Top 10 Worst Movies of 2024

Zack Snyder was once celebrated for his bold cinematic style, but over the years, that signature flair has been beaten to death, resulting in the chaotic mess that is the “Rebel Moon” saga. While the first installment was at least watchable, the 2024 sequel committed the ultimate cinematic crime: it was boring. The actors seemed barely invested, and the cringey, exposition-filled dialogue is enough to make your ears bleed. Sure, Snyder’s director’s cut was a slight improvement, but if you need a post-release fix every time you put out a movie, then you might want to rethink your approach. Packed with slow motion, lazy writing and gratuitous violence, this sci-fi epic may be full of death, but it is sorely lacking in life.

Biopics are a surefire way to generate Oscar buzz, but only when done right. Needless to say, this portrayal of Ronald Reagan falls far below that standard. While every great figure has flaws, “Reagan” glosses over those of its subject entirely, opting instead for a sanitized, one-dimensional hero worship. By avoiding the very complexities that defined the former president, the film sacrifices depth for idolization. The result is a movie that somehow feels rushed, despite spending years in development hell. Dennis Quaid does his best to channel Reagan’s charisma and eloquence, but it’s not nearly enough to salvage the script. Fans of the former president might enjoy it, but if you’re looking for a nuanced take on history, you won’t find it here.

There aren’t a lot of beautiful things to say about this dystopian young adult adaptation. Arriving long after the peak of the young adult craze, “Uglies” transports us to a world where everyone undergoes life-changing cosmetic surgery at the age of 16 to achieve physical perfection. For a film that supposedly champions the value of living authentically, “Uglies” is one of the most derivative and artificial experiences you would ever endure. It relies on overused tropes, fails to do any substantial worldbuilding and wastes its talented cast on a highly contrived plot. We’d love to say it has some substance beneath the surface, but unfortunately, the inside is just as hollow as its outward appearance.

1994’s “The Crow” was a massive hit, even amid the tragic death of Brandon Lee on set, so the creators of this reboot had some seriously big shoes to fill. Were they able to improve on the original? Well, quite the opposite. Even with such a talented actor as Bill Skarsgård in the lead, “The Crow” comes immediately dead on arrival, offering no spark to justify its resurrection. The emotional punch of the original is missing, and the two leads, Skarsgård and singer FKA Twigs, have as much chemistry as oil and water. While there are some interesting stylistic choices, there’s nothing that would make you choose this version over the original. Simply put, “The Crow” should have been left to rest in peace.

Oscar-winning filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola[a] poured decades of effort and $120 million of his own money to make “Megalopolis.” Surely, with that much on the line, it must be a masterpiece, right? You can probably guess the answer. “Megalopolis” aims for the stars with its grand themes, but falls flat trying to weave them into a coherent narrative. While the cast boasts powerhouse names, their performances are so all over the place that watching just one sequence feels like jumping between five different films. And even with a budget nearing $150 million, the visual effects still look like something straight out of “Spy Kids.” Coppola is undeniably one of Hollywood’s most ambitious directors, but sadly, his glory days may be well behind him.

This 2024 mix of live-action and animation reimagines the beloved 1955 children’s book by turning the titular Harold into an adult man, played by Zachary Levi. Armed with his magical crayon, Harold draws himself a door into the real world, only to find it odd and confusing. Perhaps the only thing that can rival Harold’s confusion is ours, at how utterly uninspired and lifeless this adaptation is. For a story that celebrates the power of imagination, “Harold and the Purple Crayon” fails at being imaginative. Instead, it drains the source material of all its charm, leaving behind a dull sketch of a plot and a performance from Levi that’s more grating than heartwarming. Anyone got a crayon to help us escape this mess?

Some movies seem like brilliant ideas on paper, but end up translating horribly on screen. “Argylle” is one such film. The spy caper follows a reclusive author who realizes that her fictional spy novel mirrors a real covert operation. It’s a fantastic premise, especially with Matthew Vaughn, the visionary director behind the “Kingsman” franchise, at the helm. However, in an attempt to spoof the spy genre, “Argylle” fumbles the punchline and becomes the butt of its own joke. Vaughn would have done well to embrace the “less is more” mantra, as each over-the-top twist and silly trope only dragged the film further downhill. By the end, the only thing that’s been successfully stolen is your time, and maybe your dignity for sitting through it.

2019’s “Joker” redefined the comic book movie genre, raking in over $1 billion and earning Joaquin Phoenix an Oscar. Naturally, expectations were sky-high for the sequel, especially with Lady Gaga joining the cast. But whatever fans envisioned was thrown out of the window for a chaotic mishmash of genres that felt more like a bloated epilogue than a proper movie. Instead of building on the original, director Todd Phillips crammed a courtroom drama, jukebox musical, twisted romance and social satire into one overstuffed script. Unsurprisingly, “Joker: Folie à Deux” collapsed under its own weight. Fans were outraged, producers bled millions, but if it helps deter studios from such lazy cash grabs in the future, we’ll count that as a small victory.

Adapting video games for the big screen is a notoriously difficult task. “Borderlands” fans who were hoping that the 2024 film adaptation would break the curse were left sorely disappointed. “Borderlands” is a wannabe “Guardians of the Galaxy” with nowhere near as much wit or heart. Where “Guardians” excelled with sharp humor and stunning visuals, “Borderlands” is chock-full of cringe-worthy dialogue, paper-thin characters and zany action sequences that grow tiring rather quickly. Behind the scenes, the film reportedly endured multiple writers, post-production chaos and even reshoots with a different director, all of which are painfully evident in the final cut. Considering its cast of Oscar-winning talent, we wonder if any of them actually read the script before signing on.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable, or in this case, dishonorable mentions.

This Creepy Erotic Thriller Would’ve Been Uncomfortable Even 20 Years Ago

Chris Pine’s Directorial Debut Shows He’s Better Before the Camera Than Behind It

Barely Enough of a Plot Here to Fill a Kiddie Pool

Sometimes, It’s Best to Let Sleeping Dogs—and Beloved Horror Films—Lie

Even Diehard Kevin Hart Fans Won’t Find This Formulaic Heist Film Funny

Even before hitting theaters, this movie was already a cultural punching bag, thanks to its absurd trailer. You’d think it couldn’t get worse, but the actual film somehow managed to sink even lower. Centered around Cassie Webb, a clairvoyant trying to protect three young women from a villain seeking to exploit their powers, “Madame Web” is so shockingly bad, it’s hard to believe it’s actually real. Its nearly two-hour runtime presents nothing more than exposition dumps, dreadful visual effects and lousy action sequences that the actors clearly aren’t even taking seriously. It’s hardly surprising that it was co-written by the same geniuses behind 2022’s “Morbius.” We’d call it the worst comic book movie ever, if it wasn’t just so forgettable.

What was the worst movie you saw this year? Drop your picks in the comments below—just don’t expect us to watch them.

[b]arr-guile / argyle
[c]https://youtu.be/uyAYieh-TIU?si=66HPZBkZO0xhtEwI&t=7