If I hear one more person say that 2016 was the worst year ever, I will create a time machine just so I can take them back to when the Plague killed off half of Europe. If that ain’t scary enough for you, we’ll make a pit stop in 1944 Nazi Germany!
I’m sorry. I really can’t stand the internet over the last couple of months. Not helping is the fact that I had to sift through hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of garbage to make this list (which you better enjoy son!). Last year brought us a slew of audience-insulting immaturity, bland redundancies, and soul-crushing disappointments. This list is going to identify and properly bash the worst offenders.
Rules: This list contains movies from 2016 that I have watched in their entirety. Whether I reviewed them or not doesn’t matter (links to the movies I have written about will be provided). Only theatrical releases can be on this list. The grades I gave them in their reviews do not matter; it is a comparison of the worst movies I saw. Finally, this is my list, with my opinions, and my rage, so enjoy!
#10 – Suicide Squad
I’d make a joke about fanboy backlash, but: A, I don’t have enough followers to validate that joke, and B; the followers I do have are thinking people with a maturity level above that of a 6th-grader. Suicide Squad is awful. I left the theater in shock, unable to accept that a movie this anticipated, with a cast this impeccable, and a director who I really like, could be as disappointing as it was. As time went on, I liked this movie less and less. Whatever leeway I had left for this movie was destroyed by David Ayer’s pretentious responses to naysayers of his oh so precious flick. The cast is wasted, the plot is a jumbled mess, and the F/X are pathetic. Somehow, DC managed to produce not one, not two, but three incredibly disappointing bombs last year (Batman v Superman, Batman: The Killing Joke, and this movie). Suicide Squad is the worst because it had the most potential. Not only was the cast on-point, but this script had the potential to be funny (much more funny than it was), and the characters all had time to be developed. What we got was one of 2015’s biggest misfires.
#9 – Alice Through the Looking Glass
Does anyone remember this pointless treacle? Thought not. As the year went on, we got better F/X from better movies (Miss Peregrine and Rogue One specifically) so the one thing this movie has going for it is outdated. I never even brought up the utterly pointless mental hospital scene that is never brought up again in the movie. What was the plot of Through the Looking Glass? Why was it made? Why is Borat the master of time? All I can say is thank God this movie bombed.
#8 – The Boy
Good gosh there were a lot of bad horror movies in 2016! While I could see the ideas and slight bit of effort behind Blair Witch (that’s why it’s not on the list), I don’t think anyone in the production team of The Boy had a clue. The very idea of this movie is a cliché, and the twist (unlike the one in Dead Silence which was also a horror movie about creepy dolls) makes the plot even worse. I watched The Boy on Netflix a while back cuz I craved some scary thrills. I was treated to boring characters muddling their way through a plot with barely enough substance to make it to the 90 minute mark. The few scenes with the doll are occasionally creepy, but there were never any white-knuckling moments. Basically, this is a horror movie with little substance and poor direction… and the title sucks.
#7 – Triple 9
You will see many movies on this list with great casts. I cannot overstate this, a stellar cast does not equal a good movie! With the finished product in mind, literally anyone could have played these cardboard cutouts. The plot is so incoherent and confusing, you’d swear it was the rough draft before any revisions. The acting itself is lifeless. The only one who looks like he’s trying is Chiwetel Ejiofor, and the only one with actual character is Casey Affleck. At least the screenwriter went on to do Patriots Day. Actually, that makes me wonder if the whole point of this movie was a paycheck for everyone. Half of the cast went on to make better movies last year, so let’s just forget this utterly forgettable action flick.
Forgive me if I get a bit too angry at Rotten Tomatoes ratings at times. Essentially, the website is an amalgamation of critical reviews and ratings on most movies. Technically a movie could be considered better than another if it has a higher percentage. You have probably read my review of The Secret Life of Pets (since it was one of my most popular reviews from last year), so you know that I hate this movie with a passion. I think the last time I got that angry at a kid’s movie was Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Seriously, The Secret Life of Pets can burn and die. The plot is copy-pasted Toy Story with no effort, humor, or intelligence, the voice acting is nothing but shouting and wasted talent, and the whole thing reeks of pandering to children. Sing was produced by the same company, but written by people with passion and the finished product had effort put into it! This movie’s success is a bad message to production companies that essentially says, “You can still rip off better movies and the returns will extremely high. All you have to do is include a lot of dumb slapstick for the kids, and cast actors (that no one hates) like Louis C. K. and the Gen X critics will go easy on it.” Not to mention this movie’s biggest WTFrick aspect… animated cat buttholes. I rest my case.
#5 – Ben-Hur
I’m sorry, who the heck asked for this movie? I guess the producers thought they could remake a movie from the 50s and assumed younger audience members wouldn’t notice. How many more crappy remakes that try to ignore the existence of the original are we going to get? This movie is beyond saving. If the shaky cinematography, awful editing, wooden performances, lackluster direction, and ugly effects weren’t enough, we also have a script with literally no new ideas. Instead of subtlety and an epic scale, we have Jesus popping up every other scene like a Jehovah’s Witness, and a claustrophobic feeling (due to the lack of wide, sweeping shots). How the same director of the extremely entertaining Wanted created this boring retread is beyond me. The best thing I can say about this waste is that it reminded people how well-constructed the original is.
