Sci-fi & fantasy films account for some of the best-reviewed and highest-grossing releases of the last twenty years. With the evolution of CGI especially, many worlds and characters can be brought to life in a way few people thought possible long ago.
In a way, the genres have hit a very successful stride in the 21st century with the likes of Marvel Universe movie sagas, Game of Thrones epic television, and many other loved productions. However, despite the various hugely successful movies that have been made, there are also a fair amount of sci-fi and fantasy movies that have struggled with either the weight of their topic or the detriment of weak writing and production. There are some films that have suffered the most, however.
Spider-Man 3 (2007): 63%
Spider-Man 3 was released in 2007 as the third entry in Tobey Maguire’s tenure as the loved web-slinger, and it had its path paved by the success of both Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2. In other words, there was very little that director Sam Raimi could do to lead the series on the wrong route.
Unfortunately, with heavy pressure from Sony, Raimi was nudged to include the villain Venom, which he has openly said was a decision he did not like. What ensued was an unbalanced stuffing of villains that sent the plot into a tailspin, and the movie’s failure ultimately lead to the cancelation of Spider-Man 4.
Tron: Legacy (2010): 51%
Tron: Legacy was produced as a long-awaited sequel to the unique 1982 film, Tron. This movie, similar to its predecessor, had the necessary creativity to build a story around an interesting concept that was novel to the sci-fi world. Legacy’s detriment, however, was its access to better-developed CGI and special effects that the 1980s did not possess, and they sure did use it.
In fact, they focused so heavily on showing off the video-game world of Tron that they almost forgot that their characters needed to be built up as well, and that shallowness is the main reason this reboot/sequel fell flat in the eyes of fans.
Saban’s Power Rangers (2017): 49%
By no means has the Power Rangers franchise ever really had a successful film adaptation to do its famous TV show justice. With failed movies in 1995 and 1997, Saban’s Power Rangers was hopeful to be the film that turned the cold-streak around.
However, it only became another prime example of a faulty reboot that didn’t quite live up to its source material’s name. Made in 2017, this film had a similar advanced-CGI benefit that other adaptations and reboots of its time had as well, yet it was not able to bridge a gap with the show’s old-fashioned style and action that made it so great.
Planet Of The Apes (2001): 44%
In 1971, the original Planet of The Apes film was released to a wave of mostly positive reviews, and its success led to the production of a full trilogy. After the second and third films were released to some ill-fared critic reception, the next entries in the series were all but forgotten about.
Then, in 2001, 20th Century Fox decided it was time for a “big-budget” reboot of the unique concept. The film received a good box office haul but with thin writing and a bit too much replication of the original, this movie ended up being nothing more than a swing and a miss in many regards.
Star Trek: Nemesis (2002): 38%
The Star Trek franchise got off to a very poor start in the 21st century with Nemesis, and after Insurrection in 1998, it was hard to believe that things could get too much worse. Nemesis boasted a new form of storyline that had not been explored before in the wide universe of Star Trek films and TV episodes, but its execution was quite poor.
Although it contained one of the saddest character losses in the franchise, the movie still struggled to bring any other emotion or attachment to its audience through the rest of its run time. Overall, Nemesis struggled to make a name for itself, and it also caused the series to take a movie hiatus until the J.J. Abrams reboot in 2009.
Suicide Squad (2016): 27%
Next to Batman vs Superman and Justice League, Suicide Squad helped lead the charge of an extremely poor start to the beginning of the DC Extended Universe. Many would say that making a film where you have to introduce over ten big-name DC characters in the first ten minutes is probably a recipe for disaster, but Warner Brothers went through with the idea anyway, and naturally, they got the expected result.
Despite an all-star cast, the film simply juggles far too many characters and plot threads for any of it to matter much at all. It’s tough to say, but the villains deserved better.
Eragon (2006): 16%
In regard to abysmal fantasy book adaptations, Eragon probably takes the cake. After Lord of The Rings had its surge from 2001-2003, it was clear that many producers and directors wanted to get their hands on the next huge fantasy hit. That hit came in the form of Eragon. It was a large book, but the potential for a fantastic movie series was all but given on a silver platter for whoever wanted to make it.
To the delight of fans, the film was made in 2006, which was just four years after the book’s release, but in a similar fashion to other failed book to movie adaptations, the film just simply did not have the heart of its source material.
Transformers: The Last Knight (2017): 15%
Many can admit that after the second Transformers film was released in 2009 that the series probably could have called it quits then and there and no one would have made any objections. Yet, it seemed that many people loved seeing large alien robots go toe-to-toe in epic bouts so much that it warranted the creation of three more sequels.
To the demise of the franchise, it seemed that there was almost no intention of making any more than the first film, so any semblance of logical plotting went out the window after 2007. Movies 2-5 all could have made this list, but The Last Knight is by far the epitome of the franchise’s tendency to make up things that make no sense in order to blow things up.
Fantastic Four (2015): 9%
The 2015 rendition of Fantastic Four was a clear statement that Marvel could make the same mistakes that DC does. After the brutal critical reception to the 2005 Fantastic Four and its sequel in 2007, it was obviously time for a fresh start with a fresh cast.
Instead of using an older batch of heroes, the 2015 reboot chose from those on the younger side in an attempt to tailor more to a young audience. The final product showed that it’s hard to tailor to those of all ages when the plot is incredibly dark and lacks action, character development, and any form of pacing. Maybe someday someone will give these heroes the movie they deserve.
Battlefield Earth (2000): 3%
Battlefield Earth is widely touted as one of the worst sci-fi movies of all time. Produced in 2000, it kicked off a rocky beginning for sci-fi and fantasy films in the 21st century. It’s still not entirely clear what went wrong with this movie; it could have been that its source material, a book written in 1982 by L. Ron Hubbard, was sketchy and spotty to begin with. However, there are only so many excuses to be made for a poor film, and not even John Travolta could save this disaster.
