Movie Talk: Top Ten Least Favorite Films of 2021

​Hello, and welcome to another episode of moviemanMDG's "Movie Talk", where I talk about everything film-related. Last time, we counted down my top ten favorite films of 2021. Now, it's time for me to list the ten movies that are as contagious as the coronavirus. These are the top ten films that left a sour taste in my mouth throughout the year. This list was about as tricky as my top ten best list. It wasn't just because of the small number of bad films I watched in 2021. It was also because of the ranking, mainly the top three movies, which were so terrible they gave me brain farts as to which one was more unforgiving than the others. Now there were a few other films that everyone thought were bad, such as "Tom & Jerry", "Space Jam: A New Legacy", and "Dear Evan Hansen" for some ridiculous reason. But I managed to find some movies that I believe deserve more hate than those I mentioned. As always, this list is in my personal opinion. If you happen to like any of my selections, that's perfectly fine. I'm always glad to see people enjoy these films more than I did, even though I don't entirely agree with their opinions. Just make sure you lock the doors at night if everyone else doesn't feel the same way. As always, you can find my selections on my "2021 Reviews" page if you want a more in-depth reason why I didn't enjoy them as much as others. With that said, let's count down the worst of the worst!

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#10

​Coming 2 America

​Let's start this list with a long-awaited sequel to one of the comedies that define Eddie Murphy's career, "Coming to America". "Coming 2 America" is not only another follow-up that fell extremely short of its predecessor, but it is also the top contender for the "laziest sequel title" award. The film benefited from Eddie Murphy's irresistible presence, its focus on Zamunda, and costume designs. Sadly, they're overshadowed by its familiarity, weak humor, and obsession with nostalgia over storytelling. It's a toned-down retread of the original that's not worthy enough to wear the crown.

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#9

The Ice Road

​If you think the snowy weather outside was frightful, then you haven't watched this icy dud of an action thriller. "The Ice Road" is another film that features Liam Neeson in action star mode. Nothing more, and nothing less. While his presence on screen was once again tolerable, it wasn't enough to carry the film through the ice road unscathed. Its weak supporting cast, cliched screenplay, mundane direction, and terrible visuals immediately put this forgettable thriller in the deep freeze. It's a fine watch for those who enjoy Liam Neeson as an action star, but for everyone else, it showed that the actor deserves a better movie with warmer temperatures than this.

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#8

​The Addams Family 2

​This year, I've seen plenty of animated films that didn't match the quality that Disney, Pixar, and Studio Ghibli offered in their movies. Some were tolerable, some were subpar, and some were downright irredeemable. "The Addams Family 2" is another example of the latter. The film is a narratively bland and uninspired animated sequel that's not as spooky as its 2019 predecessor and the live-action adaptations. The voice cast and the animation still did wonders in portraying the macabre family and their characteristics. However, they're not enough to overcome its formulaic plot, tedious humor, one-dimensional supporting characters, and weak direction. This is one road trip that's just as gloomy as the titular family, and not in a good way.

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#7

​Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City

​It didn't take the people from Hollywood too long to revive the "Resident Evil" franchise with a reboot. Unfortunately, it made me wish that they didn't. "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City" seeks to correct course by sticking close to the source material, mainly the first two games. The result is a mediocre and thinly-plotted reboot that might satisfy a few fans of the games and no one else. The film showcased some good intentions in its cast, atmosphere, and production design. However, they're not enough to help the horror reboot survive the zombie apocalypse. Its cheesy dialogue, weak plot, underwhelming direction, and rushed finale made me realize that it's time for this horror franchise to stay dead.

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#6

​Thunder Force

​You would think that Ben Falcone couldn't go as low as his last feature, "Superintelligence", but this film happened to prove us wrong. "Thunder Force" was Falcone's latest collaboration with his wife Melissa McCarthy that lacks the power and the humor to punch its way to victory. Like "Superintelligence", the film took an intriguing concept and squandered it into a generic and forgettable mess. Despite some okay moments in its cast and action, "Thunder Force" was quickly defeated by its cliched script, mediocre humor, and Falcone's poor direction. Remind Nick Fury not to let Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer join the Avengers.  

