Avatar: The Last Airbender is getting a Netflix live-action series and, even though that should be exciting for most fans of the animated feature, most have mixed feelings about the possible outcome after the disastrous 2010 film adaptation of the beloved TV series.
The Last Airbender had many things to complain about, but one of the major aspects that received bad criticism was its casting, and Redditors did not hesitate to mention the film among those with the worst castings ever. If the movie would have followed the series faithfully and cast a better selection of actors, it probably wouldn’t be perceived as bad. But The Last Airbender was not the only movie Redditors chose that was ruined by its cast.
The Last Airbender: All Cast
Reddit user Coast_watcher commented, “How about the entire cast of The Last Airbender” and many other Redditors agreed. As mentioned, is difficult to understand for some fans how such a film could have been released to the public after having the great foundations of the series already handed to the production on a silver platter.
One of the most outrageous aspects of the casting for fans was how it completely ignored or changed some of the original character’s races and historical backgrounds. Whitewashing is always a terrible decision to make when choosing a film’s casting, but for Redditor wingmage1, that was not the worst part. He stated, “I’m ok with the whole “different race than the source material” part, but they could’ve at least gotten GOOD actors.”
Percy Jackson: All Cast
Redditor pokexchespin commented how “Everyone in the Percy jackson movies” were “way too old”, and he also pointed out the absurdity of the film “being too lazy to give Alexandra daddario a blonde wig to play annabeth, at least.” Movies do not always have to follow the examples of the books they are based on, but fans appreciate it when they give an effort to do so.
Reddit user TypeOneAuthor also mentioned, “Nobody who directed or produced the damned movie read the book. It was doomed from the start,” and many other Percy Jackson fans agreed. If an adaptation is in the making, it is definitely necessary for the filmmakers to know the piece they are basing the movie on. Luckily, the new Disney+ adaptation of the books is in the making and Redditors have already reacted to the casting news.
The Day The Earth Stood Still: Jaden Smith
Redditor Panvalet mentioned, “Will Smith’s kid in Day the Earth Stood Stil” and evidently, he is referring to Jaden Smith at the tender age of 10 acting as Jacob Benson. The film was terribly criticized and seen as an unnecessary remake of the 1951 sci-fi classic. It is hard to judge child actors, and audiences have always been overly judgmental of Jaden because of his father’s stardom.
However, movies like this, where Jaden doesn’t seem to be into acting or bring personality to his character, have left many people wondering about how much nepotism affected the casting. Jacob Benson was already an obnoxious character, but to bring a kid that didn’t fit the role ruined the whole experience for many, who may have been expecting something as good as Will Smith’s best movies.
American Sniper: The Fake Baby
American Sniper was widely acclaimed by the audiences when it was released in 2014. Overall, it had a great casting and Bradley Cooper played one of his best characters in Chris Kyle. However, there is one other character in the movie that many feel was a terrible choice and will be remembered for the ages to come, and senioritapapaya named it, “The fake baby on American Sniper.”
Redditor amazingmikeyc added, “To be fair, I don’t think Clint Eastwood has ever seen a baby. Remember: he was already 37 years old when he was born.” and many other users laughed. Clint Eastwood may be an astounding director but not casting a real-life baby was easily spotted and taken hilariously by most viewers, which took all the plausibility and seriousness off the film.
Highlander: Sean Connery
Redditor Blenderhead36 commented, “Imagine this. It’s the mid-’80s. You’re making a badass action movie about an immortal Scottish warrior who has spent 4 centuries defeating others of his kind in single combat. You sign Sean Connery… And cast him as an Egyptian pretending to be a Spaniard.”
Sean Connery was born in Scotland, so clearly the main role of the movie would have been more suitable for the legendary actor. Although it’s hard to criticize him after his iconic performances as James Bond, his role as Juan Sánchez Villalobos Ramírez was cringy and just plain inappropriate. There is no denial of the actor’s skills in other roles but in this case, some believable accents and accurate nationality would not have ruined the movie.
The Conqueror: John Wayne
The Conqueror has many infamous decisions. On one side, the filmmakers chose to record the movie in places that had been used for nuclear weapons testing (and many members of the cast and crew were later diagnosed with cancer and died), and on the other side, they also picked one of the worst cast.
Redditor ZamrosX stated, “I’m sorry guys, none of your picks hold a candle to John Wayne as Genghis Khan,” and they made a point, given that John Wayne and other members of the cast have to be one of the worst cases of whitewashing in movie history. To cast an iconic cowboy to portray a Mongolian warrior and emperor can only lead a “historically accurate” movie to be a disaster.
The World Is Not Enough: Denise Richards
Reddit user Geolojazz commented, “Denise Richards as a nuclear physicist. “We HAVE to DIFFUSE the BOMB!” Eh, not sure who should’ve replaced her,” and was met with multiple Redditor opinions. Denis Richards has the looks to feature in a James Bond film, but her appearance and personality make her more suitable for a character like Lara Croft, and not Dr. Christmas Jones.
Some felt that she demonstrated poor acting skills and cringy dialogue, which are remembered more than the film itself. And for that reason, Reddit users like thalguy mentioned, “I’ve been a huge Bond fan my whole life, but this one is worth skipping. The ending is seriously cringe inducing.”
The Godfather III: Sofia Coppola
Having an important cinematic figure such as Francis Ford Coppola as a parent couldn’t save Sofia Coppola from the bad criticism for her role in The Godfather III. BigMartinJol thought, “She was awful. How to improve it? Well, the original choice Winona Ryder would probably have done a lot better.”
In this movie, Coppola proved that having your father in the movie industry does not guarantee exceptional acting skills. The same Redditor added, “Al Pacino could have slapped on a dress and a wig in a sensational dual role and it would be an improvement,” which is a bit harsh. Sofia seems far more successful behind the camera, as the sensational film director she is, and may avoid further acting roles.
Red Dawn: Josh Peck & Chris Hemsworth
AYASOFAYA commented, “Remember that movie where Josh Peck and Chris Hemsworth were supposed to be brothers?” and Redditor a_frayn added, “Why didn’t they just get Larry Hemsworth?” proving that a lot of times normal people have more sense than casting directors.
The decision of casting these two actors would not have been as bad if both didn’t have another celebrity real or fictional sibling. It’s either Drake and Josh or Chris Hemsworth and Larry Hemsworth, not a weird mixture of both. On top of that, these two actors had no chemistry and overall, it spoiled the whole verisimilitude of the story. This movie is far from being one of Chris Hemsworth’s best movies.
Breakfast At Tiffany’s: Mickey Rooney
One now-deleted user on Reddit mentioned, “Mickey Rooney as Mr. Yunioshi in Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” and judgejb63 also commented, “Imagine if that were made today.” Luckily, Hollywood has started to notice the deeply racist depictions shown across many American movies, and a case like Mr. Yunioshi would be called upon to be canceled in today’s culture.
However, back in the ’60s when Breakfast at Tiffany‘s was filmed, offensive portrayals of Asians were not a concern for Hollywood, at all. Giving a white man the role of a Japanese person was bad enough, but Rooney’s acting made Mr. Yunioshi a cringy and racist cartoon that made his scenes incredibly uncomfortable to watch.
