintains emphasis on Barry’s objective and his connection with his parents. On the other hand, it fails to meet the other two requirements.
65
On paper, this seems like a novel idea, and it looks like a tried and template model of The Last of Us. However, the film fails because it cannot reproduce the friendship and character development that grows between the leads over time, which became the reason we were interested in Joel and Ellie. The main flaw of 65 is that it isn’t very creative. Throughout its relatively brief running length, the movie is filled with “oh wait, I know which film this is from” moments. Tropes like killing creatures, defending the defenseless child at the last second, and even swarms of people dying in their cryo-sleep remind us of innumerable monster and space films, aside from The Last of Us and its obvious similarities to the Jurassic Park flicks.
Owing to all of these mistakes, what should have been a sleek action-thriller with amazing monster action on the outside and pent-up emotions at the center turns into a dilemma, making 65 seem like it lasts 65 million years even though it only lasts 90 minutes.
Wish
Wish, with its 3D and 2D animation, was positioned as an homage to the traditional fairy tales from Disney’s storied past. Rather, this throwback turns into a cheap commercial stunt, rotely listing off a roster of well-known figures in an effort to capitalize on their notoriety. Wish is the inevitable conclusion of contemporary film’s fixation with nostalgia; the true sadness lies in the fact that, despite its attempts to carve its own niche, it manages to retain glimpses of that elusive Disney charm. The single “Knowing What I Know Now” stands out on the generally unmemorable soundtrack because of its syncopated beat.
This was our picks for most disappointing movies of year 2023. Let us know in comments the most disappointing movie for you.
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