Top 10 Recent Movies That Looked Exciting Until...

Speaking of literal red flags, the teaser for Sam Wilson’s first solo movie as Captain America gave us a brief glimpse of Red Hulk. The full trailer later confirmed Thaddeus Ross would make the transformation. The reception was mixed with the CGI giving some flashbacks to Ang Lee’s “Hulk” from over twenty years ago. Others were eager to see Harrison Ford become a giant red monster. As Red Hulk dominated the advertising, though, people noticed the same clips being used, suggesting he wouldn’t appear until the third act. If the ads were giving away the climatic twist, chances are the film didn’t have much else up its sleeve. The trailer essentially spoiled the whole movie, which many would place lower on their MCU ranking.

Nobody can deny that Zack Snyder has a passionate following. Fans were thrilled when it was announced that Netflix was bankrolling Snyder’s answer to “Star Wars.” While people were open to the prospect of “Rebel Moon” being split into two parts, they grew annoyed when Snyder announced both would be getting R-rated director’s cuts at later dates. While Snyder is practically synonymous with director’s cuts, those were all for wide theatrical releases. A streamer like Netflix could’ve skipped the PG-13 versions and given us the extended, R-rated cuts upfront. The shorter versions were largely panned. While the director’s cuts were better received, they weren’t vast improvements. Watching all four amounted to over ten hours of content, making the ordeal feel like homework in the end.

Director David Gordon Green has seen an unpredictable career trajectory, going from indie dramas, to raunchy comedies, to horror movies. For all the peaks and valleys, 2018’s “Halloween” was a high point for Green. Following that film’s success, Green seemed like the ideal candidate to revive “The Exorcist” franchise. Fans began to lose faith with the releases of “Halloween Kills” and “Halloween Ends,” which continued a story everyone thought was officially over. People weren’t thrilled with how Green treated Laurie Strode and Michael Myers in the sequels, leaving them worried about how Ellen Burstyn’s Chris MacNeil would be treated in “The Exorcist: Believer.” Burstyn was ultimately wasted in a film so poorly received that Universal scrapped any sequel plans in favor of a reboot.

For the longest time, video game movies had a reputation for being awful. By the 2020s, Hollywood had seemingly cracked the code, giving us hope for “Borderlands.” In addition to beloved source material, the film had an all-star cast and a fun director in Eli Roth. They grew wary in early 2023 when news broke the film was undergoing reshoots, which Roth wouldn’t return for. The plot thickened in June 2023 when co-writer Craig Mazin insisted on using a pseudonym. The film was finally released over a year later, opening to abysmal reviews and even worse box office. For many, the writing had been on the wall since the film was branded with a PG-13 rating, despite reportedly being envisioned for the hard R crowd.

For a minute, Jonathan Majors seemed poised for superstar status. Yeah, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” was a letdown, but Majors would have other opportunities to play Kang the Conqueror. In the meantime, he had a certified awards contender with the Sundance hit “Magazien Dreams.” Before that film could reach a general audience, Majors found himself embroiled in an assault scandal that went from bad to career-ending. In addition to Majors being barred from the MCU, Searchlight Pictures dropped “Magazine Dreams,” leaving its future uncertain. Briarcliff Entertainment eventually stepped in as a distributor, giving the film a limited run in 2025. While Majors’ performance was praised, the controversy made for an uncomfortable watch, with the film now serving as a symbol of wasted talent.

After Olivia Wilde made her feature directorial debut with the teen comedy “Booksmart,” audiences were enthusiastic about seeing her switch genres in this thriller. The talent in front of the camera was equally compelling. The cast included Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, the latter replacing Shia LaBeouf. Although Wilde claimed LaBeouf was dismissed due to unacceptable behavior, the actor gave a conflicting report, saying he quit. LaBeouf wasn’t the only star who allegedly got on Wilde’s bad side. Rumors suggested the director got into a “screaming match” with Pugh. Wilde’s recent breakup with Jason Sudeikis and fleeting romance with Styles only fanned the flames. By the time “Don’t Worry Darling” premiered to middling reviews, people were more fixated on the behind-the-scenes drama than the film.

While opinions vary on the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy, most agreed that Harrison Ford’s performance as Han Solo was a highlight. Fans were optimistic that Disney would do right by Indiana Jones next. Granted, Steven Spielberg wouldn’t be directing, but given how “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” turned out, maybe it was time for a newcomer like James Mangold to take the reins. Despite numerous delays, Disney seemed confident with “The Dial of Destiny” premiering at the Cannes Film Festival. The studio was overly confident, as reviews out of Cannes were mediocre at best. While subsequent reviews were more positive, expectations had been lowered to the point that many opted to skip Indy’s fifth adventure, resulting in one of Disney’s biggest bombs ever.

The buildup to this long-awaited superhero film was a marathon of bad press. After years of failed attempts to get a “Flash” movie going, the DCEU promised to shine the spotlight on the speedster. The project got various false starts with talents like Phil Lord, Chris Miller, Seth Grahame-Smith, and Rick Famuyiwa attached at different points. Even after Andy Muschietti was locked in as director, the bigger issue was star Ezra Miller. Once seen as a promising up-and-comer, Miller’s offscreen antics and legal troubles overshadowed the film. The buzz surrounding Michael Keaton’s return as Batman also depleted as people had grown tired of the multiverse concept by the time “The Flash” hit theaters in 2023. Just like that, a slow-motion trainwreck swiftly crashed and burned.

Although 2019’s “Joker” seemed perfectly self-contained, audiences were genuinely (and morbidly) curious when Todd Phillips moved forward with a sequel. Some were ready to jump ship amid reports the sequel would be a musical. Others found the musical angle enticing. With Lady Gaga playing Harley Quinn, surely the soundtrack would be gangbusters, right? Like its predecessor, “Joker: Folie à Deux” premiered at Venice. Where the first film won the Golden Lion, “Folie à Deux” was met with a far more mixed response. Sure, the original “Joker” ignited polarizing opinions. As more critics saw “Folie à Deux,” though, the sequel’s reception went from divisive to full-blown rotten. Mainstream viewers were even harsher, quickly spreading the word that the joke was on Arthur Fleck’s fans.

After nearly 50 years and $120 million out of his own pocket, Francis Ford Coppola’s passion project would see the light of day. Given the time and money invested, cinephiles expected a masterpiece at most. At the very least, “Megalopolis” had to be competent. With so much on the line, the director of “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now” couldn’t produce a dumpster fire. Reality sunk in when Coppola screened the film for potential distributors with one studio head saying, “It’s so not good, and it was so sad watching it.” While Lionsgate released the film theatrically, Coppola had to pay for marketing. Amid scandals involving fake critic quotes and Coppola’s allegedly inappropriate behavior onset, reviews confirmed this was a vanity project of epically disastrous proportions.


What movie were you excited to see until warning signs arose? Let us know in the comments.