mxdwn Movies’ Choices for the Most Disappointing Films of 2022!

Everyone watches movies for one purpose, and that is entertainment. We are thrilled by the images on the screen, and escaping into a story that captures our attention brings us pure joy. On the other hand, some movies fall short of expectations, and excitement or, worst of all, leave us feeling angry for wasting our time. We have one last chance to vent our frustrations at these movies for 2022! Spoilers may be included, so be warned.

Halloween Ends

Kicking off our list is the long-awaited end that horror fans have been waiting for. We only wanted to see the proper send-off to one of cinematic history’s most iconic horror villains. We got a movie that felt rushed in its execution and completely removed Michael Myers in favor of passing on the “evil” to someone else. Comparable to the truly disgusting and awful Jason Goes to Hell, this final installment of the once beloved Halloween franchise is the worst film in the franchise that spans more than forty years! Fans don’t want another killer. We want Michael Myers. Plus, the third act makes no sense as Laurie and Michael are forced to fight again without any plausible reasoning, and despite witnessing the death of “The Shape,” this is no way to treat a legend of the horror franchise. The movie received much hate from fans immediately upon release, and there were even talks about remaking this film to treat Michael with respect. We feel bad for you Michael. You deserved better! Us fans deserved better! – Rick Rice

Where the Crawdads Sings

I couldn’t stand to watch it till the end and had to leave the cinema. The whole film is unbelievable. The script is really bad, full of cliché dialogue. The acting does not help, either. Also, it is not adding anything new visually. – Fran Lopez

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

I felt it was a film too sympathetic to whiteness and colonialism. I could not understand why Wakanda and Talokan were fighting each other. Also, the whole plot about the American girl scientist and the American characters made no sense. I felt the writing needed a lot of work. – Fran Lopez

Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness

The film I saw that’s existence still incenses me to this day is Doctor Strange And The Multiverse of Madness. The film expects me to believe that Doctor Strange, who has spent years in the MCU being shown as wise, intelligent, and willing to make hard choices for the greater good, is actually a selfish moron whose pride has resulted in the deaths of billions.

The main villain, Wanda, drags the film further down into the mud by having ridiculous excuses for her blatant mass murder, which the film expects the audience to agree with and take her side. The film draws a ridiculous parallel to Dr. Strange allowing Thanos to get the power stone and wiping out half of humanity since there was literally no alternative, to Wanda killing hundreds of thousands of people, as well as Strange’s child sidekick: America Chavez (who herself is a wet blanket of a character, with no personality of her own, no explanation for her powers, and serves as a glorified plot device in the narrative) because she wants to be with her children. Children that never actually existed. – Ben Whitney

The Batman

The Batman was not truly a bad film in any way, but this continues another installment in DC/Warner Bros’ misguided attempts to further the ultra-dark Batman: Year One tone perfected by Christopher Nolan on The Dark Knight. While Nolan’s films perfected the balance between the character’s cartoonish mythology and a world-weary seriousness, The Batman, led by Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne, almost dials up the darkness unnecessarily. It’s super violent and self-serious. It makes sense, and there are good performances by the cast, but this one never jumps off the page the way all involved hope it will. A reset of the Batman character with someone with a good vision for what it needs is long overdue. – Raymond Flotat

Morbius

I’m a big fan of the Marvel Universe, every time a Marvel film is released, I’m the first one in the theater alongside my cousin. One movie that I was excited to see was Morbius starring Jared Leto. I had read a few articles about the movie, and no one expected it to be “bad.” Before agreeing with those articles, I had to see the movie myself. When I watched Morbius, I felt it wasn’t written or produced by Marvel. The only thing that went through my head was, “Marvel wouldn’t allow this to be released.” Watching Morbius, I felt there were missing parts throughout the storyline or how a supposed villain suddenly became a hero. I expected a bit more from Morbius, as it’s a Marvel movie. – Ariana Rivera

Bullet Train

Initially, I was highly excited about the release of Bullet Train, so much so that I went to see it in theaters on my own time when it first came out. The cast lineup, especially with star Brad Pitt, made me think this would be a good film. I am disappointed to say that I did not like this film in the slightest. It felt cheesy, like it was trying too hard to be relevant. I felt the action lacked originality, and the comic relief wasn’t funny. This film upset me that it wasn’t good and felt like a waste of such talent. – Nicole Partis

