2023 was a great year for cinema, but some highly anticipated projects failed to live up to expectations. Some movies struggled to justify their exorbitant budgets and their lengthy productions, disappointing fans who were hoping for much more. A few big franchises, which are usually pretty reliable, faltered massively. Even movies with original characters and ideas can sometimes disappoint fans. They can draw a lot of attention with a great premise or popular talent, but as some of 2023’s flops show, this doesn’t always add up to a compelling story.
Movies, especially those in long-running franchises, can suffer from the weight of expectation. But the best filmmakers know that these expectations can be more of a hindrance than a help, and trying to please everyone will never work. For blockbusters that fall into the trap of trying to anticipate what fans will want to see, characters and narrative can be sadly neglected. There are a huge number of factors that can lead to a movie being a disappointment, simply because making a movie is such a complex process. 2023’s most disappointing movies could have been great if a few things had worked out differently, but instead they are examples of wasted potential.
10 Napoleon
Not the detailed biopic it promised to be
Napoleon sees Ridley Scott and Joaquin Phoenix finally back together again over 20 years after the success of Gladiator, but the result defies everyone’s expectations. Napoleon is not an awful movie, and it shows a surprising comedic flair at time, but fans were expecting an epic historical drama documenting the rise and fall of one of Europe’s most influential figures. Unfortunately, Napoleon‘s historical inaccuracies turned fans of the genre against it, and neither its battle scenes nor its love story were engaging enough for a general audience to grasp on to. Shortly before its release, Napoleon had all the ingredients for awards season success, but the finished product was underwhelming.
9 Fast X
Stunts galore, but a weak narrative
The Fast and Furious has seen diminishing returns in recent years. After the tragic loss of Paul Walker, the franchise has escalated the stakes and the absurdity with each new installment. Like all the other Fast and Furious movies that preceded it, Fast X has at least two or three genuinely jaw-dropping moments of action, but the overall plot is severely lacking. Jason Momoa does his best to elevate the material with a wonderfully camp performance as Dante, the flamboyant yet menacing villain, but his presence is not enough to distract from some clunky dialogue. Fans of the franchise will find all the usual rubber-burning chaos, but not a compelling narrative.
8 Renfield
A great story ignored in favor of a mediocre one
Nicolas Cage as a vampire, with Nicholas Hoult as his beleaguered familiar. It seems like a recipe for a great horror-comedy, but Renfield never digs any deeper than its initial concept. Renfield learns from a support group that his relationship with his master is codependent and toxic, so he decides to forge his own path. Renfield’s decision to step out of Dracula’s shadow mirrors the poor decision that the movie makes to relegate Cage to a smaller role. He clearly delights in his role as a B-movie monster, but he isn’t given enough screen time, and Renfield was a box office bomb, full of unimaginative gore.
7 The Flash
Nine years of development wasn’t enough
Troubled by development issues and a star enduring a widely publicized downfall, The Flash seemed doomed before it began. Michael Keaton adds a spark of joy by reprising his role as Batman, and Sasha Calle’s Supergirl is also compelling, but the bumbling plot holds back the multiverse adventure. There is still plenty to love about The Flash, but even the admirable aspects of the movie – the visual effects, the ambitious action – falter badly at times. The Flash is packed with Easter eggs for DC fans, and it looks to kick-start a new era for the DC universe, but the end product is a decidedly mixed bag.
6 Indiana Jones & The Dial of Destiny
A so-so send-off for an action icon
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny introduces time travel to the franchise, but it’s unable to return to the glory days of the original trilogy. Harrison Ford is as charming as ever, and there are a few action sequences with genuine tension, such as the exhilarating tuk-tuk chase through the narrow alleys of Tangier. The controversial ending of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is a bridge too far for some, but there are convenient plot contrivances throughout the movie. The Dial of Destiny is generous with its fan service, perhaps overly so, but the iconic hat and whip alone are not what make Indiana Jones so beloved.
5 Wish
Disney’s 100th birthday celebration spoils the party
With its blend of 3D and 2D animation, Wish was marketed as a throwback to the classic fairy tales of Disney’s illustrious history. Instead, this throwback morphs into an inelegant marketing exercise, joylessly rattling off a list of recognizable characters in an attempt to piggyback off of their popularity. Wish is the logical end point of modern cinema’s obsession with nostalgia, and the real tragedy is that it still contains glimmers of that intangible Disney magic when it tries to forge its own path. The syncopated rhythm of “Knowing What I Know Now” is the highlight of an otherwise forgettable soundtrack.
4 Paint
A quirky premise with muddled execution
Paint looks like a Bob Ross biopic, but it merely uses the popular TV painter as inspiration. Owen Wilson’s charming persona fits perfectly with Bob Ross’ quasi-therapeutic calmness, so Paint had the potential to be a quirky and optimistic comedy. Sadly, Paint‘s inconsistent tone and its lackluster jokes relegate it to being a dreary mess. Paint shows the potential of a great movie, but it seems unsure whether it wants to be a raucous madcap comedy or a thoughtful meditation on aging and the value of art. Ultimately, it misses both of these targets, and its indecision leads to a tangled story line that lacks clarity.
3 Magic Mike’s Last Dance
The magic fades at the end of the franchise
Fans of watching Channing Tatum with his shirt off will find some joy in Magic Mike’s Last Dance, although perhaps not as much as in the first two movies. For other moviegoers, Magic Mike’s Last Dance offers very little, other than a ham-fisted romance narrative. The dancing takes a backseat to Mike’s relationship with a wealthy businesswoman, played by Salma Hayek. If this was an attempt to appeal to a broader audience, then the movie disrespects its core fan base. If it’s an attempt at a sex-positive story of female empowerment, then Magic Mike’s Last Dance has a good message, but an unoriginal and poorly executed one.
2 Fool’s Paradise
Showbiz satire without the sting
Charlie Day is best known for It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but he has also taken his talents from TV to the big screen, with movies such as Horrible Bosses and Pacific Rim. His directorial debut, Fool‘s Paradise, follows a mute man who is thrown into the Hollywood limelight due to his physical similarity to an A-list actor. Day has some funny moments as a Buster Keaton-type bumbling around in the 21st Century, but these scenes are strung together without the proper subtext to make them work cohesively. Fool‘s Paradise doesn’t work hard enough to earn its comedic beats, and it resembles a loosely gathered collection of sketches.
1 Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania
Setting the stage for more exciting movies to come
Aside from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Marvel had an uncharacteristically disappointing year, with both The Marvels and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania falling well below expectations. Kang the Conqueror has the potential to be a fascinating villain, but the movie tries so hard to establish who he is in time for MCU’s Phase 5 that it lacks the humor which makes both earlier Ant-Man movies so fun. Quantumania is a jumble of exposition and gaudy, maximalist scenery. When the CGI is good, it’s very good, but when it’s bad, it is laughably ugly, and it stops the story in its tracks.
