Top 10 Worst Fourth Instalments in Movies

While this may not be the fourth film in terms of chronological order in the “Star Wars” saga, it was the fourth film released, and started a prequel series that many people believe ruined one of the greatest trilogies of all-time. Fans had been waiting 16 years for another “Star Wars” film, but anticipation quickly turned into frustration with this disappointing entry. Bad writing, a confusing and boring plot, some iffy performances and unnecessary characters were just some of the many things wrong with this film. Jar Jar Binks anyone?

When it was announced that “Terminator Salvation” would venture away from the time travel plot element and instead focus on the future war between Skynet and humanity, fans were thrilled that they would finally get to see humans fighting machines. Throw in the red-hot Christian Bale as John Connor, and it seemed like this film would shoot some life back into the “Terminator” franchise. Unfortunately, cool special effects did not necessarily make a great movie. Critics complained that “Salvation” was missing the heart of the prior films, and surprisingly Bale’s performance in particular was criticized. As a result, the idea for a new trilogy was scrapped.

Although this film somehow received relatively positive reviews from many critics, and even has a respectable 78% score on Rotten Tomatoes, we here at WatchMojo aren’t convinced that “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” was a worthy addition to this beloved adventure series. Ridiculous scenes like Harrison Ford surviving a nuclear blast by hiding in a fridge and Shia LaBeouf swinging on vines with monkeys are just some of the problems with this bloated blockbuster. The film actually won the Razzie Award for Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel in 2009, meaning we aren’t alone in our assessment. And we didn’t even mention the CGI gopher.

What do you do when you create a classic character that is loved by people across the world? You keep creating films involving that character that get increasingly mediocre until no one wants to hear his name ever again, of course! While the fourth installment of the “Pirates” franchise at least tried to mix it up by removing Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley and adding Penélope Cruz, it still had a confusing and ridiculous plot and was a critical failure compared to its predecessors. Critics even said that Jack Sparrow had worn out his welcome. Nevertheless, a fifth film with Depp once again in the lead role was announced.

We can’t be too hard on a film that helped launch the careers of Matthew McConaughey and Renée Zellweger, but this quasi-remake/sequel is a disaster. Numerous production problems and re-issues resulted in different titles and versions of the film, and it only received a limited release three years after its completion once its stars had already achieved massive stardom. Needless to say, it was critically panned with reviewers complaining about the lack of horror and dumb plot. Still, McConaughey and Zellweger’s performances were praised, so it wasn’t a total bust.

A failure both critically and at the box office, this film essentially ended the “Karate Kid” franchise. With a paltry approval of just 7% on Rotten Tomatoes, “The Next Karate Kid” grossed just $8.9 million compared to the $90.8 million the first movie took home. Reviewers complained that the film was not even close to credible and was by far the silliest installment in the franchise. Similar to “Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation,” however, this movie served up the breakout role for a Hollywood A-lister: a young Hilary Swank was probably the best thing about this fourth installment.

Is it the box office or the critics that determine a film’s success? If it’s the box office, then the fourth film in Michael Bay’s “Transformers” franchise was a rousing success, as it grossed over $1 billion dollars and was the highest-grossing film in 2014. Reviewers hammered the film, however, criticizing its length, the disorienting action scenes, and the needlessly complex plot. It received Razzie nominations for Worst Picture and Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel, and actually won Kelsey Grammer the Worst Supporting Actor Award and Michael Bay the award for Worst Director, something he certainly earned with this train wreck of a movie.

From a film that was a critical disaster but a financial success to a film that failed on all fronts. “Jaws: The Revenge” has a big fat 0% on Rotten Tomatoes and was responsible for ending the “Jaws” film franchise. Roger Ebert called the movie stupid and incompetent, while other critics pointed out the numerous implausible scenes, like the one where the shark swims from New York to the Bahamas in less than 3 days. Even the special effects were criticized, and the film actually earned the Razzie for Worst Visual Effects, among its many nominations.

Another film that was responsible for ending a franchise, the fourth “Superman” film is widely considered to be one of the worst films ever made. In fact, the movie was such a disaster there wasn’t another Superman movie for almost 20 years. The lack of action, poor special effects, lazy acting and – worst of all – the ridiculous plot were all criticized by reviewers and audiences, and the movie definitely suffered from its lack of budget. Christopher Reeve even stated that he regretted becoming involved with the film, and stated that it was a huge blow to his career.

Before we unveil our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- “Resident Evil: Afterlife” (2010)
- “The Final Destination” (2009)
- “Alien: Resurrection” (1997)
- “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1” (2011)

Taking the top spot on our list is this catastrophe of a film, widely considered to be one of the worst movies ever made – but if you’ve watched any of our other videos, you know that already. Bat nipples, horrible one-liners and an absolutely ridiculous plot are just some of the things wrong with this superhero flick. This film essentially ended the “Batman” franchise, as the planned sequel was immediately scrapped following its release. The series was eventually rebooted by Christopher Nolan, but this movie will go down in history as one of the worst fourth installments ever made.

Do you agree with our list? What’s your least favorite fourth film in a franchise? For more great top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.