Movie Talk: Top Ten Least Favorite Films of 2024

​Hello, everyone!  Welcome to another episode of moviemanMDG’s “Movie Talk”, where I talk about everything film-related.  It’s no secret that 2024 is another year full of surprises and inspiring feats in the film industry.  However, it’s also not without plenty of misfortunes and atrocities that we had to endure, whether on the big screen or on a streaming service.  With every cinematic masterpiece that invaded ours screens with awe-inspiring quality, there’s always a massive pile of hot garbage that stimulates our senses in the worst way possible.  That’s how I would describe my experience toward this year’s films that failed to reach their potentials with their cheapness and second-rate executions.  While my intention is to always look for a silver lining in these mediocre attempts at filmmaking, there are occasions where their positive aspects just aren’t enough to excuse their massive flaws.  The movies I got listed below are some of those moments.  We already got through with the best of the best of 2024 in my previous Movie Talk episode, so now it’s time for me to announce the films that I deemed unworthy of my cinematic needs.  Just like before, this is my personal picks of the films I disliked the most this year.  Even though there are certain popular ones that everyone loves to deem “the worst movie ever made”, especially ones based on an existing IP, there are actually those that truly deserve the rotten tomato treatment.  At least, that’s how I view them because again, everyone has their own distinct taste in movies, and that’s okay.  As usual, don’t be surprised if any of your picks for the worst movie of the year didn’t make it on my list or if the ones you actually liked more than I did are on it.  These are my personal picks, and if you enjoyed any of them, that’s great.  More power to you.  Now that that’s out of the way, let’s count down the biggest losers of 2024.  But before I do that, allow me to share with you the “dishonorable mentions” that were lucky enough to escape their unwanted achievements.

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Dishonorable Mentions

​Bryce McGuire's adaptation of his 2014 short film sinks more than it can swim despite the decent cinematography.

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​Zack Snyder's visually grand presentation isn't enough to excuse this underwhelming and sluggish sci-fi sequel.

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​The animated adaptation of Laurene Yep's novel is a half-baked and mediocre imitation of the great family-friendly fantasy movies that came before it.

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​A harmless yet disappointingly by-the-numbers animated iteration of "Garfield" that's as lazy and ridiculed as the titular orange cat.

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​A malfunctioning and disappointingly bland mess that would make an actual AI feel embarrassed by its existence.

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​This mediocre and unenthusiastic spin-off of the iconic Nickelodeon series would be better off living in the depths of the ocean instead of Netflix.

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​George Nolfi's generic and straightforward sci-fi adventure fails to elevate its worthwhile concept with a duo of Marvel actors.

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​Russell Crowe can't seem to exorcise himself out of this generic and dull approach to its intriguing concept involving exorcism filmmaking.

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​Disney charted itself through rougher waters with an uninspired and forgettable sequel that passed off its television series-like structure as a theatrical film.

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​This disastrous and uneven disaster comedy has too many bugs in its system despite its subtly amusing moments involving the young cast and practical effects.

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​An overstuffed, witless, and pointless animated sequel that strongly shows signs of Illumination's magnum opus dangerously taking the "Ice Age" route.  The voice cast and animation were pretty decent, but that's about it.

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#10

​The Watchers

​Coming in at the bottom of the trash can is M. Night Shyamalan's daughter's attempt at making a horror movie.  All I can say is that she has a lot of work to do to make it big as a director.  "The Watchers" was just as lost as the characters in the woods, with a story that struggled to balance its slow-burn suspense with supernatural horror elements.  There was some potential hidden within Ishana Night Shyamalan's vision, especially when the cinematography captures the eeriness and dread of the isolated forest.  Sadly, that hardly matters when a film lacks effort in its unbalanced screenplay, so-so cast, and soulless scares.  You're better off watching something that's more worth your time.

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#9

​Summer Camp

​Camp is supposed to be a place where you experience the great outdoors and make new friends and memories.  But if it's anything like my number nine pick, I'd rather just stay home and play video games all summer long.  "Summer Camp" was another addition to a long line of comedies involving seniors acting like they're thirty years younger.  While familiar by design, I admire only a couple of them for being mildly endearing for their target audience, mainly "Book Club" and "80 for Brady".  Sadly, "Summer Camp" became a blueprint for following the same formulaic pattern without the charm and fun to accompany it.  Despite the efforts made by the main leads, the film's inept direction, generic screenplay, and lackluster characters were enough to give me the summertime blues.  Regarding this catalog of senior-focused comedies, this is by far the most boring and biggest waste of effort from all those involved.  These actresses deserved a much better camp to attend than what they got.

