Hollywood, Stop! 10 Movie Reboots That Sucked

Top 10 Movie Reboots That SUCK

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the movie reboots that made us wish their franchises had stayed dormant.

#10: “The Crow” (2024)

Rebooting “The Crow” was always going to be an uphill battle due to the tragic on-set death of the original film’s star, Brandon Lee. Sadly, this 2024 reboot completely failed to prove that the franchise was worth resurrecting. While the original film was a hyper-stylized cult classic, the reboot attempted a more realistic and gritty take on the character. But instead of setting the new film apart, the lack of a distinct style made it another bland and forgettable superhero movie amidst a sea of better options. The film was a massive flop both critically and at the box office, making it all but certain that The Crow will stay dead for the foreseeable future.

#9: “Men in Black: International” (2019)

The original Men in Black series managed to get three movies out of the fantastic chemistry between Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as secret agents who protect the Earth from alien threats. For some reason, Sony thought they could recapture that magic by copying and pasting the casting from “Thor: Ragnarok” and slotting in Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. While both leads are fun to watch, they weren’t enough to liven up this lackluster retreading of the previous films. This reboot was zapped out of audiences memories so quickly it almost makes you wonder if the real MiB had something to do with it.

#8: “Dolittle” (2020)

After Robert Downey Jr. departed from the MCU, fans were eager to see what he’d do next. And while a kid-friendly flick about a doctor who talks to animals may have seemed like a safe bet, the actual film was a dud on nearly every level. The story is a jumbled patchwork with huge chunks of backstory delivered via narration. The humor is juvenile and bizarre, with many scenes being tweaked and reshot to force in as many unfunny jokes as possible. The film is also chock full of janky CGI animals voiced by celebrities who were cast solely to put names on a poster. The film failed to make back its massive budget, and any hopes of a sequel were swiftly and humanely put down.

#7: “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (2014)

The biggest issue with Michael Bay’s reboot of the TMNT was clear from the first trailer: the CGI turtles are absolutely hideous. Depicting giant turtles in live action was never going to be easy, but at least the original films had the cartoonish charm of puppeteered costumes. Bay attempted to offset the ugliness of the turtles by having Megan Fox on screen as much as possible as April O’Neil, but forgot to give her anything to do besides looking confused and getting ogled. While the turtles themselves do have a few endearing moments, it wasn’t enough to save this reboot from being savaged by critics. The 2016 sequel, “Out of the Shadows”, fared little better.

#6: “Robin Hood” (2018)

There have already been a LOT of Robin Hood adaptations, but hey, the story of the famous folk hero who steals from the rich to give to the poor is a pretty timeless tale. Unfortunately, this 2018 reboot had nothing exciting or interesting to offer in its retelling. The characters are boring, the action is lifeless, and although the film claimed to be a modern reinvention of the story, the changes it made were completely superficial. It joins the lackluster tradition of bland action movies cashing in on fairy tales or folklore for their recognizable names and nothing else.

#5: “Hellboy” (2019)

Guillermo del Toro’s original “Hellboy” films still hold up today thanks to their astonishing lineup of practical monsters and sets. The 2019 reboot, on the other hand, has little to offer besides computer generated sludge and failed attempts at edgy humor. While the choice to opt for more CGI could have been forgiven if the story was good enough, it definitely was not. The plot is a frenzied mess that seems desperate to throw in as many characters and sequel teases as possible. And while David Harbour does a fine job as the titular demon, his version of the character is nowhere near as memorable as Ron Perlman’s iconic portrayal.

#4: “Terminator Genisys” (2015)

Since the Terminator franchise centers around time travel, the potential for reboots is basically built-in. But while the original films used time travel to set up their stories, “Terminator Genisys” put time travel front and center with disastrous results. The film tried to shake up the foundations of the series with a new timeline, new robots, and new twists, but it still wasn’t nearly as creative or memorable as the originals. On top of that, the new timeline in this film basically retconned the original series, which is the easiest way to make fans hate you. Unsurprisingly, this attempted reboot of the franchise was scrapped a few years later when the series went back to its original timeline with “Terminator: Dark Fate”.

#3: “Godzilla” (1998)

Godzilla is one of the most iconic creatures in film history, so he’s no stranger to reboots or reimaginings. That being said, Roland Emmerich’s 1998 reboot is clearly the worst of the bunch. Emmerich’s experience with sci-fi disaster films such as “Independence Day” might have made him seem like the perfect choice on paper, but it turned out the real disaster was the film itself. This reboot sands down Godzilla’s rich history as a symbol of nuclear trauma, and replaces it with a limp ripoff of Jurassic Park. Sprinkle in a cast of stock characters, a paper-thin plot, and a famously ugly redesign of its star monster, and it's clear why the film was slammed by fans and critics alike. And let’s not forget that horrible music video where Puff Daddy and the titular monster face off…

#2: “The Mummy” (2017)

Rebooting a beloved classic is always a tall order, but trying to recapture the magic of 1999’s “The Mummy” AND kicking off a completely new cinematic universe is basically impossible. So it’s not surprising that the 2017 reboot of “The Mummy” failed on both fronts. The film stars Tom Cruise as a treasure hunter who accidentally unleashes the spirit of an ancient mummified princess. Critics slammed the film for its patchwork plot made up of bits from better movies, as well as its shoehorned in setups for future films. “The Mummy” was supposed to kick off a new “Dark Universe” of Universal monster reboots, but the film performed so poorly at the box office that the entire slate of films was laid to rest.

#1: “Fantastic Four” (2015)

Marvel’s first family has always had a tough time making the jump to the big screen, but this 2015 reboot is a clear low point. The film was originally imagined as an origin story with a darker tone and David Cronenberg style body horror. However, conflicts between director Josh Trank and the studio led to a nightmarish production and major reshoots. The resulting film is more Frankenstein than Cronenberg, with obvious distinctions between the original footage and the studio-led reshoots. Between its clunky dialogue, cliched story, and a terrible incarnation of Dr. Doom, it’s clear why fans wanted Marvel Studios to take the reins. No matter how the upcoming MCU Fantastic Four film turns out, it’ll definitely be better than this.


Did we miss any? Sometimes it seems like there are more reboots than new movies, so be sure to let us know in the comments if there are any particularly heinous reboots that should have made our list.