Top 5 Most Disappointing Films of 2013
These aren't films I disliked necessarily, they're just films that I thought I was going to like a lot more. Many times it's a movie that I was really looking forward to that I might just have over-hyped in my mind.
List activity
301 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
5 titles
- DirectorNeill BlomkampStarsMatt DamonJodie FosterSharlto CopleyIn the year 2154, the very wealthy live on a man-made space station while the rest of the population resides on a ruined Earth. A man takes on a mission that could bring equality to the polarized worlds.Elysium was one of my most anticipated films of the year. I had been looking forward to it since seeing Neill Blomkamp's previous work, District 9.
I suppose I was a victim of my own hype machine for this one. It was going to be impossible for Elysium to live up to my high standards and the standards of District 9, which was nominated for an Oscar.
I was expecting Elysium to jump to the top of most lists for Sci-fi films. It doesn't quite get there, but it's still a solid film.
Matt Damon is also one of my favorite actors, so I was expecting even more. This is kind of a reserved performance from him. I was expecting more of a powerhouse performance. Elysium deals with class distinction, much like District 9. It has a lot of parallels with our own current issues with immigrants from Mexico.
Like with most Sci-fi films, I really want to learn about the world the people live in. I would have liked to see more of Elysium and its nuances.
The low point of the film for me is Jodie Foster. She gives an over-the-top performance that borderlines on downright bad.
Elysium is good, not great, but Neill Blomkamp remains one of the most exciting young directors working today. - DirectorJoseph KosinskiStarsTom CruiseMorgan FreemanAndrea RiseboroughA veteran assigned to extract Earth's remaining resources begins to question what he knows about his mission and himself.I know a lot of people hated Oblivion, but I didn't think it was so bad.
The film is visually stunning, but it ends up feeling like a film that was put together using other parts of Sci-fi films.
It's not very original and employs a lot of Sci-fi storytelling mechanics. The end is also pretty cliche. Tom Cruise is usually pretty reliable when it comes to Sci-fi, but Oblivion never quite reaches what it's striving for.
Like with Elysium, I would have liked to learn more about the history and environment the people inhabit. - DirectorGavin HoodStarsHarrison FordAsa ButterfieldHailee SteinfeldYoung Ender Wiggin is recruited by the International Military to lead the fight against the Formics, an insectoid alien race who had previously tried to invade Earth and had inflicted heavy losses on humankind.It's kind of odd that Ender's Game would make it on my list for disappointing films because I wasn't really looking forward to seeing it and I've never read the source material.
That being said, after watching the film, I realized how much more they could have done. The film felt kind of safe overall. If the franchise gets a sequel, maybe we will see the filmmakers bring the story to another level.
The worst part of the film for me was a cheesy ending that kind of left me scratching my head. - DirectorMarc ForsterStarsBrad PittMireille EnosDaniella KerteszFormer United Nations employee Gerry Lane traverses the world in a race against time to stop a zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments and threatens to destroy humanity itself.I really enjoyed World War Z. I didn't think it was as great as many other people, but I thought it was good. The only problem is that I wanted to love it and had to settle for just liking it.
It also hurts that it felt nothing like the book, which is understandable given the layout of the novel.
Brad Pitt does an excellent job as a globetrotting U.N. employee trying find a cure for the zombie invasion.
World War Z isn't an ass-kicking zombie killfest. Instead, it's more about survival from hordes of blood thirsty undead. This choice makes it a little light on action, but high on suspense. Certainly not a bad thing. - DirectorGuillermo del ToroStarsIdris ElbaCharlie HunnamRinko KikuchiAs a war between humankind and monstrous sea creatures wages on, a former pilot and a trainee are paired up to drive a seemingly obsolete special weapon in a desperate effort to save the world from the apocalypse.Pacific Rim was my #1 most anticipated film of the year. Guillermo del Toro is one of the most visionary directors working today and he does an excellent job of bringing the monsters and gigantic mechs to life.
Where the film falters is in their human counterparts. They don't seem nearly as full of life as the robots they are operating or the monsters they are fighting.
There just seemed to be something missing in Pacific Rim that kept it from being on my best films of 2013 list.
Pacific Rim didn't seem to excite the public like the studio was hoping for either. Unfortunately, most people chalked it up as a Transformers clone. That's not fair because it's twice the film as all the Transformers films combined.