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#8

​Kraven the Hunter

​There's no studio that suffered the worst luck in the superhero genre this year than Sony, especially its Spider-Man-less cinematic universe.  Except for the "Venom" trilogy, the studio's attempts at making Spider-Man's enemies anti-heroes to maintain its rights lack the cheesy fun, charm, and quality to warrant their existence.  The universe's final film, "Kraven the Hunter", is no different, as it is yet another failed attempt at superhero filmmaking that's more prey than predator.  Admittedly, it's mildly watchable regarding Aaron Taylor-Johnson's portrayal of the Spider-Man villain and the film's brutal violence.  Sadly, they're not enough to make this thrill of the hunt…well, thrilling.  Due to its bland supporting cast, incoherent editing, tedious direction, and rough visual effects, this supervillain origin film lacks the storytelling expertise to hunt alongside the big cinematic hunters.

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#7

​The Crow

​It's no surprise that everyone was crying foul at Hollywood for reviving "The Crow" when the 1994 adaptation was fine the way it was.  But, as usual, the folks at Hollywood didn't listen, and they paid the price for it, both critically and financially.  The 2024 reboot of "The Crow" puts a more supernatural and modern edge to the source material, and the result is a dull and bleak mess that's neither as compelling nor as entertaining as it should have been.  Its production design was serviceable for maintaining the gothic nature of the comic and the 1994 film, and the Opera House sequence was pretty enjoyable.  However, when it comes to everything else, the 2024 iteration of "The Crow" is a failed attempt at reviving the franchise due to its dull cast, generic script, forgettable action, and uninspired characters.  But, at the very least, Bill Skarsgård was able to redeem his soul with his take on Nosferatu, so there's that.

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#6

​Tarot

​2024 has been a pretty good year for horror, especially when we have plenty of surprises like "Late Night with the Devil" and "Nosferatu".  However, that doesn't mean it's safe from some of the bad ones we got amid its gems.  One of them is a supernatural horror film about tarot cards whose fate was already sealed before it even came out.  Regarding its plot and genre elements, "Tarot" was as generic and subpar as the title suggested, even failing to meet the lowest of my expectations.  While the young cast did all right with their performances, and the atmospheric dread was serviceable, the film failed to escape its destined fate due to its cliched and one-dimensional screenplay, bland direction, and uninspiring scares.  You're better off playing with real Tarot cards instead of watching the film's characters do it.

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#5

​Madame Web

​Most people assume that "Kraven the Hunter" is the worst installment in Sony's Spider-Man Universe.  As much as I respect their opinions, I have to say that that isn't the case, as my number five pick exists.  S. J. Clarkson's feature directorial debut, "Madame Web", has been consistently deemed "the worst superhero film ever" by critics and audiences when it was first released.  At first, I thought this was another occasion when their reactions toward a movie were unfairly over-the-top.  However, after experiencing the film, I started to believe they were actually justified.  Its focus on the Spider-women and suspense thriller approach was quite welcoming for the short-lived franchise filled with villains-turned-heroes, and Dakota Johnson did an okay job as the titular character.  Unfortunately, they're not enough to untangle its messy and bland web of mediocrity and laziness.  Its subpar direction, mediocre dialogue, and weak supporting cast make this one of the nails in the coffin for Sony's attempt at making its own Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Maybe Sony can make another deal with Disney to incorporate these Spider-Man characters into the MCU?

