Top 10 Worst Spin-off Movies
We're in the era of sequels, prequels, reboots and spin-offs. And, while some may prove worthwhile (ahem, "The Dark Knight"), others don't fare so well. Spin-offs – those films based on some character or element from an earlier success – seem to fare the worst of all. It's hard to even think of a successful one – in fact, the only ones that spring to mind are the ones that completely slaughter some of our most beloved franchises. In this video, http://www.WatchMojo.com counts down our picks for the top 10 worst spin-off movies.
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#10 – “Evan Almighty” (2007)
It doesn’t sound like a bad idea: after his small but memorable part in “Bruce Almighty,” Steve Carell became a bankable movie star. So, why not build a sequel around his character? But maybe add an ark. And a beard. And, everybody loves animals, right? But the biggest blunder here is the $175 million price tag. Even God-like powers can’t save you from that kinda stupidity.
#9 – “Hannibal Rising” (2007)
The origins of Hannibal Lecter with a screenplay by author Thomas Harris sound like a slam-dunk. And it shoulda been: sure, it’s hard to top Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster and fava beans, but the other films in the franchise did at least modestly well. However, this entry’s over-pretentious and unimaginative story doesn’t even come close. Even worse, this clunker breaks the golden rule of movies: it’s painfully boring.
#8 – “Alien vs. Predator” (2004)
Two iconic sci-fi series with terrifying alien species fused into one mega-franchise: it worked in comics and videogames – why not on the big screen? We’ll tell you why: because Hollywood thinks we need one of those species to be the good guys. Underdeveloped characters and excruciatingly stilted dialogue don’t help either. But clearly someone saw it: it made hundreds-of-millions at the box-office and even spawned its own sequel.
#7 – “Freddy vs. Jason” (2003)
“A Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Friday the 13th” form a terrifying team based on the faces alone. But let’s be real; these worn-out villains needed a reboot: perhaps a mano-a-mano battle could at least breathe new life into ‘em? Or perhaps not. Why does it always have to be “versus” anyway? Why couldn’t it be “Freddy & Jason” – then the teenage corpses could really pile up.
#6 – “American Pie Presents: Band Camp” (2005)
Has anyone ever said, “hey, that direct-to-DVD sequel was really worth seeing”? The answer to that would be a resounding “no,” and a flick about the infamous “American Pie” band camp is in its own league of awfulness. Mimicking sex comedy series like “Porky’s” and “Meatballs,” the “American Pie” franchise proceeded with cut-rate sequels that had all-new casts and very little to do with their source material. The results were about the same.
#5 – “Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure” (1984)
We can’t decide what’s worse: direct-to-DVD or made-for-TV. But either way, anything in the “Star Wars” canon must tread lightly – need we remind you of Jar-Jar? Or the Christmas special? There were actually two Ewok TV movies in the ‘80s, and they should have be kick-ass stepbrothers of the “Star Wars” saga. But instead, they just featured a lot of scenes like these…
#4 – “Elektra” (2005)
Elektra is at best a second-tier character in the Marvel Universe. Also, we’re not even going to bother with a spoiler alert here because we’re saving you time, but she dies in “Daredevil.” So to give her a spinoff is all kinds of ridiculous. Actually, that’s not fair: she’s “Daredevil”’s brightest spot; but in “Elektra” she’s nothing more than a brooding, self-serious bore. In red leather pants.
#3 – “Son of the Mask” (2005)
Combine the premise of “The Mask” with the box-office drawing power of Jamie Kennedy. Jim Carrey turned down $10-million to reprise his role as Stanley Ipkiss. That shoulda been the end of that. But Kennedy took his place, and was so attacked in the reviews he made a documentary based on the experience. We think the takeaway here is that sequels to Jim Carrey movies really require Jim Carrey.
#2 – “Supergirl” (1984)
By the time this was released, Superman fans probably wished there was a real Man of Steel to speed-fly the world back to a time when the movies didn’t suck. Supergirl was given the daunting task of reviving the brand; but her doe-eyed, cheesy treatment of the story just wasn’t worthy of the cape, and she collected about a tenth of the box-office returns of her cousin.
#1 – “Catwoman” (2004)
There’ve been many memorable interpretations of this beloved she-villain over the years. This is one of them, but that’s not a compliment. Everyone with an internet connection knew this project was doomed the day the first costume pics surfaced. But Halle Berry had just won an Oscar, so it took something special to earn this flick its place as one of the worst films in Hollywood history.
Do you agree or disagree with our list? Which movie spinoffs would you put in your list of all-time stinkers? Be sure to let us know and subscribe to WatchMojo.com for more great top 10s!
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