Hollywood studios occasionally release movies that are incomplete, but a few have made it glaringly obvious that they were unfinished. Just because a movie hits theaters doesn’t mean that all the work on production has been finished. Multiple films have in fact been released to the public only to face backlash due to their incomplete visual effects, plot holes, and endings that were cut together from previously existing footage. The possibility that a studio might make back at least some of their money by releasing such problem-ridden movies may be enticing, but the legacy that these half-finished messes leave is almost never worth the bad press.
There are a lot of things that can go wrong as a film goes from script to screen, and there are many unreleased movies to show for this fact — some of them are even floating around on the internet. Dedicated fan bases are unafraid to do some digging to unearth hidden or original cuts of movies, no matter how bad they might be. When release dates loom and advertising budgets grow, these incomplete movies are shown to the public, regardless.
10 Cats (2019)
Released with unfinished visual effects
There was excitement and pressure for Cats to do well at the box office, but the unfinished film didn’t do well. Unfortunately, the CGI used to create the feline suits for the actors did not turn out as expected. Not only were the bodies of the actors transformed using VFX, but so were the sets and environments. Tom Hooper, the director, and Universal ended up re-releasing the film with slightly improved effects. As it turned out, though, Cats‘ re-release version was even worse because of its attention paid towards the CGI over everything else.
9 Thor: Love And Thunder (2022)
Overuse of CGI and unfinished effects
The MCU has been increasing the use of CGI and green screen effects in place of practical effects and physical sets. This is what happened in Thor: Love And Thunder. The floating head effect for the character, Axl (Kieron L. Dyer), looked strange in the initial premiere, as well as other effects. The second release of the film changed the effect in order to improve it, but the result looks more like a lateral move. Despite the bad press they received, the reason Thor: Love And Thunder‘s CGI looks so bad isn’t the fault of VFX workers, but an over reliance on technology instead of centering the story.
8 The Black Cauldron (1985)
Use of recycled animation
The Black Cauldron, directed by Ted Berman and Richard Rich, was not a success for Disney. The original IP is based on the fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander that includes fun fantasy as well as more mature elements. From the start, there was uncertainty over whether the plot was too dark, and the imagery too scary for children. Disney had already started reusing animation from previous films in order to cut costs, and this can be seen sprinkled all over The Black Cauldron. The result was a mess that made little at the box office.
7 The Mummy Returns (2001)
Half-finished visual effects
The Mummy Returns is Stephen Sommer’s 2001 sequel to the unexpected hit, The Mummy. Both star Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, and both are loose takes on Egyptian folklore, but only The Mummy Returns gets the flack it does for its terrible use of CGI. Even though it came out later with more advanced effects and technology, there are parts of The Mummy Returns that make The Rock look unrecognizable. Sommer attributed the Scorpion King’s appearance to not having enough time with The Rock to get the necessary images to create a more realistic GCI version of him. Unfortunately, the Scorpion King isn’t the movie’s worst CGI offense.
6 Ghost Busters (1984)
Premiered with unfinished effects
Directed by Ivan Reitman and starring Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver, Ghostbusters was not expected to be the hit that it was. Part of this was the comedic elements, but also the unfinished effects that can be seen throughout the film. Although audiences are not bothered by it, there are occasional cables and wires attached to monsters and actors according to director Reitman. Despite this, Ghostbusters has become a successful franchise, and these mistakes did not take away from the overall experience of the movie.
5 Sphere (1998)
A small budget made re-shoots impossible
Sphere, is a science fiction film directed by Barry Levinson, starring Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, and Samuel L. Jackson. It’s based on a novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. Mixing both alien life and an underwater journey, Sphere had many sets to create, only to face budget cuts halfway through filming. The cost of filming underwater swallowed much of the already small budget, so that when Levinson wanted to go back for re-shoots he got a resounding no. What hit theaters had nowhere near the success of previous Crichton sci-fi movies.
4 The Last Action Hero (1993)
Last minute re-cuts
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and directed John McTiernan, The Last Action Hero blurs the line between action movie and action movie spoof. A young boy, Danny (Austin O’Brien) gets transported into a fictional movie within the movie with Schwarzenegger as the action star. When an unfinished print was shown to audiences, it tested poorly, and underwent re-cuts just days before its premiere. If this wasn’t enough, Jurassic Park was released not long after and effectively buried The Last Action Hero. Sadly, Schwarzenegger was crushed by his box flop.
3 Masters Of The Universe (1987)
Budget cuts and production disputes
Based on the He-Man Mattel toy, and, later, the comic series of the same name, Masters Of The Universe was a disappointment. Directed by Gary Goddard, the film was in constant combat with Mattel over budget problems and how the beloved character was allowed to be depicted. Facing budget restrictions and actor disputes, Goddard didn’t feel Masters Of The Universe was up to the level he wanted it to be. Star Dolph Lundgren was unsure about taking the role of He-Man and his hesitance along with production issues made the movie difficult to complete.
2 Nailed Aka Accidental Love (2015)
Cut together from unfinished footage
Officially released as Accidental Love in 2015, the original title of the David O. Russell production was Nailed and was shot in 2008. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Biel, the production faced harsh financial limitations. Russell eventually abandoned the half-finished movie in 2010, but the footage that had been shot was still out there. It was eventually cut together and released under a new name in 2015. Though not bad, Accidental Love lacks the coherence of a completed film. The film doesn’t really have an ending, fading out from a group scene with no resolution, instead.
1 A Sound Of Thunder (2005)
Script revisions and bankruptcy
Another adaptation, A Sound Of Thunder, takes its premise from the short story of the same name by Ray Bradbury. Facing similar adaptation struggles as Sphere, A Sound Of Thunder centers around time travel, not alien life, but still strained under its limited budget. Before production started in 2001, producers wanted a rewrite of the script, which never happened. To make matters worse, Franchise Pictures went bankrupt in the middle of post-production, making editing this effects-heavy film a nightmare. The effects budget was small to begin with, so the bankruptcy meant that many aspects of the film simply went unfinished.