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#5

​Charming

​There's no doubt that I was always interested in seeing unique takes of the fairy tale formula thanks to the "Shrek" franchise. Unfortunately, the movies that tried to copy the DreamWorks Animation classic's formula weren't as magical as a bag full of fairy dust. My number five pick for the worst of 2021 happened to join that list, which is "Charming". I know it came out three years ago, but it was first released in Spain, and it didn't get a United States release until 2021, when Netflix picked it up. Because of that and the fact that I live in the U.S.A., I will count that as a 2021 release. You probably haven't heard of this little animated stinker, and to be honest, you're better off not knowing what it is. Despite its okay-ish animation and a fitting message about love, "Charming" is a charmless and painfully mediocre fairy tale that suffers from its dull story, forgettable characters, weak performances, and an unbearable script. This is one tale that you don't want to read to your kids.

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#4

​Infinite

​What could've been an intriguing and unique sci-fi approach on reincarnation turned out to be a bland eyesore that's infinitely boring. Out of the original movies released on Paramount+ this year, Antoine Fuqua's "Infinite" was undeniably the worst thing to come out of the streaming service. Despite its okay action scenes, the sci-fi action film was a dull and incoherent imitation of the well-received films that came before it, mainly "The Matrix". Fuqua's direction was weak, the characters were uninteresting and wooden, the plot was inconsistent, and Mark Wahlberg delivered his worst performance of his career so far. It's an endless cycle of badness after badness, resulting in the movie being the low point for Wahlberg and Fuqua.

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#3

​The Forever Purge

​"The Forever Purge" is another installment that refuses to let the popular horror franchise die. Whether you like these movies or not, you can tell how unnecessary and tasteless this latest sequel was regarding the current state we're in now. The cast and its political themes, including immigration, were dumbed down by its soulless scares, by-the-numbers storytelling, and mediocre characters. Unfortunately for us, they're already working on making more "Purge" films as of this writing, which means it'll be a while until we see the end of these senseless acts of violence. 

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#2

​Home Sweet Home Alone

​"Home Alone 3" started the unfortunate trend of mediocre sequels that failed to capitalize on the success of John Hughes' comedy classic and its sequel. "Home Sweet Home Alone" managed to make this trend even worse than before. Released as part of Disney+'s second anniversary, the sixth installment in the "Home Alone" franchise was an unpleasant and unrewarding sequel that didn't understand why the first film was beloved in the first place. However, I would give it credit for providing a couple of fresh ideas to spice up its formula, such as injecting some sympathy into the "burglars". Unfortunately, the execution for these ideas was about as torturous and humorless as the traps themselves. The cast was mediocre, Mazer's direction was mundane, the characters were unlikeable (mainly Max), and the comedy was forgettable. Not only was it the worst film to appear on Disney+, but it was also an unnecessary follow-up that left a massive dent on the beloved holiday comedy franchise. 

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Dishonorable Mention

An uninspired and tame retelling of Netflix's Spirit: Riding Free. Despite its heartfelt cast and animation, this is the weakest film in the DreamWorks Animation library regarding its thin story and character development.

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#1

​Spiral

​I've constantly been switching the top two films for weeks, figuring out which movie is worse than the other. It's a struggle that's just as stressful as finding the perfect Christmas gift for a special someone. After thinking it over for a while, I have finally decided which one deserves the top spot in my least favorite list. The only thing that I despise more than COVID-19 and the previous movies I mentioned this year is Chris Rock hunting the Jigsaw copycat killer. Like "The Purge", "Saw" is another horror franchise that overstayed its grisly welcome with its tasteless violence and lackluster storytelling. The only evidence I needed to prove that theory was the latest installment in this twisted and gory film series: "Spiral". Long story short, if you've watched the previous "Saw" films, then you've already seen "Spiral", a repetitive and unoriginal cash-grab that wasted its talented cast, ideas, and my time. Despite a fresh direction and some promising elements, the film heavily relied on the tiring formula that quickly wore itself thin instead of taking advantage of its new ideas. From its unlikeable characters to its lackluster thrills and kills, "Spiral" is a surefire sign that the game needs to end before it does any more damage to the brand. In my eyes, it is the worst installment in the ultra-violent franchise, and it is also my biggest stink pile of 2021.  

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​That concludes my top ten least favorite films of 2021, thus ending another year filled with the good, the bad, and the downright ugly of cinematic art. The same goes for everything else that happened outside of our movie-going experience. If there's a bright side I could find regarding my list, it's that these films did what they could to impress their target audience, even though their flaws were as irritating as being isolated in our homes. As I mentioned before, this was a hard list to make because of the number of terrible movies I watched this year compared to the many fantastic ones. But I gathered enough willpower to complete it before reaching the new year. With that in mind, I hope you enjoyed the hard work I put into making this list, and as always, have a safe and happy new year.