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#4

​Harold and the Purple Crayon

​Zachary Levi may have taken the loss of his "Shazam" franchise a bit too personally, so much so that he starred in an underwhelming kids movie as revenge against us for not supporting his superhero sequel.  The movie I'm referring to was my number four pick, "Harold and the Purple Crayon", the long-awaited adaptation of the popular children's book that wasn't as creative and fun as the protagonist's imagination.  The idea of making Harold a fish-out-of-water adult was questionable, but that's not the main reason why the movie didn't work for me.  It's the fact that it focused so much on appealing to the younger demographic that it wound up pleasing no one, not even the young at heart.  The visuals were serviceable for Harold's drawings, and the cast, including Levi, was fine in their roles.  However, they're not enough to draw its way out of its formulaic script, mundane direction, inconsistent pacing, and unfunny plot.  It's another example of how not to make a family film and another unfortunate misfire for Levi's troubling reputation.  He's definitely in dire need of a purple crayon of his own so he can draw himself out of this predicament.

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#3

​The Strangers: Chapter 1

​2008's "The Strangers" revitalized the fear of being stalked or attacked by random people whose motives were unexplainable.  Their excuse: they just wanted to.  Sixteen years later, the masked murderers returned to evoke that feeling again via a reboot that's also the start of a narrative-driven trilogy.  The result is a heaping pile of nothing that lacked its predecessor's frights and authentic terror.  "The Strangers: Chapter 1" is a highly lackluster reboot that follows the same path as the 2008 film but with a dose of dumb characters and unintentional humor.  It's not funny in a scary way, mind you.  It's just hilariously bad, especially regarding Scarecrow's actions.  The film's isolated atmosphere was overshadowed by its dull approach to its dumb characters, cliched script, and weak thrills.  This latest visit from the "Strangers" is just unpleasant in the worst way possible, and I'm already praying that its upcoming continuations won't be as agonizing as this.

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#2

​The Underdoggs

​I like watching inspiring, feel-good sports movies as much as the next guy.  While they're flawed in their formulaic narratives, they usually succeed in making me believe in miracles and the power of sportsmanship.  Charles Stone III's latest foray into the sports genre, which showcases Snoop Dogg's appreciation of football, should've been another touchdown for the everlasting catalog of sports cinema.  Instead, it wound up being an incomplete pass, followed by a massive loss in yards.  The Prime Video original, "The Underdoggs", featured Snoop Dogg performing as his usual self while representing his love of the game.  Unfortunately, it lacks the charm and humor of other feel-good sports movies to make it more than a lackluster and redundant commercial for the singer/actor's "Snoop Youth Football League".  Its script was immensely formulaic, the adult humor and language were annoyingly repetitive, and the characters, especially its protagonist, were unlikable enough to get sacked multiple times.  In short, this R-rated comedy is far from the underdog we usually see in sports, whether in real life or on the screen.

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#1

​Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate

​Many fans of "Megamind" had been clamoring for another adventure with the blue-skinned, big-headed villain-turned-hero for years, and I don't blame them.  It was a fun and clever take on the superhero genre filled with big stars and memorable meme-worthy moments.  It may not be a masterpiece by DreamWorks standards, but it was one of the more entertaining films that the studio had produced.  This year, our prayers were answered, but in the form of a television movie made for Peacock to coincide with the series, and we have regretted it ever since.  Not many people have mentioned this anymore, and it's understandable why.  "Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate" provided a massive stain on its predecessor by having the audacity to call itself a "film".  Admittedly, it's supposed to serve as a pilot for the "Megamind Rules" series, but even so, it failed to capture the essence and witty appeal that made "Megamind" popular.  The story was bland and idiotic, the direction was void of charm and wit, and the animation was cheaply crafted, even by television standards.  I could see a few kids enjoying it, but I highly doubt they'll remember it weeks later.  That's how disappointing this movie was, not just for kids but also for those who grew up watching "Megamind", including me.  Most people would go with something like "Joker" or "Borderlands" as their ideal worst movie of 2024, but in my eyes, it's actually the big-headed blue man that deserves this title.  If you want more insight regarding my thoughts about the pilot film and its series, check out my Movie Talk episode, "The Doomed Return of Megamind".

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​It still wasn't easy making this list compared to my best film list, mainly due to my attempt at being more positive toward these second-rate movies, but it had to be done.  As mentioned before, if you like any or all of the films I listed above, I can only say that you have my respect for tolerating them more than I did.  I may not be comfortable with those opinions, but I respect them regardless.  That said, this concludes another year filled with cinematic gold and cinematic slop.  Once again, I want to thank you all for following me and my website as we head into 2025.  Until my next review, have a happy new year.