#4 – Independence Day: Resurgence
Ab-so-lute-ly EVERYTHING about this movie can be summed up in one word, “No.” The premise? No. The acting? No. The F/X? No. The release date? Really? This movie isn’t even bad enough to be considered a throwback to the cheesiness of the 90s. I should have given it an F, but I digress. Hopefully Emmerich won’t ever direct again. What? They’ve already announced the third sequel and a Stargate remake? That does it, I’m raiding 20th Century Fox HQ with a shotgun in one hand and bubblegum in the other.
#3 – Ghostbusters
Hey Sony, you racist/sexist scum of the earth, how does box office failure taste? Somehow I think that the director and writers had a lot less control over the movie than they should have. I made it very clear in my review that I hate the response to this movie more than the movie itself (but I still hate it). I thank God everyday this movie was not a box office success, maybe it will tell companies that audiences are NOT THAT FREAKING STUPID. The jokes (with very little exception) are insulting and juvenile, and the characters are either stereotypes, clichés, nonentities, or pathetic cameos. On a few levels, I can see this movie working. For example, the designs of the ghosts have a unique style, but even that was ruined by studio-forced 3D. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting this movie to make it so far in this list, but that’s what happens when most of a year’s bad movies are remakes, rip-offs, and sequels. Hey guys, I have an idea, instead of remaking classics with all-women casts, why don’t you make something original with female heroes? Maybe then your agenda message would work.
#2 – The Legend of Tarzan
Among the many movies I didn’t see in time to review, this gorilla poop was one of the worst. Who in the name of Alexander Skarsgård’s pecs thought up this movie and how did they get it made? Even by Hollywood’s egregious redundancy standards, what was the target audience for this boorfest? It’s not for fans of the 1999 animated Tarzan since it’s not animated and the plot deals with adult issues, it’s not for hardcore survival enthusiasts because of the PG-13 neutering, and it’s not for people with functioning brains because of how unimaginably ridiculous it is. While watching this movie, I never once felt like I was watching a Tarzan movie. In an attempt to be “edgy” The Legend of Tarzan loses the fun adventure that makes up the characters’ personality. Instead, we get all the clichés, muscly guys saving pretty women whose makeup never smears, a comedic/complaining sidekick (why L. Jackson, why?), a rich white villain who is only after money, and a whole lot a crappy CGI. Director David Yates has a great talent of blending practical sets (the costumes, makeup, and sets are very impressive) with computer generated effects, but the CGI is way too overused in this movie. After Mad Max: Fury Road, there is no excuse for choosing F/X over practical stunts (especially if the budget is $180 million). Every time not-Tarzan is jumping around in the jungle, they zoom the camera out (or shake it around) and cover up the horrendous effect. It takes the audience out of the experience when we can’t see Tarzan do Tarzan things! The cast play caricatures instead of characters, and the plot is incoherent and redundant. This load of idiocy gets Guy’s Guru Grade of a D-.
Dishonorable Mentions
- Demolition
Pretentious and confused, Demolition wastes its talented cast (and a couple of decent ideas) on a script with no idea what to say.
Some decent voice acting and smooth animation can’t overcome shoddy character arcs, plot incoherence, and inappropriate sex puns.
If its predecessor didn’t exist, this unnecessary sequel would definitely be on the list. That said, I stand by my belief that this movie did have more effort put into it than I thought possible.
All fan service and no direction makes movie disappoint.
Kevin Costner is legitimately good, but the movie lacks action, and the concept is half-baked. By being shorter than Triple 9 (and less confusing), Criminal made it out alive.
If there was ever an example of DC’s ineptitude to deliver on a product, it’s this disappointing exposition dump. Even Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, and Jeremy Irons’ performances are all cancelled out by Jesse Eisenberg’s twitchy nonsense.
- Now You See Me 2
When it’s not kissing the feet of China (gotta get those box office greenbacks), this sequel is farting up plotholes, unnecessary new characters, and stupid visual gimmicks. Fun Fact: the audience cannot be tricked if they are asleep.
- Batman: The Killing Joke
From the absolutely baffling relationship between Batman and Batgirl, to the forgettable mobster villain, this adaptation fails from the very first scene. Then again, if you cut the first 30 minutes, it would be identical to the original comic.
#1 – Miracles from Heaven
The cinematographer of Dances with Wolves (one of the most beautiful films of all time) shot this unfocused mess. Yes, I am still on that! I can’t believe how bad this movie turned out. I was a bit hard on Jennifer Garner in the review, so I’d like to say that she was trying. Unfortunately her character is poor and I really couldn’t have cared less. The secondary characters are forgettable, and the overall message is contrived at best and lazy at worst. If this movie’s message was about something like homosexuality, it would have been crucified by audiences. I haven’t read the book, so it could be as poorly structured as 50 Shades of Grey, or as monumental as To Kill a Mockingbird. What I do know is that the screenplay can’t create a sense of realism if it tried. The characters are stereotypes, underdeveloped, or just poorly written. A fatal flaw of Christian films (this is coming from a Christian, mind you), especially the ones who go out of their way to argue religion, is their one-sided rhetoric. Obviously the movie is made for a specific audience, but at some point you have to acknowledge the counter-arguments and opposing viewpoints. Even though the skeptic from The Conjuring 2 was a bit of a strawman, it helped ground the movie in reality and added to the drama. In the eyes of a secular, this movie could be nothing but unexplained coincidence and forced drama. Miracles from Heaven is definitely the worst movie of 2016.
In contrast to the poor films on the list you just read, the movies on my Top Test Best list are marvelous. That list will be published in the next few days. Your viewership has played a part in making 2016 a decent year for me, and for that I thank you.
Guy's Guru Grades 
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