Jurassic World Dominion

Jurassic World Dominion was the worst film this year. I knew it would be before I even sat down to watch it. I had the smallest hope it would be good with the original actors returning, but it didn’t help all that much. The CGI for the dinosaurs doesn’t look good anymore. I mean, the original puppets in Jurassic Park looked far more like dinosaurs than the ones in this latest installment. What was interesting about this film was with Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard’s characters, it was very action-filled, and with Laura Dern, Sam Niel, and Jeff Goldblum’s characters, it was back to the roots of respecting the history of dinosaurs and how they got to where they are now. So I did enjoy that, but everything else about it was off the mark. And I couldn’t stand the little girl either, but I didn’t like her much in the film that came before this either. It felt like (as do many reboots) a money grab by bringing back old stories and returning past characters. – Nikki Sermak

Jurassic World Dominion reminds us yet again to end a franchise on a high note, and this entry didn’t deliver a single thrilling moment. It wasn’t as abysmal as Fallen Kingdom but to see a movie that focuses more on world hunger, giant locusts, and the same cliche action sequences where no one is injured or in danger of being harmed wears you down. The dinosaurs are secondary characters at this point, and the sense of wonder and amazement are completely forgotten here. Let’s hope that the dinosaurs remain extinct as they should be. – Rick Rice

The Whale

I loved The Whale. However, I wasn’t really prepared for what I was getting into since I had never seen a film by Darren Aronofsky. The film had a rawness that I wasn’t expecting. However, the acting from everyone except Frasier took me out of the film. See the film, but know that it is not for everyone.

– Zach Pardue

Smile 

No one else will admit it, but I will. This movie was cleverly marketed, advertised, and all over social media. Too bad the movie sucked. While I loved the premise of Smile, there were so many dream sequences that left the audience confused, and combined with a lack of suspense, Smile failed to garner the attention that was behind the marketing. Audiences grow tired of jump scares without the buildup of tension to add to the scare factor. Smile gets points for creativity with its screenplay but fails to impress with its overall result. – Rick Rice

Don’t Worry Darling

It wasn’t the worst film of 2022 by any means, but it had the potential to be a lot better than it was. Unfortunately, the off-screen drama got the better of it, but it could have been quite impressive with a revised script. Florence Pugh and the production design teams were incredible. If only the rest of it could have been up to par. – Mickey Randle

I love time-period films, and this movie certainly achieved the look. It’s almost a wonder that the crew didn’t look at the ending of the screenplay and wonder, “Why?”. While the movie has genuine suspense that keeps you guessing, the movie’s ending pulls the rug out from under you and laughs in your face. This is one of those movies that makes you want to punch a hole in the screen or throw popcorn to detest the buildup of knowing the truth only to be given an ending that almost feels cruel, especially towards a generation of women proud to be part of the ever-growing workforce. Florence Pugh was wonderful, but the same can’t be said for her co-star Harry Styles who isn’t convincing in the least bit. – Rick Rice

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

An uninspired title to an otherwise lackluster horror film that degrades the iconic chainsaw-wielding killer known as Leatherface. This movie forced the social media trends and social issues down our throats and placed it in a plot that no one took seriously, nor did it provide any genuine scares or suspense. The gore is aplenty, but the real travesty is how Leatherface is treated. Instead of the tragic figure that fans know him to be, he is regulated to being a typical slasher who does nothing but add more bodies to the count. It’s a worthless film that attempted to capitalize on the success of 2018 Halloween by bringing back the original final girl (although played by a different actress). It demeans the legacy of what made the original 1974 a classic, and don’t get me started on the characters who get killed in this movie. They don’t have any brains, and I didn’t care about any of them. I hated them all and only wished for their slaughter. Leatherface racks up the kills but has no personality other than revving up the chainsaw and killing everyone in sight. Boring! – Rick Rice

Moonfall

Does anyone remember this disaster flick from Roland Emmerich? Probably not. Moonfall features one heck of a goofy plot, not-so-impressive special effects, and a third act that feels like an acid trip from hell (note I’ve never done acid or illegal drugs). I was fine with this being a dumb, cheesy movie, but as the movie played on, I was starting to feel bad for The Moon. The cast is quite impressive to see, and it makes you wonder what attracted them to make this movie. I’m a fan of Roland Emmerich, especially with The Day After Tomorrow and 2012. But nothing can save this disaster! Moonfall is way too over-the-top for anyone to enjoy, even if you’re sober or slightly inebriated. This makes Armageddon seem rational. It doesn’t qualify as the “so bad it’s good.” It’s forgettable and jaw-droppingly bad.  – Rick Rice

 

 

 

Rick Rice: A kid at heart who has loved watching movies from a very young age. Credit must be given to Siskel and Ebert whose film reviews educated me on the world of film inspired me to become a writer myself. I love to read books that range from various topics, copious amounts of research is something that excites me and of course sitting in a movie theater is a highlight of my life. When I'm not watching movies or reading I enjoy listening to foreign music and working hard on finishing my short stories. Currently working on my degree in English with a plan to enroll into Film School with the dream of becoming a screenwriter and director.
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