Top 10 Worst Movies of 2023 (So Far)
#10: “Hypnotic” (2023)
For some projects, it’s possible to have too many ideas. “Hypnotic” has a lot going on– at its core, it’s about a father desperately trying to reunite with his lost daughter, all while trying to stop a large bank heist. Oh, and there’s a secret council with the power to hypnotize people into doing their bidding. While the plot sounds interesting on paper, the end result wasn’t as impressive. Some viewers were disappointed by the awkward dialogue and how the characters were constantly over-explaining what was happening. Additionally, the shorter runtime meant that a lot of aspects of the plot were rushed. If things were a tad more subtle, then this movie could have been met with an entirely different reaction.
#9: “House Party” (2023)
If it isn’t broken, why even try to fix it? The original 1990 version of “House Party” had unquestionable charm, causing it to be widely loved. Like many other movies from the ‘90s, “House Party'' was recently remade– with a 2020s twist. While it’s undeniable that the house party itself was fun and extravagant, other areas of the plot weren’t. Fans of the original felt that the characters weren’t as relatable, the jokes weren’t as funny, and that the celebrity appearances were too frequent. We know that cameos were a given, considering it took place at LeBron James’s house, but at a certain point it becomes too much. Overall, this had the potential to be a great homage to a classic, but ultimately fell flat.
#8: “Love Again” (2023)
Adding modern elements to movies can be smart, but can also easily backfire– particularly when it comes to tech. After the protagonist's husband dies, she copes by sending texts to his number– which she believes has been disconnected. However, it’s revealed that it has actually been reassigned to someone else, who decides to use the messages for a story he’s writing, and to win her heart. Besides the fact that this doesn’t make sense technologically– if the number was disconnected, the messages wouldn’t have been delivered– it’s also just a creepy way of initiating the relationship. In typical rom-com fashion, she’s able to overlook this massive breach of privacy– but we can’t help but feel that this method makes more sense for a horror film.
#7: “Fool’s Paradise” (2023)
It’s always disappointing to see genuinely funny people fall flat. Charlie Day is known for making people laugh on “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”, but when it came to “Fool’s Paradise”, he didn’t see the same result. The premise is interesting– a man with a speech disability replaced an actor in a film and was suddenly catapulted to fame– but the execution was lacking. Viewers and critics agreed that the film wasn’t saying anything new about the entertainment industry, even though it wanted to. However, the cardinal sin of this movie is that the jokes hardly landed, which is essentially a death knell for any comedy. While Day’s directorial debut may have been shaky, we still can’t help but be hopeful for any future projects he may release.
#6: “Life Upside Down” (2022)
COVID impacted everything, from the economy to personal relationships. Some studios decided to make films to reflect this period of time, which is how “Life Upside Down” came to be. The film is centered around three different couples and their relationships during the pandemic, and was filmed entirely over Zoom. Unfortunately, the medium didn’t translate very well over the video chatting site, leading the film to seem clunky upon viewing. Ultimately, this movie suffered from being released at the wrong time, as people were still reeling from the effects of the pandemic, and didn’t want to be reminded. Bob Odenkirk at the peak of his popularity wasn’t enough to save it– the movie was both a commercial and critical flop.
#5: “Children of the Corn” (2020)
Considering the scope of Stephen King’s work, it’s odd that Hollywood puts so much focus on “Children of the Corn”. The original film is a cult classic, and showcased how horrifying the story was. However, the subsequent sequels and remakes haven’t been as successful. The director attempted to differentiate this remake from the rest of the franchise by having the cult be run by a young girl instead of a young boy. While this was an interesting decision, it wasn’t enough to hold the audience's excitement. Viewers also couldn’t help but cringe at the poor special effects, especially when it came to the gore. Even with the lowered expectations caused by the previous films, people still left the theater disappointed and scare-free.
#4: “You People” (2023)
Social commentaries have the potential to have a ripple effect across society. Unfortunately, if movies in this genre aren’t executed well, then they end up coming across as tone deaf, which is the case for “You People”. The movie focused less on the connection between the protagonists, and more so on their families and their hang-ups towards the interracial relationship. Despite the movie’s best attempts to tell a progressive story, it ended up coming across as insensitive and Anti-Semitic. Most of the Jewish characters are caricatures, and there’s even a moment where the Holocaust was downplayed. Beyond that, other characters lean into Anti-Semitic conspiracies. While this movie had the potential to cement itself as a great commentary film, it unfortunately missed the mark.
#3: “Ghosted” (2023)
After nearly a decade of dominating the superhero genre with his role as Captain America, Chris Evans decided to re-establish himself by appearing in an action/romantic comedy called “Ghosted”. The concept of the movie is interesting– Evan’s character believes he’s being ghosted by Sadie, only to learn that she is actually a CIA agent– but the writing was lacking, leading it to become a bit convoluted. Even seasoned pros like Evans and Ana de Armas could only do so much with the script they were given. Despite the poor reviews, “Ghosted” still has one of the biggest movie debuts on Apple TV– so we can only hope that Evans will be able to see better success as an actor in the future.
#2: “Knights of the Zodiac” (2023)
Adaptations of popular anime are always a risk, especially considering how devoted many fans of the medium are. When it was announced that “Knights of the Zodiac” would be made into a live-action film, fans were cautiously optimistic. That optimism quickly faded when the movie was released. Many felt that the writing wasn’t up to par and that the CGI was overbearing; resulting in a loud mess. Above all else, it failed to capture what was so special about the original, and made it into a generic action movie. While fans figured that a 100% faithful adaptation was unlikely, they were at least hoping for the film to have passion behind it.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable– or should we say dishonorable– mentions.
“65” (2023)
This Movie Proved That Dinosaurs & Space Don’t Mix at All
“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” (2023)
This Lackluster Film Cemented Many Fans’ Growing Marvel Fatigue
“Shazam! Fury of the Gods” (2023)
This Sequel Is Missing the Charm That DC Fans Loved About the Original
“Marlowe” (2022)
Many Felt Liam Neeson Was Miscast in This Neo-Noir Adaptation of the 2014 Novel
“Spinning Gold” (2023)
Neil Bogart Had a Much More Exciting Life Than This Biopic Led Us to Believe
#1: “Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey” (2023)
When it was revealed that the works of A.A Milne would officially be released to the public domain, people online couldn’t help but theorize what new content would come out. That was how “Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey” came to be. Essentially, the film is about Winnie and Piglet enacting revenge against Christopher Robin for abandoning them as an adult. While the film could have been a clever satire of the lovable series, it ended up coming across as a generic slasher film. The scariest aspect was how Winnie-the-Pooh looked, and even that felt more ridiculous than genuinely frightening. The movie left a sour taste in the mouths of those who loved the original characters, and took itself too seriously to appeal to anyone else.
